1985 Ford Tempo: recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for the 1985 Ford Tempo. The newest campaign is 85V145000. NHTSA received the report on 5 Nov 1985. The NHTSA record gives the component Suspension / Rear. NHTSA has 29 complaints on file for this model year. 7 NHTSA investigations name this model year.

The NHTSA recall file shows no do-not-drive advisory and no park-outside advisory on these campaigns.

This page cannot show if a recall applies to one vehicle. The NHTSA VIN lookup shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle.

Remedy of the newest campaign, 85V145000, in the NHTSA record

Replace rear suspension bolts as necessary.

NHTSA VIN lookup

Complaint information entered into NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation vehicle owner's complaint database is used with other data sources to identify safety issues that warrant investigation and to determine if a safety-related defect trend exists.
NHTSA publishes these words. Source: NHTSA Datasets and APIs, section Complaints, read on 1 Oct 2026. Complaint file through 29 Mar 2018. Recall file through 29 Sep 2026.

Since the last update

No tracked figure of this page changed in a data update. What the log tracks

All updates to the register

Recall campaigns

3 campaigns, newest first. 457,744 units in total.

85V145000Received 5 Nov 1985. 227,027 units.
Suspension / Rear
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Rear supension control arm-to-spindle attachment bolts may be subject to fracture causing the rear spindle to separate during use of car. Consequence of defect: if bolts fracture and rear spindle disengages from control arm, loss of control will be experience which may result in an accident.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Replace rear suspension bolts as necessary.
Report filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 5 Nov 1985.
85V134000Received 22 Oct 1985. 3,988 units.
Electrical System / Ignition / Module
Defect, in the NHTSA record
The unexpected open throttle causes an increase in engine speed which could result in loss of control of the car and a potential crash. Consequence of defect: the electronic engine control processor may experience an intermittent timing problem. This problem causes improper execution engine performance which may maintain or cause a partially open throttle.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Replace electronic engine control processor, if necessary.
Report filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY.
85V086000Received 3 Jul 1985. 226,729 units.
Suspension / Rear
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Rear suspension control arm-to-spindle attachment bolts may be subject to fracture during use of car. Consequence of defect: if bolts fracture, rear spindle could disengage from control arm and possibly result in loss of control.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Replace rear suspension bolts as necessary.
Report filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY.

The campaign number opens the NHTSA record. Each quotation is the text of the NHTSA recall file.

Recall campaign: One recall in the NHTSA recall file, with one campaign number. A campaign can name many makes, models and model years.

Units: The number of vehicles or products that a recall can include. The manufacturer or the firm reports the number to the agency.

Complaints by component

29 complaints, 36 component mentions.

A complaint can name more than one component. Each component that a complaint names is one component mention. This model year has fewer than 50 component mentions, so the table shows the number of mentions only.

1985 Ford Tempo: component mentions in complaints
Component		Mentions
Electrical System		12
Engine and Engine Cooling		7
Steering		4
Vehicle Speed Control		3
Fuel System, Gasoline		2
Air Bags		2
Tires		2
Wheels		1
Unknown or Other		1
Power Train		1

The table shows the 10 components with the most mentions, of 11.

Complaints that report a crash: 3
Complaints that report a fire: 6
Injuries in the complaints: 1
Deaths in the complaints: 0
Date of the newest complaint: 13 Dec 2002

These figures are the entries of the persons who sent the complaints.

Complaint: A report about a possible safety problem that a person sends to NHTSA. This site shows the number of complaints and not their text.

Complaints about the 1985 Ford Tempo, by the year NHTSA received them. The largest year is 1996, with 10 complaints.

Investigations

NHTSA investigations that name the 1985 Ford Tempo
Number	Type	Subject	Component	Opened	Closed	Campaign
PE96005	Preliminary evaluation	REAR BRK ADJUSTER FAILURE	Service Brakes, Hydraulic	19 Jan 1996	28 May 1996
DP96002	Defect petition	REAR BRAKE SYSTEM FAILURE	Service Brakes, Hydraulic	11 Jan 1996	19 Jan 1996
EA91052	Engineering analysis	SEAT BELT SEPARATION	Seat Belts	27 Nov 1991	24 Nov 1992
PE89118	Preliminary evaluation	SPEED CONTROL MALFUNCTION	Equipment	19 Apr 1989	6 Sep 1989
PE88034	Preliminary evaluation	HALFSHAFT FAILURE	Power Train	18 Mar 1988	19 Sep 1988
PE87028	Preliminary evaluation	STALLING	Electrical System	1 May 1987	21 Jan 1988
EA86010	Engineering analysis	SEATBACK FAILURE	Seats	26 Mar 1986	28 Jul 1989	86V082000

Investigation: A study of a possible safety defect by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation with no closing date in the NHTSA file is open.

Other model years

The number under each year is the number of recall campaigns.

19810
19846
19853
19860
19871
19882
19891
19901
19911
19922
19932
19941
19950
19960
19970
19980
19990
20000

A year without a link has fewer than 2 campaigns and fewer than 25 complaints. It has no page.

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Official channels

NHTSA VIN lookupNHTSA shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle from its VIN or its license plate.
NHTSA: report a safety problemThe NHTSA form for a complaint about a vehicle, a tire, a child seat or equipment.
NHTSA page of the 1985 Ford TempoThe recalls, the complaints and the investigations that NHTSA shows for this model year.

Cite this page

Recall Register. 1985 Ford Tempo: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/ford/tempo/1985/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through 29 Sep 2026.

Sources

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Licence: US government work, public domain
Recall file through: 29 Sep 2026
Complaint file through: 29 Mar 2018
First complaint in the file: 1 Jan 1995
Manufacturer in the recall file: FORD MOTOR COMPANY

The NHTSA record is the authority. A complaint count is the number of different complaint numbers for the make, the model and the model year. How the register is made. Report an error.

Questions

How many units are in the recall campaigns for the 1985 Ford Tempo?: 457,744 units in 3 campaigns. A campaign can name other models and model years, and its units include them.
How many recall campaigns does the Ford Tempo have for all model years?: NHTSA lists 11 recall campaigns for the Ford Tempo, model years 1981 to 2000. 3 of them name the 1985 model year.
Which component do the complaints about the 1985 Ford Tempo name most often?: Electrical System: 12 of 36 component mentions.
Is an NHTSA investigation of the 1985 Ford Tempo open?: No. Each of the 7 investigations that name this model year has a closing date in the NHTSA file.