Reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers, shown in full
Data refreshed
Our database holds 31 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1986 Ford Tempo. Each one is a report filed by an owner or driver and published by NHTSA without most of them being verified. A complaint is not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. Narratives are shown exactly as filed.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Showing 1–25 of 31 · page 1 of 2
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1986 FORD TEMPO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE THEY ADVISED HIM THAT THE IGNITION MODULE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND THEY OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 80,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.
DT: THE CONTACT STATED WHEN EXITING THE VEHICLE SHE SMELLED AN ODD ODOR. UPON REENTERING AND STARING THE VEHICLE WHITE SMOKE CAME FROM UNDER THE HOOD. WHEN CHECKING UNDER THE HOOD SHE SAW FLAMES COMING OUT. SHE IMMEDIATELY CALLED 911. THE FIRE WENT OUT ON ITS OWN BEFORE THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ARRIVED. A POLICE REPORT WAS TAKEN AT THE SCENE. THE ALTERNATOR APPEARED TO BE THE SOURCE OF THE FIRE. THE PLUG TO THE ALTERNATOR MELTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE. A REPLACEMENT ALTERNATOR WAS PURCHASED, BUT THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. *AK
ON THE IGNITION PROBLEM, THE CAR DIED ON THE STATE HIGHWAY & I HAD TO GET TOWED TO MY MECHANIC. MY CAR WAS LAID UP FOR 16 DAYS. HE FINALLY FOUND OUT IT WAS THE IGNITION THAT WAS MALFUNCTIONING AFTER DOING A TROUBLESHOOTING START & STALLING CONDITION. IT COST ME 118.07 FO THE REPAIRS AND ANOTHER$30.00 FOR THE TOW. THIS HAS BEEN A PROBLEM EVEN BEFORE YOU DID THE RECALL. AND I WISH I COULD GET COMPENSATED FOR THE EXPENSENSE,BUT YOU SAID ONLY TO 100,000 MILES. I DONT THINK THAT IS FAIR! ON THE DRIVE TRAIN, I WAS DRIVING ALONG AND THN LOST POWER TO THE TRAIN, AND I COULD NOT STEER THE CAR. HAD TO COAST OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THIS HAPPENED ON EASTER SUNDAY,AND THE STATE POLICE STOPPED AND TOLD ME I HAD TO MOVE THE CAR OFF THE ROAD AND I COULD NOT LEAVE IT THERE. I AGAIN HAD TO GET TOWED! THE DRIVE AXLE COST ME $100.00. IT JUST FELL OFF THE CAR AND THE MECHANIC COULD NOT UNDERSTAND WHY BECAUSE THE PINS WERE STILL INTACT. IT SHOULD NEVER HAD COME APART LIKE IT DID THEY SAID. IT DID NOT BREAK! IT JUST CAME APART.*AK
VEHICLE STALLS INTERMITTENTLY, NO MATTER WHAT SPEED. *AK
BATTERY WAS DEFECTIVE. THERE WERE THREE BATTERIES TESTED FROM PEP BOYS. *AK
WHILE DRIVING ABOUT ANY SPEED VEHICLE COULD ACCELERATE, EVEN WHEN STEPPING ON THE BRAKES. *AK
HEADLIGHTS ARE MALFUNCTIONING. DEALER SAYS THAT IT'S THE LENS. BUT THEY ARE OUT OF STOCK, AND HAVE NO IDEA WHEN THEY'LL BE IN. OWNER CANNOT PASS THE STATE SAFETY INSPECTION WITHOUT IT. *AK *ML
CONSUMER WENT TO START UP CAR AND WENT BACK INTO THE HOUSE. CONSUMER CAME BACK OUT AND CAR WAS SMOKING'. CONSUMER SHUT OFF CAR. WENT BACK INSIDE, AND WHEN CONSUMER RETURNED, THE ENTIRE CAR WAS ON FIRE. CONSUMER HAS NOT CONTACTED THE DEALER YET. *AK
INTERMITTENT STALLING; CONSUMER BELIEVED THIS PROBLEM WAS DUE TO A MALFUNCTIONING COMPUTER MODEL. VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED AND REPAIRS WERE MADE BY AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP AT CONSUMER EXPENSE OF APPROXIMATELY $600.00. CAN NHTSA PROVIDE INFORMATION OR HELP IN THIS MATTER. *AK
THE CAR EXCELLERATES ON ITS OWN/PEGS RPMS/THEN LUGS AND WONT RUN SMOOTHLY
CV JOINT FAILED.
VEHICLE WAS PARKED AND CAUGHT ON FIRE. FIRE DEPARTMENT STATED THAT THE WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR SHORTED OUT, CAUSING THE FIRE. ALSO DASHBOARD MELTED. *AK
WHEN AT STOP SIGN AND MAKING A TURN THE CAR STALLS . PLEASE DESCRIBE. *AK
GEARS JUMPED FROM PARK TO DRIVE AND THEN CAUGHT FIRE. PLEASE GIVE MORE INFORMATION. *AK
ENGINE IDLES HIGH, LOSES POWER OVER 20 MPH, AND STALLS INTERMITTENTLY. *DH
REAR BRAKE ADJUSTER FAILURE, CAUSING PARTIAL LOSS OF BRAKING ABILITY. *DH
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM SHORTED, CAUSING FIRE. *DSH
HYDRAULIC BRAKES; WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES, VEHICLE PULLS TO THE LEFT. PLEASE DESCRIBE. *AK
IGNITION SWITCH SHORTED, CAUSING ENGINE FIRE. *DSH
REAR EMERGENCY BRAKE CABLE STICKS, CAUSES EXCESSIVE BRAKE PAD WEAR. *AK
ELECTRICAL SHORT IN THE IGNITION SWITCH, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO CATCH ON FIRE. *AK
AN ELECTRICAL SHORT CAUSED THE IGNITION TO CATCH ON FIRE WHILE DRIVING. PLEASE DESCRIBE. *AK
AN ELECTRICAL SHORT OR SHOCK CAUSED THE VEHICLE WIRES TO CATCH ON FIRE UNDER THE DASH WHILE PARKED. PLEASE DESCRIBE.
POWER STEERING PUMP IS LEAKING POWER STERING FLUID UNTO THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD. *AK
IGNITION SWITCH FIRE, ELECTRICAL WIRES AROUND STEERING WHEEL CAUGHT FIRE.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
Data on this page last refreshed .