2003 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER Complaints

RECALL REPAIR INEFFECTIVE AND AGGRAVATED INITIAL PROBLEM - "CURE WORSE THAN THE DISEASE." REAR LIFTGATE WINDOW SHATTERED. FOLLOWING DEALER REPAIR FOR RECALL 04S29, OUR REAR WINDOW SHATTERED EXPLOSIVELY WITHIN 48 HOURS. THIS WAS THE TYPE OF ISSUE THE RECALL REPAIR WAS SUPPOSED TO PREVENT. INCIDENT OCCURED IN GARAGE WHILE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY, SPREADING GLASS IN A 6 FOOR RADIUS INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE REAR LIFTGATE HAD NOT BEEN OPENED SINCE THE RECALL REPAIR WAS COMPLETED.*AK

THE PROBLEM PERSISTED AND CONCERN WITH STALLED VEHICLE, SERVICED AND PROBLEM STILL CONTINUE. *BF THESE PROBLEMS ELEVATED TO VEHICLE STALLING, THE ALTERNATOR WAS REPLACED, THERE WERE CONTINUOUS OCCURRENCES OF THE BATTERY FAIL/CHECK ENGINE INDICATOR LIGHT, VIBRATION WHEN BRAKING, AND THE TORQUE CONVERTER LOCKED. THE CONSUMER REQUESTED A NEW LEASE AND OR EARLY TERMINATION OF THE LEASE. *SC

WHEN SHIFTING MY MOUNTAINEER INTO DRIVE THE VEHICLE JERKS INTO GEAR. AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS IT SHIFTS VERY HARD FROM ONE GEAR TO ANOTHER. SOMETIMES WHEN TRYING TO PASS A VEHICLE AND ACCELERATING THE TRANSMISSION GETS CONFUSED AND GOES TO THE WRONG GEAR. IT GIVES YOU A FEELING SIMILIAR TO A STANDARD SHIFT BEING PUT IN 4TH WHEN IT SHOULD BE IN 2ND BOGGING DOWN DRAMATICALLY.*AK

THE REAR LIFTBACK WINDOW ON MY 2003 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER VIOLENTLY EXPLODED WHILE PARKED IN A PARKING LOT AT MY SON'S FOOTBALL SCRIMMAGE. AT THE TIME OF THE EXPLOSION, AROUND 6:30 P.M., I WAS SITTING IN THE VEHICLE WITH MY DOGS, AND I WAS PARKED IN THE SHADE WITH THE REAR OF MY CAR BACKED UP UP TO A MINIVAN. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF FOUL PLAY - SINCE I WAS IN THE VEHICLE, I WAS ABLE TO QUICKLY SURVEY THE AREA TO MAKE SURE NO ONE WAS NEARBY PULLING A PRANK. THE DEAFENING EXPLOSION MADE SUCH A LOUD NOISE THAT I INVOLUNTARY DUCKED, AND PEOPLE CAME RUNNING FROM ACROSS THE FIELD TO FIND OUT WHAT HAD HAPPENED. BROKEN GLASS WAS SCATTERED ALL OVER THE INSIDE REAR OF MY VEHICLE AND ALL OVER THE GROUND ON THE OUTSIDE OF MY VEHICLE. HAD 3RD ROW PASSENGERS BEEN PRESENT OR HAD DOGS BEEN IN THEIR CRATES IN THE REAR, THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN BADLY CUT AND DAZED BY THE EXPLOSION. THE FORCE OF THE EXPLOSION ACTUALLY BENT THE FRAME OF THE LIFTBACK, LIKE A SUITCASE STUFFED TOO FULL OF CLOTHES WOULD BEND AT THE SIDES. THE HYDRAULIC LIFTERS WERE DANGLING AND ASKEW. THIS WAS AN EXTREMELY FRIGHTENING, UPSETTING EXPERIENCE. AT PRESENT, MY CAR HAS BEEN IN THE DEALERSHIP FOR A WEEK, AND I AM STILL WAITING FOR THE FORD DISTRICT MANAGER TO ASSESS THE SITUATION. I HAVE AN EXTENDED WARRANTY ON THE VEHICLE. THE SERVICE PERSON AT THE DEALER HAS CAST DOUBT AS TO WHETHER FORD WILL CONSIDER THIS A WARRANTY ITEM BECAUSE THEY HAVE "NEVER SEEN A PROBLEM LIKE THIS BEFORE". FORD HAS YET TO STEP UP AND ACKNOWLEDGE AN APPARENT DESIGN FLAW IN THE BACK LIFTGATE AND REPAIR MY VEHICLE.*AK

WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT 65 MPH SUDDENLY MADE A WINING LIKE SONG, THEN STOPPED ACCELERATING AND STALLED. CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO COAST OVER TO THE TRUCK MEDIUM. THEN, IT WAS THEN TOWED TO A DEALERSHIP. IT INDICATED THAT THIS OCCURRED BECAUSE A CATALYTIC CONVERTER WAS PLUGGED. DEALERSHIP WAS GOING TO REPLACE THE PLUGGED CATALYTIC CONVERTER PART, BUT WAS HAVING DIFFICULTIES FINDING THE PART. *AK *NM

I BEGAN HAVING PROBLEMS WITH MY TRANSMISSION SHIFTING HARD INTO GEAR. AS SPEED INCREASED IT WOULD JERK INOT THE NEXT GEAR. I WENT TO THE FORD/MERCURY DEALERSHIP IN MONTGOMERY, AL. IN NOV 03.THEY TOLD ME IT NEEDED A COMPUTER UPGRADE THAT WAS DIFFERENT FROM WHAT WAS ON MY CAR. AT THE TIME THE CAR WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY. THE JERKING STOPPED TEMPORARYILY. I BEGAN TO NOTICE IT AGAIN. WELL NOW THE WARRANTY IS GONE, I DID NOT PURCHASE AN EXTENDED WARRANTY, THE TRUCK IS 13 MONTHS OLD AND MY SHIFT SOLENOID IS GONE. PER 2 ESTIMATES IT WILL BE COSTLY. BUT I AM ALSO TOLD AT THE AGE OF MY CAR AND MILES THIS SHOULD NOT BE OCCURRING UNLESS IT IS A FAULTY TRANSMISSION. ONE TRANSMISSION COMPANY HAS ADVISED ME THAT FIXING THE SHIFT SOLENOID WILL NOT WORK LONG UNTIL THE INNER PART OF THE TRANSMISSION IS FIXED OR REBUILT.

CONSUMER CANNOT OPEN THE REAR PASSENGER DOOR FROM THE INSIDE OF THE VEHICLE. CONSUMER MADE CONTACT WITH THE DEALERSHIP ON FOUR SEPARATE OCCASIONS, BUT THE PROBLEM IS STILL RECURRING.*AK

TO THIS DATE THE FOLLOWING PROBLEMS ARE PRESENT: GAS GAUGE STICKS, AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT COMES ON AND OFF, DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR RATTLES AND KNOCKS, DRIVER'S SIDE WINDOW TAPS, DRIVER'S SIDE WINDOW GRINDS WHILE MOVING UP AND DOWN, CLOCK AND RADIO DO NOT LIGHT UP OR WORK WHEN START VEHICLE, SUN ROOF RATTLES AND KNOCKS, WIND GETS CAUGHT BETWEEN ROOF AND HEADLINER WHICH CREATES A LOUD VIBRATION, THE PASSENGER SIDE WINDOW ALSO RATTLES AND KNOCKS, THERE IS A LOUD RHYTHMIC CHIRP TOWARD REAR OF VEHICLE, HEATING AND COOLING CONTROLS SQUEAL WHEN TURNING ON OR SWITCHING VENT SETTINGS, DRIVER'S SEAT FEELS ROUGH WHEN MOVING ON SEAT TRACK, THE 3RD STEERING WHEEL STILL HAS DEFECT UNDER THE LEATHER WHICH PROTRUDES, DRIVER'S SIDE LEATHER SEAT WAS DAMAGED AFTER BEING AT THE DEALERSHIP, 2ND ROW MIDDLE SEAT IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO LOCK IN FOLDED POSITION, FRONT WINDSHIELD WIPER CONTROL DOES NOT STAY WITHIN SETTING, THE VEHICLE VIBRATES AND THE STEERING WHEEL SHAKES WHEN TURNING THE WHEEL AT A SLOW SPEED, THE THIRD ROW CUP HOLDER ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOES NOT STAY DOWN IN THE FITTING, THERE IS A STRONG EXHAUST SMELL IN THE CABIN WHEN ENGINE IS IN HARD ACCELERATION, ENGINE STARTS TO STALL WHILE DRIVING. STEERING WHEEL WAS DEFECTIVE BY BEING MALFORMED CAUSING THE AIRBAG TO BE INEFFECTIVE. THE SECOND STEERING WHEEL WAS ALSO ILL FITTED CAUSING SHARP PROTRUDING PARTS ON THE STEERING WHEEL. THE DEALERSHIP HAS HAD TO REPAIR OR REPLACE THE FOLLOWING: BODY WORK TO DEFECTIVE PAINT ON ROOF, FRONT HOOD, AND DRIVER'S SIDE FENDER. THE DEALERSHIP DAMAGED PAINT IN TWO AREAS AND ONLY PROVIDED TOUCH UP PAINT. REPLACED NOISY REAR WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR, REAR HATCH GLASS BECAUSE DEFROST WOULD NOT WORK, REAR HATCH HINGES, DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT TRACK. SUSPENSION PROBLEMS WITH VIBRATION AND PITCHING. VEHICLE LURCHES FORWARD UPON ACCELERATION. *LA

VEHICLE STALLS WHEN COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP. DEALERSHIP CANNOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM, AND ARE UNABLE TO FIX IT.*AK

WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES, SOMETIME THE DRIVERS FOOT HIT THE GAS PEDAL, AND CAUSED A LONGER STOPPING DISTANCE. THE PEDALS WERE TOO CLOSE AND ON THE SAME HORIZONTAL PLAIN WHEN THE BRAKES WERE DEPRESSED. *AK *SCC *JB