Mercury Tracer Problems by Model Year
NHTSA recorded 563 consumer complaints across the 11 model years of the Mercury Tracer (1988–1999) that have at least 5 complaints. 1997 has the most, with 142. Across all years, the part named most often is fuel system (80 mentions). Pick a model year below to see its parts, mileage, recalls and service bulletins.
All Tracer model years
Years with fewer than 5 complaints are not listed. The score compares years of the same model, allowing for the era and for how long each year has collected complaints: 50 is a typical year, lower means fewer complaints. It is not adjusted for sales volume.
| Year | Complaints | Median mi | Recalls | TSBs | Score (50 = typical) | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 20 | 70,000 | 0 | 5 | — | Stable |
| 1998 | 44 | 83,000 | 0 | 3 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1997 | 142 | 73,546 | 1 | 3 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1996 | 12 | 50,620 | 0 | 1 | — | Not enough data |
| 1995 | 96 | 85,500 | 3 | 1 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1994 | 66 | 77,000 | 1 | 1 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1993 | 62 | 101,500 | 0 | 1 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1992 | 24 | 189,000 | 1 | 1 | — | Falling |
| 1991 | 60 | 119,384 | 2 | 0 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1989 | 16 | 90,000 | 1 | 0 | — | Stable |
| 1988 | 21 | — | 3 | 0 | — | Stable |
Parts named most often, all years
Counts add up complaint mentions across the listed years. A complaint can name several parts.
- Fuel system80 16%
- Electrical system79 16%
- Air bags74 15%
- Engine cooling73 14%
- Seat belts63 12%
- Brakes55 11%
- Suspension45 8.9%
- Transmission and drivetrain37 7.3%
Example complaints
One per model year, chosen for length and detail. Personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
1989: “There is a stalling problem, even when driving! The were a number of times that I had to be pushed of a main road. It took hours to restart. If I wait over 10 hours, most times the car will restart. The problem seems to be in the ignition module and /or the magnet and/or the rotor. I have spent nearly $2,300.00 replacing parts. The car still stalls out even when driving! It is possible the problem is with the distributor or the ignition module. The contacts to the relay in the fuse box were cleaned but it still stalls randomly. …”
NHTSA complaint #11014936, filed 2017-08, 90,000 miles1997: “We had taken my vehicle to get it checked by a computer at a local service parts shop. When we came back we stopped my car and it was not running, ignition off. About an hour later we heard a loud noise and its air bags had gone off, breaking my car's windshield and obviously making a mess in my car. This concerns me since my husband and I had just been in the car a while ago and could have caused injury to us without cause.”
NHTSA complaint #10344024, filed 2010-07, 130,000 miles1994: “I have a 97 villager and a 94 Tracer sw. I was reviewing my receipts for a recall for the filler pipe vent hose on my villager from 6/2001. It was fixed then. It seems same part is now leaking in our Tracer. It is dangerous when doing a fill up for it leaks. Updated 01-16-08. Updated”
NHTSA complaint #10201084, filed 2007-08, 87,000 milesOther Mercury models
5,379 complaintsMercury Grand Marquis
3,946 complaintsMercury Milan
2,520 complaintsMercury Mountaineer
1,989 complaintsMercury Cougar
1,881 complaintsMercury Villager
1,724 complaintsMercury Mariner
1,296 complaintsMercury Mystique
1,013 complaints
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Methodology