2004 MERCURY MONTEREY Complaints

2004 MERCURY MONTEREY - WIFE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY (WITH ONE CHILD AS A PASSENGER) AT 65 MPH. VEHICLE LOST ALL ABILITY TO ACCELERATE. NO GEAR. HAD TO COAST TO THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY (DURING RUSH HOUR) WHERE THERE WAS LITTLE TO NO ROOM TO EVEN EXIT THE VEHICLE SAFELY. SHE WAS STUCK IN THE VEHICLE WHILE CARS AND TRUCKS SPED BY RAPIDLY OFTEN COMING CLOSE TO HITTING HER. POLICE WERE CALLED AND ALSO A TOW TRUCK. THE VAN HAD NO MOVEMENT IN ANY GEAR. ONLY HAD PARK AND NEUTRAL. VAN WAS TOWED AND THE PROBLEM WAS DETERMINED TO BE A FAILED TORQUE CONVERTER. SPECIFICALLY THE SPLINES INSIDE THE CONVERTER WHERE THE SHAFT COMING OUT OF THE TRANSMISSION ENGAGES. REPAIR COST PLUS TOW IS $2000. LUCKILY NO ONE WAS HURT BUT IT WAS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. AFTER SOME RESEARCH THERE IS APPARENTLY A CLASS ACTION SUIT AGAINST FORD ON THIS ISSUE AND A NHTSA INVESTIGATION UNDERWAY (EA09016). *TR

TRAVELING ALONG RT.270 TOWARDS ST.LOUIS REGIONAL AIRPORT AT 60 MPR LOST GO POWER. LUCKILY ENGINE CONTINUED TO RUN SO WAS ABLE TO MOVE OUT OF TRAFFIC AND PULL OVER ON SHOULDER. HAVING BEING PULLED TO NEAREST MERCURY DEALER THEY FOUND THE TORQUE CONVERTER HAD GONE OUT WORTH OVER $1500. *TR

2004 MERCURY MONTEREY 88K ,COMPLAINED FROM TIME OF PURCHASE THAT THE CRUISE WOULD NOT ALWAYS SET AT FIRST TRY. NOW IT WON'T SET AT ALL. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 MERCURY MONTEREY. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 35 MPH WHEN THE TRANSMISSION SLIPPED OUT OF GEAR AND WOULD NOT RETURN TO THE APPROPRIATE GEAR. THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. NEITHER THE DEALER NOR MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 99,500.

WE BOUGHT A 2004 MERCURY MONTEREY WITH 97K MILES ON IT IN JUNE 24, 2010...EVERYTHING WAS FINE UNTIL AUGUST 11, 2010. I WAS DRIVING AND ALL OF A SUDDEN THE CAR WILL NOT ACCELERATE...SO I DRIFT TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND TRY TO GET THE VAN TO ACCELERATE BUT NOTHING HAPPENED. I HAD TO GET IT TOWED AND THE TRANSMISSION GUY TOOK IT APART AND SAID THE TORQUE CONVERTER NEEDS REPLACED IT WENT OUT...WE ARE STILL WAITING TO SEE IF OUR EXTENDED WARRANTY COVERS IT IF NOT IT WILL BE 1400-1600 BUCKS TO GET IT FIXED. I MEAN WE HAD NOT EVEN HAD IT FOR TWO MONTHS YET. I STARTED RESEARCHING AND FOUND ALOT OF COMPLAINTS ON IT AND STILL NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE. THANKS GOODNESS NO ONE IN MY FAMILY GOT HURT, WHAT WILL IT TAKE TO GET THEM TO RECALL THIS PROBLEM AND TO KEEP PEOPLE SAFE? *TR

DRIVING HOME FROM WEST SIDE OF STATE TO EAST SIDEOF STATE AND HAD CRUISE CONTROL ON. HAD MY 2 YEAR OLD, 4 YEAR OLD AND 5 YEAR OLD AND WIFE IN CAR. ENGINE WAS AT 2300RPM AND AROUND 65MPH. CRUISE CONTROL WAS ENGAGING POWER TO MAINTAIN 65MPH AND THEN RPM FLARED UP TO 4000RPM AND ALL LOSS OF POWER. I WAS ON FREEWAY AND BARELY WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER. WAS HALF ON SHOULDER AND PART ON WHITE LANE MARKER. COULD NOT GET CAR TO DRIVE OFF LANE. PEOPLE WERE HONKING AND WAS WORRIED THAT WE WOULD GET HIT. COULD NOT GET KIDS OUT OF CAR BECAUSE OF DANGEROUS OBJECTS FROM MOVING CAR TIRES PASSING BY. I HAVE NO POWER IN REVERSE DRIVE, SECOND OR 1ST. ITS LIKE BEING IN NEUTRAL WITH ENGINE REVVING AND NO MOVEMENT. PLEASE ADVISE. *TR

2004 MERCURY MONTEREY LOST POWER WHILE DRIVING 65MPH ON FREEWAY. I WAS ABLE TO COAST TO THE NEXT EXIT RAMP AND CALLED A TOW TRUCK. VAN IS AT MECHANIC, BUT I SUSPECT IT IS A BAD TORQUE CONVERTER. *TR

ON THURSDAY, AUGUST 12, 2010, APPROX. 6;15PM, MY SON AND I WERE PARKED IN A PARKING LOT PREPARING TO ENTER MY SONS TAE KWON DO CLASS. WE ARRIVED A BIT EARLY SO DECIDED TO SIT IN THE VAN FOR APPROX. 5 MINUTES. THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER WINDOWS WERE PARTIALLY ROLLED DOWN AS WE WAITED. WHEN IT WAS TIME TO GO TO CLASS, MY SON APPROACHED THE REAR OF THE VAN TO RETRIEVE HIS DUFFEL BAG, AS HE APPROACHED, THERE WAS A VERY LOUD BOOM AND THE REAR WINDOW JUST BLEW OUT WITH A STRONG FORCE. GLASS SHATTERED FOR SEVERAL FEET OUTWARD. WE WERE SHAKEN BY THE BOOM. WE ACTUALLY THOUGHT THAT SOMEONE SHOT OUT THE BACK WINDOW. THERE WAS ANOTHER PARENT PARKED TWO SPACES AWAY FROM ME ALSO WAITING TO ENTER AND HE JUMPED OUT OF HIS TRUCK WHEN HE HEARD THE BOOM TO SEE IF WE WERE OK. IF MY SON HAD REACHED THE REAR OF THE VAN SECONDS BEFORE THE GLASS EXPLODED, I BELIEVE HE WOULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY HURT. THE SIZE OF THE GLASS WAS IN SHATTERS. I AM SHOCKED THAT NO ONE WAS HURT. THERE ARE USUALLY MANY CHILDREN WALKING PASSED THE PARKED CARS TO GET TO CLASS. THE WAY THIS GLASS EXPLODED AND SHATTERED IS SO UNSAFE. I AM STILL AT A LOSS AS TO WHY IT WOULD EXPLODE WITH SUCH FORCE AND AT THE WAY IT SHATTERED! WE WERE VERY LUCKY...THIS TIME.

2004 MERCURY MONTEREY HAS HAD POWER TRAIN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION REPLACED TWICE AND ONLY HAS ABOUT 67,000 MILES ON IT. *TR

INCIDENT FIRST OCCURRED ON 6/20/2010, ON I-64. I WAS DRIVING OUR 2004 MERCURY MONTEREY WHEN I REALIZED THAT THE TRANSMISSION HAD SLIPPED FROM D3 TO D2. I STOPPED VAN AND IT WORKED FINE AFTER RESTARTING, BUT WAS AFRAID TO USE IT; ONLY USED SEVERAL TIMES FOR SHORT TRIPS IN THE INTERIM - NO PROBLEMS, HOWEVER, WITH THE TRANSMISSION. TOOK TO DEALER ON 7/30 - 41,779 MILES - EXTENDED WARRANTY (ESP) EXPIRED 2/5/10. DEALER REPLACED TRANSMISSION RANGE SENSOR AND BRAKE PRESSURE SWITCH AT A COST OF $325.22, INCLUDING DIAGNOSTIC CHECK. DEALER ALSO FLUSHED AND FILLED TRANSMISSION - TWICE TO REMOVE WATER - COST: $184.87. I ASKED FOR THE OLD PARTS - DEALER DID NOT RETURN THEM. PICKED UP VEHICLE ON 8/1/10; TRANSMISSION WORKED FINE, BUT THE TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM (TCS) LIGHT TURNED ON AND STAYED ON. DID NOT DRIVE UNTIL 8/6 WHEN I TOOK IT TIRE SHOP TO HAVE TIRES REPLACED - NO CRUISE CONTROL AND THE TCS LIGHT WAS ON. THE SERVICE MANAGER AT THE TIRE SHOP CHECKED ALLDATAPRO.COM AND FOUND A TSB THAT INDICATED THAT FORD HAD LEARNED THAT SOME 2004-2007 FREESTAR AND MONTEREY TRANSMISSIONS HAD WATER/MOISTURE PROBLEMS CAUSING PROBLEMS WITH THE TCS, AMONG OTHER THINGS. ALSO, IN CHECKING OTHER COMPLAINTS REPORTED TO NHTSA, FOUND ONE WHERE A FORD DEALER NOTED THAT A TRANSMISSION SEAL HAD FAILED ALLOWING WATER TO ENTER COMPUTER (TRANSMISSION RANGE SENSOR?) CAUSING BOTH COMPUTER AND TRANSMISSION TO FAIL. ON 8/7, FOUND THAT DEALER HAD NOT RECONNECTED CRUISE CONTROL, AND NOTICED THAT THE TCS LIGHT TURNED ON AFTER DEPRESSING THE BRAKE TWICE. THEN NOTICED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT SHIFT TO DRIVE 3 - STAYED IN D2 - BACK TO THE ORIGINAL PROBLEM FROM 6/20! STOPPED AND STARTED VAN AGAIN, NO CHANGE IN THE TRANSMISSION, AND THE TCS LIGHT TURNED ON AFTER PRESSING BRAKE TWICE. HAVE NOT TRIED TO DRIVE THE CAR TODAY, AND NOW, AFTER READING MANY OF THE COMPLAINTS REGARDING TRANSMISSION FAILURES IN 2004 MONTEREYS, I'M NOT SURE IF I SHOULD EVEN ATTEMPT TO DRIVE IT THE 38 MILES BACK TO THE DEALER. *TR