The 1988 Merkur Scorpio has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 176 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 11 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the electrical system. Last updated July 5, 2026.
TRANSMISSION LINKAGE WAS ADJUSTED IMPROPERLY DURING PRODUCTION.
IF THIS CONDITION EXISTS, THERE IS A POTENTIAL THAT THETRANSMISSION PARKING PAWL MAY NOT FULLY ENGAGE THE PARKING GEAR WHEN THETRANSMISSION SELECTOR LEVER IS PLACED IN PARK.
INSPECT ALL VEHICLES AND ADJUST TRANSMISSION LINKAGE PROPERLY.
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“Vehicle stalls while turning or warming up.*ak”
“Fuel leaking from injectors caused small underhood fire. Was able to extinguish, but could have been seroius. Fuek was leaking onto hot exhaust manifold. Very, very poor quality, and no dealer or manufacturer support. Thanks ford.”
“This failure was with the ford replacement part. Only 1 year ago, less than 4,000 miles ago, the original equipment tfi module failed, leaving me stranded. This time, however, it was worse, leaving me stranded on a highway exit. Being at night, it was extremely dangerous. Something has to be done…”
“Slammed on brakes at 70mph and pedal was hard to mash, and anti-lock didn't kick in. Had sensor replaced 5 times but still failed. Had to swerve off of highway to avoid accident.”
“Universal joint failure.”
“Transmission seal replaced due to leaking.”
“Brake failure. *aw”
“Driveshaft collapsed.”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1988 Merkur Scorpio as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.