The 1993 Ford Tempo has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 7,975,200 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 316 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the seat belts. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING97V0190001997-02-2575,200 affected
Defect
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…
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.
THE IGNITION SWITCH COULD EXPERIENCE AN INTERNAL SHORT CIRCUIT.
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.
Complaints by component
SEAT BELTS
38
3crashes7injuries
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
26
1injuries1deaths
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
26
1crashes1injuries
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
18
1fires
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
14
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH
9
3fires
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR
9
1crashes
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:ANCHORAGE
8
4injuries
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR
8
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
7
2crashes
Total complaints316
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Tl*the contact owns a 1993 ford tempo. While driving approximately 35 to 40 mph on normal road conditions; the vehicle stalled without warning. The engine restarted and resumed operation; however, it stalled on three times. The vehicle was inspected by a certified mechanic. The failure was…”
“During routine maintenance a large bulge approximately 6 inches in length and 3 inches wide was found in the tread of the tire near the sidewall. The name of the tire is cordovan nova 70 metric radial and is made in brazil. *nm”
“Intermitently random stalling. Car will not start for a few minutes. Then, everything seems okay, and car runs fine. Consumer isoalted problem to fuel pump relay inside "constant control" relay box. Replacing this module completely corrected problem. You can isolate this problem by putting a…”
“All four tires developed slipped belts, which caused the vehicle to shake, making it difficult to control vehicle. There were no current recalls on this particular type of tire.*ak”
“Tl*the contact owns a 1993 ford tempo. The engine would not turn over, but when the key was slightly turned in the ignition, something electrical in the vehicle would start. When the contact changes the key slightly in the ignition, he loses all power and can hear an electrical spark as if it is…”
“Automatic system, neither the manual on the front passenger and the driver rear side doors can't open. Ealer has repairedeveral times,and problem is occurring.*ak”
“While driving about 55 the right driver side goodyear tire tread separted from the tire. The dealer was notified. *nlm”
“The right front tire experienced a blow out. *jb the left front tire had split apart. The consumer found that the tire which was sold to her new was plugged prior to incident. *scc”
Defect investigations
InvestigationEA96024 Opened 1996-09-30 · closed 1997-04-15
ENGINE COOLING FAN FIRES
There is no summary currently available
InvestigationPE96033 Opened 1996-05-02 · closed 1996-09-30
ENGINE COOLING FAN FIRES
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…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1993 Ford Tempo as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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