2002 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER Complaints

O/D LIGHT BLINKS AND TRANSMISSION SHIFTS HARD OR MISSES SHIFTS. FEELS LIKE TRANNY MIGHT BE ABOUT TO GO... STARTED ABOUT A YEAR AGO BUT WENT AWAY AFTER CHANGING TRANNY FLUID. NOW IT IS BACK, ISSUE IS WORSE, AND SEEMS LIKE IT IS HERE TO STAY. *TR

2002 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER 4.6L V8 AWD 100,000MILES! VARIOUS TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS O/D LIGHT FLASHING ONE DAY CAUSING TRANSMISSION NOT TO SHIFT CORRECTLY. TEN MINUTES LATER START THE VEHICLE AND LIGHT NOT ON AND TRANSMISSION SHIFTS FINE. HAPPENS ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. TRANSMISSION BEGAN TO SLIP. TAKE TO MECHANIC FLUID LEVEL AND FILTER ARE FINE. HOOK UP TO COMPUTER AND SAYS VARIOUS INTERNAL PROBLEMS. TORQUE CONVERTER ALSO BEGAN WHINING AND MAKING NOISE WHICH PROBABLY MEANS ITS COMING APART INSIDE. ESTIMATED FIX BETWEEN 1800.00-2800.00! SEVERAL WITH SIMILAR VEHICLES HAVE REPORTED SAME PROBLEMS! ALSO HAS WHEEL BEARING ISSUES! *TR

ON DEC. 19, 2008, THE O/D LIGHT BEGAN TO FLASH AND THEN ON DEC.26TH THE SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT CAME ON. AS I WAS DRIVING THE CAR BEGAN TO REV UP WHEN I WAS NOT MASHING THE GAS. I HAVE NOT DRIVEN IT SINCE. I CALLED THE FORD DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD TO DO A DIAGNOSTIC TEST ON IT, IT WOULD COST $98 PER ISSUE. I SEARCHED THE ISSUE ONLINE AND FOUND THAT MANY PEOPLE HAVE COMPLAINED ABOUT THIS AND HAVE PAID THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS TO HAVE IT FIXED. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF THIS IS A RECALLABLE ISSUE DUE TO THE ABOUT OF COMPLAINTS? I JUST SPENT $300 HAVING THE DOOR AJAR SENSOR FIXED, SOMETHING THAT OTHERS HAVE ALSO COMPLAINED ABOUT. *TR

WHEN APPROACHING MY VEHICLE (2002 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER) FROM BEHIND, I NOTICED A CRACK IN THE CENTER OF THE LIFTGATE PANEL, BEGINNING AT THE BOTTOM OF THE WINDOW AND EXTENDING TO THE HANDLE. I RESEARCHED THIS ON THE INTERNET AND FOUND THAT IT IS A PROBLEM WHICH HAS OCCURRED IN FORD-MANUFACTURED SUVS, INCLUDING THE MOUNTAINEER AND EXPLORER. I CALLED THE SERVICE MANAGER OF THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE. HE WAS FAMILIAR WITH THE PROBLEM AND STATED THAT THE PANEL WILL NEED TO BE REPLACED. SINCE THERE IS NO RECALL ISSUED, THERE WAS NOTHING HE COULD DO. I THEN CALLED FORD CUSTOMER SERVICE AND SPOKE TO A PERSON WHO TOLD ME THAT FORD COULD NOT PROVIDE ASSISTANCE SINCE MY VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. SINCE THIS IS AN OBVIOUS DEFECT IN THE PRODUCT, I BELIEVE THAT FORD SHOULD ISSUE A RECALL AND COVER THE REPAIR COST. FORD SHOULD STAND BEHIND THE QUALITY OF ITS VEHICLES AND IF THERE IS A PROBLEM, THEN IT SHOULD PROVIDE THE CUSTOMER WITH A SATISFACTORY REMEDY. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER. THE VEHICLE HAS TOYO OPEN COUNTRY AT TIRES, SIZE P22570R15 (NA). THE TIRES WERE PURCHASED BRAND NEW IN MAY OF 2007 FROM JENSEN TIRE COMPANY WHILE DRIVING 15 MPH. AT 36,000 MILES, THE REAR PASSENGER TIRE BLEW OUT IN JUNE OF 2008. THE REPAIR SHOP STATED THAT THE TIRE WAS WORN DOWN TO THE STEEL. THE TIRE COMPANY FROM WHERE THE TIRE WAS PURCHASED IS PROVIDING REIMBURSEMENT FOR THE FAILED TIRE. THE REMAINING TIRES WERE INSPECTED BY OTHER SHOPS AND EACH SHOP RECOMMENDED THAT THE REST OF THE TIRES BE REPLACED. TOYO STATED THAT THE TIRES NEEDED AN ALIGNMENT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AN ALIGNMENT HAD JUST BEEN PERFORMED; HOWEVER, THE MANUFACTURER ADVISED HER TO HAVE ANOTHER ONE. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS AT THE SHOP, THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THE BALL JOINTS WERE DEFECTIVE DUE TO THE DAMAGE CAUSED BY THE TIRES AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE BALL JOINTS HAVE NOT BEEN REPLACED AND THE MANUFACTURER IS REFUSING RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE REPAIRS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 34,200 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 123,402.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER. WHILE DRIVING 10 MPH, THE FRONT END OF THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE WAS STRUCK BY ANOTHER VEHICLE TRAVELING 70 MPH. NONE OF THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN DIAGNOSED BY THE DEALER. THE CONTACT DID NOT NOTICE ANY DIFFERENCES BEFOREHAND. A POLICE REPORT AND PICTURES ARE AVAILABLE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 101,200.

I BOUGHT THIS MOUNTAINEER IN EARLY 2007 WITH 62,000 MILES ON IT. FROM THE START IT SHIFTED VERY ROUGH. IT HAS PROGRESSIVELY WORSENED UNTIL THIS WEEK WHEN MY WIFE WAS DRIVING IT WOULD NOT SHIFT OUT OF SECOND GEAR AT ALL AND WAS NEARLY BROADSIDED WITH FOUR CHILDREN IN THE VEHICLE BECAUSE SHE COULD NOT MOVE. TOOK IT TO A REPAIR SHOP AND WAS INFORMED THAT I NEEDED TO HAVE THE TRANSMISSION FIXED. FROM OTHER COMMENTS I HAVE READ THIS SEEMS TO BE A FAIRLY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS VEHICLE. ALSO HAD TO HAVE THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL REPLACED AT AROUND 75,000 MILES WHICH SEEMS FAIRLY RIDICULOUS, AND A BEARING HAS GONE OUT TWICE ON THE SAME WHEEL. THIS VEHICLE DOESN'T SEEM TO BE BUILT TO LAST. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER. WHEN THE CONTACT OPENED THE LIFTGATE, THE GLASS SHATTERED ON HER HAND. THE BRACKETS CAUSED THE LIFT CYLINDERS TO DETACH FROM THE GLASS AND SHATTER. PRIOR TO THE FAILURE, THE CONTACT HEARD A RATTLING SOUND. THE VEHICLE WAS PREVIOUSLY REPAIRED ACCORDING TO FORD RECALL NUMBER 04S20 AND NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 01I010000 (VISIBILITY:GLASS, SIDE/REAR). THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN BECAUSE THE INSTRUMENT PANEL CONSTANTLY DISPLAYS AN ERROR MESSAGE STATING THAT THE REAR LIFTGATE IS AJAR DUE TO THE FAILURE.

I WENT TO SHIFT MY CAR INTO REVERSE AND THE STICK SHIFT LOCATED NEXT TO STEERING WHEEL CAME OFF IN MY HAND, WENT TO DEALER AND THE PART WAS $800.00 FOR THE WHOLE STEERING COLUMN, THE PART THAT BROKE WAS A SMALL PIECE HOLDING THE STICK, BUT DEALER SAID IT HAD TO REPLACE ALL OF IT. SINCE I COULD NOT AFFORD THAT AMOUNT I SEARCHED FOR A USED PART AND EVERYONE SAID IT WAS VERY COMMON ON THESE CARS AND I FINALLY FOUND ONE FOR $200.00 BUT HAVE NOT HAD IT INSTALLED DUE TO COSTS. AND TO ADD TO MY PROBLEMS I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AND THE OD LIGHT STARTS TO FLICKER AND AFTER NUMEROUS CALLS AND RESEARCHING THE PROBLEM WAS TOLD THAT IT IS THE TRANSMISSION AND WOULD PROBABLY NEED TO REPAIR/REPLACE AND THAT IT IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THESE CARS. *TR

ADD TO YOUR LIST OF COMPLAINTS OF SPARK PLUG EJECTION FROM THE ALUMINUM HEAD. THIS IS A FORD MOTOR COMPANY DESIGN FLAW THAT THEY REFUSE TO RESOLVE. TOTAL PARTS AND LABOR TO FIX = $3,372.50. *TR