1998 Mercury Tracer problems & reliability
44 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1998 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.
3 complaints report injuries (3 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1998 Mercury Tracer vehicles were involved in 1 fatal crash with 1 occupant death. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Suspension → | 11 | 25% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 8 | 18% |
| Electrical System | 6 | 14% |
| Air Bags | 5 | 11% |
| Power Train | 4 | 9% |
| Steering | 3 | 7% |
| Structure | 3 | 7% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 2 | 5% |
| Unknown OR Other | 2 | 5% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 2 | 5% |
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
“Speeds up on its own when driving and when stopped at lights. Occurs every time I drive it. Most of all in the winter time. Tried to repaired it at station but was unable to do so. *tr”
Vehicle Speed Control · filed Feb 18, 2010
“While I am on the foot brake slowing down, car suddenly revs, shifts into gear and accelerates. I am unable to hold back the vehicle even when pushing as hard as I can on the brake pedal. I have to knock the shift lever into neutral to stop.*ak”
Power Train · filed May 11, 2007
“Dt: the contact took vehicle to dealer for regular maintenance, and the dealer discovered the rear passenger strut broke. Inside the strut was a piece of rubber. No repairs have been made. *ak”
Suspension · filed Dec 1, 2005
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- AIR BAG NON-DEPLOYMENT
Defect Petition DP01001 · opened Apr 19, 2001 · closed Nov 1, 2001
Technical service bulletins
112 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1998 Mercury Tracer. The 10 most recent:
General (pcm) power train control module programming procedures. *tt
042107 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 13, 2004
General power train control module (pcm) programming procedures. *tt
04217 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 1, 2004
Trw vehicle safety systems, inc. Is recalling certain service replacement seatbelt retractors (driver's side front retractor in gray) manufactured in december 2002 and sold as a service replacement part between december…
04V09 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 12, 2004
Malfunction indicator lamp illuminated with diagnostic trouble codes (dtcs) p0442, p0455, p0456, p0457 or p1442 or a check fuel cap lamp illuminated with dtc p0457 for the evaporative emission system. *tt
03203 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 13, 2003
Remote keyless entry (rke) - service tips. *tt
03181 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 15, 2003
Idle vibration on vehicles equipped with 2.0l spi or zetec engine only. *tt
031515 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 4, 2003
New transmission cooler flusher - service tips. 2003 escort and super duty f series included. *tt
03148 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 21, 2003
Malfunction indicator lamp (mil) illumination with diagnostic trouble codes p0442, p0455, p0456, p0457, p1442 or check fuel cap lamp illuminated with diagnostic trouble code p0457. *tt
0398 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 12, 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
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 1998 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 1998 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.