PlainCars

FORD TEMPO · model year

1984 FORD TEMPO

19 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 1984FORDTEMPO carries 19 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 7 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 1984 TEMPO is electrical system:ignition:switch with 6 filings, followed by electrical system:ignition (3) and seat belts:front:webbing (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.

NHTSA currently has 177 investigation files overlapping the 1984 TEMPO, and 8 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

19
Complaints
0
Crashes
7
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

19 filings

Crashes Reported

0 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH6
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION3
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:WEBBING1
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:FAN1
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:INTERIOR/UNDER DASH1
SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:RECLINER1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:MODULE1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM1

Recent Complaints

20040123ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

CLASS ACTION FOR FORD TFI MODULE IN FORD TEMPO. *PH THE CONSUMER WAS REIMBURSED FOR THE REPLACEMENT TFI MODULE, HOWEVER HE WAS NOT REIMBURSED FOR THE LABOR AND TOWING BECAUSE THE COST WAS NOT LISTED ON THE INVOICE, BUT IT WAS ON THE PREVIOUS INVOICE WHEN THE PROBLEM WAS THOUGHT TO BE THE IGNITION SWITCH, IT WAS SOON DISCOVERED THE IGNITION SWITCH WAS NOT THE PROBLEM WHEN THE VEHICLE BROKE DOWN THE NEXT DAY. *JB *NM

Mileage: 70,651

20010227ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:MODULE

WHILE DRIVING THE ENGINE SHUTS OFF, VARIOUS PARTS REPLACED BUT DID NOT RECTIFY SITUATION, POSSIBLY THE TFI MODULE. *CJ

20001120ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION

WHILE DRIVING, THE ENGINE WILL SHUT OFF, POSSIBLY RELATED TO THE TFI MODULE. *SLC

19970325SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:RECLINER

SEATBACK REST COLLAPSED, FELL ONTO BACK SEAT ONE IN FOUR FAILURES, CAUSED BY RIGHT SIDE ATTACHEMENT FAILURE THAT HOLDS UP SEAT BACK; ACCORDING TO DEALER, ENTIRE SEAT NEEDED REPLACING; REPLACED, PROBLEM REOCCURRED. *AK

19960807FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH

ELECTRICAL FIRE, SUSPECTED TO HAVE STARTED WITH IGNITION SWITCH. *AK

19960601FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH

IGNITION SWITCH FIRE. *SD

19960601FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:INTERIOR/UNDER DASH

WIRING HARNESS UNDER DASH SHORTED OUT, CAUSING FIRE. *DH

19960529FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH

THE VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE IN THE DRIVEWAY FROM THE IGNITION SWITCH.PLEASE DESCRIBE. *AK

19960419FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH

WK. 703-356-2050, STARTED THE VEHICLE TURN IGNITION ON, VEHICLE CUT OFF, SAW SMOKE UNDER THE HOOD, ENGINE COMPARTMENT/UNDER THE DASH. *AK

19960418FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH

WHILE PARKED, AN ELECTRICAL SHORT OR SHOCK CAUSED THE VEHICLE IGNITION SWITCH TO CATCH ON FIRE. PLEASE DESCRIBE.

19960418FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH

WHILE PARKED, AN ELECTRICAL SHORT OR SHOCK CAUSED THE VEHICLE IGNITION SWITCH TO CATCH ON FIRE. PLEASE DESCRIBE.

19960222ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION

DISTRIBUTOR FAILED TWICE, CAUSING VEHICLE TO STALL.

19951026ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY

BATTERY FAILED.

19951026ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE

ENGINE FAILURE.

19951026ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:FAN

COOLING FAN FAILED, CAUSING ENGINE TO OVERHEAT.

19951026ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION

IGNITION COIL FAILURE.

19951026POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

TRANSMISSION FAILED WITHOUT WARNING. *TW

19950721SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR

DRIVER'S SEAT BELT RETRACTOR FAILED. (2ND VEHICLE ON 486028) *AW

19950329SEAT BELTS:FRONT:WEBBING

SEAT BELT SHOULDER STRAPS ARE DEFECTIVE. TT

Compare 1984FORDTEMPO to Similar Vehicles

TEMPO vs FORDF-150 → TEMPO vs FORDEXPLORER → TEMPO vs JEEPGRAND CHEROKEE → TEMPO vs FORDESCAPE →

NHTSA Investigations 8 Open

EA26001Engineering AnalysisOpen

Unintended Transmission Downshift and Rear Wheel Lock-up

PE25020Preliminary EvaluationOpen

Timing Belt Failure

DP25001Defect PetitionOpen

Underbody shields detachment

PE25007Preliminary EvaluationOpen

B-Pillar Trim Detachment

PE25002Preliminary EvaluationClosed

Unintended Transmission Downshift and Rear Wheel Lock-up

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 1984 FORD TEMPO have?▼
The 1984 FORD TEMPO has 19 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 7 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1984 FORD TEMPO?▼
The most-complained component for the 1984 FORD TEMPO is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH with 6 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION and SEAT BELTS:FRONT:WEBBING.
Is the 1984 FORD TEMPO safe to buy?▼
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?▼
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Understanding NHTSA Complaints → Vehicle Recalls Explained → Safest Car Brands 2026 → Most Reliable Used Cars → Lemon Law Guide →

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.

Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.