How many recalls does the 1985 Mercury Capri have?

The 1985 Mercury Capri has 2 NHTSA safety recall campaigns on record.

How do I check if my 1985 Mercury Capri has an open recall?

Enter your 17-character VIN at NHTSA's official recall lookup (nhtsa.gov/recalls) to see open, unrepaired recalls for your specific vehicle. Recall repairs are free.

What do owners complain about most on the 1985 Mercury Capri?

Of 4 NHTSA complaints on file, the most-reported component is electrical system.

1985 Mercury Capri Recalls

Recalls on record Updated July 2026

The 1985 Mercury Capri has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 320,008 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 4 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the electrical system. Last updated July 5, 2026.

Recall campaigns

SEAT BELTS 92V063000 1992-04-29 306,000 affected

Defect

THE PLASTIC SLEEVE IN THE FRONT SAFETY BELT TONGUE ASSEMBLY WHICH RETAINS THE LOCK BAR CAN DETERIORATE FROM PROLONGED EXPOSURE TO SUNLIGHT AND BECOME DISPLACED, CAUSING THE TONGUE TO DETACH FROM THE SAFETY BELT WEBBING.

Consequence

IF THE TONGUE DETACHES FROM THE SAFETY BELT WEBBING, THESAFETY BELT WOULD NOT ATTACH TO ITSELF, RESULTING IN INCREASED RISK OF INJURYTO THE SEAT OCCUPANT IN THE EVENT OF A SUDDEN STOP OR VEHICLE CRASH.

Remedy

FORD WILL REPAIR THE SAFETY BELTS EXPERIENCING THIS CONDITION REGARDLESS OF VEHICLE AGE OR CONDITION.

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC 85V068000 1985-05-21 14,008 affected

Defect

BRAKE BOOSTER REAR SHELLS MAY HAVE REDUCED WALL THICKNESSES WHICH COULD CAUSE THE SHELL TO BREAK. CONSEQUENCE OF DEFECT: REPEATED BRAKE USE COULD CAUSE THE SHELL TO CRACK AND THE BOOSTER…

Remedy

INSPECT AND IF NECESSARY REPLACE THE POWER BRAKE BOOSTER ASSEMBLY.

Complaints by component

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH

Total complaints4

What owners report

Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.

“Garage / house fire caused by defective ignition switch in 1985 mercury capri asc mclaren. *jb”

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH · reported 2003-05-03

“Vehicle was parked and caught fire, under the hood engine compartment fire, electrical short. *ak”

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH · reported 1996-03-06

“Wife started vehicle to warm up, turned back, vehicle started smoking and then fire engulfed vehicle and totally burned it. *ak”

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH

Defect investigations

Investigation DP87032 Opened 1987-09-03 · closed 1988-04-27

WINDOW SHATTERING

Investigation EA86010 Opened 1986-03-26 · closed 1989-07-28

SEATBACK FAILURE

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…

Investigation PE87028 Opened 1987-05-01 · closed 1988-01-21

STALLING

NO SAFETY DEFECT TREND HAS BEEN DETECTED.===

Investigation PE89118 Opened 1989-04-19 · closed 1989-09-06

SPEED CONTROL MALFUNCTION

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Sources & methodology

Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1985 Mercury Capri as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.