Total Complaints
42 filings
FORD TEMPO · model year
42 NHTSA complaints, 2 crash reports for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1986FORDTEMPO carries 42 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 2 crashes, 14 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 1986 TEMPO is electrical system:ignition:switch with 7 filings, followed by electrical system:ignition (4) and vehicle speed control (2). 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 1986 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.
Total Complaints
42 filings
Crashes Reported
2 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH | 7 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION | 4 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 2 |
| STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST:PUMP | 2 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE | 2 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS | 2 |
| PARKING BRAKE:CONVENTIONAL:MECHANICAL:LINKAGE AND CABLE | 2 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 2 |
| SEAT BELTS:FRONT:WEBBING | 1 |
| AIR BAGS:FRONTAL | 1 |
| SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:RECLINER | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:INTERIOR/UNDER DASH | 1 |
| TIRES | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:COOLING UNIT AND LINES | 1 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP | 1 |
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1986 FORD TEMPO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE THEY ADVISED HIM THAT THE IGNITION MODULE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND THEY OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 80,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.
Mileage: 80,000
DT: THE CONTACT STATED WHEN EXITING THE VEHICLE SHE SMELLED AN ODD ODOR. UPON REENTERING AND STARING THE VEHICLE WHITE SMOKE CAME FROM UNDER THE HOOD. WHEN CHECKING UNDER THE HOOD SHE SAW FLAMES COMING OUT. SHE IMMEDIATELY CALLED 911. THE FIRE WENT OUT ON ITS OWN BEFORE THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ARRIVED. A POLICE REPORT WAS TAKEN AT THE SCENE. THE ALTERNATOR APPEARED TO BE THE SOURCE OF THE FIRE. THE PLUG TO THE ALTERNATOR MELTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE. A REPLACEMENT ALTERNATOR WAS PURCHASED, BUT THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. *AK
Mileage: 100,560
ON THE IGNITION PROBLEM, THE CAR DIED ON THE STATE HIGHWAY & I HAD TO GET TOWED TO MY MECHANIC. MY CAR WAS LAID UP FOR 16 DAYS. HE FINALLY FOUND OUT IT WAS THE IGNITION THAT WAS MALFUNCTIONING AFTER DOING A TROUBLESHOOTING START & STALLING CONDITION. IT COST ME 118.07 FO THE REPAIRS AND ANOTHER$30.00 FOR THE TOW. THIS HAS BEEN A PROBLEM EVEN BEFORE YOU DID THE RECALL. AND I WISH I COULD GET COMPENSATED FOR THE EXPENSENSE,BUT YOU SAID ONLY TO 100,000 MILES. I DONT THINK THAT IS FAIR! ON THE DRIVE TRAIN, I WAS DRIVING ALONG AND THN LOST POWER TO THE TRAIN, AND I COULD NOT STEER THE CAR. HAD TO COAST OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THIS HAPPENED ON EASTER SUNDAY,AND THE STATE POLICE STOPPED AND TOLD ME I HAD TO MOVE THE CAR OFF THE ROAD AND I COULD NOT LEAVE IT THERE. I AGAIN HAD TO GET TOWED! THE DRIVE AXLE COST ME $100.00. IT JUST FELL OFF THE CAR AND THE MECHANIC COULD NOT UNDERSTAND WHY BECAUSE THE PINS WERE STILL INTACT. IT SHOULD NEVER HAD COME APART LIKE IT DID THEY SAID. IT D
VEHICLE STALLS INTERMITTENTLY, NO MATTER WHAT SPEED. *AK
BATTERY WAS DEFECTIVE. THERE WERE THREE BATTERIES TESTED FROM PEP BOYS. *AK
WHILE DRIVING ABOUT ANY SPEED VEHICLE COULD ACCELERATE, EVEN WHEN STEPPING ON THE BRAKES. *AK
HEADLIGHTS ARE MALFUNCTIONING. DEALER SAYS THAT IT'S THE LENS. BUT THEY ARE OUT OF STOCK, AND HAVE NO IDEA WHEN THEY'LL BE IN. OWNER CANNOT PASS THE STATE SAFETY INSPECTION WITHOUT IT. *AK *ML
CONSUMER WENT TO START UP CAR AND WENT BACK INTO THE HOUSE. CONSUMER CAME BACK OUT AND CAR WAS SMOKING'. CONSUMER SHUT OFF CAR. WENT BACK INSIDE, AND WHEN CONSUMER RETURNED, THE ENTIRE CAR WAS ON FIRE. CONSUMER HAS NOT CONTACTED THE DEALER YET. *AK
INTERMITTENT STALLING; CONSUMER BELIEVED THIS PROBLEM WAS DUE TO A MALFUNCTIONING COMPUTER MODEL. VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED AND REPAIRS WERE MADE BY AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP AT CONSUMER EXPENSE OF APPROXIMATELY $600.00. CAN NHTSA PROVIDE INFORMATION OR HELP IN THIS MATTER. *AK
THE CAR EXCELLERATES ON ITS OWN/PEGS RPMS/THEN LUGS AND WONT RUN SMOOTHLY
CV JOINT FAILED.
POWER STEERING PUMP FAILED.
BRAKE LINES/HOSES FAILED.
SHOCKS FAILED.
VEHICLE WAS PARKED AND CAUGHT ON FIRE. FIRE DEPARTMENT STATED THAT THE WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR SHORTED OUT, CAUSING THE FIRE. ALSO DASHBOARD MELTED. *AK
ENGINE IDLES HIGH, LOSES POWER OVER 20 MPH, AND STALLS INTERMITTENTLY. *DH
WHEN AT STOP SIGN AND MAKING A TURN THE CAR STALLS . PLEASE DESCRIBE. *AK
GEARS JUMPED FROM PARK TO DRIVE AND THEN CAUGHT FIRE. PLEASE GIVE MORE INFORMATION. *AK
REAR BRAKE ADJUSTER FAILURE, CAUSING PARTIAL LOSS OF BRAKING ABILITY. *DH
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM SHORTED, CAUSING FIRE. *DSH
Unintended Transmission Downshift and Rear Wheel Lock-up
Timing Belt Failure
Underbody shields detachment
B-Pillar Trim Detachment
Unintended Transmission Downshift and Rear Wheel Lock-up
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.