IllustrationWHILE PULLING OUT OF A PARKING LOT IN A SHOPPING CENTER VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED AND HIT VEHICLE WHICH KEPT IDLING.DRIVER HAD TO TURN OFF VEHICLE. *AK
1992 Ford Tempo
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Tempo years
Owner complaints for the 1992 Ford Tempo are substantially higher than the model-year median of 30.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Tempo years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 6 of 176 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 45 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 43 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Seat Belts. Review the 41 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
11 crash reports20 fire reports12 injury reports
What owners actually said
176 reportsMOTORIZED SEATBELT HAS FAILED ON BOTH SIDES. SHOULDER BELT HAS JAMMED, PARTIALLY RETRACTED AND IN A UNSAFE MANNER. DEALER CLAIMED MOTOR AND PLASTIC TRACK NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *AK
FUEL TANK WAS LEAKING. *SLC
THROTTLE STICKS CAUSING LATE SHIFTING OF AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. SAME PROBLEM CAUSES EARLY AND ROUGH DOWNSHIFTING. WHILE EARLY DOWNSHIFTING IS MERELY UNCOMFORTABLE NOW, THIS COULD BE A SEVERE SAFTY HAZARD ON ICE AND SNOW. ALSO THE STICKING THROTTLE HAS REQUIRED EXTRA BRAKING EFFORT TO KEEP THE VEHICLE FROM RUNNING AWAY. YOUR…
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THROTTLE STICKS CAUSING LATE SHIFTING OF AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. SAME PROBLEM CAUSES EARLY AND ROUGH DOWNSHIFTING. WHILE EARLY DOWNSHIFTING IS MERELY UNCOMFORTABLE NOW, THIS COULD BE A SEVERE SAFTY HAZARD ON ICE AND SNOW. ALSO THE STICKING THROTTLE HAS REQUIRED EXTRA BRAKING EFFORT TO KEEP THE VEHICLE FROM RUNNING AWAY. YOUR WEBSITE LISTS ELEVEN DIFFERENT SERVICE BULLETINS RELATING TO THIS PROBLEM, AND SEVERAL PREVIOUS COMPLAINTS. I HAVE CONTACTED FORD MOTOR CO ABOUT THIS MATTER, AND THEY HAVE REPLIED THAT FIXING THEIR DEFECT IS MY PROBLEM. IN LIGHT OF THE NUMEROUS BULLETINS AND COMPLAINTS, THE POTENTIAL SAFETY PROBLEMS(I.E. LOSS OF CONTROL ON ICE AND SNOW AND RUNNING AWAY), I FEEL THAT AN INVESTIGATION OF THIS DEFECT SHOULD BE MADE AND A RECALL INSTITUTED.*AK
THE CAR HAS RECENTLY BEGAN TO STALL AFTER STOPPING AT LIGHTS AND INTERSECTIONS, IT USUALLY STALLS IMMEDIATELY AFTER HITTING THE GAS, PUSHING ME INTO THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION. AFTER REPEATED ATTEMPTS THE CAR WILL USUALLY RESTART WITHIN A COUPLE OF MINUTES. AS FAR AS THE SEAT BELTS, AFTER PURCHASING THE CAR THE DRIVER SIDE AU…
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THE CAR HAS RECENTLY BEGAN TO STALL AFTER STOPPING AT LIGHTS AND INTERSECTIONS, IT USUALLY STALLS IMMEDIATELY AFTER HITTING THE GAS, PUSHING ME INTO THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION. AFTER REPEATED ATTEMPTS THE CAR WILL USUALLY RESTART WITHIN A COUPLE OF MINUTES. AS FAR AS THE SEAT BELTS, AFTER PURCHASING THE CAR THE DRIVER SIDE AUTOMATIC SEAT BELT STOPPED WORKING IT IS NOW STUCK IN ONE POSITION AND WILL NOT MOVE. *AK
WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED VEHICLE WILL STALL WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING. CONSUMER WILL RESTART ENGINE, THEN IT WILL WORK AGAIN.*AK
VEHICLE STALLS IN TRAFFIC. VEHICLE HAS BEEN HIT A FEW TIMES BECAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. MECHANIC DETECTED THAT DISTRIBUTOR MODULE WAS THE PROBLEM.*AK
WHILE TRAVELING ENGINE INDICATOR LIGHT WOULD FLASH ON/OFF. SOON AFTER VEHICLE WOULD STALL, DEALER HAS REPLACED THE STARTER SWITCH AND THE GAS FILTER EVERY 6 MONTHS, BUT THE STALLING STILL OCCURS, POSSIBLE ENGINE PROBLEM. *AK *SLC
CONSTANT GASOLINE ODOR...WAS CHECKED OUT..CAN'T FIND ANY LEAKS
11/18/96 DRIVER SIDE MOTORIZED SHOULDER BELT INOPERABLE..REPAIRED UNDER WARRANTY; 8/14/97 PASSENGER SIDE MOTORIZED SHOULDER BELT INOPERABLE REPAIRED FOR $295.00; 8/14/00 DRIVER SIDE IN OPERABLE REPLACED AGAIN $306.00 (ONLY BECAUSE I GOT A $100 TICKET ); 9/00 PASSENGER SIDE INOPERABLE AGAIN..HAVE NOT REPAIRED. *AK
Official recalls
297V019000 · Engine And Engine Cooling:cooling System:fan
Feb 25, 1997
THESE VEHICLES ARE ORIGINALLY SOLD OR CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN THE FOLLOWING STATES: ALASKA, IOWA, MINNESOTA, NEBRASKA, NORTH DAKOTA, AND SOUTH DAKOTA. THE VEHICLES INVOLVED ARE 1992-1994 TEMPO/TOPAZ VEHICLES WITH 3.0L ENGINES; 1994 TEMPO/TOPAZ WITH 2.3L ENGINES; 1992-1995 TAURUS/SABLE WITH 3.8L ENGINES; 1994-1995 TAURUS/SABLE WITH 3.0L ENGINES AND 1992-1994 LINCOLN CONTINENTAL VEHICLES WITH 3.8L ENGINES. DURING HIGH WINDS, HEAVY, BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW, AND LOW TEMPERATURES, THE ENGINE COOLING FAN CAN BECOME BLOCKED OR FROZEN WITH SNOW. THE FAN MOTOR MAY NOT ROTATE AND COULD OVERHEAT.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: THIS CONDITION CAN CAUSE SMOKE OR FLAMES FROM THE FAN AND/OR SHROUD, THE FAN ELECTRICAL WIRING, OR THE FAN MOTOR RESULTING IN A VEHICLE FIRE.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSTALL AN ELECTRICAL JUMPER HARNESS CONTAINING AN AUTOMATIC RESETTING CIRCUIT BREAKER TO PROTECT THE FAN MOTOR LOW SPEED CIRCUITRY FROM OVERHEATING.
96V071000 · Electrical System:ignition
Apr 25, 1996
THE IGNITION SWITCH COULD EXPERIENCE AN INTERNAL SHORT CIRCUIT.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: THIS CONDITION COULD CAUSE OVERHEATING, SMOKE, AND POSSIBLY FIRE IN THE STEERING COLUMN AREA OF THE VEHICLE.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE IGNITION SWITCH.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
2EA96024 · Engine Cooling Fan Fires
Opened Sep 30, 1996 · Closed Apr 15, 1997
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Engine And Engine Cooling
There is no summary currently available
PE96033 · Engine Cooling Fan Fires
Opened May 2, 1996 · Closed Sep 30, 1996
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Engine And Engine Cooling
IN DECEMBER 1995, FORD RECALLED 119,313 VEHICLES IN CANADA TO REMEDY THE SUBJECT CONDITION IN CERTAIN 1992-95 TAURUS, SABLE, TEMPO, TOPAZ AND CONTINENTAL VEHICLES.FORD IS AWARE OF SIMILAR INCIDENTS OCCURRING IN NORTHERN REGIONS OF THE UNITED STATES, BUT MAINTAINS THAT THE FREQUENCIES DO NOT WARRANT A FINDING OF AN UNREASONABLE RISK TO MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY.