The 1992 Mercury Topaz has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 7,975,200 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 92 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
9
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
8
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
8
4fires
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
6
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:ANCHORAGE
4
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:WEBBING
4
VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM:WINDSHIELD:ELECTRICAL HEATING ELEMENT
4
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:HORN
3
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
3
1fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH
3
1fires
Total complaints92
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Tl*the contact owns a 1992 mercury topaz. While driving between 25-30 mph, the vehicle would not move forward. It only rolled backwards into traffic. The vehicle is currently with a mechanic. The vin was unknown. The failure mileage was 30.”
“The ignition switch fell apart 3 times on the topaz since 1995, the switches I bought at ford dealership was the exact same one that fell apart. First the accessories stop worked one at a time, a/c, turn signals, radio, air conditioning. Then I pull it out and replaced the switch, I carry an extra…”
“To whom this may concern; I brought my daughter's car in for seatbelt repair. There was failure of the shoulder strap to open when getting into the car. My complaint is with the dealership hammonton auto group white horse pike hammonton nj. On 6/25 the car was brought in- charging $80 to diagnose…”
“Vehicle caught on fire from the steering wheel.*mr when the vehicle was started flames burst out from the steering wheel. The vehicle was recalled (96v-071000) but the consumer never received the notice. The ignition switch was the cause of the fire. *ts *nlm”
“Consumer has had past problems with front automatic seat belts on both sides. Automatic seat belts will not retract back. Belt has to be tugged on to retract. Motor makes a grinding and rattling noise.*ak”
“No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak”
“Automatic transmission cable linkage was repaired. There are numerous service bulletins that refer to this problem *cj”
“Automatic transmission cable linkage was repaired. There are numerous service bulletins that refer to this problem *cj”
Defect investigations
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 1992 Mercury Topaz as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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