RoadVitals

1988 Ford Topaz

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
2
Latest Oct 29, 1997
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
0
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
2
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
0

Overview

Our database contains 2 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1988 Ford Topaz, most frequently naming the engine and seat belts categories. 2 NHTSA investigations name it.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Engine150.0%
  • Seat belts150.0%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

No recalls in our database for this model year

That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.

Safety investigations

NHTSA inquiries naming this vehicle. An investigation is not a finding of a defect.

EA91052ClosedEngineering Analysis

SEAT BELT SEPARATION

Opened Nov 27, 1991
Closed Nov 24, 1992

There is no summary currently available

SEAT BELTS
EA90042ClosedEngineering Analysis

THROTTLE STICKING

Opened Aug 31, 1990
Closed Dec 31, 1991

There is no summary currently available

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:LINKAGES

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

Engine
Filed Oct 29, 1997

WHILE DRIVING ALONG OR JUST STARTING VEHICLE IN DRIVEWAY, VEHICLE WILL JUST STALL. WHEN DRIVING 2 MILES OR LESS VEHICLE WILL STALL 1 OR 2 TIMES AT LEAST. FORD MECHANIC SAID THAT IT COULD BE A PROBLEM WITH THE MODULE. *AK *SLC

NHTSA ID
817953
Incident
Jun 6, 1997
Seat belts
Filed Apr 18, 1997

MOTOR BELT FAILS TO RETRACT. (2ND VEHICLE ON #516580)

NHTSA ID
603313

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Ford Topaz by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
1992600
1989201
1988Viewing202
1987402
1986002
1985302
1984101

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. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.