The 1982 Mercury Lynx has 5 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 1,744,400 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 5 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the electrical system. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
SEAT BELTS85V0670001985-05-21515,000 affected
Defect
REAR SEAT BELT RETRACTORS MAY ALLOW TWISTED WEBBING TO ENTER THE RETRACTOR HOUSING AND JAM THE RETRACTOR. CONSEQUENCE OF DEFECT: A JAMMED RETRACTOR WOULD INTERFERE WITH WEBBING RETRACTION AND…
Remedy
A CLIP WILL BE INSERTED INTO THE RETRACTOR HOUSING WEBBING TO PREVENT JAMMING.
SEATS84V0710001984-06-15261,400 affected
Defect
SEAT FRAME STRUCTURE COULD SEVER FRONT SEAT BELTS IF VEHICLE IS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT, DEPENDING ON FORCE OF IMPACT.
Remedy
DEALER WILL INSTALL A MOLDED SPACER BETWEEN REINFORCEMENT PLATES AND LOWER DECORATIVE PLASTIC COVER.
DOOR LOCK PILLARS COULD DEVELOP FATIGUE CRACKS FROM NORMAL USAGE OF DOOR, AT THE POINT WHERE DOOR LATCH STRIKER REINFORCEMENTS ARE ATTACHED.
Remedy
ANY DAMAGED LOCK PILLARS WILL BE REPAIRED AND REINFORCEMENTS WILL BE INSTALLED BETWEEN THE DOOR LATCH STRIKER AND LOCK PILLARS.
SEAT BELTS83V0130001983-02-17245,000 affected
Defect
THE PORTION OF THE ROOF ABOVE FRAME (RAIL) TO WHICH THE SHOULDER BELT IS ANCHORED MAY HAVE A SLOT THAT CAN COMPROMISE THE STRENGTH OF THE SHOULDER BELT ANCHOR UNDER CERTAIN SEVERE LOADS. (THE SUSPECT AREA IS NOT VISIBLE.) CONSEQUENTLY, SOME VEHICLES INCLUDED IN THIS RECALL MAY NOT MEET THE 3000 POUND ANCHORAGE…
Remedy
THE DEALER WILL INSPECT AND, IF NECESSARY, REINFORCE THE ROOF RAIL INNER PANEL SURROUNDING THE DRAINAGE HOLE AT NO COST TO OWNER.
EQUIPMENT82V0450001982-05-11113,000 affected
Defect
ON THE INVOLVED VEHICLES, A THERMAL LIMITER IN THE BLOWER MOTOR RESISTOR CIRCUIT OF THE AIR CONDITIONER/HEATER ASSEMBLY MAY NOT FUNCTION AS INTENDED. IF THE BLOWER MOTOR BECOMES JAMMED WHEN THE SYSTEM IS OPERATING IN THE MEDIUM-LOW BLOWER SPEED, THE RESISTOR COILS CAN OVERHEAT CAUSING MELTING AND POSSIBLE IGNITION.
Remedy
DEALER WILL REPLACE THE RESISTOR ASSEMBLY WITH AN IMPROVED VERSION WITHOUT CHARGE TO OWNER.
Complaints by component
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH
2
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:FAN
1
STEERING: STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR
1
STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS
1
Total complaints5
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Cooling fan runs continously. *sd”
“Steering is hard. *sd”
“Ignition switch smoked. *sd”
“Rear strut unibody top suppots rusted, causing rear wheels to fall inward into car, disabling vehicle. *ak”
“Upon turning on ignition smoke started coming up from under steering column. *ak”
Defect investigations
InvestigationDP84002 Opened 1983-10-11 · closed 1984-08-13
LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL
LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL
InvestigationDP84009 Opened 1984-01-16 · closed 1984-07-17
TIMING CHAIN FAILURE
TIMING CHAIN FAILURE
InvestigationDP84017 Opened 1984-05-30 · closed 1984-09-10
STALLING AND CARBURETOR MALFUNCTIONS
STALLING AND CARBURETOR MALFUNCTIONS
InvestigationDP85009 Opened 1985-01-29 · closed 1985-02-27
FAILURE OF SEAT BACK SECURING BOLTS
FAILURE OF SEAT BACK SECURING BOLTS
InvestigationEA83013 Opened 1983-03-23 · closed 1989-01-26
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1982 Mercury Lynx as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.