1993 Mercury Tracer problems & reliability
62 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1993 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.
8 complaints report injuries (13 injured, 3 deaths reported).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic → | 11 | 18% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline → | 10 | 16% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 9 | 15% |
| Electrical System | 8 | 13% |
| Power Train | 8 | 13% |
| Steering | 8 | 13% |
| Seat Belts | 7 | 11% |
| Suspension | 7 | 11% |
| Structure | 5 | 8% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 4 | 6% |
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
“Tl* the contact owned a 1993 mercury tracer. While driving approximately 25 mph, the vehicle accelerated independently. The brake pedal traveled to the floor when it was depressed. As a result, the vehicle struck another vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. A police report was filed. There were three injuries…”
Air Bags · filed Sep 16, 2014
“Tl*the contact owns a 1993 mercury tracer. The contact stated that the two bolts that hold the front axle in place did not have the hole drilled in the bolt that holds the caslated nut and the cutter pin. The bolt size was irregular and no one was able to replace the bolt that was .034 inches in diameter. Once the…”
Power Train · filed Dec 7, 2007
“Two bolts hold the front axle in place. Two on each side. These '!@#$% bolts are .43 inches in diameter and are threaded 20 tpi. (these do not conform to any standard bolt I could find in the literature, metric or sae). These four bolts are fitted with castelated nuts, a very good idea. However, the bolt had no hole…”
Steering · filed Jul 20, 2007
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
78 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1993 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 1993 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 1993 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.