The 1984 Ford Tempo has 6 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 1,441,514 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 19 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the electrical system. Last updated July 5, 2026.
THE FORWARD BOLT THAT PROVIDES PART OF THE ATTACHMENT BETWEEN THE DRIVER'S SEAT BACK ASSEMBLY AND THE SEAT CUSHION FRAME MAY BE SUBJECT TO FATIGUE FRACTURE. CONSEQUENCE OF…
REPLACE SCREWS THAT ATTACH DRIVER'S SEAT BACK ASSEMBLY TO THE SEAT CUSHION FRAME.
REAR SUPENSION CONTROL ARM-TO-SPINDLE ATTACHMENT BOLTS MAY BE SUBJECT TO FRACTURE CAUSING THE REAR SPINDLE TO SEPARATE DURING USE OF CAR. CONSEQUENCE OF…
REPLACE REAR SUSPENSION BOLTS AS NECESSARY.
REAR SUSPENSION CONTROL ARM-TO-SPINDLE ATTACHMENT BOLTS MAY BE SUBJECT TO FRACTURE DURING USE OF CAR. CONSEQUENCE OF DEFECT: IF BOLTS FRACTURE, REAR SPINDLE COULD DISENGAGE FROM CONTROL ARM AND…
REPLACE REAR SUSPENSION BOLTS AS NECESSARY.
SEAT FRAME STRUCTURE COULD SEVER FRONT SEAT BELTS IF VEHICLE IS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT, DEPENDING ON FORCE OF IMPACT.
DEALER WILL INSTALL A MOLDED SPACER BETWEEN REINFORCEMENT PLATES AND LOWER DECORATIVE PLASTIC COVER.
THE BOLTS THAT ATTACH THE D-SHAPED RING FOR THE SHOULDER BELT ARE INADEQUATELY SUPPORTED BY THE MATERIAL IN WHICH THEY ARE MOUNTED. THE ATTACHMENT DOES NOT COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 210, "SEAT BELT ASSEMBLY ANCHORAGES".
DEALERS WILL INSTALL NEW ATTACHING HARDWARE TO IMPROVE THE STRENGTH OF THE MOUNTING.
IN THE EVENT OF A SHORT CIRCUIT IN THE INSTRUMENT PANEL, THE HEADLAMP AND INTERIOR ILLUMINATION CONTROL SWITCHES COULD OVERHEAT.
THE HEADLAMP SWITCH WILL BE REPLACED AND FUSE AND FUSE PANEL WILL BE INSPECTED FOR SAFE OPERATION.
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“Ignition switch fire. *sd”
“Wk. [REDACTED], started the vehicle turn ignition on, vehicle cut off, saw smoke under the hood, engine compartment/under the dash. *ak”
“Distributor failed twice, causing vehicle to stall.”
“Battery failed.”
“Engine failure.”
“Cooling fan failed, causing engine to overheat.”
“Ignition coil failure.”
“Electrical fire, suspected to have started with ignition switch. *ak”
There is no summary currently available
SUMMARY OF INFORMATION FROM MANUFACTURER:FORD BELIEVES THAT THE AL-LEGED DEFECT ONLY OCCURS IN A SMALL NUMBER OF THE SUBJECT VEHICLES ANDRECALLED ABOUT 195,732 1984 TEMPO/TOPAZ VEHICLES IN JUNE 1986.ANALYSIS: VEHICLES POTENTIALLY INVOLVED INCLUDE TEMPO/TOPAZ, ESCORT/LYNX/EXP, MUSTANG/CAPRI, LTD/MARQUIS, AND…
ANALYSIS:THIS PE WAS INITIATED BASED ON RECEIPT OF CONSUMER REPORTS OFPOWER STEERING FAILURES IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES.THIS ISSUE WAS ORIGINALLYREVIEWED UNDER PE86-006, WHICH WAS CLOSED AFTER NO DEFECT TREND WAS IDENTI-FIED.THIS PE WAS OPENED TO REASSESS THE MAGNITUDE OF THE ALLEGED PROBLEM.IN RESPONSE TO NHTSA'S…
NO SAFETY DEFECT TREND HAS BEEN DETECTED.===
SUMMARY:THE SUBJECT VEHICLES MAY BE EQUIPPED WITH EITHER A 2.3 LITER4 CYLINDER ENGINE OR A 2.0 LITER DIESEL ENGINE.THE TRANSAXLE MAY BEEITHER A 5 SPEED MANUAL OR A 3 SPEED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION.THEHALFSHAFT ASSEMBLIES ARE IDENTICAL FOR AUTOMATIC AND MANUAL USE, BUT THERIGHT INTERCONNECTING SHAFT ON A DIESEL EQUIPPED…
1984 - 1991 FORD TEMPO/MERCURY TOPAZ
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1984 Ford Tempo as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.