1990 Ford Tempo: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 174 complaints
174
Total Complaints
55mi
Median Mileage
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
Top Issue
21
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

55 25th Percentile
55 Median Mileage
60,763 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
21
SEAT BELTS
16
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH
14
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DRUM
13
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
12
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR
9
STEERING:LINKAGES:TIE ROD ASSEMBLY
5
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS
5
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY
4
TIRES
4

Severity Assessment

21
Crashes
32
Fires
15
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"AUTOMATIC SEAT BELTS FAILED IN AN ACCIDENT. TT"
"THE DRIVER SIDE SEAT BELT WORKS ON OCCASION, BROKE MOTOR MOUNTS, TIE RODS, ETC. TT"
"THE DRIVER SIDE SEAT BELT WORKS ON OCCASION, BROKE MOTOR MOUNTS, TIE RODS, ETC. TT"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28