IllustrationVEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A FRONTAL COLLISION. UPON IMPACT, AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY, RESULTING IN MINOR INJURIES. *AK *ML
1998 Mercury Tracer
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1998 Mercury Tracer do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 22.5.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Tracer years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 7 of 44 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Suspension. Review the 11 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 8 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 6 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
3 crash reports1 fire reports3 injury reports
What owners actually said
44 reportsTEMPERATURE GAUGE NEVER ONCE READ ABOVE NORMAL, WAS TRAVELING, HEARD A NOISE IN ENGINE, SLOWED DOWN AND VECHICLE SHUT DOWN. I BELIEVE THERMOSTAT MAY BE DEFECTIVE, THERE WAS ALSO DAMAGE TO THE CYLINDER HEAD. SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH THE ENGINE COOLING SYSTEM WHEN SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAPPENS BECAUSE IT WAS FULL OF COOLANT AND OIL W…
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TEMPERATURE GAUGE NEVER ONCE READ ABOVE NORMAL, WAS TRAVELING, HEARD A NOISE IN ENGINE, SLOWED DOWN AND VECHICLE SHUT DOWN. I BELIEVE THERMOSTAT MAY BE DEFECTIVE, THERE WAS ALSO DAMAGE TO THE CYLINDER HEAD. SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH THE ENGINE COOLING SYSTEM WHEN SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAPPENS BECAUSE IT WAS FULL OF COOLANT AND OIL WAS FULL AND HAD JUST BEEN CHANGED. I HAVE ALWAY HAD ALL MAINTANANCE DONE ON TIME, THIS SHOULDN'T HAPPEN AT 45,000 MILES ON ANY VEHICLE. *AK
CONSUMER WAS DRIVING 55MPH AND HIT A TREE, AND THE AIRBAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY AT ALL. *AK
WHEN TURNING OR CHANGING GEARS, THE CAR MAKES A POPPING AND RATTLING NOISE. DEALER SAYS SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH THE STEERING GEAR BOX. *AK
DRIVER'S AIRBAG DIDN'T DEPLOY AT ALL WHILE DRIVING AT 55 MPH. *AK
AT 2,795 MILES THE ENGINE WAS REPLACED. AT 4,162 MILES VEHICLE EXPERIENCED SUDDEN ACCELERATION ON TWO OCCASIONS. ONE INCIDENT RESULTED IN HITTING A LIGHT POLE. *YC
WHEN DRIVING AT ANY SPEED VEHICLE VIBRATES WITHIN THE STEERING COLUMN AND IN THE ENGINE. *AK
WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE STARTED PULLING TO THE RIGHT AFTER SEVERAL ALIGNMENTS HAD BEEN DONE AND SET OF TIRES HAD BEEN REPLACED TWICE. *AK
HAD PARKED VEHICLE. NOTICED VEHICLE MAKING NOISES PRIOR TO BEING PARKED. DASHBOARD PANEL LIGHTS CAME ON. LIFTED HOOD & GOT FLASHLIGHT. RETURNED & VEHICLE WAS ENGULFED IN FLAMES AROUND THE STARTER & DASHBOARD AREA. PUT FLAMES OUT W/FIRE EXTINGUISHER. VEHICLE TOWED TO DEALER. INFORMED FIRE WAS NEAR RUBBER BOOT. WHAT CAUSED FIRE N…
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HAD PARKED VEHICLE. NOTICED VEHICLE MAKING NOISES PRIOR TO BEING PARKED. DASHBOARD PANEL LIGHTS CAME ON. LIFTED HOOD & GOT FLASHLIGHT. RETURNED & VEHICLE WAS ENGULFED IN FLAMES AROUND THE STARTER & DASHBOARD AREA. PUT FLAMES OUT W/FIRE EXTINGUISHER. VEHICLE TOWED TO DEALER. INFORMED FIRE WAS NEAR RUBBER BOOT. WHAT CAUSED FIRE NOT FOUND. *AK
I REPORTED THIS PROBLEM TWICE TO CORTESE. THE HORN WILL NOT SOUND UNLESS YOU PRESS REALLY HARD ON THE HORN ICON. CORTESE TOLD ME THAT THEY CHECKED OTHER TRACERS ON THE LOT AND QUOTING NOW "THAT'S JUST THE WAY THEY ARE". THEY SAID TO QUOTE "PRESS REALLY HARD ON THE HORN ICON" I FEEL THIS IS UNSAFE. IF I NEED TO WARN AN ONCOMING C…
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I REPORTED THIS PROBLEM TWICE TO CORTESE. THE HORN WILL NOT SOUND UNLESS YOU PRESS REALLY HARD ON THE HORN ICON. CORTESE TOLD ME THAT THEY CHECKED OTHER TRACERS ON THE LOT AND QUOTING NOW "THAT'S JUST THE WAY THEY ARE". THEY SAID TO QUOTE "PRESS REALLY HARD ON THE HORN ICON" I FEEL THIS IS UNSAFE. IF I NEED TO WARN AN ONCOMING CAR IN A POTENTIAL ACCIDENT SITUATION I WOULD BE UNABLE TO DO SO. I FEEL THERE MUST BE AWAY FOR MERCURY TO RETRO FIT ANOTHER HORN SOMEHOW. CORTESE ALSO SAID PART OF THE PROBLEM WAS DUE TO THE AIRBAG BEING JUST UNDERNEATH THE HORN.
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
1DP01001 · Air Bag NON-DEPLOYMENT
Opened Apr 19, 2001 · Closed Nov 1, 2001
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Air Bags
No summary supplied.