1990 Mercury Topaz: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 67 complaints
67
Total Complaints
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH
Top Issue
3
Crash Reports

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH
7
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
5
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR
5
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
4
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS
4
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
3
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL
2
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM
2
STEERING:LINKAGES:TIE ROD ASSEMBLY
2
STEERING: STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR
2

Severity Assessment

3
Crashes
11
Fires
2
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"WHEN TAKING OFF FROM STANDSTILL; GAS PEDAL DOES NOT SMOOTHLY ACCELERATE; STICKS; CABLE TO TRANSMISSION IS SITUATED STRAIGHT UP/DOWN; SHOULD BE SLIGHTLY BENT. T"
"WHEN VEHICLE GETS UP TO 10 MPH GAS PEDAL STICKS. TT"
"BRAKES FAIL UPON INITIAL APPLICATION, DON'T RESPOND UNTIL APPLIED A SECOND TIME. *AW"

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

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

FL: 9 VA: 8 CA: 6 NJ: 5 TX: 4 NY: 4 OH: 4 NH: 3 UT: 3 MO: 2

Who Files Complaints?

10.4%
Original Owners
89.6%
Second+ Owners

Mercury Topaz — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

YearComplaintsCrashes
1991590
1992923
19939810
19941067

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