1994 MERCURY TRACER Complaints

THE AIR BAG LIGHT ON THE DASH BOARD BLINKS 3-2 WHILE DRIVING. IT HAS DONE THIS SINCE THE CAR WAS BRAND NEW. I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER. I HAVE BROUGHT THE CAR IN SEVERAL TIMES PER YEAR WITH THE BLINKING LIGHT. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT AT CORTESE EITHER COULD NOT REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM. IT DOES COME AND GO. IT IS MORE ON THAN OFF. THE AIR BAG ASSEMBLY WAS REPLACED TWICE. THAT DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. I WAS TOLD TO BRING THE CAR IN WHILE THE LIGHT WAS BLINKING AND NOT TO TURN THE CAR OFF. I DID THAT. IT WAS CONFIRMED YES THE LIGHT BLINKS 3-2. I LEFT THE CAR FOR AN ENTIRE WEEK IN JULY OF 2001. ON THE WAY HOME FROM CORTESE AFTER THE CAR WAS "REPAIRED" THE AIR BAG LIGHT STARTED TO BLINK ON THE WAY HOME. I AM GETTING THE RUN AROUND ABOUT FIXING THE PROBLEM. THE FACTORY WAS CONTACTED 3 YEARS AGO WHEN I SENT MY FATHER TO THE DEALER. I WAS TOLD THAT CORTESE CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURES OVER THIS SUMMER TO GET THE PROBLEM FIXED. THEY WERE UNABLE TO FIX THE PROBLEM IN AUGUST DUE TO NEEDING A PART. NOW I AM BEING MET WITH IT IS OUT OF WARRENTY. I HAD A 7/70K WARENTY WHICH DOES EXPIRE NOVEBEROF THIS YEARSINCE THE CAR WAS BRAND NEW.. SINCE THIS HAS BEEN AN ON GOING SAFTEY ISSUE , I THINK I HAVE BEEN OVERLY PATIENT WITH RECTIFYING THIS DEFECT. I CALLED THE NYS ATTORNEY GENERALS OFFICE. THE LEMON LAW DOES NOT APPLY AS THE CAR IN NOW MORE THAN 4 YEARS OLD. I WAS REFERED TO YOUR ORGANIZATION. HELP!!!!!!*AK

I AM INQUIRING ABOUT THIS VEHICLE BECAUSE I WAS TOLD BY A MECHANIC THAT THIS MAKE AND MODEL HAD CERTAIN DEFECTS WITHIN THE ENGINE AND IT'S PARTS. I HAVE NOT FOUND ANY LISTINGS OF MAJOR RECALL, BUT I HAVE FOUND OTHER LISTINGS REPORTING PROBLEMS LIKE MINE. ARE THESE PROBLEMS THE RESULT OF DEFECT, AGE, IMPROPER PARTS, OR POOR CARE? THE PROBLEMS THAT I HAVE ARE MANIFOLD GASKET LEAKS. I HAVE FOUND THAT MANIFOLD ITSELF IS WARPED. HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE? THE HEAD GASKETS ARE CRAKED. THIS AUTOMOBILE RAN AT A HIGH TEMPERATURE, EVEN AFTER FLUSHING THE RADIATOR. THE CAR COOLED AFTER I TURNED OFF THE AIR CONDITIONER. I FOUND THE THAT CAR HAD THE INCORRECT THERMOSTAT INSTALLED. THIS PARTICULAR PART IS DESIGNED FOR HIGH HEAT READINGS. THE CAR WOULD HAVE TO OVERHEAT BEFORE THE FAN WOULD START. I RECENTLY REPLACED FUEL TANK. THE CAR IS STILL RUNNING, BUT NOT PROPERLY. I WOULD GREATLY APPRECIATE THIS IF YOU LOOK INTO THIS FOR ME.*AK

THE GEAR SHIFT CAUGHT ON FIRE, THE VEHICLE STILLS RUNS AFTER TURNING OFF THE IGNITION AND THE BOTH DRIVER'S AND PASSENGER'S SIDE SHOULDER BELTS QUIT WORKING.

FILLED CAR UP WITH GAS. WHEN I RETURNED HOME I HAD A HEAD ACHE, I AS SO NOTICED A PUDDLE OF FUEL UNDERNEATH MY CAR. I HAD IT LOOKED AT AND WAS SHOWN THAT IT WAS LEAKING AROUND WHERE THE HEAT SHIELD ATTACHES TO THE FUEL TANK. I THAN RESEARCHED NHTSA RECALL WEBSITE AND FOUND THIS RECALL ON CARS MANUFACTURED FROM APR 1995 TO OCT 1995. MY CAR WAS MANUFACTURED IN JUNE 1994. THE RECALL SAID THE CARS WHERE BUILT AT HERMOSILLO OR WAYNE ASSEMBLY PLANTS. MY CARS WAS BUILT IN HERMOSILLO. ISN'T IT FUNNY THAT MY CAR HAS ALL OF THE SAME PROBLEMS AS WITH THE 1995 BUILT CARS, BUT BECAUSE OF THE BUILD DATE IT DOES NOT MEET THE RECALL. AS I AM BEING TOLD BY 12 FORD DEALERS IN THE LOUISIANA/ MISSISSIPPI AREA. ANY AND ALL INFORMATION AS TO WHY MY CAR IS NOT COVERED UNDER THIS VERY HAZARDOUS RECALL. THIS REPORT WILL BE KEEP AN CERTIFIED AS A TRUE COPY IN A SAFE DEPOSIT BOX IN CASE OF MY DEATH. IT WILL BE FORWARDED TO A LAWYER IF ANY THING HAPPENS TO MYSELF ARE PASSENGERS IN MY CAR.

THE OVERHEAD INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET DISINTERGRATED INSIDE THE ENGINE RENDERING THE OXYGEN SENSOR USELESS AND CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO STALL WHILE DRIVING. NLM

PROBLEMS WITH THESE SUSPENSION PROBLEMS FIRST APPEARED IN MARCH OF 1998, AFTER PUTTING ON NEW TIRES OF THE SAME SIZE AS WAS PROVIDED BY THE MANUFACTURER. STRUTS WERE THEN REPLACED. CAR IS UNSTABLE, HAS A TENDENCY TO PULL TO THE RIGHT WITHOUT WARNING WHICH CAUSED BRIEF LOSS OF CONTROL IN APRIL 1999. NO DAMAGE OR INJURIES SUFFERED. HIT A POT HOLE WITH VEHICLE IN APPROX JAN 98, HAD VEHICLE CHECKED AND NO DAMAGE WAS FOUND TO THE SUSPENSION. SPEED AT THE TIME WAS LESS THAN 10 MPH. HAD VEHICLE AGAIN CHECKED BY THE MERCURY DEALER ON 18 SEPT 00, AND VEHICLE WAS DETERMINED TO HAVE A CRACKED COIL ON THE RIGHT REAR SPRING. STRUTS WERE REPLACE IN LATE 1998 TO EARLY 1999 AND THE RIGHT FRONT AND REAR SPRING WERE INSPECTED AT THAT TIME AND WERE DETERMINED TO BE IN NORMAL RANGE, NO DAMAGE WAS NOTED. STILL HAVING DIFFICULTIES WITH VEHICLE AS OF THIS COMPLAINT, VEHICLE IS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE ON ROAD IN CURRENT CONDITION. WOULD LIKE YOUR AGENCY TO INSPECT VEHICLE AS I HAVE REPORTED TO FORD MOTOR COMPANY ON 18 SEPT WITH NO ANSWER AS TO WHY AFTER REPLACING TIRES AM I HAVING TO REPLACE ALL SUSPENSION PARTS. AFTER LOOKING THROUGH OTHER CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS ON THIS WEBSITE THERE ARE SOME OTHER SIMILAR PROBLEMS WITH THE SUSPENSION. A RECALL NEEDS TO BE CONSIDERED, FORD NEEDS TO FIND AND CORRECT THESE PROBLEMS WITH THIS VEHICLE, AS THIS HAS COST ME OVER 500 IN REPAIRS AND PROBLEM IS STILL NOT SOLVED. THREE OTHER LOCAL SHOPS HAVE LOOKED AT THIS VEHICLE AND CANNOT DETERMINE WHY THIS VEHICLE HAS DEVELOPED THESE PROBLEMS. THEY HAVE INSPECTED ALL SUSPENSION PARTS, FRAME AND SUB FRAME. THESE PARTS SEEM TO FAIL WITHOUT WARNING AND AT LOW VEHICLE MILEAGE.

MY VEHICLE WAS HIT IN THE PARKING LOT AT WORK AND THE LENSE ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE REAR LIGHT WAS CRACKED. I WENT TO THE LOCAL GAS STATION TO HAVE THE BULB REPLACED ONLY TO FIND THAT DUE TO TORRENTIAL RAINS, SOME WATER HAD SEEPED INTO THE CRACK AND THE BULB HAD BLOWN. REPLACED BULB AND WITHIN TWO DAYS THE BULB WAS OUT AGAIN. I ONLY NOTICED THIS BECAUSE WHEN I GOT INTO MY VEHICLE TO RUN TO THE STORE, MY GEAR SHIFT WAS STUCK. I READ THE MAINTENANCE MANUAL THAT CAME WITH MY TRACER AND USED THE SHIFT OVERRIDE BUTTON. I THEN TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE GARAGE AND ORDERED A REAR LIGHT UNIT. THIS UNIT WAS REPLACED LAST FRIDAY AUGUST 25, 2000 AND ON MONDAY, AUGUST 28, WHEN GOING OUT ON MY LUNH HOUR I FOUND THAT THE SHIFT WAS AGAIN STUCK, I PULLED THE FUSE AND, OF COURSE, THE FUSE WAS BLOWN. THAT EVENING I TOOK THE CAR TO THE GARAGE SINCE I THEN NOTICED THAT I NOT ONLY HAD A GEAR SHIFT THAT WAS STUCK, NO REAR LIGHTS, NO INTERIOR PANEL LIGHTS AND NO LIGHTS ON THE SHIFT PANEL. IF I HADN'T LEFT WORK LATE, I PROBABLY WOULD HAVE BEEN REAR-ENDED BY ANOTHER CAR SINCE I HAD NO BRAKE LIGHTS. I HAD DIFFICULTING GETTING THE CAR INTO GEAR IN THE DARK PARKING GARAGE WITHOUT THE GEAR SHIFT LIGHTS. THIS PROBLEM HAS MADE ME VERY UNEASY DRIVING THIS VEHICLE AROUND AND I'M QUITE CONCERNED ABOUT DRIVING MY CHILDREN ANY WHERE IN THIS CAR. HAS THIS HAPPENED TO OTHER MERCURY TRACERS??? IF SO, HAS THERE BEEN A RECALL FOR ANY ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS? PLEASE ADVISE.

IHAD THIS CAR IN FOR A CHECK UP MIDAS TOLD ME ALOT OF CARS LIKE MINE WAS REPLASED ON COIL PLEASE CHECK THIS OUT MY COIL IS CRACKED ON THE RIGHT SIDE I BELIEVE IT SHOULD BE RECALLED. *AK

MY TRACER'S MOTOR BELT ON THE DRIVERS SIDE HAS FAILED.....NOW I AM A VALET ATT. AT A RESORT CASINO FOR 5 YEARS AND THIS IS A PROBLEM WITH MOST TRACERS I RUN ACROSS.....THIS IS A SAFTEY ISSUE BECAUSE THE BELT IS LEFT VIRTUALLY UNUSABLE..I HAVE A TEEN DRVER AS WELL AS MY WIFE AND MYSELF AND I WOULD LIKE THEM TO HAVE THE UTMOST SAFTEY WHILE DRIVING...AND MY DEALER SEEMS TO IGNORE THAT FACT..$500.00 IS A LITTE PRICEY FO MY BUDGET...AND FOR A PART THAT SHOULD LAST THE LIFETIME OF A VEHICLE...MY CAR IS WELL MAINTAINEDAND I FEEL THIS PROBLEM SHOULD BE LOOKED INTO. *AK

ON SEPT.2,1999,VEHICLE EXPERIENCED SUDDEN ACCELERATION CAUSING DRIVER TO CRASH INTO A PARKED VEHICLE, WHICH RESULTED IN TOTAL DAMAGE AND INJURIES. *YC