1997 Mercury Tracer Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Tracer years
- Far more complaints than other years 1st of 6 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 1 recall: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 142 complaints with NHTSA about the 1997 Mercury Tracer. That is the most of any Tracer model year in the database (6 years). The most reported problem area is air bags (47 complaints, 33%), typically at around 102,000 miles. Complaints mention 15 crashes, 17 fires, 17 injuries. There is 1 safety recall covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 2 defect investigations involving it.
- 142owner complaints
- 1safety recalls
- 2NHTSA investigations
- 15complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 1997 Mercury Tracer problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Bags | 47 | 33% | 102,000 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 22 | 15% | 59,471 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 21 | 15% | 84,849 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 11 | 8% | 91,698 | — | — |
| Suspension | 11 | 8% | 83,500 | — | — |
| Tires | 9 | 6% | 69,093 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 9 | 6% | — | — | — |
| Visibility | 9 | 6% | 108,000 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 5 | 4% | 51,000 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 4 | 3% | — | — | — |
| Steering | 3 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Equipment | 2 | 1% | 96,849 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 2 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 2 | 1% | 41,249 | — | — |
| Power Train | 2 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Structure | 2 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Fuel System, Diesel | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Fuel System, Other | 1 | 1% | 91,698 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 1 | 1% | 16,000 | — | — |
| Wheels | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
1997 Mercury Tracer recalls (1)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Air bags:frontal:sensor/control module-inactive
Problem: On certain passenger vehicles, the integrated air bag monitor (iabm) can be contaminated with water or other liquids and could experience internal electrical shorting.
Risk: This may, in turn, cause the air bag readiness light to illuminate and in very rare occurrences, air bag deployment, melted wiring, or fire may occur.
Fix: Dealers will install the shield over the iabm and apply nyogel grease to the connector. Owner notification began february 11, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact ford at 1-866-436-7332.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Water intrusion into airbag monitor (EA02008) — opened Jun 10, 2002, closed Dec 11, 2002, led to recall 02V323000.
- Integrated air bag monitor water (PE02010) — opened Jan 30, 2002, closed Jun 10, 2002.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
1997 mercury tracer trio vin [xxx] my wife and i bought this car from wanted auto sales in worley idaho. My we have a one year old daughter. We heard a noise from the rear of the car. My wife thought we were bottoming out. I came to discover that both rear factory struts the coil springs were…
We had taken my vehicle to get it checked by a computer at a local service parts shop. When we came back we stopped my car and it was not running, ignition off. About an hour later we heard a loud noise and its air bags had gone off, breaking my car's windshield and obviously making a mess in my…
While driving felt severe vibration and loud noise at all speeds and car pulling to the right hard. Vibration became worse about 8 miles later, car was not drivable and almost ran off the road. The tread separated from the tire. Pulled over, put the spare on. Pep boys replaced both front tires, the…
Tl*the contact owns a 1997 mercury tracer. While driving 70 mph, the vehicle lost power and the contact pulled to the side of the road. He lifted the hood and noticed flames coming from the engine. He extinguished the fire and had the vehicle towed to a junkyard. The contact later sold the vehicle…
Tl*the contact owns a 1997 mercury tracer. The contact stated while driving 45 mph, she lost control of the vehicle and drove into the median to avoid oncoming traffic. The engine shut off and the cylinder head was blown. The dealer was unable to diagnose the failure; however, they stated that the…
Other Mercury Tracer years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 Tracer | 2 | 0 |
| 1999 Tracer | 20 | 0 |
| 1998 Tracer | 44 | 0 |
| 1997 | 142 | 1 |
| 1996 Tracer | 12 | 0 |
| 1995 Tracer | 96 | 3 |
See all Mercury Tracer problems by year, every Mercury model, or the VIN decoder.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 1997 Mercury Tracer?
Owners most often report air bags, electrical system, engine and engine cooling problems. The top one, air bags, accounts for 47 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 1997 Mercury Tracer?
Yes, 1 safety recall. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 1997 Mercury Tracer a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Tracer model years, the 1997 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.