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1998 Mercury Tracer Recalls & Complaints

1

open safety recall on record

Serious

57 owner complaints filed · Severity Index 0.37 · updated 2026-08-07

The recalls

Serious04E048000

Seat Belts:Front

IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, THE RESTRAINT SYSTEM MAY NOT PROVIDE ADEQUATE PROTECTION TO THE SEAT OCCUPANT, WHICH MAY raises the risk of PERSONAL INJURY.

Remedy & full details

TRW WILL NOTIFY THE CUSTOMERS WHO PURCHASED THE REPLACEMENT SEAT BELT ASSEMBLIES FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 27, 2004.

CERTAIN TRW DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELTS MANUFACTURED ON DECEMBER 6 AND 9, 2002, FOR USE AS REPLACEMENT EQUIPMENT FOR 1997 FORD ESCORT 4-DOOR AND STATION WAGON PLATFORM VEHICLES, FORD'S P/N F7CZ54611B09AAC. THE SEAT BELT ASSEMBLIES EXHIBIT A NO-LOCK CONDITION WHICH DOES NOT COMPLY WITH FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 209, SEAT BELT ASSEMBLIES.

Complaint volume

57 this model-year 8 median, same year

Volume alone is not a fault rate — popular vehicles attract more reports. Read it next to the severity mix below.

What owners reported happened

3Crashes
1Fires
3Injuries
0Deaths

Across 57 complaints. Severity Index 0.37.

Severity Index weights each complaint's reported outcome (death ×10, injury ×4, fire ×3, crash ×2) and divides by total complaints. It measures how severe reports are, not how often faults occur.

What owners report most

Engine And Engine Cooling…6 · 11%Air Bags · Frontal5 · 9%Electrical System · Horn4 · 7%Power Train · Automatic T…3 · 5%Suspension · Rear · Sprin…3 · 5%Electrical System · Start…2 · 4%Engine And Engine Cooling…2 · 4%Structure · Body2 · 4%
  1. Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline — 6 reports
  2. Air Bags:Frontal — 5 reports
  3. Electrical System:Horn — 4 reports
  4. Power Train:Automatic Transmission — 3 reports
  5. Suspension:Rear:Springs — 3 reports
  6. Electrical System:Starter Assembly — 2 reports
  7. Engine And Engine Cooling:Cooling System — 2 reports
  8. Structure:Body — 2 reports
  9. Unknown Or Other — 2 reports
  10. Vehicle Speed Control — 2 reports

What to do

  1. Find your 17-character VIN on the driver's door jamb or the base of the windscreen.
  2. Check it against NHTSA's official lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls — the authoritative record for your exact car.
  3. Book the repair with any franchised dealer. Safety recall work is free, with no time limit and regardless of who owns the car now.

Other model years

1995 (3) · 1996 · 1997 (2) · 1998 · 1999 (1) · 2000 (1)

Numbers in brackets are open recall campaigns for that year.

Questions

Does an open recall mean the car is unsafe to drive?

Not usually. NHTSA issues a "do not drive" or "park outside" advisory when a defect is dangerous enough to keep you out of the car — those are flagged Critical above. Everything else should be repaired promptly but is not an immediate stop-driving order.

Do I pay for recall repairs?

No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to fix a safety recall free of charge, including parts and labour, whether or not you are the original owner.

Why are there complaints but no recalls?

Complaints are unverified reports filed by owners. They can prompt an investigation, but many never become recalls — either the fault isn't safety-related or it isn't widespread.

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