Total Complaints
59 filings
MERCURY TOPAZ · model year
1991 MERCURY TOPAZ
59 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1991MERCURYTOPAZ carries 59 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 10 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 1991 TOPAZ is service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components:drum with 6 filings, followed by engine and engine cooling:engine:gasoline (6) and seat belts (5). 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 TOPAZ. 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.
59
Complaints
0
Crashes
10
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
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
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DRUM | 6 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE | 6 |
| SEAT BELTS | 5 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION | 5 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH | 5 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP | 3 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL | 3 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:MASTER CYLINDER | 2 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | 2 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:RADIATOR ASSEMBLY | 2 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:CABLES | 1 |
| SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:POWER ADJUST | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN:AXLE ASSEMBLY | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20040422STEERING
LOTS OF PEELING ON THE PAINT. ALSO THE ALTERNATOR WENT OUT THE FIRST YEAR OF OWNERSHIP. I\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'VE HAD SO MUCH FIXED ON THIS CAR ALREADY AND SPENT LOTS OF MONEY. PLEASE ADVISE.
Mileage: 25,000
20040422UNKNOWN OR OTHER
LOTS OF PEELING ON THE PAINT. ALSO THE ALTERNATOR WENT OUT THE FIRST YEAR OF OWNERSHIP. I\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'VE HAD SO MUCH FIXED ON THIS CAR ALREADY AND SPENT LOTS OF MONEY. PLEASE ADVISE.
Mileage: 25,000
20040422STRUCTURE
LOTS OF PEELING ON THE PAINT. ALSO THE ALTERNATOR WENT OUT THE FIRST YEAR OF OWNERSHIP. I\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'VE HAD SO MUCH FIXED ON THIS CAR ALREADY AND SPENT LOTS OF MONEY. PLEASE ADVISE.
Mileage: 25,000
20040422SEAT BELTS
LOTS OF PEELING ON THE PAINT. ALSO THE ALTERNATOR WENT OUT THE FIRST YEAR OF OWNERSHIP. I\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'VE HAD SO MUCH FIXED ON THIS CAR ALREADY AND SPENT LOTS OF MONEY. PLEASE ADVISE.
Mileage: 25,000
20030428FireFUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
I TOOK MY CAR TO HAVE IT SERVICED ON FRIDAY AND THEY SAID I HAD A GAS LEAK WHICH I HADN'T NOTICED. I HAD EVEN SMOKED IN MY CAR ON THE WAY TO THE STATION. WHEN THEY WAS EMPTYING THE GAS TANK SOMETHING SPARKED AND CAUGHT THE CAR ON FIRE WHICH ENDED UP DESTROYING MY CAR AND 3 OTHERS PLUS THE STATION. MY CAR WAS A 1991 MERCURY TOPAZ. HAS THERE BEEN ANY SIMILAR SITUATIONS INVOLVING THE FUEL TANK OR SYSTEM ON THESE CARS? *NLM
20020506ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
OIL LEAKS OUT OF THE TOP OF THE ENGINE WHEN FIRST DRIVEN, CAUSING VEHICLE TO SMOKE UNTIL OIL IS BURNED OUT. VEHICLE ALSO DIES UNEXPECTEDLY WHEN DRIVING IN HOT WEATHER. THE IGNITION HAS BEEN REPLACED THREE(3) TIMES BY CONSUMER USING REBUILT, NEW AND MANUFACTURED PARTS. *JG
20020506ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
OIL LEAKS OUT OF THE TOP OF THE ENGINE WHEN FIRST DRIVEN, CAUSING VEHICLE TO SMOKE UNTIL OIL IS BURNED OUT. VEHICLE ALSO DIES UNEXPECTEDLY WHEN DRIVING IN HOT WEATHER. THE IGNITION HAS BEEN REPLACED THREE(3) TIMES BY CONSUMER USING REBUILT, NEW AND MANUFACTURED PARTS. *JG
20010406ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:RADIATOR ASSEMBLY
THE ENGINE STALLS AT GEAR ENGAGEMENT DUE TO COOLANT THERMOSTAT, THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE. NLM
20010222ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:RADIATOR ASSEMBLY
VEHICLE WOULD STALL IN TRAFFIC AFTER STOPPING. NORMALLY IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION. THERMOSTAT WAS BINDING, CAUSING IT TO STALL. DEALER'S DIAGNOSTIC MACHINE WASN'T READING WHAT PROBLEM COULD HAVE BEEN. *AK *SLC
20010213ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
WHEN RIDING IN TRAFFIC VEHICLE STALLS AFTER A PERIOD OF SITTING AND TRYING TO ACCELERATE. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. PROBLEM WAS SUPPOSE TO BE FIXED, BUT VEHICLE IS STILL STALLING. *AK
20001219SEAT BELTS:FRONT:WEBBING
THE LAP SHOULDER BELT DOES NOT FIT PROPERLY FOR CONSUMERS CHILD, THE SHOULDER BELT RUBS THE NECK AREA. *MJS
20000630SEAT BELTS
FRONT SEAT BELT FAILED TO RETRACT, BACK INTO PLACE AFTER USE. WOULD GET TRAPPED INTO THE SEAT CUSHION. TAKING VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP. *AK
20000314FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH
VEHICLE CAUGHT FIRE DUE TO DEFECTIVE IGNITION SWITCH. A RECALL HAS BEEN ISSUED ON THE VEHICLE'S MAKE/MODEL. HOWEVER, THE CONSUMER WAS NOT NOTIFIED PRIOR TO THE FIRE. DEALER HAS REFUSED TO REIMBURSE FOR OR REPLACE CAR. *AK *ML
19990929VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL
WHEN STARTING THE VEHICLE UP AND APPLYING THE ACCELERATOR, THE THROTTLE KEEPS GETTING STUCK. *AK
19990715SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR
FRONT PASSENGER'S RESTRAINT WOULD NOT RETRACT. DEALER HAS NOT BEEN NOTIFIED. *AK *ML
19990630SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY
SEAT BELT LATCH WOULD GET STUCK IN THE BUCKLE, ONCE RELEASED, THE BELTS MAY OR MAYNOT RECONNECT. AFTER AWHILE THE BELTS DO NOT CONNECT AT ALL/ BECOME INOPERATIVE. *AK
19990402ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
INTERMITTENT STALLING, ALMOST RESULTED IN AN ACCIDENT.
19990208SUSPENSION
WHENEVER DRIVING FRONT OF THE VEHICLE IS PULLING TO THE LEFT.CONSUMER HAD THE VEHICLE IN THE SHOP TWICE, AND DEALER CAN'T DETERMINE THE PROBLEM. *AK
19981020SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:PADS
BRAKE SHOE ADJUSTER FELL OFF AT 50 MPH CAUSING DAMAGE TO DRUM.
19981020ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
INTERMITTENT ENGINE FAILURE ON OCCASIONS.
Compare 1991MERCURYTOPAZ to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1991 MERCURY TOPAZ have?▼
The 1991 MERCURY TOPAZ has 59 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 10 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1991 MERCURY TOPAZ?▼
The most-complained component for the 1991 MERCURY TOPAZ is SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DRUM with 6 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE and SEAT BELTS.
Is the 1991 MERCURY TOPAZ 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.