1998 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER Complaints

WHILE DRIVING ON ROUTE 34, NEAR TIDEWATER, OREGON, REAR TIRE DISINTEGRATED AND WE WERE ABLE TO GUIDE THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. LUCKILY NO-ONE WAS COMING IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION AT THE TIME. WE WERE ABLE TO SECURE ASSISTANCE FROM A NEARBY RESIDENT WHO CALLED TOW TRUCK FROM WALDPORT, OREGON. TIRE WAS IN SHREDS, AND SMOKING WHEN WE STOPPED.( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: P235/75R15 )

COMPLETE TREAD SEPARATION OF 1 REAR TIRE AT FREEWAY SPEEDS.( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: 23575R15 )

WE WERE GOING FROM HOUSTON TO MARYLAND. IN NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS, THE TRUCK BEGAN TO VIBRATE VIOLENTLY, BEFORE WE COULD PULL IT OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, THE TIRE BLEW OFF THE TRUCK, AND MY WIFE AND MYSELF FOUND OURSELVES WRAPPED AROUND A TREE. WE HAD OUR TWO DOGS AND TWO CATS WITH US, IN THEIR CRATES IN THE BACK OF THE TRUCK. WE LOST ONE CAT, AND OUR GERMAN SHEPHERD HAD HIS SPINAL CORD CRUSHED, AND SUBSEQUENTLY HAD TO BE PUT TO SLEEP. NOW WE HEAR THAT FORD KNEW ABOUT THIS PROBLEM, AND IT HAS BEEN HAPPENING TO MORE PEOPLE. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND HOW THEY COULD BE SO NEGLEGENT. WE WOULD HAVE BEEN ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE FATALITIES HAD WE NOT HIT THAT TREE EXACTLY WHERE WE DID. WE ARE CONSIDERING FILING SUIT, AND WOULD APPRECIATE ANY ADVICE. THANKYOU. WHEN YOU CALL US, WE CAN PROVIDE THE VIN NUMBER, I JUST DID NOT HAVE IT RIGHT NOW. *AK( DOT NUMBER: )

ON TWO OCCASIONS ACCELERATOR CABLE SNAPPED, CAUSING VEHICLE TO BE WITHOUT POWER FIRST OCCURRENCE WAS IN TRAFFIC, AND SECOND OCCURRENCE ON A DARK ROAD. BELIEVED BOTH INCIDENTS WERE DUE TO FAULTY PARTS. DEALER NOTIFIED, AND REPAIRS WERE BEING MADE AGAIN. *AK

WHEN APPLYING BRAKES VEHICLE CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE, CAUSING VEHICLE TO CRASH INTO A CONCRETE WALL, CAUSE UNKNOWN. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS.*AK

WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY WITH CRUISE CONTROL ON, HAD TO SLOW DOWN, APPLIED BRAKES, BUT IT DIDN'T TURN OFF THE CRUISE CONTROL. KEPT APPLYING BRAKES, AND CRUISE CONTROL FINALLY TURNED OFF. HAD VEHICLE SERVICED FOR HOOD LATCH RECALL, AND LET THEM KNOW ABOUT CRUISE CONTROL PROBLEM. HOWEVER, WAS NOT ABLE TO FIX IT BECAUSE THEY HAD TO ORDER A CARBURETOR KIT. *AK

WHILE DRIVING CONSUMER LOST CONTROL AND RAN INTO DITCH. DRIVER TRIED TO ACCELERATE TO GET OUT OF THE DITCH, AND WHEN STEPPED ON GAS PEDAL, VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED, CAUSING DRIVER TO CRASH INTO A LOW WALL. DRIVER SUFFERED CHEST/HEAD, AND NECK INJURIES. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. *AK *ML

MAY 5,1998 CAR DIED WHEN IT WAS GOING UP AN INCLINE GETTING ON THE FREEWAY. JUNE 3,1998 THE DOOR LOCKS WOULD NOT WORK,PLUS THE STEREO WHEN WE STOPPED LET OUT A HIGH PITCHED NOISE AND THEN STOPPED WORKING ABOUT AN HOUR LATER IT WAS OK AGAIN. LATER THAT EVENING THE CAR TRIED TO DIE AGAIN THE LIGHTS WENT DIM. JUNE 9,1998 WE WERE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AND THE LIGHTS ON THE DASH (50 THRU 80MPH)WENT OUT. JUNE 19,1998 PROBLEMS AGAIN CAR NOT WANTING TO START ALL THE TIME-DEALERSHIP INSTALLED FLIGHT DATA RECORDER UNTIL JUNE 26,1998 WHEN STEREO STARTED AGAIN AND DATA RECORDER WENT OUT. JULY 14,1999 CAR MAKING LOUD NOISE BROUGHT BACK TO DEALERSHIP THEY HAD TO REPLACE ALTENATOR/TENSIIONER/BELT. JULY 26,1999 CAR OVERHEATS AFTER DRIVING LESS THAN A MILE AWAY TOWED TO DEALERSHIP THEY REPLACE THERMOSTAT/THERMOSTAT HOUSING/GASKET . PICK CAR UP ON JULY 29,1999 FROM DEALERSHIP DRIVE 3.3 MILES FROM DEALERSHIP AND THE CAR CATCHES ON FIRE ON DRIVERS SIDE UNDER AROUND WERE THE FUSES ARE. CAR GETS REPAIRED THEN ON SEPT.22,1999 HAD TO BRING BACK AFTER DRIVING CAR THE HEADLIGHTS START TO FLASH ON & OFF. WELL ARE REARVEIW MIRROR HAS THE AUTO DIMING HEADLIGHTS THAT HAVE NOT WORKED FOR A WHILE NOW BUT I AM TIRED OF MESSING WITH THIS LEMON. OH BEFORE THE FIRE SOMETIMES WHEN YOU PUT THE TURN SIGNAL ON IT WOULD BUZZ. THIS IS THE PROBLEMS WE BROUGHT TO THE DEALERSHIP. MANY TIMES THE LIGHTS DIMMED BUT IT WOULD BE OK AFTER A LITTLE WHILE. *AK

WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED PEDAL BECAME HARD, RESULTING IN EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE. DEALER HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO DUPLICATE OR CORRECT THE PROBLEM. *AK *ML

AFTER DRIVING 20 MIN.ON I-75 AT 65MPH THE CAR WAS PARKED IN A LOT OF A SHOPPING MALL. 1 MINUTE LATER, THE CAR MADE A LOUD HISSING NOISE FOR 5-10 SECONDS AND THERE WAS A LOUD EXPLOSION FROM THE ENGINE AND A FIRE THAT WAS FLAMING UNDER THE HOOD,THE SIDE FENDERS,& THE RADIATOR GRILL. THE FIRE MELTED ALUMINUM AND PLASTIC ENGINE COMPONENTS SO FAST ALONG WITH THE INTERIOR OF THE CAR AND THE WINDSHIELD. THIS WAS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS FIRE I BELIEVE CAUSED BY DEFECT OF MANUFACTURER. IF THIS FIRE WAS ON THE HIGHWAY AT 70 MPH.THE FIRE WOULD BE A TORCH AND FUMES,HEAT,AND FIRE WOULD HAVE ENTERED THE INTERIOR MAKING DRIVING IMPOSSIBLE. THE INTENSITY OF THE FIRE WOULD HAVE DESTROYED THE BRAKE SYSTEM AND THE POWER STEERING SYSTEM,LEAVING THE CAR WITH NO BRAKING AND STEERING TO STOP AND PULL OVER. I CONTACTED FORD TO SEE IF THEY KNEW ABOUT PROBLEMS WITH MOUNTAINEERS.THE RECEPTIONIST CLAIMED THAT FORD ENTERED MY CASE IN THEIR DATABASE AS A COLLISION THAT CAUGHT FIRE WHICH IS FALSE AND A COVER UP. AFTER ASKING THEM TO CLEAR UP THE ENTRY IN THEIR COMPUTER SYSTEM THEY INVESTIGATED THE CAR CLAIMING IN WRITING THEY HAVE NO CONLUSION ON WHAT CAUSED THE FIRE. I CONTINUE TO BELIEVE MY VEHICLE CONTAINED MANUFACTURING DEFECT AND THAT FORD IS AVOIDING INVESTIGATIVE CONCLUSIONS DUE TO FEAR OF RECALL. I WANT FORD TO INVESTIGATE ALL ACCIDENT,DEATH & FIRE CASES NATIONWIDE DUE TO EXPLORERS & MOUNTAINEERS TO FIND OUT WHAT THE PROBLEM IS THAT WOULD CAUSES FIRE. I WANT FORD TO REFUND THE COST OF THE VEHICLE PLUS EXPENSES. I NOW RECALL SMELLING GAS FROM BEHIND THE CAR TWICE IN MID FEB.1999. *AK