However I do have a suggestion...

Take it apart and examine the clock board/front panel circuit boards and see
if you can spot something like a cmos battery like you would find on a
computer motherboard. Small (quarter sized but thicker) and probably wrapped
in plastic. It's not a battery but a supercap of sorts (like .5F, half a
farad).

I think (but not sure) those had somewhat of a battery back up for the clock
where if the machine lost power for a while, the clock wouldn't return with
the 12:00 blinking but the correct time instead.

I'd guess if that thing is dead or otherwise shot, it could cause the timer
to malfunction. Who knows, maybe the timer relies on it so it, like the
clock, doesn't get reintialized on power loss.

Dead power source, dead timer.

Hi Bruce,

This VCR is plugged in when the record timer was set. There was NO loss
of power. Therefore, there was NO need for a battery (does NOT have one).

After the VCR failed to record at the appointed time, the time and date
was checked and was correct.

John