NHTSA Complaint #731844 — 1994 MERCURY TRACER

PROBLEMS WITH THESE SUSPENSION PROBLEMS FIRST APPEARED IN MARCH OF 1998, AFTER PUTTING ON NEW TIRES OF THE SAME SIZE AS WAS PROVIDED BY THE MANUFACTURER. STRUTS WERE THEN REPLACED. CAR IS UNSTABLE, HAS A TENDENCY TO PULL TO THE RIGHT WITHOUT WARNING WHICH CAUSED BRIEF LOSS OF CONTROL IN APRIL 1999. NO DAMAGE OR INJURIES SUFFERED. HIT A POT HOLE WITH VEHICLE IN APPROX JAN 98, HAD VEHICLE CHECKED AND NO DAMAGE WAS FOUND TO THE SUSPENSION. SPEED AT THE TIME WAS LESS THAN 10 MPH. HAD VEHICLE AGAIN CHECKED BY THE MERCURY DEALER ON 18 SEPT 00, AND VEHICLE WAS DETERMINED TO HAVE A CRACKED COIL ON THE RIGHT REAR SPRING. STRUTS WERE REPLACE IN LATE 1998 TO EARLY 1999 AND THE RIGHT FRONT AND REAR SPRING WERE INSPECTED AT THAT TIME AND WERE DETERMINED TO BE IN NORMAL RANGE, NO DAMAGE WAS NOTED. STILL HAVING DIFFICULTIES WITH VEHICLE AS OF THIS COMPLAINT, VEHICLE IS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE ON ROAD IN CURRENT CONDITION. WOULD LIKE YOUR AGENCY TO INSPECT VEHICLE AS I HAVE REPORTED TO FORD MOTOR COMPANY ON 18 SEPT WITH NO ANSWER AS TO WHY AFTER REPLACING TIRES AM I HAVING TO REPLACE ALL SUSPENSION PARTS. AFTER LOOKING THROUGH OTHER CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS ON THIS WEBSITE THERE ARE SOME OTHER SIMILAR PROBLEMS WITH THE SUSPENSION. A RECALL NEEDS TO BE CONSIDERED, FORD NEEDS TO FIND AND CORRECT THESE PROBLEMS WITH THIS VEHICLE, AS THIS HAS COST ME OVER 500 IN REPAIRS AND PROBLEM IS STILL NOT SOLVED. THREE OTHER LOCAL SHOPS HAVE LOOKED AT THIS VEHICLE AND CANNOT DETERMINE WHY THIS VEHICLE HAS DEVELOPED THESE PROBLEMS. THEY HAVE INSPECTED ALL SUSPENSION PARTS, FRAME AND SUB FRAME. THESE PARTS SEEM TO FAIL WITHOUT WARNING AND AT LOW VEHICLE MILEAGE.