1994 Ford Tempo problems
Owners have filed 212 complaints about the 1994 Ford Tempo with NHTSA. Engine and engine cooling accounts for 22.6% of them — narrowly the most common, ahead of seat belts at 17.5%.
Complaints212
Crashes25
Fires7
Injuries16
Deaths0
What owners report breaking
Engine and engine cooling 22.6% · 48
Seat belts 17.5% · 37
Electrical system 10.4% · 22
Fuel system, gasoline 10.4% · 22
Service brakes, hydraulic 9.4% · 20
Visibility 5.2% · 11
Vehicle speed control 4.7% · 10
Power train 3.8% · 8
Severity
Of those complaints, 25 describe a crash, 7 describe a fire and 16 report an injury.
Reading the numbers
Across the 5 model years of the Ford Tempo in this data, 1994 ranks 3rd by complaint volume — 1993 draws the most.
Filings have fallen off, 4 in the last three years against 14 in the three before. That is normal as a generation leaves the road.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 99,900 miles.
In owners' own words
When the weather is hot my 94 Tempo stalls and will not start until it cools down. It will start and run until the engine get hot again. I understand that you were investigating this problem but dropped the investigation. Please resume your research. I am a college student trying to drive 65 miles to school each day and I feel this is a safety hazard as well as an inconvience. Engine and engine cooling
While driving vehicle stopped, hood and tail pipe smoke occurred. Also, there was a hole in third cylinder, entire engine had to be replaced, costing approx. $3,000. Dealer representative stated that a service bulletin had mentioned that the Ford Tempo head gasket should be changed after 50,000 to avoid the problem with the Ford Tempo (vulcan engine). Engine and engine cooling
"Service engine soon" light goes on while driving, sometimes going off after a few minutes and sometimes staying on for 20-40 miles. Several people have looked up the codes and can't find a problem. This has been happening for more than a year. I do not have an owner's manual and cannot locate one online, so troubleshooting is extremely difficult. *Nlm Engine and engine cooling
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…