1994 Ford Tempo: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 212 complaints
212
Total Complaints
99,900mi
Median Mileage
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
Top Issue
25
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

82,895 25th Percentile
99,900 Median Mileage
137,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
20
SEAT BELTS
17
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
13
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY
13
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
12
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:WEBBING
7
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE
6
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
6
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
6
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
6

Severity Assessment

25
Crashes
7
Fires
16
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"UPON STARTING ENGINE SURGED, PLACED INTO REVERSE POSITION WITH FOOT ON BRAKE, VEHICLE ACCELERATED OUT OF CONTROL INTO FENCE, LURCHED FORWARD INTO GARAGE WALL."
"UPON STARTING ENGINE SURGED, PLACED INTO REVERSE POSITION WITH FOOT ON BRAKE, VEHICLE ACCELERATED OUT OF CONTROL INTO FENCE, LURCHED FORWARD INTO GARAGE WALL."
"UPON IMPACT, DURING FRONT CRASH 5-15MPH, 12:00 ON FRONT BUMPER, DRIVERS AIRBAG FAILED TO DEPLOY. 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