1988 Mercury Tracer: recalls and complaints
NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for the 1988 Mercury Tracer. The newest campaign is 95V103011. NHTSA received the report on 27 Jun 1995. The NHTSA record gives the component Seat Belts / Front / Buckle Assembly. NHTSA has 21 complaints on file for this model year. 1 NHTSA investigation names 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, 95V103011, in the NHTSA record
Owners should promptly check the condition and operation of both front safety belt buckles and carefully inspect the red release button for any breaks or cracks. They should ensure that both buckles are operating properly by inserting each latch plate into its buckle, tugging on the belt to make sure that latch is securely locked, and then pressing the release button. The latch plate should pop out of the buckle when the button is pressed. If either release button shows a sign of breaking or cracking or if either buckle fails to operate properly, owners should promptly contact their authorized dealer to schedule an appointment to have the buckle replaced or repaired, free of charge. The manufacturer is developing a remedy designed to prevent failure of the buttons that are not currently broken.
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 . Complaint file through . Recall file through .
Since the last update
No tracked figure of this page changed in a data update. What the log tracks
Recall campaigns
3 campaigns, newest first. 331,491 units in total.
95V103011Received . 265,000 units.
Seat Belts / Front / Buckle Assembly
- Defect, in the NHTSA record
The front safety belt buckle release buttons can break. These red plastic release buttons are marked "press." if a button breaks, pieces can fall into the buckle assembly causing the buckle to operate improperly.
- Consequence, in the NHTSA record
The safety belts would not provide adequate protection to an occupant in a vehicle crash.
- Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Owners should promptly check the condition and operation of both front safety belt buckles and carefully inspect the red release button for any breaks or cracks. They should ensure that both buckles are operating properly by inserting each latch plate into its buckle, tugging on the belt to make sure that latch is securely locked, and then pressing the release button. The latch plate should pop out of the buckle when the button is pressed. If either release button shows a sign of breaking or cracking or if either buckle fails to operate properly, owners should promptly contact their authorized dealer to schedule an appointment to have the buckle replaced or repaired, free of charge. The manufacturer is developing a remedy designed to prevent failure of the buttons that are not currently broken.
Report filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .
89V085000Received . 66,300 units.
Seat Belts / Front / Retractor
- Defect, in the NHTSA record
Some lap shoulder belt retractors were built with certain out of tolerance components.
- Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Retractors may lock at low belt pull out rates, thiscould discourage seat belt usage.
- Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Replace front lap shoulder belt assemblies, as necessary.
Report filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .
87V092000Received . 191 units.
Fuel System, Gasoline / Storage / Tank Assembly / Filler Pipe and Cap
- Defect, in the NHTSA record
Incorrect fuel filler neck attachment screws were used to attach the neck to the rear quarter panels.
- Consequence, in the NHTSA record
This condition could cause a rattle between the fuelfiller pipe and the surrounding body structure.
- Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Replace incorrect screws with new bolt/washer assemblies.
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
21 complaints, 22 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.
| Component | Mentions |
|---|---|
| Seat Belts | 7 |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 4 |
| Power Train | 3 |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 2 |
| Exterior Lighting | 1 |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 1 |
| Electrical System | 1 |
| Wheels | 1 |
| Seats | 1 |
| Service Brakes, Air | 1 |
- Complaints that report a crash
- 4
- Complaints that report a fire
- 1
- Injuries in the complaints
- 1
- Deaths in the complaints
- 0
- Date of the newest complaint
- 5 Apr 2001
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.
Investigations
| Number | Type | Subject | Component | Opened | Closed | Campaign |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PE89037 | Preliminary evaluation | SEATBELT RETRACTOR JAMS | Seat Belts / Front / Retractor | 30 Jan 1989 | 25 May 1989 | 89V085000 |
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.
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 1988 Mercury TracerThe recalls, the complaints and the investigations that NHTSA shows for this model year.
Cite this page
Recall Register. 1988 Mercury Tracer: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/mercury/tracer/1988/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through .
Sources
- Source
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
- Licence
- US government work, public domain
- Recall file through
- 30 Sep 2026
- Complaint file through
- 30 Sep 2026
- 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 1988 Mercury Tracer?
- 331,491 units in 3 campaigns. A campaign can name other models and model years, and its units include them.
- How many recall campaigns does the Mercury Tracer have for all model years?
- NHTSA lists 10 recall campaigns for the Mercury Tracer, model years 1987 to 2000. 3 of them name the 1988 model year.
- Which component do the complaints about the 1988 Mercury Tracer name most often?
- Seat Belts: 7 of 22 component mentions.
- Is an NHTSA investigation of the 1988 Mercury Tracer open?
- No. The 1 investigation that names this model year has a closing date in the NHTSA file.