Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 1998 Mercury Tracer, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Suspension11
- Engine and engine cooling8
- Electrical system6
- Air bags5
- Power train4
- Structure3
- Steering3
- Unknown or other2
- Vehicle speed control2
- Service brakes, hydraulic2
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 3 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 1998 Mercury Tracer failed the safety check 1.19% of the time — 31% less often than the average 1998 passenger car (1.71%). Median odometer at inspection: 95,679 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
Recalls
No recall campaigns cover the 1998 Mercury Tracer.
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 1998 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 |
| 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 |
| 619150 | SERVICE ACTION 00E11, SUPPLEMENT #1 - UPDATE INFORMATION REGARDING ON-BOARD DIAGNOSTIC SYSTEM UPGRADE. *TT |
| 618643 | VEHICLES MAY EXPERIENCE INOPERATIVE OR INCORRECT A/C OPERATION AFTER REPLACING THE CCRM. *JB |
| 616814 | SERVICE ACTION BULLETIN REGARDING ON-BOARD DIAGNOSTIC SYSTEM UPGRADE. *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 |
| 615498 | SOME VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT A CLICK SOUND WHEN APPLY THE BRAKES WHILE CHANING DIRECTIONS. ENGINEERING IS INVESTIGATING THIS CONCERN. *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 |
| 615476 | SOME VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT AN ENGINE IDLE VIBRATION CONCERN WHILE IN GEAR AND LOADED (A/C ON, HEADLIGHTS ON, AND / OR REAR DEFROSTER ON). *TT |
| 615454 | BRIEF INFORMATION STATING THAT THE NGS FUEL ECONOMY TEST ON SOME VEHICLES MAY NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY. *TT |
| 615409 | INFORMATION REGARDING VEHICLES EXHIBITING A CLICK SOUND WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES WHILE CHANGING DIRECTION. *TT |
| 615400 | INFORMATION CONCERNING VEHICLES EXPERIENCING AN ENGINE IDLE VIBRATION WHILE IN GEAR AND LOADED (A/C ON, HEADLIGHTS ON, AND / OR REAR DEFROSTER ON). *TT |
| 615385 | INFORMATION CONCERNING CLICK NOISE FROM FRONT CALIPERS DURING BRAKE APPLICATION. *TT |
| 615381 | BRIEF INFORMATION CONCERN IDLE VIBRATION (TYPICALLY IN GEAR) FELT THRU THE STEERING WHEEL AND / OR BODY. *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 |
| 613779 | SOME VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT CONCERNS CREATED BY WATER INGESTION INTO THE INTEGRATED RELAY CONTROL MODULE (IRCM). *TT |
| 613759 | SOME VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT AN OIL LEAK, MOST NOTICEABLE AT COLD AMBIENT TEMPERATURES. *TT |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
AIR BAG NON-DEPLOYMENT
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation