Owner-reported complaints naming the suspension system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming suspension components — springs, struts, shocks, control arms and related hardware. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1998 Mercury Tracer submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 11 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
DT: THE CONTACT TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER FOR REGULAR MAINTENANCE, AND THE DEALER DISCOVERED THE REAR PASSENGER STRUT BROKE. INSIDE THE STRUT WAS A PIECE OF RUBBER. NO REPAIRS HAVE BEEN MADE. *AK
REAR COIL SPRING FRACTURED, WITHOUT PROVOCATION, IN MY 1998 MERCURY TRACER SEDAN. AFTER SPEAKING TO 3 DIFFERENT INDEPENDENT SHOPS AND 2 DIFFERENT FORD SERVICE DEPARTMENTS, IT WAS ABSOLUTELY CLEAR THAT FORD/MERCURY HAS A KNOWN MATERIAL DEFECT THAT THEY HAVE CHOSEN TO IGNORE. EVERYONE CONCEDES THAT THESE SPRINGS ARE FAILING AT ABSURD RATES BUT FOMO CO POLICY IS TO DENY EVERYTHING (DESPITE WHAT THEIR OWN SERVICE TECHNICIANS ARE ADMITTING) CATASTROPHIC FAILURES WHILE DRIVING FREQUENTLY RESULT IN TIRE BLOWOUTS... THIS PROBLEM OCCURS THROUGHOUT THE TAURUS/SABLE, ESCORT/TRACER, AND TOPAZ/CONTOUR CAR LINES... I STILL HAVE THE SHATTERED SPRING IN MY POSSESSION, FOMOCO EXPRESSED ZERO INTEREST WHEN I CONTACTED THEM...
THE REAR COIL SPRINGS BROKE ON MY 1998 MERCURY TRACER. WHEN SEEKING A REPAIR, I UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS A WELL DOCUMENTED PROBLEM WITH FORD/MERCURY MODELS OF THIS SIZE (ESCORT/TRACER/TEMPO). WITH REAR SPRINGS BROKEN, ONE CAN OBSERVE THE REAR TIRES OF A CAR WITH THESE SPRINGS BROKEN COME OFF THE ROAD. WITH FORD WELL AWARE OF THIS DESIGN FLAW IN THESE AUTOS, THERE OUGHT TO BE A RECALL OF THESE VEHICLES. I HAVE ONLY 47,700 MILES ON THIS CAR; I HAVE NOW REPLACED A BUSTED CRANKSHAFT PULLEY AND THE RESISTOR ASSOCIATED WITH CIRCULATION SYSTEM WHICH COULD HAVE STARTED A FIRE. ALL OF THESE PROBLEMS ARE WELL DOCUMENTED AND FORD SHOULD ADDRESS THESE FLAWS.
DURING A VEHICLE INSPECTION REAR COIL SPRINGS BROKE AND WERE REPLACED. *AK
CONSUMER COMPLAINED ABOUT HAVING PROBLEMS WITH A RIGHT TIE ROD AND A RIGHT COIL SPRING. HE HAD TAKEN VEHICLE TO A REPAIR SHOP AND WAS TOLD BY A MECHANIC WHAT WAS WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. VEHICLE WAS REAL DANGEROUS TO BE DRIVEN. MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED AT THE TIME OF THIS CALL. DEALER WAS CONTACTED AND REPLACED THE DAMAGED PARTS WITH THE WARRANTY. VEHICLE HAD LESS THAN 30000 MILES. *AK
CONSUMER STATED THAT FIRST TIME 2 NEW TIRES WERE NEEDED AT 19,022 MILES, MECHANIC SAID NO PROBLEM WITH REAR SUSPENSION, PROBLEM DUE TO LACK OF ROTATION, SECOND TIME 4 NEW TIRES WERE NEEDED AT 26,851 MILES MECHANIC SAID PROBLEM WITH STRUTS AND COILS FOR EXCESSIVE TIRE WEAR. REPEATED COMPLAINTS TO FORD DEALER IGNORED. *YD
BROKEN REAR COIL SPRINGS AT VERY LOW MILEAGE, COULD HAVE CAUSED BLOWOUTS, SERIOUS ACCIDENT. *AK
BROKEN REAR COIL SPRINGS AT VERY LOW MILEAGE,COULD HAVE CAUSED TIRE BLOWOUTS,SERIOUS ACCIDENT.*AK
BALL JOINTS WITHOUT OILING GREASE ZERK FITTINGS WHICH CAUSED THE BALL JOINTS TO CRACK/BREAK DUE TO LACK OF LUBRICATION. DEALER NOTIFIED. *AK THE RUBBER BOOTS AROUND THE BALL JOINTS ARE DEFLATED WITH NO ZERKS TO INSERT GREASE. *YH
WHEN DRIVING AT ANY SPEED VEHICLE VIBRATES WITHIN THE STEERING COLUMN AND IN THE ENGINE. *AK
WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE STARTED PULLING TO THE RIGHT AFTER SEVERAL ALIGNMENTS HAD BEEN DONE AND SET OF TIRES HAD BEEN REPLACED TWICE. *AK
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 .