What breaks most · 1990 to 2000 model years
Mercury Tracer problems by year
Owners have filed 530 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Mercury Tracer across model years 1990 to 2000. One year stands out: 1997 for air bags complaints. The quietest years are 1990, 1996 and 1992.
- Years to check closely: 1997
- Fewest complaints: 1990, 1996, 1992
- Complaints on file
- 5301990 to 2000, all trims
- Worst year
- 1997142 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 6643 fires · 73 injuries · 4 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 82kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 15Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | Steering (1) | |
| 60 | 2 | 3 | Electrical system (17) | |
| 24 | 2 | 2 | Electrical system (7) | |
| 62 | 11 | 1 | Brakes (hydraulic) (11) | |
| 66 | 18 | 1 | Brakes (hydraulic) (12) | |
| 96 | 5 | 3 | Fuel system (35) | |
| 12 | 4 | 0 | Seat belts (4) | |
| 142 | 15 | 2 | Air bags (47) | |
| 44 | 3 | 1 | Suspension (11) | |
| 20 | 6 | 1 | Electrical system (6) | |
| 2 | 0 | 1 | Engine and cooling (1) |
What fails on the 1997 Mercury Tracer
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air bags | 33% |
47 | 13 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 15% |
22 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 1997 Mercury Tracer |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 15% |
21 | 1 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 1997 Mercury Tracer |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 8% |
11 | 0 | Shop suspension parts for the 1997 Mercury Tracer |
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 8% |
11 | 0 | Shop brakes (hydraulic) parts for the 1997 Mercury Tracer |
| Unknown or other | 6% |
9 | 0 | — |
| Tires | 6% |
9 | 0 | — |
| VisibilityMirrors and glass | 6% |
9 | 0 | Shop visibility parts for the 1997 Mercury Tracer |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
This car is a FORD mercury tracer, 1997, VIN #[removed] there was a smell of burning acid and a small amount of smoke. About two hours later the car burst in flames we lost the entire interior. *jb
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Mercury Tracer years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 1997 carries the most filings on the Mercury Tracer. The 1997 alone has 142 complaints, led by air bags.
What is the most common Mercury Tracer problem?
On the 1997 model year, the most-reported component is air bags with 47 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Mercury Tracer problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Mercury Tracer complaints that include mileage is about 82,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.