Total Complaints
33 filings
MERCURY CAPRI · model year
1991 MERCURY CAPRI
33 NHTSA complaints, 3 crash reports for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1991MERCURYCAPRI carries 33 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 3 crashes, 2 fires, 2 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 1991 CAPRI is power train:automatic transmission with 4 filings, followed by engine and engine cooling:engine (3) and structure:body:roof and pillars (3). 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 22 investigation files overlapping the 1991 CAPRI. 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.
33
Complaints
3
Crashes
2
Fires
2
Injuries
0
Deaths
Crashes Reported
3 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
Complaints vs. fleet median (215)
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
Complaints by Component
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | 4 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE | 3 |
| STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS | 3 |
| AIR BAGS:FRONTAL | 3 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE | 2 |
| VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM | 1 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION | 1 |
| VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM:REAR WINDOW | 1 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:LEVER AND LINKAGE:FLOOR SHIFT | 1 |
| STRUCTURE:BODY:HOOD | 1 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN:AXLE ASSEMBLY | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20071119ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:MODULE
DRIVING, THEN COMING TO A STOP OR SLOWING DOWN, WHEN SUDDENLY THE ENGINE STOPS RUNNING, AND WILL NOT RE-START. AT FIRST IT RESTARTED AFTER ABOUT 4 HOURS. NEXT WHEN IT HAD HAPPENED IT DID NOT RESTART UNTIL OVERNIGHT REST. THE IT STARTED RIGHT UP AND RAN FOR SEVERAL DAYS WHEN THE SAME THING HAD HAPPENED AGAIN. THIS STARTED THE SUMMER OF 2007, ABOUT A MONTH AFTER THE FOUR YEAR EXTENDED WARRANTY FROM THE RESELLING DEALER EXPIRED. CHANGED OUT THE "IGNITION CONTROL MODULE," NAPA REPLACEMENT PART #TP175. BUT AFTER A COUPLE WEEKS THE SAME PROBLEM STARTED TO HAPPEN AGAIN. ENGINE WILL NOT SHUT OFF WHILE IDLING FOR HOURS AT A TIME. ONLY WHEN DRIVEN AND COME TO A STOP, ALWAYS RESTARTS HOURS LATER! *TR
Mileage: 29,150
20030710CrashAIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
VEHICLE COLLIDED HEAD-ON WITH A POLE TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 60MPH. CONSUMER STATES THAT DRIVER'S FRONT AIR BAG "EXPLODED", CRACKING THE FRONT WINDSHIELD, AND CAUSING INJURY TO DRIVER'S HEAD, CHIN, AND NECK.*AK
20010820ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
I HAVE TAKEN CAR OFF ROAD. TWO FORD DEALERS AND TWO INDEPENDENT SERVICE PROVIDERS HAVE TOLD ME UNLESS IT STALLS WHILE THEY HAVE IT THEY CAN NOT FIX IT- IT IS A SENSOR OR SOMETHING WHICH DOESN'T SHOW ON THE COMPUTER CODE SELF CHECK SCAN. THE CAR IS WORTHLESS AS I NEVER KNOW WHEN IT WILL STALL AND FOR HOW LONG I WILL SIT AND WAIT UNTIL IT STARTS AGAIN.*AK
20010716CrashAIR BAGS:FRONTAL
CONSUMER'S SON DROVE AND WAS INVOLVED IN A HEAD-ON COLLISION, AND AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. CONSUMER WAS SLIGHTLY INJURED. *AK
20010619SEATS
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
20010524STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS
WHILE VEHICLE WAS IN FOR SERVICE DEALER NOTICED A RIP IN CONVERTIBLE TOP. CONSUMER STATED THERE WAS A SMALL RIP IN LEFT BACK CORNER OF CONVERTIBLE TOP. *AK
20010122AIR BAGS
CONSUMER HAD 4 TRANSMISSIONS REPLACED SINCE 1996. CAUSE OF PREMATURE FAILURE IS UNKNOWN. ALSO, AIRBAG LIGHT STAYS ON.*AK
20010122POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
CONSUMER HAD 4 TRANSMISSIONS REPLACED SINCE 1996. CAUSE OF PREMATURE FAILURE IS UNKNOWN. ALSO, AIRBAG LIGHT STAYS ON.*AK
20001109ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
CRANKSHAFT TWISTS THE CRANK KEY CAUSING MAJOR ENGINE DAMAGE. *AK
20000922ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
THE PULLEY END OF CRANKSHAFT BROKE OFF ON THE INSIDE LANE OF THE SOUTH BOUND SIDE OF IH 35 AT MOORE, OK. THE END OF THE SHAFT AND THE PULLEY SPUN ACROSS THE NORTH BOUND SIDE OF I-35 BETWEEN CARS. NO ONE WAS INJURED AS THE CARS WERE ABLE TO AVOID HITTING THE SPINNING DISC. HOWEVER, THIS COULD HAVE CAUSE A DEADLY CRASH ON A MAJOR HIGHWAY. VERY FEW MODELS OF THE CAR WERE SOLD IN THE US. THEREFORE PARTS ARE NOT READILY AVAILABLE. I HAVE NOT REPAIRED THE AUTO AND AM CONSIDERING SALVAGING IT OUT SO THAT NO ONE GETS HURT WITH IT. *AK
19991213ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH
TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER. WAS INFORMED BY MECHANIC NO PARTS AVAILABLE FOR NEUTRAL SAFETY SWITCH. THE PART WAS DISCONTINUED BY MANUFACTURER. THE SWITCH IS USED TO PUT VEHICLE IN EITHER PARK, NEUTRAL OR DRIVE. *AK
19981124ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY
VEHICLE HAS HAD THREE BATTERS AND FAN BELTS, WITH THE LAST BELT FAILING 300 MILES AFTER INSTALLATION. OWNER WAS NEVER NOTIFIED OF RECALL FOR REPLACEMENT OF DEFECTIVE ALTERNATOR PULLEY AND BELT THAT CAUSES SLIPPAGE, AND BELT AND BATTERY FAILURE.
19981124ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE:BELTS AND ASSOCIATED PULLEYS
VEHICLE HAS HAD THREE BATTERS AND FAN BELTS, WITH THE LAST BELT FAILING 300 MILES AFTER INSTALLATION. OWNER WAS NEVER NOTIFIED OF RECALL FOR REPLACEMENT OF DEFECTIVE ALTERNATOR PULLEY AND BELT THAT CAUSES SLIPPAGE, AND BELT AND BATTERY FAILURE.
19980930VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS
BOTH WINDOW REGULATORS BROKE SEVERAL WEEKS.
19980424POWER TRAIN:AXLE ASSEMBLY
TRANS AXLE FAILED.
19980420FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY
SMELLED GASOLINE AND NOTICED A PUDDLE OF GASOLINE UNDER VEHICLE. AT THAT TIME THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN IN FOR SERVICE, AND THE DEALER INFORMED OWNER THAT A NEW FUEL TANK WAS NEEDED BECAUSE OF RUSTING TOWARDS THE TOP OF FUEL TANK WHICH CAUSED THE FUEL TO LEAK. *AK
19980104UNKNOWN OR OTHER
UNSPECIFIED.
19971021POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
TRANMISSION CANNOT GO OVER 45 MPH. WENT IT'S COLD VEHICLE WILL NOT WORK PROPERLY, LOST FORTH GEAR, LOSING THRID GEAR. CONSUMER IS IN FEAR THAT TRANMISSION WILL COMPLETLEY DIE OUT. *AK
19970113AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY AFTER HITTING A DEER AT 55MPH AND NOW THE AIR BAG LIGHT CONTINUES TO BLINK ON AND OFF. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. *AK
19960917FirePOWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
ON THE FIRST OCCASION CONSUMER WAS DRIVING AND THE TRANSMISSION OIL LEAKED OUT OF THE CAR AND THE SECOND TIME CONSUMER WAS DRIVING AND CAR CAUGHT ON FIRE, NO ONE WAS HURT . PLEASE DESCRIBE .*AK CONSUMER STATES EACH TIME THE SAME AREA HAS BEEN AFFECTED; OIL HOSE TO COOLER IN FRONT OF ENGINE. *SLC
Compare 1991MERCURYCAPRI to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1991 MERCURY CAPRI have?▼
The 1991 MERCURY CAPRI has 33 NHTSA complaints, 3 crashes, 2 fires, 2 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1991 MERCURY CAPRI?▼
The most-complained component for the 1991 MERCURY CAPRI is POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION with 4 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE and STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS.
Is the 1991 MERCURY CAPRI 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
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.