1997 MERCURY TRACER Electrical System Problems

THIS CAR IS A FORD MERCURY TRACER, 1997, VIN #1MELM10P2VW6246 THERE WAS A SMELL OF BURNING ACID AND A SMALL AMOUNT OF SMOKE. ABOUT TWO HOURS LATER THE CAR BURST IN FLAMES WE LOST THE ENTIRE INTERIOR. *JB

Mileage: 19,000

WHILE DRIVING AIR BAG LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND VEHICLE STALLED. DRIVER GOT THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE UNDER THE DASHBOARD. *AK *NM

Mileage: 60,000

THE HORN SUDDENLY GOES OFF AND WON'T STOP UNTIL THE FUSE IS PULLED-ESPECIALLY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT. I HAVE HAD TO DISCONNECT THE HORN FUSE AND DRIVE AROUND WITH NO HORN FOR A YEAR NOW DUE TO THIS MALFUNCTION. MUCH TIME AND MONEY WAS SPENT TRYING TO FIND OUT THE PROBLEM AND WAS FINALLY TOLD THAT I WOULD HAVE TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE AIRBAG/HORN UNIT, AT A COST OF $600.00. *AK

HORN DOES NOT WORK . DEALER NOTIFIED , BUT CLAIMED VEHICLE HAD NO WARRANTY. *AK

Mileage: 65,000

1997 MERCURY TRACER HAS A DEFECTIVE HORN AND AIR BAG.*MR THE HORN AND THE AIR BAG INTERFERED WITH ONE ANOTHER WHICH CAUSED THE HORN TO RANDOMLY GO OFF AND PERIODICALLY BLEW A FUSE, AND DISABLE THE HORN AND THE AIR BAG, TWO DEALERSHIP'S AND A INDEPENDENT MECHANIC STATED IT WAS A MANUFACTURING DEFECT. *TS *JB

HORN BLOWS NON STOP UNTIL FUSE IS PULLED. BROUGHT TO DEALER AND WAS TOLD ENTIRE AIRBAG HAD TO BE REPLACED. *AK

Mileage: 58,941

WHILE DRIVING, A WIRE HARNESS FIRE OCCURRED IN THE VEHICLE. DEALER WAS NOTIFIED, AND A MECHANIC SERVICED THE PROBLEM. HOWEVER, THE CONSUMER HAS EXPERIENCED A SHORTAGE IN WIRE HARNESS AGAIN WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED. CONSUMER REMOVED THE CONNECTION TO BATTERY TO PREVENT A DRAINAGE OF THE POWER.*AK *SCC

HORN WENT OFF WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING, AND AIRBAGLIGHT CAME ON DASHBOARD. AIRBAG DEPLOYED. DEALERSHIP IS AWARE OF PROBLEM.*AK

THE AIRBAG LIGHT ILLUMINATED, AND THE VEHICLE BEGAN SMOKING AND THEN CAUGHT ON FIRE.*JB(CLAIM#18-0629-945)

THE INSURED STATED THERE WAS A SMELL OF SMOKE, THE DASH LIGHTS WENT OUT, AND THEN ALL OF THE LIGHTS WENT OUT, THE WIRES UNDER THE DASH MELTED, IT APPEARED THAT THE FIRE STARTED UNDER THE DASH.*JB(CLAIM#25-5518-577)

AS THE INSURED WAS STOPPING THE VEHICLE, THE BATTERY LIGHT ILLUMINATED, HOWEVER THE INSURED THOUGHT NOTHING OF IT, HOWEVER THE NEXT DAY THE INSURED DISCOVERED THAT THE DASH AREA OF THE VEHICLE HAD BURNED AND MELTED SEVERLY.*JB(CLAIM#18-0530-895)

THE AIRBAG LIGHT ILLUMINATED, AND THE VEHICLE BEGAN SMOKING AND THEN CAUGHT ON FIRE.*JB(CLAIM#18-0629-945)

THE INSURED STATED THERE WAS A SMELL OF SMOKE, THE DASH LIGHTS WENT OUT, AND THEN ALL OF THE LIGHTS WENT OUT, THE WIRES UNDER THE DASH MELTED, IT APPEARED THAT THE FIRE STARTED UNDER THE DASH.*JB(CLAIM#25-5518-577)

AS THE INSURED WAS STOPPING THE VEHICLE, THE BATTERY LIGHT ILLUMINATED, HOWEVER THE INSURED THOUGHT NOTHING OF IT, HOWEVER THE NEXT DAY THE INSURED DISCOVERED THAT THE DASH AREA OF THE VEHICLE HAD BURNED AND MELTED SEVERLY.*JB(CLAIM#18-0530-895)

AIR BAG LIGHT ILLUMINATED, VEHICLE STARTED SMOKING AND CAUGHT ON FIRE, CLAIM 18-0629-945. *SLC

AIR BAG LIGHT ILLUMINATED, VEHICLE STARTED SMOKING AND CAUGHT ON FIRE, CLAIM 18-0629-945. *SLC

WHILE DRIVING ENGINE CHECK LIGHT ILLUMINATED. ALL WIRES UNDER HOOD BURNED OUT, CAUSE UNKNOWN. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS.*AK

WHILE GETTING OUT OF VEHICLE, CONSUMER NOTICED THAT THE BATTERY LIGHT HAD ILLUMINATED, THE NEXT DAY HE FOUND THAT THE DASH AREA OF THE VEHICLE HAD BURNED AND MELTED SEVERELY, THE ENTIRE DASH AREA AROUND STEERING MELTED, CLAIM 18-0530-895. *SLC

WHILE GETTING OUT OF VEHICLE, CONSUMER NOTICED THAT THE BATTERY LIGHT HAD ILLUMINATED, THE NEXT DAY HE FOUND THAT THE DASH AREA OF THE VEHICLE HAD BURNED AND MELTED SEVERELY, THE ENTIRE DASH AREA AROUND STEERING MELTED, CLAIM 18-0530-895. *SLC

INTERMITTENTLY WILL NOT COME OUT OF IGNITION. DEALER WILL BE NOTIFIED.*AK

CONSUMER SMELLED SMOKE AND THEN THE DASH LIGHTS, TAIL LIGHTS, AND PARK LIGHTS WENT OUT, APPEARS PARTIAL FIRE STARTED IN FRONT OF DASH, CLAIM 25-5518-577. *SLC

CONSUMER SMELLED SMOKE AND THEN THE DASH LIGHTS, TAIL LIGHTS, AND PARK LIGHTS WENT OUT, APPEARS PARTIAL FIRE STARTED IN FRONT OF DASH, CLAIM 25-5518-577. *SLC

CONSUMER WAS INSIDE OF STORE WHEN HE HEARD HORN GOING OFF. CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP. MECHANIC TOLD CONSUMER THAT HORN ASSEMBLY WAS ATTACHED TO AIRBAG, AND THAT AIRBAG MODULAR UNIT HAD TO BE REPLACED AS ONE UNIT. CONSUMER STATED THAT JUST BY TOUCHING ON HORN LIGHTLY IT WOULD GO OFF. *AK

I OWN A 1997 MECURY TRACER, THAT HAS BEEN IN FORD, LINCOLN, MERCURY AUTHORIZED DEALERSHIP FOR ALMOST 3 WEEKS IN THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT. THE FIRST TIME I BROUGHT MY VEHICLE IN WAS WHEN MY " ENGINE CHECK LIGHT CAME ON. THIS WAS ON 1/18/2000, THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT INFORMED THAT MY #3 WAS MISFIRING AND THAT THEY NEED TO REPPLACE MY SPARKPLUGS AND GIVE THE CAR A TUNE-UP. ON 1/27/200, MY ENGINE CHECK LIGHT LIGHT CAME BACK ON. I TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALSHIP AND THEY FOUND AN OIL LEAK AND TOLD ME THE COMPUTER READ OUT WAS THE SAME AS BEFORE "#3 WAS MISFIRING". WELL THAT NIGHT AFTER I GOT THE CAR BACK, THE "SERVICE ENGINE SOON" LIGHT CAME BACK ON. SO THE NEXT DAY I CALLED TTHE DEALERSHIP OCE AGAIN AND I BROUGHT THE CAR BACK TO THEM AND THEY SAID THAT IT WAS THE SAME CODE AND THAT THEY WOULD CHECK INTO IT. THEY GAVE ME MY CAR BACK AND INFORMED ME THAT YES THE ENGINE CHECK LIGHT WOULD PROBABLY COME BACK ON AGAIN AND THAT TO INFORM THEM IF THE CAR STARTED TO RUN ROUGH. WELL THE NEXT WEEK, I INFORMED THE DEALERSHIP THAT THE CAR WAS ACTUALLY STARTING TO STALL WHEN I WAS DRIVING IT AND THEY MADE ME AN APPOINTMENT FOR THE FOLLOWING TUESDAY 2/7/2000 TO BRING THE CAR IN. WELL, THE CAR HAS BEEN THERE EVER SINCE. FIRST I WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS THE VALVE GUIDE THAT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AND THAT MY EXTENTED WARRANTY COMPANY WOULD PAY A PORTION OF THE COST INCLUDING ONLY SEVEN DAYS ON A RENTAL CAR. THEN ON 2/22/2000 I WAS INFORMED BY THE DEALERSHIP THAT FORD NO LONGER MAKES THE VALVE GUIDES FOR THE 1997 MERCURY TRACERS AND IT IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE ON THE SECONDARY MARKET. I HAVE ALREADY PAID OUT $340.00 TO HAVE THE CAR FIXED, WHICH HAS NOT BEEN FIXED, PLUS NO WHAT EVER THE COSTS ARE GOING TO BE NOW. PLUS I HAVE TO PAY FOR THE RENTAL CAR, BECAUSE THE EXTENDED WARRANTY COMPANY WILL ONLY PAY FOR 7 DAYS. I AM EXTREMELY FRUSTRATED AND THINK THAT FOR A 3 YEAR OLD CAR TO HAVE THIS TYPE OF PROBLEM IS DEFINITELY A MANUFACTURES PROBLEM, BUT WHEN TALKING WITH FOR

HORN MALFUNCTIOND ( HORN WOULD CONTINUE TO BLOW). FUSE WAS REMOVED TO STOP IT FROM SOUNDING OFF. DEALER WAS NOTIFIED, AND INFORMED CONSUMER THAT THE HORN SWITCH AND AIR BAG WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. CAN NHTSA SHARE SOME LIGHT ON THIS MATTER. *AK

BATTERY--DEAD.

AT 36,000 MILES ALTERNATOR NUTS THAT HOLD THE POWER STEERING BELT CAME OFF, CAUSING LOSS OF POWER STEERING CONTROL. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK

IGNITION SWITCH FAILED.