Summary
The Mercury Topaz has 7 recalls spanning the 1984-1994 production run, with the most serious being a fire risk on 1994 models where snow or ice can jam the engine cooling fan and cause the fan motor and wiring to overheat and ignite.
On 1988 models, the attachment screws holding the throttle position sensor can loosen and back out, allowing the sensor to shift away from the throttle shaft and prevent the throttle from returning to idle, which can make the vehicle difficult to control. Also carrying meaningful safety consequences, 1984 models built at the Oakville assembly plant have a driver's seat back attachment screw that can fracture from fatigue, allowing the seat back to pivot rearward while driving. A separate 1984 recall covers the shoulder belt's upper anchor point, which can separate from the B-pillar in a crash, reducing upper-body restraint. On 1992 models with the 3.0-litre engine, the same cooling fan freeze issue described for 1994 models can occur, though that earlier filing carries a lower severity rating. Going back to earlier production, 1987 models with the 2.3-litre fuel-injected engine have a compliance issue where certain VIN characters were recorded incorrectly. The 1985 model year has a separate emissions compliance concern where the central fuel injector can run rich under certain conditions.
