1993 Ford Tempo GL from North America - Comments

This car was well maintained by the previous owner. Since I have bought it, a few things have gone wrong.

I had to replace one headlight, which I understand is common. Not really a big deal.

The rear struts need replacing now. If they hadn't gone bad now, they would have eventually I am told.

The only thing I am concerned about is that the rear left brake has frozen up. Is this a common problem with tempos? I'm having the brakes replaced soon. The car is still drivable, I hadn't even noticed the brake was frozen until I took it in to see about the struts.

Also, a sensor (park-neutral sensor?) is going bad. It won't start or even try to start sometimes. If I put it in Neutral and then back to Park, it will start.

The car also makes a rattling noise when it is stopped or going at speeds below 25 MPH. I have yet to have this problem checked.

I really like this car. It is my first car and I only paid 1200 for it.

The interior is simple and easy to clean. It has a very basic radio and cassette system, but it is of good quality. I have had no trouble with it yet.

I really like the automatic belts. I haven't had problems with those, probably won't.

Overall I have found this car to be fairly reliable. A few things to fix and it should be right as rain. It may not be the fastest car I've driven, but performance wise, It's all I need.

To take care of that terrible clicking, do a little research on a part called the harmonic balancer.

Read the 1994 Tempo review that is two or three thousand words long. It addresses everything that could possibly go wrong with the car and is extremely well written and accurate.

I had the same brake problem with my Tempo, the rear left brake froze up. I took it into the shop and they said I needed new brakes. I haven't had a problem with it since.

I am having a weird brake problem with my Tempo. When accelerating from a stop, the brake warning light comes on. While driving, if you pound on the brake pedal, it goes off. After each stop, the process repeats. I seem to have ample stopping power. Any clues???