The 1991 Mercury Tracer has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 113,000 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 76 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the electrical system. Last updated July 5, 2026.
THE ROLL PINS SECURING THE IGNITION LOCK IN THE STEERING COLUMN HOUSING CAN SEPARATE OR MOVE OUT OF POSITION.
Consequence
THE IGNITION LOCK CYLINDER MAY DISENGAGE FROM THESTEERING COLUMN HOUSING WHICH COULD CAUSE THE STEERING COLUMN TO LOCK UP,RESULTING IN LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL AND A POSSIBLE ACCIDENT.
Remedy
IF ONE OR BOTH OF THE ROLL PINS ARE MISSING OR NOT FULLY INSERTED, THE IGNITION LOCK HOUSING WILL BE REPLACED, ALONG WITH THE DOOR-LOCKS AND THE LIFTGATE OR DECK-LID LOCKS SO THAT KEY COMPATIBILITY IS MAINTAINED. IF BOTH PINS ARE PRESENT AND FULLY INSERTED, A PLASTIC SNAP-ON SLEEVE WILL BE INSTALLED AS A PRECAUTION…
FATIGUE CRACKS CAN DEVELOP IN THE SOLDER JOINT BETWEEN THE FUEL RETURN TUBE AND THE FUEL PUMP SENDING UNIT LOCATED AT THE TOP OF THE FUEL TANK.
Consequence
SHOULD A CRACK DEVELOP, FUEL VAPOR CAN ESCAPE FROM THETANK WHEN THE TANK IS FULL, AND A SMALL AMOUNT OF FUEL CAN LEAK FROM THE CRACK.FUEL LEAKS CAN RESULT IN FIRE WHEN EXPOSED TO A SOURCE OF IGNITION.
Remedy
INSTALL A NEW FUEL PUMP SENDING ASSEMBLY.
Complaints by component
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH
7
1fires
SEAT BELTS
7
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY
6
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
5
2fires
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
4
1fires
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
4
1fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING
3
3fires
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
3
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
3
1fires
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
2
Total complaints76
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Tl* the contact owns a 1991 mercury tracer. After the vehicle was filled with fuel and parked in the garage, the contact smelled a fuel odor and noticed fuel leaking onto the garage floor. All american ford (3306 bridge ave, point pleasant, nj 08742, [REDACTED]) was contacted and stated that the…”
“(1) shoulder belt would not move to driving position, coolant fan would not run when needed with engine running only when the ignition was turned off, oil light stayed on and alternately flashed with the right turn signal indicator. (2) a shorting connector to the fuel pump burned the wire bundle…”
“(1) shoulder belt would not move to driving position, coolant fan would not run when needed with engine running only when the ignition was turned off, oil light stayed on and alternately flashed with the right turn signal indicator. (2) a shorting connector to the fuel pump burned the wire bundle…”
“There was a fatigue fracture in fuel tank and fuel was leaking. Contacted dealer, and the dealer stated that vehicle was not included in recall.*ak”
“I had to replace two ignition switches on my 1991 mercury 1.9 tracer to the tune of $360.00. The first one they installed, the tumblers fell apart after one day, I had to be towed back to the mechanic to install a second ignition switch. I was informed that ford had a recall on tracer ignition…”
“Vehicle will leak 2 quarts of oil a week, there is also a strong gas smell inside of vehicle. Contacted dealer, and the dealer was not willing to do anything.*ak consumer states when driving over bumps, the muffler bangs against the floor, when stepping on the gas to get some speed, black smoke…”
“Vehicle will leak 2 quarts of oil a week, there is also a strong gas smell inside of vehicle. Contacted dealer, and the dealer was not willing to do anything.*ak consumer states when driving over bumps, the muffler bangs against the floor, when stepping on the gas to get some speed, black smoke…”
“Vehicle will leak 2 quarts of oil a week, there is also a strong gas smell inside of vehicle. Contacted dealer, and the dealer was not willing to do anything.*ak consumer states when driving over bumps, the muffler bangs against the floor, when stepping on the gas to get some speed, black smoke…”
Defect investigations
InvestigationEA94002 Opened 1994-01-28 · closed 1995-01-31
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1991 Mercury Tracer as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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