vehicle signal
U.S. public vehicle records

1992 Ford TEMPO problems and owner complaints

Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.

Key facts

95 owner complaints analyzed

2 distinct recall campaigns

101,000 mi median reported failure mileage

Scope: 1992 model year. Data snapshot: . 6 complaints include usable failure mileage.

Owner-reported patterns

Most common problems

Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine is the most frequently named component, appearing in 12 of 95 complaints (12.6%). A complaint can name multiple components.

Recurring terms in complaint narratives
TopicMatching reportsShare of complaints
Steering behavior1212.6%
Engine operation99.5%
Electrical and battery issues88.4%
Transmission and shifting66.3%
Fuel system concerns44.2%
Braking behavior33.2%

Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.

Component breakdown

Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.

Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine
12
Electrical System:Ignition
11
Seat Belts
10
Electrical System:Ignition:Switch
8
Vehicle Speed Control
8
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline
5
Power Train:Automatic Transmission
5
Seat Belts:Front:Anchorage
4
Component breakdown data
CategoryCount
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine12
Electrical System:Ignition11
Seat Belts10
Electrical System:Ignition:Switch8
Vehicle Speed Control8
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline5
Power Train:Automatic Transmission5
Seat Belts:Front:Anchorage4

Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine: 12; Electrical System:Ignition: 11; Seat Belts: 10; Electrical System:Ignition:Switch: 8; Vehicle Speed Control: 8; Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline: 5; Power Train:Automatic Transmission: 5; Seat Belts:Front:Anchorage: 4

Reported problems by failure mileage

Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.

Under 25,000
0
25,000 to 49,999
0
50,000 to 74,999
1
75,000 to 99,999
1
100,000 to 149,999
3
150,000 and above
1
Reported problems by failure mileage data
CategoryCount
Under 25,0000
25,000 to 49,9990
50,000 to 74,9991
75,000 to 99,9991
100,000 to 149,9993
150,000 and above1

Under 25,000: 0; 25,000 to 49,999: 0; 50,000 to 74,999: 1; 75,000 to 99,999: 1; 100,000 to 149,999: 3; 150,000 and above: 1

100,000 to 149,999 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (3). 89 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.

Complaints over time

Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.

1995
23
1996
32
2000
19
2001
6
2002
6
2003
1
2004
3
2005
2
2006
1
2008
1
2010
1
Complaints over time data
CategoryCount
199523
199632
200019
20016
20026
20031
20043
20052
20061
20081
20101

1995: 23; 1996: 32; 2000: 19; 2001: 6; 2002: 6; 2003: 1; 2004: 3; 2005: 2; 2006: 1; 2008: 1; 2010: 1

Pattern summary

Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine leads the component reports. Steering behavior appears in 12 complaint narratives. Engine operation appears in 9 complaint narratives. Electrical and battery issues appears in 8 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.

Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.

Complaint evidence

Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.

Owner report 10010415 · 2003-03-13 (March 13, 2003)

WHILE DRIVING MY CAR FROM BURDINES HIALEAH PARKING LOT, THE STEERING WHEEL STARTED SMOKING AND I PULLED INTO THE FIRST PARKING SPOT THAT I SAW. I TURNED THE CAR OFF, BUT THE SMOKE CONTINUED TO INCREASE AND FINALLY THE STEERING WHEEL CAUGHT ON FIRE. THE SECURITY GUARD IN THE PARKING LOT USED A FIRE EXTINGUISHER TO KILL THE FIRE AND THE HIALEAH FIRE DEPART. WAS ALSO CALLED AND CAME IN. WHEN I CALLED MY MECHANIC REGARDING THIS ISSUE, HE TOLD ME IT WAS WEIRD, BECAUSE HE NEVER HEARD OF A STEERING WHEEL CATCHING FIRE. I HAD THE CAR TOWED AT THE M…

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10010415 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10071044 · 2004-01-15 (January 15, 2004)

THE HORN QUIT WORKING, THE COOLING FAN HAS QUIT TWICE AND HAD TO BE REPLACED , NOW THE FAN PROBLEN IS IN THE WIRING , HAVENT FIXED IT YET, THE FUEL PUMP HAS BEEN REPLACED TWICE, THE RIGH HEADLIGHT HS BEEN REPLACED 7 TIMES IN 3 YEARS, THE DRIVERS SIDE SEATBELT NO LONGER WORKS , THE TRANSMISSION LEAKS AT THE DRIVERS SIDE CV AXLE AND THE DRIVERS SIDE CV ASLE HAS HAD TO BE REPLACED 3 TIMES IN THE LAST 3 YEARS , THE MAX FUEL ECONOMY IS 16 MPG (HIGHWAY), THE ENGINE IDLES UP AND DOWN AT STOP SIGNS , THE IGNITION SWITCH ON THE STEERING WHEEL HAS CAME U…

Owner-reported narrative. 170,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10071044 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 735899 · 2000-11-07 (November 7, 2000)

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

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 735899 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 753715 · 2001-10-26 (October 26, 2001)

STALLS/STOPS WHEN WARM, WON'T START AFTER BEING DRIVEN FOR A LONG DISTANCE, RUNS ROUGH, HAS SHORTED OUT 2 DISTRIBUTORS. *AK

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 753715 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10154136 · 2006-03-27 (March 27, 2006)

1992 TEMPO RIGHT CALIPER, BATTERY CABLE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AND THE PASSENGER SIDE MOTOR NEEDED A COVER. SPRINGS AND STRUTS ALSO NEEDED REPLACING. *TS *JB

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10154136 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 484086 · 1995-07-14 (July 14, 1995)

OIL/TRANSMISSION LEAK REPAIRED. *SD

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 484086 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 483643 · 1995-09-02 (September 2, 1995)

FUEL PUMP FAILS WHEN FUEL TANK HAS LESS THAN FOUR GALLONS OF GAS. *AW

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 483643 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 736236 · 2000-11-13 (November 13, 2000)

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…

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 736236 at NHTSA ↗