Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 1997 Mercury Tracer, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Air bags47
- Electrical system22
- Engine and engine cooling21
- Service brakes, hydraulic11
- Suspension11
- Unknown or other9
- Tires9
- Visibility9
- Vehicle speed control5
- Seat belts4
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 17 injuries and 1 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 1997 Mercury Tracer failed the safety check 1.96% of the time — 23% more often than the average 1997 passenger car (1.60%). Median odometer at inspection: 97,423 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
Recalls
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE INTEGRATED AIR BAG MONITOR (IABM) CAN BE CONTAMINATED WITH WATER OR OTHER LIQUIDS AND COULD EXPERIENCE INTERNAL ELECTRICAL SHORTING.
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What Mercury told its dealers about the 1997 Mercury Tracer: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 636089 | SOME VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE 2.0L SPI ENGINE MAY EXHIBIT A MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP (MIL) ILLUMINATED AND DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES (DTC) P0300 THROUGH P0304 STORED. *TT |
| 630515 | ENGINE OIL SYSTEM PRIMING PROCEDURES, SERVICE TIPS FOR REPORTS OF PREMATURE ENGINE FAILURE. *TT |
| 630001 | SOME ENGINE ASSEMBLIES WITH ALUMINUM CYLINDER HEADS REPAIRED IN-VEHILE HAVE BEEN FOUND TO LEAK COOLANT AND/OR OIL FROM THE CYLINDER HEAD GASKET AREA. *TT |
| 627927 | SOME VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT VACUUM OR AIR LEAKS IN THE INTAKE MANIFOLD AND / OR ENGINE SYSTEM CAUSING DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES P0171 AND OR P0174. *TT |
| 625715 | BRAKE SHIFT INTERLOCK.*JB |
| 623988 | INFORMATION REGARDING TRANSMISSION FLUID USAGE CHARTS. *SLC |
| 623944 | SOME VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT HEATER CORE LEAKS. *SLC |
| 622804 | SOME VEHICLES PRODUCED THROUGH JULY 1999 MAY EXHIBIT REAR SUSPENSION SPRING FAILURE WITH NO RESULTING OPERATIONAL CONCERN. *TT |
| 615541 | SOME VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LIGHT ON, STALL AT TIP-IN FROM IDLE, ENGINE HESITATION, AND / OR SURGE CAUSED BY THE MASS AIR FLOW (MAF) SENSOR. *TT |
| 615540 | SUBJECT REGARDING THE NGS FUEL ECONOMY TEST. *TT |
| 615477 | THIS BULLETIN MENTIONS THAT FOR ALL VEHICLES WITH ANTILOCK BRAKE MODULE CONCERNS THAT REQUIRE A MODULE REPLACEMENT, THE TECHNICIAN MUST CALL FOR APPROVAL BEFORE REMOVING AND / OR REPLACING THE MODULE. *TT |
| 615454 | BRIEF INFORMATION STATING THAT THE NGS FUEL ECONOMY TEST ON SOME VEHICLES MAY NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY. *TT |
| 615385 | INFORMATION CONCERNING CLICK NOISE FROM FRONT CALIPERS DURING BRAKE APPLICATION. *TT |
| 615335 | SOME VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT A HARD START / LONG CRANK, COLD START STALL, COLD ROUGH IDLE CONCERN. *TT |
| 615270 | SOME VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT BRIEF SPARK KNOCK ON ACCELERATION DURING HOT WEATHER ONCE THE ENGINE HAS THOROUGHLY WARMED UP. *TT |
| 613790 | THE WORKSHOP MANUAL REFERENCE TO TRANSMISSION FLUID TEMPERATURE SENSOR RESISTANCE IS INCORRECT. THIS BULLETIN LIST THE CORRECT RESISTANCE. *TT |
| 613789 | INFORMATION ON THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF REMOTE KEYLESS ENTRY SYSTEMS. *TT |
| 613779 | SOME VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT CONCERNS CREATED BY WATER INGESTION INTO THE INTEGRATED RELAY CONTROL MODULE (IRCM). *TT |
| 613383 | SOME VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT A CUSTOME CONCERN OF STEADY OR INTERMITTENT MISS WITH DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES P0300 AND P0304. *TT |
| 613224 | SOME VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT A HARD START/LONG CRANK, COLD START STALL, COLD ROUGH IDLE CONCERN. *MJS |
| 612956 | SUBJECT CONCERNING THE IDLE-VIBRATION- 2.0L AND ZETEC ENGINES- SERVICE TIP. *MJS |
| 612922 | SOME VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT A GRINDING NOISE WHILE BRAKING, BRAKE DRAG AND/OR UNEVEN FRONT BRAKE PAD WEAR MAY OCCUR. *MJS |
| 612739 | SOME VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH COMPACT DISC CHANGER MAY EXHIBIT A 6 DISC CD CHANGER THAT IS NOT EJECTING THE MAGAZINE OR IS NOT RESPONDING TO COMMAND FROM THE RADIO. |
| 612203 | INFORMATION REGARDING THE NEW TRANSMISSION COOLER FLUSHER- SERVICE TIP. *MJS |
| 610906 | SOME VEHICLES WITH THE 2.0L SPI ENGINE MAY EXHIBIT A LACK OF HEAT AND TEMPERATURE GAUGE READING COLD. *TT |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
WATER INTRUSION INTO AIRBAG MONITOR
INTEGRATED AIR BAG MONITOR WATER
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation