AI Damage1998 Mercury Tracer: common problems
Owners of the 1998 Mercury Tracer filed 44 complaints with NHTSA, most often about suspension and engine and cooling. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 44
- involving a crash
- 3
What fails most often
- 1 Suspension 25% of all complaints
- 2 Engine and cooling 18% of all complaints
- 3 Electrical system 14% of all complaints
- 4 Air bags 11% of all complaints
- 5 Powertrain 9% of all complaints
- 6 Steering 7% of all complaints
- 7 Structure 7% of all complaints
- 8 Service brakes 5% of all complaints
- Suspension: 11 complaints (25% of all).
- Engine and cooling: 8 complaints (18% of all).
- Electrical system: 6 complaints (14% of all).
- Air bags: 5 complaints (11% of all), 3 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Powertrain: 4 complaints (9% of all).
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 2 L · petrol · 4 cyl
- automatic, 4-speed
- manual, 5-speed
Drive: FWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 44 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Latches, locks, linkages | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 2 | 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.
Vehicle was involved in a 20-25 mph frontal collision in which the driver and passenger air bags did not deploy, cause unknown.
Vehicle was involved in a frontal collision. Upon impact, airbags did not deploy, resulting in minor injuries.
Speeds up on its own when driving and when stopped at lights. Occurs every time I drive it. Most of all in the winter time. Tried to repaired it at station but was unable to do so.
While I am on the foot brake slowing down, car suddenly revs, shifts into gear and accelerates. I am unable to hold back the vehicle even when pushing as hard as I can on the brake pedal. I have to knock the shift lever into neutral to stop.
Dt : trunk latch was faulty. Truck latch had a sensor in it that will cause the vehicle not to run. The part they replaced was called a trunk latch. It will cause the engine to decelerate while driving down the highway.
Everyone concedes that these springs are failing at absurd rates but fomo co policy is to deny everything (despite what their own service technicians are admitting) catastrophic failures while driving frequently result in tire blowouts...
On december 11, 2004 I was out shopping and I got in the car and it would not start I left it sit there over night and went back the next day and it started. I have had 3 machanicks look at it and none of them know why it did it.
I have only 47,700 miles on this car; I have now replaced a busted crankshaft pulley and the resistor associated with circulation system which could have started a fire. All of these problems are well documented and ford should address these flaws.
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 5,689 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 16% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Tracer has 41 complaints (14 years in the data). This year has 44, about average.
What to check before buying
- Suspension. Wheel alignment, control arms, subframe, even tire wear.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1998 Mercury Tracer?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: suspension, engine and cooling, electrical system. Total complaints: 44. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: airbags did not deploy (9%), knocking, grinding or other noise (7%), tires: bulges, blowouts (7%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1998 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 1998 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 1998 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.