I like Ford. They were decent cars, for the most part, until the 1980s set in.
After the 1986 Mustang went back from lease, we thought that we’d try Mercury. The then-somewhat new Tracer appealed to Cindy and me in 1989, especially finding out our first child, Jacob, would arrive in May of 1990.
The Tracer was not a new car to us. We had rented two before and felt they were well screwed together, seemed peppy and got good fuel mileage.
So we looked past the hatchback to the Tracer wagon. A loaded car with the exception of the tilt wheel which was available on the Mazda version. Ours added the only stand-alone options; automatic and cassette. It was silver over grey and they were again running decent leases.
The first year and a half, it proved itself to be a really great car! I was a fan of the clear coat silver paint (after the Mustang paint faded into obscurity), it was reasonably quiet and rode well.
Then, like someone had replaced it, that car started having transmission issues. And I found out how Ford really didn’t care about things like warranty.
We were driving on the Florida turnpike when I heard a bang. I pulled over, couldn’t find anything obvious and started back on my way. The tachometer started reading higher than normal. It was as if the transmission was slipping?
Anyway, at 55mph ran the engine at 3800, about 600-800 rpm’s higher!
I took it in for service. Ford added “anti-friction” compound. That uh, didn’t help. Now 55mph registered 4000rpm!!
After three more trips, I requested a field rep. After he left me to sit for an hour after our appointment time, he immediately told me: “Sorry but we won’t put anything into this car. It needs a transaxle and they are built in Mexico. And we aren’t making this model anymore, so very sorry.”
Really??
My father in law Paul jumped in. We were two years into a lease and he was three years into a four year lease on an 88 Sable wagon. So we leased a new 1991 Mazda 626 and received a $1500 cash rebate.
He told me to call the leasing company (an in-house dealer business) and lay it out. So I called my salesman –who was also a neighbor and who’d driven our Tracer.
I told him –on a recorded call– that they had an option; I could give them the car back with $1000 for their penalties or I’d run the lease out and give it to them in a bucket! Then I asked him: “If we went to court, me with my 60 pages of repair orders and them with their records of perfect on-time payments, who’d win?”
They took it back, we came out $500 ahead, and had the Sable for one year. Then we moved upward… my next COAL!
(All images from the web)
Related CC reading:
Too bad. It looks better than the Mazda version. Too bad, the transmission wasn’t Japanese
According to Wikipedia, the Tracer had a Mazda F3A transmission. Ironically the same transmission that was in the Mazda 626.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazda_F3A_transmission
The 1986-87 Mazda 323 shared the 3-speed automatic transmission with the Tracer, but in 1988 they replaced it with a 4-speed unit. For whatever reason, the 88-89 Tracer continued to use the old 3-speed though.
I owned a Tracer wagon-a 1988 model-it was a great car, the transmission never gave me trouble. I drove it for about eight years until the air conditioning gave out. Had it not been for the defunct a/c I would have probably driven it longer.
We rented Tracers and kept them a few years without a problem.
I recently found a similar Escort wagon in a junkyard with 340,000 miles. It was also an automatic. Presumably not all of them suffered that fate. I’ve always kind of liked these as one of the last compact family wagons. Sure, the Focus wagon came later, but no one actually bought them.
Not the first Mazda 232 Ford Laser trans that gave up I know of several, the later box was improved, the Aussie Japanese versions were disposables after a few years, friends regularly bought one every six months and ran two as dailies and one for carting firewood, just cheap used cars the manual versions just run forever till the timing chain lets go.
You had some bad luck with cars! This one really surprises me – I had a late-’80s Mazda 323 that was very reliable, and fun to drive as well. I’d known several people with 323s and Tracers that all seemed pretty well built.
Your handling of these problems is impressive – hope you enjoyed the Sable more than your other two Ford products.
I learned a long time ago not to take “No” or “Nothing found” as the last word. I have always been happy with my new car purchases but sometimes things need to be addressed. With two different autos I went through the chain of command without satisfying results. Last resort is contact the State Attorney Generals Office and quickly issues are resolved. In mid-1995, I special ordered a new 1996 Sebring LXI coupe. After taking delivery, second day, I took it back to the dealership. There was a slight creak in the front suspension only when slowly turning into a parking space. Its a new car, creaks not allowed. Three trips to the Michigan dealership, then I moved to Texas, three more trips to a dealership, always nothing found. Years past the warranty had just expired but I was not finished. The last time I spoke to the Texas District Rep. he told me the warranty expired and this creak was normal. I had about 20 pages of dealership visits which I sent to the State Attorney Generals office. Within two weeks received a call from Chrysler Corp. Please bring the car in and we will take care of it. The Sebring was already five years old, they gave me a free loaner car, and over two weeks they replaced everything in the front suspension, one part at a time. They did find the issue, a minor part, and Chrysler did issue a technical service bulletin, parts and labor would be paid by Chrysler. It wasn’t a recall as it was not a safety issue. but I did my part by being persistent.
My aunt and uncle had been buying Buicks since the 1950s, at the same dealership in SC. Since the late 1970s, my aunt only bought white Riviera’s. Every time she decided to buy a new car, she would call me, ask my opinion, that was my marching order to show up and go car shopping regardless of what state I called home. We went through this process of test driving many cars other than Buicks but of course she always ordered a new white Riviera, Upon delivery of her new 1997,pearl white Riviera, she could hear a small buzz, not acceptable. Back to the dealer and “Nothing Found”. Not acceptable. I loved my aunt so on a plane to SC. I test drove the Riviera, and yes a slight buzz at about 75 mph, not wind noise (aunt liked to drive fast). I contacted the district rep., he told me this was typical. It was not typical nor acceptable on a car that expensive. Filed a complaint with the State Attorney Generals office. Within a month dealer called aunt offering to replace the Riv with a 1998 model, in pearl white. I was back home in Texas but called the dealership and suggested they also pay all expenses for registration and taxes. I reminded the dealership her family had been buying Buick’s from them for decades, and best not to mess with an elderly southern lady who knows how to fight. Dealership replaced my aunts Riv. with a new 1998 model, pearl white, ordered her way, all expenses covered. When aunt died in 2005, she left me her Riviera which I imported to Canada. 2010, I had kept her Riviera pristine, sold it to an elderly couple who shipped it to their winter home in Arizona. The 1998 Riviera never had that high speed buzz sound that annoyed my aunt. The car is long gone, but went to a good home. For as long as I can remember aunt always had a red umbrella in her cars. Her last Riviera is gone but I still have her red umbrella.
I wonder if the Mazda 323 transaxle had a fatal flaw, our 95 Escort used the same platform and also had a cursed automatic transaxle, although a used replacement unit was trouble free for a decade.(we got 15 years out of it). My mother had a 91 Mazda with a 5 speed and no problems until it was rear ended in 94.
By the 1980’s, Fords almost always presented beautifully in the showroom and on a test drive. But sadly, they were often not as durable as they should have been. And Ford was doing its best to wrest the crown as the most bi-polar of auto manufacturers from Chrysler, with its unique ability to offer the most durable and the most fragile models in showrooms at the same time.
No wonder Japanese manufacturers were overrun with business in that decade.
Well our next vehicle was a much, much better experience!
The Sable was a really nice car when it ran. But, Ford thought that adding the 3.8 Essux engine in was necessary. It was not. So that one went through a complete transaxle replacement in the first 12,000 miles.
Otherwise, I really enjoyed it.
And the Tracer really was a nice driver too. It handled well, got really great gas mileage, and you couldn’t miss the Mazda touches. According to the dealer (at the time) the transaxle was pure Ford.
Oh well!
Sad to hear all these issues .
Bread and butter cars should IOM always be their best quality product .
-Nate