AI Damage1996 Mercury Tracer: common problems
Owners of the 1996 Mercury Tracer filed 12 complaints with NHTSA, most often about seat belts and air bags. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 12
- involving a crash
- 4
What fails most often
- 1 Seat belts 33% of all complaints
- 2 Air bags 25% of all complaints
- 3 Seats 17% of all complaints
- 4 Steering 17% of all complaints
- 5 Engine and cooling 8% of all complaints
- 6 Fuel system 8% of all complaints
- 7 Powertrain 8% of all complaints
- 8 Structure 8% of all complaints
- Seat belts: 4 complaints (33% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Air bags: 3 complaints (25% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Seats: 2 complaints (17% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Steering: 2 complaints (17% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Engine and cooling: 1 complaints (8% of all).
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 1.8 L · petrol · 4 cyl
- 1.9 L · petrol · 4 cyl
- automatic, 4-speed
- manual, 5-speed
Drive: FWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 12 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seat belts | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Air bags | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Seats | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Steering | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
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. Consumer also stated that seat belt came loose.
This vehicle rear ended another vehicle at 45 mph, and forntal air bags did not deploy. Dealer has not been contacted.
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.
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.
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.
Vehicle had a fuel leak which was caused by a crack in the fuel tank near the exhaust.
Retractor on driver's side locks up, and when door is opened it slides quickly back.
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.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 10,160 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 28% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Tracer has 41 complaints (14 years in the data). This year has 12, below average.
What to check before buying
- Seat belts. Belt pretensioners after airbag deployment, SRS codes.
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Seats. Occupant sensor, power adjustment, seat mounts.
- Steering. Steering play, power assist, rack and tie rods after a wheel impact.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1996 Mercury Tracer?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: seat belts, air bags, seats. Total complaints: 12. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: knocking, grinding or other noise (17%), airbags did not deploy (8%), fuel system, fuel smell (8%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1996 Mercury Tracer?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 1996 Mercury Tracer from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 1996 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.