Speeds up on its own when driving and when stopped at lights. Occurs every time I drive it. Most of all in the winter time. Tried to repaired it at station but was unable to do so.
The worst 1998 Mercury Tracer problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Suspension11
- Engine8
- Electrical6
- Airbags5
- Transmission4
- Body3
- Steering3
- Acceleration2
- Brakes2
- Visibility2
- Fuel system1
- Locks1
- Tires1
Specific symptoms reported on the 1998 Mercury Tracer
Recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Defect investigations
Air bag non-deployment
DP01001
Technical service bulletins for the 1998 Mercury Tracer 112
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- General (PCM) power train control module programming procedures
- General power train control module (PCM) programming procedures
- Trw vehicle safety systems, inc
- Malfunction indicator lamp illuminated with diagnostic trouble codes (DTCS) P0442, P0455, P0456, P0457 or...
- Remote keyless entry (RKE) - service tips
- Idle vibration on vehicles equipped with 2.0L spi or zetec engine only
- New transmission cooler flusher - service tips
- Malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) illumination with diagnostic trouble codes P0442, P0455, P0456, P0457,...
- Climate control a/c service tech tips
- Lamp-brake-invadvertent disabling of brake shift interlock
1998 Mercury Tracer fuel economy
Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.
| Engine | Drive | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.0L 4‑cyl | FWD | 22-24 | 31-34 | 25-28 |
What 1998 Mercury Tracer owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
While I am on the foot brake slowing down, car suddenly revs, shifts into gear and accelerates. I am unable to hold back the vehicle even when pushing as hard as I can on the brake pedal. I have to knock the shift lever into neutral to stop.
Dt: the contact took vehicle to dealer for regular maintenance, and the dealer discovered the rear passenger strut broke. Inside the strut was a piece of rubber. No repairs have been made.
Dt : trunk latch was faulty. Truck latch had a sensor in it that will cause the vehicle not to run. The part they replaced was called a trunk latch. It will cause the engine to decelerate while driving down the highway. The trunk lid was closed but the sensor inside of it was faulty because it caused the engine to fail even though the lid was closed. The sensor has been replaced twice.*ak
Rear coil spring fractured, without provocation, in my 1998 mercury tracer sedan. After speaking to 3 different independent shops and 2 different ford service departments, it was absolutely clear that ford/mercury has a known material defect that they have chosen to ignore. Everyone concedes that these springs are failing at absurd rates but fomo co policy is to deny everything (despite what their own service technicians are admitting) catastrophic failures while driving frequently result in tire blowouts... This problem occurs throughout the taurus/sable, escort/tracer, and topaz/contour car lines... I still have the shattered spring in my possession, fomoco expressed zero interest when I contacted them...
While driving 70 MPH the consumer lost control of her 1998 mercury tracer and collided head on into a guardrail. Neither of the frontal air bags deployed. *nm the entire front end was smashed into the engine. *sc
On december 11, 2004 I was out shopping and I got in the car and it would not start I left it sit there over night and went back the next day and it started. I have had 3 machanicks look at it and none of them know why it did it.
While driving the horn started blowing and I had to take the fues out to stop it.
The rear coil springs broke on my 1998 mercury tracer. When seeking a repair, I understand that this is a well documented problem with ford/mercury models of this size (escort/tracer/tempo). With rear springs broken, one can observe the rear tires of a car with these springs broken come off the road. With ford well aware of this design flaw in these autos, there ought to be a recall of these vehicles. I have only 47,700 miles on this car; I have now replaced a busted crankshaft pulley and the resistor associated with circulation system which could have started a fire. All of these problems are well documented and ford should address these flaws.
Hole in my block with oil leak and valve gaskets so bad I turned the car in.
Compare the 1998 Mercury Tracer
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Questions about the 1998 Mercury Tracer
Is the 1998 Mercury Tracer reliable?
Owners have filed 44 complaints about the 1998 Mercury Tracer, close to a typical Tracer model year.
What is the most common problem with the 1998 Mercury Tracer?
Suspension, with 11 complaints. Next is engine (8).
How many recalls does the 1998 Mercury Tracer have?
No recalls on record.
What year does the Mercury Tracer have bad suspension?
The Mercury Tracer model years with the most suspension complaints are 1997 (11 complaints) and 1998 (11 complaints).
What gas mileage does the 1998 Mercury Tracer get?
Official estimates for the 1998 Mercury Tracer range from 25 to 28 mpg combined. The most efficient version (2.0L 4-cyl, FWD) gets 22-24 city and 31-34 highway.
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