IllustrationTHE DRIVERS SIDE MOTORIZED SEAT BELT IS STUCK 3/4 OF THE WAY BACK, THE ONLY WAY TO USE IT IS TO SLIP IT OVER YOUR HEAD. AND ALSO THE DRIVERS FRONT SEAT, THE SEAT WELDS BROKE, AND YOU ARE SETTING IN A RECLINING POSITION, IT IS CURRENTLY BEING HELD UP WITH WOOD.
1992 Mercury Topaz
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Limited comparison data
There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Topaz 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: 4 of 62 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.
- Seat Belts. Review the 16 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 14 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 11 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
3 crash reports6 fire reports2 injury reports
What owners actually said
62 reportsWHILE DRIVING DRIVER'S SEATBACK BROKE, AND CAUSED DRIVER TO MOVE BACKWARDS UNEXPECTEDLY WHICH MAY HAVE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
CRUISE CONTROL WAS SET AT 40 MPH GOT STUCK AND WOULD NOT RELEASE EVEN BY HITTING THE CRUISE CONTROL BUTTON OR APPLYING BRAKES,WHICH RESULTED IN AN ACCIDENT. *AK
ELECTRICAL FIRE UNDER DASH ENGULFED CAR PARKED ON DRIVEWAY AFTER SITTING. *AK
AUTOMATIC SHOULDER BELT IS INOPERATIVE, WILL NOT MOVE OR RETRACT WHEN DOOR IS OPENED OR CLOSED, CAUSING LOSS OF PROTECTION. *AK *ML
SHOULDER HARNESS RESTRAINT IS STUCK IN THIS VEHICLE, IT WILL NOT GO FOWARD OR BACKWARD. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. *AK
WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH HAD AN ACCIDENT, IN WHICH THE MIDDLE REAR SEATBELT MALFUNCTIONED, CAUSING THE SEATBELT TO UNLATCH AND THE CSS TO BE THROWN FORWARD. CAUSE UNKNOWN. PLEASE PROVIDE DETAILS. *AK
INTERMITTENTLY VEHICLE JERKS AND SHUTS DOWN. THE DEALER HAS REPLACED VARIOUS PARTS OF THE FUEL SYSTEM. THE DEALER HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *AK
MULTIPLE TRANSMISSION FAILURES.
ENGINE STALLS IN TRAFFIC WITHOUT WARNING, 3 TO 5 TIMES A WEEK, HAPPENS DURING WEATHER TEMPATURES OF 85 DEGREES, POTENTIAL FOR CRASH, DEALER HAS NO KNOWLEDGE OF WHAT'S CAUSING PROBLEM. *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
1PE96033 · 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.