MerkurXR4Ti1988Overview/merkur/xr4ti/1988/base/

1988 Merkur XR4Ti

Factory specifications, fluid capacities, torque values, EPA fuel economy and the federal safety record for the 1988 XR4Ti.

Transmission Automatic 3-spd

The 1988 Merkur XR4Ti is equipped with a 3-speed automatic transmission and delivers an EPA rating of 16/20/17 mpg. In terms of reliability, the model year has zero recalls and a low volume of three total owner complaints. These reports are specifically concentrated within the engine and engine cooling systems.

Model year19891988198719861985

Quick specs

Fluid capacities, tune-up values and fuel economy at a glance.

EPA fuel economy16/20/17 mpgEPA · verified

Full specifications

Engine, drivetrain, dimensions and economy.

Engine & drivetrain NHTSA vPIC

TransmissionAutomatic 3-spd

Ratings & economy EPA / vPIC

EPA city / highway / combined16 / 20 / 17 mpg
DrivetrainRear-Wheel Drive
Recommended fuelRegular Gasoline

Factory maintenance schedule OEM · verified

Normal service, condensed from the factory interval matrix.

Under the factory schedule, replace the engine oil and filter every 5,000 mi; spark plugs every 30,000 mi; coolant every 30,000 mi. The big-interval services (every 30,000 mi for coolant, and the transmission fluid) are the ones owners most often skip — on a lower-mileage example, assume the original fluids are still in it and check them first.

Every 5,000 miAccessory Drive Belt (inspect) · Engine Oil (drain & refill) · Engine Oil Filter (replace)
Every 30,000 miBrake Linings (inspect) · Engine Air Filter Element (replace) · Engine Coolant System (drain, flush & refill) · Fuel Filter (replace) · Spark Plugs (replace) · Wheel Bearing (inspect)
Every 60,000 miPCV Valve (replace)

Reliability & federal safety record

Owner-reported issues, recalls, investigations and service bulletins on record with NHTSA — an unfiltered look at what owners actually experience.

Owner complaints about the 1988 Merkur XR4Ti dominate in one area — the engine & engine cooling, 2 of 3 reports (67%), well ahead of the next concern. NHTSA has issued no recalls for this vehicle, so these are owner-reported concerns only. 0 of the reports describe a crash and 1 a fire — a small share of the total, but worth weighing against the engine & engine cooling pattern above. These are tallies of what owners actually reported to the federal government, not an editorial score — and higher-selling models naturally rack up more reports.

0
Open recalls
NHTSA campaigns
7
Service bulletins
Manufacturer communications
0
ODI investigations
Office of Defects Investigation
3
Owner complaints
0 involved a crash · 1 a fire
NHTSA crash-test rating federal NCAP · out of 5 stars
Overall★★★★
Frontal★★★★
Side★★★★★
Rollover★★★★★

Owner complaints filed with NHTSA, by component

All 3 complaints on record, top 2 components.

Engine & Engine Cooling2
Tires1

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint database.

Recalls NHTSA · verified

No recall campaigns on record with NHTSA for this vehicle as of the last data refresh.

Technical service bulletins NHTSA · verified

Showing 5 of 7 bulletins on record with NHTSA.

BulletinDateComponentSummary
00152000-01-10Power TrainINFORMATION REGARDING THE NEW TRANSMISSION COOLER FLUSHER- SERVICE TIP. *MJS
991961999-09-20EquipmentINFORMATION ON IDENTIFYING NON-APPROVED / ALTERNATE REFRIGERANTS WHICH COULD CAUSE…
982461998-12-07Electrical SystemFORD MOTOR COMPANY HAS RELEASED A NEW ELECTRICAL GREASE ( F8AZ - 19G208-AA ) TO REDUCE…
9626121996-12-16Power TrainTRANSAXLE - TORQUE CONVERTER REPLACEMENT GUIDELINES AND TORQUE CONVERTER/TRANSAXLE…
962461996-11-18Electrical SystemWIRING - ELECTRICAL DIODE IDENTIFICATION AND SERVICE REPLACEMENTS. *TW

Common OBD-II trouble codes

The most common OBD-II codes for this vehicle's emissions system. These are standardized SAE J2012 definitions, not vehicle-specific fault reports.

P0420
Catalyst system efficiency below threshold — Bank 1
P0300
Random / multiple cylinder misfire detected
P0171
System too lean — Bank 1
P0455
Evaporative emission system leak detected — large leak
P0128
Coolant thermostat below regulating temperature
P0442
Evaporative emission system leak detected — small leak

VIN tools

Decode factory build data for a specific vehicle by VIN.

VIN
Decode a VIN to confirm the transmission and build data for a specific XR4Ti. OEM
Build data
Plant, GVWR class, engine and body data for any 17-character VIN.
Recalls
Check open recall campaigns against a specific vehicle by VIN.

Reference guides

Cross-vehicle references for the kinds of data on this page.

Frequently asked

Does the 1988 XR4Ti have open recalls?

NHTSA lists 0 recall campaign(s) for this model year. Check your specific vehicle by VIN.

What gas mileage does the XR4Ti get?

EPA figures are 16 city / 20 highway / 17 combined mpg.