DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE ATTEMPTING TO START THE VEHICLE, THE ENGINE MADE A LOUD KNOCKING NOISE. THE CONTACT IMMEDIATELY TURNED OFF THE ENGINE AND THE NOISE STOPPED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP FOR INSPECTION. THE MECHANIC REPLACED THE ENGINE SEAT, CYLINDER HEAD, AND HEAD GASKET WHICH CORRECTED THE PROBLEM. UPDATED 3/28/2006 - *NM
1996 Mercury Tracer
Owners filed 12 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the air bags › frontal. No safety recall has been issued.
| Component | Reports | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Bags › Frontal | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | |
| Seats › Front Assembly › Recliner | 2 | 2 | 0 | 9 | |
| Seat Belts | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Structure › Body › Door | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Steering › Hydraulic Power Assist › Pump | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Seat Belts › Front › Retractor | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Fuel System, Gasoline › Storage › Tank Assembly | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
What owners reported
Newest filingsVEHICLE HAD A FUEL LEAK WHICH WAS CAUSED BY A CRACK IN THE FUEL TANK NEAR THE EXHAUST.*AK
WHILE DRIVING DRIVING 55 MPH CONSUMER LOST CONTROL AND WENT INTO A DITCH. AIR BAGS DID DEPLOY AND EXPLODE. CONTACT DEALER, AND DEALER HAS NOT RESPONDED.*AK CONSUMER ALSO STATED THAT SEAT BELT CAME LOOSE.*JB
RETRACTOR ON DRIVER'S SIDE LOCKS UP, AND WHEN DOOR IS OPENED IT SLIDES QUICKLY BACK. *AK
THIS VEHICLE REAR ENDED ANOTHER VEHICLE AT 45 MPH, AND FORNTAL AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. DEALER HAS NOT BEEN CONTACTED.*AK
THE DRIVERS SIDE MOTORBELT FAILED. NLM
DRIVERS SIDE MOTOR BELT FAILED. NLM
ON 6-25-99 WE WERE INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT. WE WERE AT A COMPLETE STOP WHEN ANOTHER DRIVER REAR-ENDED US GOING ABOUT 35-40MILES PER HOUR. AT IMPACT BOTH FRONT SEATS LATCH BROKE AND THE SEATS SLID BACK AND RESTED IN THE LAPS OF MY 3 CHILDREN SEATED IN THE BACK. THE DRIVERS SEAT ALSO SEEMED TO BECOME UNBOLTED AND TWISTED BEFORE IT SLID BACK HITTING MY 10 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER BETWEEN THE EYES. AT SUCH A HIGH RATE OF SPEED I WOULD HAVE EXPECTED THE AIR BAGS TO DEPLOY AND THEY DID NOT. OUR CAR SLID ONE CITY BLOCK AT IMPACT. THE TRANSMISSION LOCKED AND THE REAR DOORS JAMMED. I HAD TO LEAN AND PULL ON THE FRONT SEATS TO PULL MY CHILDREN FROM THE BACK SEATS. THIS WAS ESPECIALLY DIFFICULT FOR MY 3AND 1 YEAR OLDS BECAUSE THEY WERE LOCKED IN CHILD SAFETY SEATS. *AK
THE DRIVER'S/PASSENGER'S DOORS WOULD POP & GRIND WHENEVER THEY ARE OPENED. AIR COMES THROUGH THE WINDOW. TOOK TO DEALER 4 TIMES & GOING FOR 5TH TIME. PROBLEM GETTING WORSE. DOORS ARE HARDER TO OPEN. *AK
DURING A REAR END COLLISION BOTH FRONT BUCKET SEATS SLID BACK AND THEN FELL BACK INTO ARECLINE DPOSITION ON TOP OF THE PASSENGERS IN THE REAR SEAT, CAUSING THEM TO HIT THEIR HEADS ON THE FRONT SEATS.
WHEN DRIVING ON ANY ROAD CONDITION A VIBRATING NOISE COMES FROM THE PASSENGER'S SIDE AIRBAG. THE PASSANGER'S SIDE AIRBAG HAS BEEN REPLACED, AND 3 TO 4 DAYS LATER THE VIBRATION STARTED AGAIN. *AK
POWER STEERING PUMP MAKES NOISE WHEN TURNING.
12 of 12 complaints, reproduced as filed.
Across model years
Worst on record: 1997Reading this record
No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.
Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.