1992 Mercury Tracer problems & reliability
24 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1992 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 (2 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical System | 7 | 29% |
| Seat Belts | 4 | 17% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 3 | 13% |
| Steering | 2 | 8% |
| Tires | 2 | 8% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 1 | 4% |
| Exterior Lighting | 1 | 4% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 1 | 4% |
| Power Train | 1 | 4% |
| Suspension | 1 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“After 27 years the rubber fuel filler pipe on the car cracked and began leaking fuel. The fuel filler pipe was replaced with a new fuel filler pipe from ford motorcraft, part #kfl-22, focz-9324-aa. The new fuel filler pipe lasted only 6 months before cracking and spilling gas on my driveway creating a hazardous…”
Fuel/propulsion System · filed Jun 22, 2020
“On my daughters 1992 mercury tracer, the ignition switch engaged the engine starter and began smoking without the key in the ignition and when no-one was in the car. I am now faced with $800.00 in repair bills for a defective ford motor company part that could have caused a serious injury or death. *la”
Electrical System · filed Oct 31, 2003
“Tread separation discovered accidentally per inspection for driveabiity concern. *ak (dot number: w2r4 tiresize: p195/60r14)”
Tires · filed Feb 8, 2001
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
63 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1992 Mercury Tracer. The 10 most recent:
New transmission cooler flusher - service tips. 2003 escort and super duty f series included. *tt
03148 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 21, 2003
Climate control a/c service tech tips. *eh
02208 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 14, 2002
Lamp-brake-invadvertent disabling of brake shift interlock. *mj
02176 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 2, 2002
Some engine assemblies with aluminum cylinder heads repaired in-vehile have been found to leak coolant and/or oil from the cylinder head gasket area. *tt
0214 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 21, 2002
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
Brake shift interlock.*jb
01181 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 17, 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
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 1992 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 1992 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.