1991 Mercury Tracer problems & reliability
60 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1991 Mercury Tracer. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
2 complaints report injuries (3 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical System → | 17 | 28% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline → | 12 | 20% |
| Seat Belts → | 10 | 17% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 7 | 12% |
| Power Train | 5 | 8% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 3 | 5% |
| Steering | 3 | 5% |
| Exterior Lighting | 2 | 3% |
| Structure | 2 | 3% |
| Suspension | 2 | 3% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Tl* the contact owns a 1991 mercury tracer. After the vehicle was filled with fuel and parked in the garage, the contact smelled a fuel odor and noticed fuel leaking onto the garage floor. All american ford (3306 bridge ave, point pleasant, nj 08742, (732) 451-3582) was contacted and stated that the vehicle was too…”
Fuel/propulsion System · filed Jun 26, 2019
“(1) shoulder belt would not move to driving position, coolant fan would not run when needed with engine running only when the ignition was turned off, oil light stayed on and alternately flashed with the right turn signal indicator. (2) a shorting connector to the fuel pump burned the wire bundle to the fuel pump in…”
Fuel System, Gasoline · filed Aug 22, 2005
“I had to replace two ignition switches on my 1991 mercury 1.9 tracer to the tune of $360.00. The first one they installed, the tumblers fell apart after one day, I had to be towed back to the mechanic to install a second ignition switch. I was informed that ford had a recall on tracer ignition switches. How do I…”
Electrical System · filed Jun 17, 2003
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- FUEL PUMP WIRING SHORTAGE
Engineering Analysis EA94002 · opened Jan 28, 1994 · closed Jan 31, 1995
Technical service bulletins
55 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1991 Mercury Tracer. The 10 most recent:
This aritlce is to provide information on replacement of old style hood lamp switch to the rvised mechanical hood lamp switch. *tt
01194 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 1, 2001
Information regarding transmission fluid usage charts. *slc
01157 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 6, 2001
Some vehicles may exhibit heater core leaks. *slc
01156 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 6, 2001
Some vehicles produced through july 1999 may exhibit rear suspension spring failure with no resulting operational concern. *tt
14993 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 1, 2001
Subject pertaining to revised door latch switch service procedure. *jb
00187 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 4, 2000
This bulletin provides revised passive restraint system information contained in the workshop manual and the electrical and vaccum troubleshooting manual (evtm). *tt
00124 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 12, 2000
Subject regarding passive restraint system service information. *tt
001204 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 1, 2000
Information regarding the new transmission cooler flusher- service tip. *mjs
0015 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 10, 2000
Some vehicles may exhibit grinding noise, or greater than normal brake roughness, when applying the brakes immediately after installing motorcraft front brake pad part number br-18 (xu2z-2v001-ra). *t
7369 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 1, 1999
Subject on a wire harness terminal repair kit available for repairing electrical wiring harnesses. *tt
99222 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 18, 1999
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 1991 Mercury Tracer in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 1991 Mercury Tracer?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.