The 1994 Ford Tempo has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 75,200 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 212 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the engine and engine cooling. 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.
Complaints by component
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
20
1fires
SEAT BELTS
17
2crashes1injuries
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
13
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY
13
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
12
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:WEBBING
7
4crashes5injuries
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
6
6crashes1injuries
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE
6
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
6
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
6
2crashes1injuries
Total complaints212
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Tl*the contact owns a 1994 ford tempo. The contact stated that the fuel tank in routed out and caused fuel to leak. The contact noticed the fuel odor. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer who stated that smell of fuel was normal. The contact stated that the fuel leaked whenever the fuel…”
“Tl*the contact owns a 1994 ford tempo. While driving 35 mph, the engine stalled and the service engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle restarted after ten minutes. The vehicle has not been inspected by a dealer. The failure mileage was 99,900 and current mileage was 100,000.”
“The wipers on my 94 ford tempo stop intermittently, then start a few seconds later. This is dangerous in heavy rain. *tr”
“While driving at 40 mph the heating level went up. The consumer proceeded to the store to purchase antifreeze, noticed the vehicle smoking, the check engine light came on, the consumer got out of the vehicle, and the vehicle burst into flames. The vehicle was totaled.*ak......*ak in the time the…”
“I have had multiple problems with the vehicle stalling. At a stop, the vehicle's idle speed varies and starts to shake and will stall if I don't put the car in neutral. Sometimes it has stalled even after putting it in neutral. I have recently had a tune-up and my gas filter replaced, with no…”
“Because of an extremely poor design the r. R. Control arm rusts through totally on the 1994 ford tempo. I believe this is caused by a poorly placed exhaust release perforation, designed into the muffler by the manufacturer. My control arm failed at 15 mph. I was advised by the mechanics that fixed…”
“1994 ford tempo gl. My husband's car went up in flames and smoke yesterday while driving it, the fire department and police came and put it out. The car is a total loss, as well as the jacket my husband was (fortunately) wearing when the flames came shooting out from the engine area into the…”
“"service engine soon" light goes on while driving, sometimes going off after a few minutes and sometimes staying on for 20-40 miles. Several people have looked up the codes and can't find a problem. This has been happening for more than a year. I do not have an owner's manual and cannot locate one…”
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 1994 Ford Tempo as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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