The 1992 Ford Tempo has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 7,975,200 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 264 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the engine and engine cooling. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING97V0190001997-02-2575,200 affected
Defect
THESE VEHICLES ARE ORIGINALLY SOLD OR CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN THE FOLLOWING STATES: ALASKA, IOWA, MINNESOTA, NEBRASKA, NORTH DAKOTA, AND SOUTH DAKOTA. THE VEHICLES INVOLVED ARE 1992-1994 TEMPO/TOPAZ VEHICLES WITH 3.0L ENGINES; 1994 TEMPO/TOPAZ WITH 2.3L ENGINES; 1992-1995 TAURUS/SABLE WITH 3.8L ENGINES; 1994-1995…
Consequence
THIS CONDITION CAN CAUSE SMOKE OR FLAMES FROM THE FAN AND/OR SHROUD, THE FAN ELECTRICAL WIRING, OR THE FAN MOTOR RESULTING IN A VEHICLE FIRE.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL INSTALL AN ELECTRICAL JUMPER HARNESS CONTAINING AN AUTOMATIC RESETTING CIRCUIT BREAKER TO PROTECT THE FAN MOTOR LOW SPEED CIRCUITRY FROM OVERHEATING.
THE IGNITION SWITCH COULD EXPERIENCE AN INTERNAL SHORT CIRCUIT.
Consequence
THIS CONDITION COULD CAUSE OVERHEATING, SMOKE, AND POSSIBLY FIRE IN THE STEERING COLUMN AREA OF THE VEHICLE.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE IGNITION SWITCH.
Complaints by component
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
28
1fires
SEAT BELTS
21
1crashes3injuries
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
17
2fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH
15
8fires
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
11
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
10
1crashes
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR
9
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
9
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
7
7crashes12injuries
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
7
Total complaints264
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Tl * the contact owns a 1992 ford tempo. While driving at approximately 35 mph, the contact heard a noise. The contact stopped the vehicle and saw that some of the lug nuts were missing. A local mechanic inspected the vehicle. The vehicle was found to contain no catalytic converter; furthermore,…”
“1992 tempo right caliper, battery cable needed to be replaced and the passenger side motor needed a cover. Springs and struts also needed replacing. *ts *jb”
“1992 tempo right caliper, battery cable needed to be replaced and the passenger side motor needed a cover. Springs and struts also needed replacing. *ts *jb”
“1992 tempo right caliper, battery cable needed to be replaced and the passenger side motor needed a cover. Springs and struts also needed replacing. *ts *jb”
“While driving eastbound on route 20 near oberlin, ohio I hit a pothole which was large enough to make my car swerve. The pothole was unavoidable because a car was driving past me in the other lane and at that point. No matter how far I would have gone to the right (near the white line) to avoid…”
“Front seat belt automatic retractor inoperable.........vehicle no longer has a three point restraint capability.........unsafe!!!! This is the third failure for the front automatic seat belt restraint system on three different vehicles. I'm the "duty" mechanic for our family and have become quite…”
“All gaskets & seals leak. Needs about a quart of oil per 15 miles. Because of oil dripping, car catches on fire. Nothing has been done to correct problem, too expensive!”
“While driving my car from burdines hialeah parking lot, the steering wheel started smoking and I pulled into the first parking spot that I saw. I turned the car off, but the smoke continued to increase and finally the steering wheel caught on fire. The security guard in the parking lot used a fire…”
Defect investigations
InvestigationEA96024 Opened 1996-09-30 · closed 1997-04-15
ENGINE COOLING FAN FIRES
There is no summary currently available
InvestigationPE96033 Opened 1996-05-02 · closed 1996-09-30
ENGINE COOLING FAN FIRES
IN DECEMBER 1995, FORD RECALLED 119,313 VEHICLES IN CANADA TO REMEDY THE SUBJECT CONDITION IN CERTAIN 1992-95 TAURUS, SABLE, TEMPO, TOPAZ AND CONTINENTAL VEHICLES.FORD IS AWARE OF SIMILAR INCIDENTS OCCURRING IN NORTHERN REGIONS OF THE UNITED STATES, BUT MAINTAINS THAT THE FREQUENCIES DO NOT WARRANT A FINDING OF AN…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1992 Ford Tempo as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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