2004 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER Complaints

THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR FAILED IN 2004 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER. CAR ABRUPTLY STOPPED ACCELERATING WHILE TRAVELING AND CAME TO A STOP. FORTUNATELY I WAS IN A NEAR-EMPTY PARKING LOT WHEN THIS OCCURRED. IT COULD HAVE BEEN A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION HAD THIS OCCURRED WHILE I WAS ON THE ROAD. AFTER THE CAR CAME TO A STOP, I WAS UNABLE TO MOVE IT FORWARD FOR MORE THAN ABOUT 100 YARDS. IT HAD TO BE TOWED. DEALER DETERMINED THAT LOSS OF ACCELERATION WAS DUE TO "TP OPEN INTERMITTENT." DEALER FIXED PROBLEM. *JB

TAILGATE HAS A "STRESS FRACTURE CRACK" BELOW THE WIPER ASSEMBLY AND TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 6" DOWN TO THE LOGO ON THE TAILGATE. THERE WAS NO IDENTIFIED REASON FOR CRACK TO OCCUR. VEHICLE TAKEN TO DEALERSHIP LOCAL SERVICE MANAGER INDICATED THAT THERE HAVE BEEN APPROXIMATELY 500 REPORTED INCIDENTS OF THIS TYPE HOWEVER FORD/MERCURY HAS NOT ISSUED A RECALL. RECOMMENDED BUYING A NEW TAILGATE FOR $500. THE CRACK INDICATES A MANUFACTURER'S DEFECT THAT COMPROMISES THE STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY OF THE TAILGATE ASSEMBLY. I'M CONCERNED ABOUT PUTTING PEOPLE IN THIRD ROW BENCH AND/OR THE CONSEQUENCES OF GETTING STRUCK FROM THE REAR WITH THE EXISTING TAILGATE.*JB

BRAKE PEDAL RUBBER COVER CAME OFF DURING BRAKING. FOOT SLIPPED TO ACCELERATOR CAUSING CAR TO LEARCH FORWARD HITTING REAR OF PARKED CAR AND CAUSING DAMAGE TO THAT CAR. *JB

WE PUT TWO NEW TIRES ON THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE IN JULY 2006 ON OUR 2004 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER AWD. IN DEC 2006 WE TOOK THE VEHICLE INTO THE DEALER SOUTH HILLS LINCOLN MERCURY FOR A TRANSMISSION PROBLEM AND STATE AND EMISSION INSPECTION. THE DEALER FIXED PROBLEM WITH TRANSMISSION, AND DID INSPECTIONS. THEN TWO WEEKS LATER,ON NEW YEARS EVE, WE BROKE DOWN. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO NEAREST FORD DEALER IN BEDFORD, PA. THE BEDFORD DEALER SAID DUE TO THE DIFFERENT "CIRCUMFERENCE" OF THE NEW TIRES ON THE FRONT AND THE OLDER TIRES IN THE REAR IT RUINED THE DIFFERENTIAL AND TRANSFER CASE ON THE HIGHWAY. OUR MANUAL STATES NOTHING ABOUT THIS ONLY SAYS TO PUT ON THE SAME STYLE AND TYPE OF TIRE WHICH WE DID. THEY SAID THE CIRCUMFERENCES OF THE TIRES CAN NOT BE MORE THAN 1/4" DIFFERENT. THE FACTORY REP SAYS IF WE WOULD HAVE TAKEN THE CAR TO THE DEALER FOR TIRES THEY WOULD HAVE TOLD US THIS. THEY ARE BLAMING THE TIRE DEALER FOR NOT KNOWING THIS TOLERANCE. THE TIRE DEALER SAYS 1/4" TOLERANCE IS RIDICULOUS. THE COST OF THE REPAIRS AND RENTAL CAR IS OVER $5000.00 SOUTH HILLS LINCOLN MERCURY IN PITTSBURGH WAS GOING TO HONOR THE WARRANTY SECRETLY FOR ME, BECAUSE THEY SYMPATHIZED WITH MY PROBLEM AND I THINK THE SERVICE MGR THERE KNOWS FORD HAS A BAD ENGINEERING DRIVETRAIN. HOWEVER BEDFORD FORD NOTIFIED THE FORD FACTORY REP AND NOW SOUTH HILLS MERCURY IS BACKING OUT OF HONORING WARRANTY. MY COMPLAINTS ARE: WHY DOESN'T THE MANUAL STATE ANYTHING ABOUT THE TIRE CIRCUMFERENCES? IS THIS REALLY THE CAUSE? 1/4" TOLERANCE IS WAY TO SMALL IN THE ENGINEERING OF THE DRIVETRAIN? - IF ONE TIRE GETS DAMAGED AFTER 10,000 MILES YOU HAVE TO REPLACE ALL FOUR TIRES I GUESS? WHY WAS ONE DEALER GOING TO HONOR WARRANTY AND THE OTHER NOT? WHY DIDN'T THE DEALER NOTICE THIS PROBLEM WHEN THEY INSPECTED THE CAR AND WORKED ON THE TRANSMISSION PROBLEM? PART OF THE INSPECTION PROCESS IS TO MEASURE TREAD DEPTH. IF THERE WAS A BIG DIFFERENCE SHOULDN'T THAT HAVE BEEN A RED FLAG. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE HINGES CAME LOSE ON THE BACK WINDOW. THE WINDOW WAS BEING HELD TOGETHER WITH DUCT TAPE. THE DEALERSHIP WAS MADE AWARE.

BOTH PROBLEMS HAPPEN WHEN BACKING UP. 2004 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER,UPON PUTTING IT IN REVERSE, WILL HESITATE AND THEN FLY BACKWARDS. THE RECALL SOLENOID WAS PUT IN AND THE PROBLEM STOPPED FOR ABOUT A YEAR. IT HAS STARTED UP AGAIN, INFREQUENTLY. JUST 1 WEEK AGO, UPON BACKING OUT OF THE GARAGE, THERE WAS A METAL ON METAL SCREECHING NOISE AND A BURNING SMELL. THE WHEELS, WHEEL WELLS AND UNDERCARRIAGE WERE CHECKED FOR FOREIGN OBJECTS, AND NONE WERE FOUND. I LEFT THE TRUCK OUTSIDE THAT NIGHT, AND THE NEXT DAY THE NOISE HAPPENED AGAIN AND NOW HAPPENED ONCE IN THIRD GEAR. THE SAME BURNING SMELL HAPPENED AGAIN. I PARKED THE TRUCK AND DIDN'T USE IT ALL THAT DAY. WHEN I WENT TO TAKE IT TO THE DEALER THE NEXT DAY, THE NOISE WAS GONE. THE DEALER WOULDN'T EVEN LOOK AT IT AS "IT WASN'T DOING IT AT THAT TIME". *NM

I PURCHASED MY 2004 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER IN OCT 2003. THE VEHICLE WAS MAKING A ROARING NOISE, ONCE TAKEN IN FORD REPLACED THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL AND REAR DRIVE SHAFT, ALSO COMPLAINED OF ROUGH SHIFTING OF TRANSMISSION AROUND 30-35 MPH CHANGING FROM 2ND TO 3RD GEAR. THE SOLENOID WAS REPLACED, ADDITIVE ADDED, MANY REPROGRAMS BUT AFTER 6 TRIPS TO DEALER STILL IS NOT CORRECTED. 18 MONTHS LATER ROARING NOISE APPEARED AGAIN AND SAME REAR DRIVE SHAFT WAS REPLACED. THE VEHICLE HAS LESS THAN 30,000 MILES. *JB

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: WHILE PREPARING TO BACK UP, BEFORE SHIFTING, VEHICLE JUMPED, AND THEN SUDDENLY ACCELERATED FORWARD, BRAKES WERE APPLIED BUT VEHICLE WOULDN'T STOP AND ENGINE WAS ROARING AS IF THE ACCELERATOR WAS STUCK. VEHICLE WENT AIRBORNE OVER AN EMBANKMENT, THROUGH A LAWN, HIT A ROCK/DEBRIS AREA, TIRE BLEW BEFORE HITTING CURVE, LANDED ON RIGHT RIM, WAS THEN ABLE TO PUT VEHICLE IN PARK. VEHICLE TOWED AWAY, DEALERSHIP CURRENTLY STATES NOTHING IS WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. HELP!! *JB

2004 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER PURCHASED NEW SEPT. 2004. TRANSFER CASE WAS LEAKING WHILE UNDER WARRANTY - ALL REAR SEALS REPLACED. STARTED LEAKING AGAIN AND VEHICLE WAS TAKEN IN FOR ROUTINE SERVICE @ 39,000 MILES. TOLD LARGE CHUNKS OF METAL IN TRANSMISSION PAN - TRANSMISSION NEEDS REPLACED. VEHICLE NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY AFTER 30,000 MILES; FORD AND DEALER AGREED TO "SHARE" SOME OF THE COST, $500 TO OWNER. BELIEVE LEAK IS RELATED TO TRANSMISSION PROBLEM THAT WAS NOT CHECKED DURING ORIGINAL COMPLAINT WHEN SEALS WERE REPLACED. *JB

REAR AXLE FAILURE AT 11,000 (SIDE BEARINGS) AND 48,000 MILES(BEARINGS AND REAR AXLE). DUE TO DESIGN MISTAKES, AND PROBABLY COST REDUCTION PROGRAMS, MUD CAN TRAP OPEN A BREATHER VALVE FOR THE REAR AXLE. THEN WATER GOES THROUGH THE VALVE AND INTO THE AXLE, AND DESTROYS THE SIDE BEARINGS,AND CLUTCH FLANGE,AND PINION. THE REPLACEMENT COST OF THESE ITEMS IS NEARLY$1,300. *JB