Reliability & cost of ownership
Mercury Tracer Reliability & Common Problems
How reliable is the Mercury Tracer? Compare every model year side by side — NHTSA recalls, owner complaints, and crash-test stars where on file — then open the year you're shopping for its AI reliability outlook where NHTSA has enough data.
Mercury Tracer problems by model year
11 recall entries and 316 owner complaints on file across 9 model years, sourced from the federal NHTSA database.
| Year | Recalls | Complaints | NCAP stars | Full report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 Tracer | 1 | None on file at try.vin | No overall rating on file | Recalls & complaints → |
| 2002 Tracer | 1 | None on file at try.vin | No overall rating on file | Recalls & complaints → |
| 2001 Tracer | 1 | None on file at try.vin | No overall rating on file | Recalls & complaints → |
| 2000 Tracer | 1 | 2 | No overall rating on file | Recalls & complaints → |
| 1999 Tracer | 1 | 20 | No overall rating on file | AI reliability outlook → |
| 1998 Tracer | 1 | 44 | No overall rating on file | AI reliability outlook → |
| 1997 Tracer | 2 | 142 | No overall rating on file | AI reliability outlook → |
| 1996 Tracer | 0 | 12 | No overall rating on file | AI reliability outlook → |
| 1995 Tracer | 3 | 96 | No overall rating on file | AI reliability outlook → |
Most-complained-about components
Owner complaints filed with NHTSA against the Mercury Tracer, grouped by the component each complaint names — the fastest read on where this model gives trouble.
- air bags62 complaints
- engine and engine cooling45 complaints
- electrical system40 complaints
- fuel system, gasoline39 complaints
- suspension28 complaints
- service brakes, hydraulic22 complaints
- seat belts18 complaints
- visibility15 complaints