2004 MERCURY MONTEREY Complaints

VEHICLE SUDDENLY AND UNEXPECTEDLY LOST POWER WHILE WIFE WAS DRIVING ON LEVEL TERRAIN WITH TWO PASSENGERS AT CONSTANT SPEED OF APPROX. 65 MPH IN RIGHT LANE OF AN INTERSTATE. ENGINE RPM INCREASED BUT VEHICLE SPEED DECREASED. POWER LOSS WAS COMPLETE. FORTUNATELY A REST AREA WAS WITHIN COASTING DISTANCE AND VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO COME TO A SAFE STOP THERE. ENGINE WOULD CRANK AND RUN BUT VEHICLE WOULD NOT MOVE IN ANY GEAR, FORWARD OR REVERSE. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A FORD DEALER, WHO DIAGNOSED TRANSMISSION FAILURE. VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED AT A COST OF APPROX. $3,300 BY REPLACING TRANSMISSION AND TORQUE CONVERTER WITH FORD REMANUFACTURED PARTS. I PERSONALLY REVIEWED THE FAILED TRANSMISSION AND TORQUE CONVERTER WHEN I PICKED UP THE REPAIRED VEHICLE. DUE TO THE SUBSTANTIAL CORE CHARGE (APPROX. $600) I ALLOWED THE DEALER TO KEEP THE PARTS FOR RETURN TO FORD. WHILE REVIEWING THE PARTS, I WAS ABLE TO IDENTIFY AND PHOTOGRAPH WHAT APPEARED TO BE THE ROOT CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. ALL TEETH OF THE PUMP DRIVE SPLINE (A FEMALE SPLINE INSIDE THE TORQUE CONVERTER) WERE SHEARED OFF SO THAT THE SPLINE BORE WAS COMPLETELY SMOOTH. (I ALSO OBSERVED AND PHOTOGRAPHED AN UNDAMAGED CONVERTER FOR COMPARISON.) THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE MATING MALE PUMP DRIVE SPLINE ON THE TRANSMISSION. THE NATURE OF THIS FAILURE CLEARLY POINTS TO A DESIGN OR MANUFACTURING DEFECT. THE FAILED SPLINE TEETH MUST HAVE BEEN SOFT OR THEY WOULD HAVE DAMAGED THE MATING TEETH ON THE MALE SPLINE. THE FAILED SPLINE COMPONENT APPEARED TO BE A STAMPED 1/8" THICK STEEL WASHER WHICH WAS WELDED TO THE INSIDE OF THE TORQUE CONVERTER CASE. FAILURE OF THIS COMPONENT SUGGESTS THAT ITS DESIGN THICKNESS AND STRENGTH WERE GROSSLY INADEQUATE TO SUPPORT THE PUMP DRIVE LOAD FOR THE SERVICE LIFE OF THE VEHICLE. IT IS EXTREMELY DISMAYING TO HAVE THE FAILURE OF A LESS THAN $2 COMPONENT RESULT IN A POTENTIALLY LIFE-THREATENING SITUATION AND A VERY EXPENSIVE REPAIR BILL. OF PARTICULAR CONCERN IS THAT THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO WARNING OF IMPENDING FAILURE! *TR

TRANSMISSION FAILURE OF 2004 MERCURY MONTERY AT HIGHWAY SPEED. VAN SUDDENLY LOST ACCELERATION. TRANSMISSION SPLINE WAS DEFECTIVE AND TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED.

2004 MERCURY MONTEREY MINIVAN. COMPLETE, SUDDEN, UNEXPLAINED TRANSMISSION FAILURE. VEHICLE WOULD NOT MOVE AND MADE A HIGH-PITCHED WHIRRING NOISE WHEN TURNED OVER, WHICH WAS THE TRANSMISSION TOTALLY GONE OUT. 90000 MILES, BOUGHT 5 YEARS AGO FROM A DEALER WITH 20000 MILES, MAINTAINED EXCELLENTLY SINCE THEN WITH NO OTHER PROBLEMS. OUR MECHANIC SAID HE FIXED 2 OTHER VEHICLES OF SIMILAR MILEAGE WITH SAME PROBLEM IN THE LAST 2 MONTHS, UNUSUAL FOR OUR RURAL AREA. HE EXPLAINED THIS SEEMS TO BE A COMMON DEFECT OF THIS VEHICLE. COST US $3000 TO REPAIR, NOT UNDER WARRANTY. THE DEALER WOULD HAVE CHARGED $4000. FORD/MERCURY MOTOR COMPANY BARELY ACKNOWLEDGED THE COMPLAINT, REPLIED WITH A PAT REPONSE ENCOURAGING ME TO VISIT MY DEALER AND FIND A NEW VEHICLE!, AND THAT WAS THE EXTENT OF THEIR CUSTOMER SERVICE. IN GOOGLING THIS PROBLEM IT SEEMS THERE ARE MANY OTHER PEOPLE EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM AND I EVEN READ ABOUT A POTENTIAL RECALL BECAUSE OF THESE PROBLEMS. I WISH I'D NEVER BOUGHT THIS CAR.

2004 MERCURY MONTEREY VEHICLE TURNS ON BUT DOES NOT REVERSE OR DRIVE WILL NOT MOVE IN ANY DIRECTION. POSSIBLE DIAGNOSE IS TRANSMISSION TORQUE CONVERTER. VEHICLE WAS DRIVING FINE AND ALL OF A SUDDEN THIS HAPPENED.

I HAVE A 2004 MERCURY MONTEREY THE TRANSMISSION WENT ON IT AT 56,000 MILES I'VE BEEN READING ON THE NET THAT IT'S HAPPENING TO ALOT OF THE SAME VEHICLES AROUND THE SAME MILES. THE VAN WAS DRIVING FINE AND IT JUST QUIT NO NOISE NO WARNINGS NOTHING JUST QUIT. *TR

WE WERE TRAVELING DOWN THE ROAD AT ABOUT 50 MPH WHEN ALL FORWARD MOMENTUM WAS LOST. WE COASTED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WHERE WE ATTEMPTED TO PUT THE VEHICLE INTO GEAR. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT GO INTO ANY GEAR. TRANSMISSION SPECIALIST SUSPECTS TORQUE CONVERTER FAILURE POSSIBLY TRANSMISSION DAMAGE. THIS IS EXTREMELY CONCERNING SINCE THIS VEHICLE IS LOW MILEAGE (59,129) AND HAS A PERFECT MAINTENANCE HISTORY. *TR

TRANSMISSION WENT BAD IN MY 2004 MERCURY MONTEREY SOMETIME AROUND SPRING OF 2005, TRANNY WAS COVERED UNDER WARRANTY SO I DIDN'T PUT MUCH THOUGHT INTO IT AS IT DIDN'T COST ME ANYTHING, THOUGHT IT WAS A FREAK PROBLEM. LAST MONTH THE TRANSMISSION WENT OUT IN MY VAN AGAIN, AT THIS MOMENT I HAVE 62,570 MILES ON THE VAN. THE VAN DIED IN AN INTERSECTION AND WE WERE NEARLY RE-ENDED WE BEING ME, MY 10 YEAR OLD SON AND MY 14 MONTH OLD GRANDDAUGHTER. I JUST HAD TO TAKE MY VAN BACK TO THE TRANSMISSION SHOP TWO DAYS AGO AS IT HAS AGAIN STOPPED SHIFTING GEARS PROPERLY. THE MECHANIC SAYS IT IS THE COOLING SYSTEM THAT COOLS THE TRANSMISSION THAT IS CAUSING THE PROBLEM-NONE THE LESS IT IS A RECURRING DANGEROUS PROBLEM. I DECIDED THE FILE A COMPLAINT AFTER FINDING 1132 POST ON EDMUNDS.COM REGARDING THIS ISSUE. I CANNOT INCLUDE MY VIN NUMBER AT THIS TIME BECAUSE THE VAN IS IN HE SHOP ALONG WITH MY REGISTRATION IN THE GLOVE BOX. *TR

WHILE DRIVING OUR 2004 MERCURY MONTEREY THE TRANSMISSION QUIT WORKING RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. I WAS ABLE TO GET TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WITH OUT INCIDENT. THE VAN ONLY HAS 78,000 MILES ON IT AND WOULD EXPECT MORE THAN THAT ON A MAJOR COMPONENT. I'M STILL MAKING PAYMENTS ON A VAN THAT DOESN'T WORK. TO GET IT FIXED IS BETWEEN $1500 TO 2500. *TR

2004 MERCURY MONTEREY ,TRANSMISSION DOES NOT WORK. STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF 5 LANE INTERSTATE. *TR

MY 2004 MERCURY MONTEREY HAD THE TRANSAXLE LIGHT FLASHING ON AND OFF PERIODICALLY. WHEN THE CAR WOULD GET TO 25 MILES PER HOUR, IT WOULD JUMP INTO GEAR. WE HAD THE TRANSMISSION FLUID CHANGED WHICH RESULTED IN NO IMPROVEMENT. TODAY AS I WAS ON THE ENTRANCE RAMP TO THE HIGHWAY, I STARTED TO ACCELERATE AND THE CAR DID NOT ACCELERATE AND WOULD NOT GO OVER 25 MPH. I LUCKILY AVOIDED A MAJOR ACCIDENT BY SHIFTING IT INTO 3RD GEAR. WHEN I PUT IT BACK INTO "DRIVE",, I WAS NOT ABLE TO GET THE CAR TO ACCELERATE. I WAS VERY WORRIED THAT SOMEONE WAS GOING TO HIT ME. *TR