2004 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER Complaints

I HAVE HAD REPEATED PROBLEMS WITH THE TRANSMISSION I.E. A NOTICEABLE CLUNK WHEN THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTS FROM OVERDRIVE TO LOW UPON APPROACHING A STOP SIGN. ADDITIONALLY, WHEN BACKING AND SHIFTING TO FORWARD THE TRANSMISSION HESITATES AND SLIPS BEFORE GOING INTO FORWARD DRIVE. THIS CAUSES SOME ANXIETY WHEN YOU HAVE TO BACK FROM A COMMERCIAL BUSINESS INTO A BUSY TRAFFIC WAY AND THE TRANSMISSION SLIPS LEAVING YOU NOT KNOWING IF YOUR GOING TO BE ABLE TO AVOID APPROACHING TRAFFIC FROM THE REAR. I HAVE REPORTED THE PROBLEM TO COLORADO RIVER FORD IN ON AT LEAST TWO DIFFERENT OCCASIONS AND HAVE HAD THE TRANSMISSION FLUID REPLACED IN ACCORDANCE WITH MERCURY'S RECALL. HOWEVER, THE PROBLEM CONTINUES. SUBSEQUENTLY,I HAVE CHANGED TO BRADLY FORD FOR REPAIRS. ON ONE OCCASION IMMEDIATELY AFTER A RAIN STORM AND WHILE TRAVERSING A HIGHWAY WASH, I SLOWED THE VEHICLE AND STRADDLED THE CENTER LINE (NO TRAFFIC) TO AVOID ANY STANDING WATER. ADMITTEDLY, THERE WAS MUD RESIDUE ON THE FAR SIDE OF THE WASH. REGARDLESS, AS I EXITED THE WASH AND ACCELERATED THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTED FROM OVERDRIVE TO LOW GEAR CAUSING THE REAR WHEELS TO SPIN AND I WENT INTO A BROAD SIDE SKID TO THE RIGHT AND BACK TO THE LEFT AND TO THE RIGHT AGAIN, ALL OF WHICH WAS AS CLOSE TO A NEAR ACCIDENT AS I WANT TO EXPERIENCE. AS A RETIRED ARIZONA HIGHWAY PATROLMAN I WILL ADMIT THAT MY SPEED WAS TOO FAST FOR THE CONDITIONS (ESTIMATED SPEED 30 TO 40 MPH). HOWEVER, I AM ALSO OF THE OPINION THAT THE SHIFTING PATTERN OF THE VEHICLE ADDED TO THE MOMENTARY LOSS OF CONTROL. REGARDLESS, AT THIS POINT THE VEHICLE REGISTERS 35,500 MILES AND BRADLY FORD IN LAKE HAVASU CITY IS GOING TO ATTEMPT TO RECTIFY THE PROBLEM. THEY WILL BE TEARING DOWN THE TRANSMISSION FOR EXAMINATION. THIS IS AFTER THEY HAVE ALREADY REPLACED A PRESSURE SOLENOID AND THE PROBLEM STILL CONTINUES. I DO NOT BELIEVE THE REPAIR WILL RELIEVE THE PROBLEM AND WILL RESULT IN MY TAKING A FINANCIAL LOSS WHEN I TRADE THE VEHICLE IN. *NM

MY 2004 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER SHIFTS ROUGH, LUNGING FORWARD WITH A HARD SHIFT, AND SOMETIMES DRAGGING. ALSO, WHEN SHIFTING FROM PARK TO REVERSE EXPERIENCE A VERY HARD CLUNK FOLLOWED BY A THRUST BACKWARDS. *NM

VEHICLE JERKS INTO REVERSE. VEHICLE WAS PLACED IN SHOP TO HAVE ADDITIVE PLACED IN TRANSMISSION FLUID TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. THE PROBLEM HAS NOT ABATED. THE TRANSMISSION IS ALSO VERY LOOSE. AFTER BEING PLACED IN PARK IT LUNGES 3 TO 4 INCHES IN THE DIRECTION OF THE SLOPE IT IS PARKED ON. *JB

DT:THE CONSUMER STATED DURING BRAKING THE VEHICLE STALLS. WHEN THE CVONSUMER WENT TO RESTART AND PUT IT IN DRIVE IT STALLED AGAIN. TOOK VEHICLE TO THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT 3 TIMES. THE SECOND TIME THEY REPLACED THE FUEL PUMP, THE FIRST TIME THEY UPDATED THE ENGINE CONTROLLER SOFTWARE.*AK FOR THE 4TH TIME TOTAL LOSS OF VEHICLE POWER WHEN BRAKING FROM 55 MPH. DEALER REPLACED MAF SENSOR. DRIVER REAR DOOR MOLDING CATCHING FRONT DOOR MOLDING AT TIMES WHEN OPENING. *TT

I FLIPPED IN MY 2004 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER AND HUNG UPSIDE DOWN FOR AN HOUR TILL SOMEONE CAME BY BECAUSE MY SEAT BELT WOULD NOT RELEASE. THE EMT'S COULD NOT EVEN GET IT TO RELEASE SO THEY HAD TO CUT IT OFF OF ME. I THE THING RELEASED I COULD HAVE CRAWLED OUT THE WINDOW AND WOULD NOT HAVE HAD TO HAVE $12,000.00 DAMAGE TO MY CAR BECAUSE THEY WOULD NOT LET ME CRAWL OUT AND HAD TO USE THE JAWS OF LIFE TO GET ME AND THE BOARD OUT. I WAS TOLD THAT THIS IS HOW THEY ARE DESIGNED AND I FEEL THIS IS NOT A GOOD THING. HAD I LANDED IN WATER OR CAUGHT ON FIRE I WOULD HAVE BEEN DEAD BEFORE I WAS FOUND. *NM

I PURCHASED A 2004 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER V6 IN APRIL, 2004. I IMMEDIATELY STARTED TO NOTICE A HARSH JERK WHEN PUTTING THE CAR IN REVERSE AND SOMETIMES WHILE DRIVING FORWARD. IT SOMETIMES FELT LIKE DRIVING A 5-SPEED VEHICLE. IN LATE SEPTEMBER, 04 WHILE BACKING OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY, ME AND MY 13 YR OLD DAUGHTER EXPERIENCED A VERY HARSH JERK AS IF SOMEONE HAD SLAMMED IN THE BACK OF THE CAR. WE WERE BOTH SHAKEN. I STARTED TO EXPERIENCE NECK PROBLEMS. I MADE MY FIRST DR. APPT. IN EARLY TO MID OCTOBER 2004 AND WAS TOLD THAT MY VERTABRE WAS OUT OF PLACE. WHEN THE RECALL NOTICE CAME IN FEBRUARY 2005 (I BELIEVE) TO ME, I TOOK MY CAR TO BE REPAIRED AND I WAS TOLD THAT IT WOULD TAKE AT LEAST 4 HOURS TO FIX. IT ACTUALLY TOOK THE DEALSHIP 3 DAYS TO FIX IT. THE AUTO TECHNICIAN TOLD ME THAT MY CAR WAS WORSE OFF THAN OTHERS THAT HE'D SEEN BEFORE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM AND ADDITONAL PARTS HAD TO BE ORDERED. MY CAR IS WORKING OKAY NOW THAT IT HAS BEEN FIXED. ON THE OTHER HAND, I HAVE BEEN TO THE DOCTOR SEVERAL TIMES WITH THIS NECK INJURY. I HAVE HAD X-RAYS, MRI AND ULTRA SOUND COMPLETED. THE JERKING OF MY VEHICLE HAS CAUSED INJURY TO THE #2 VERTABRE IN MY NECK. I EXPERIENCE HEAD ACHES, SEVERE NECK PAIN, AND SHOULDER AND BACK PAIN. I HAVE BEEN TO PHYSICAL THERAPY- RECOMMENDED BY MY DOCTOR AND TO THE CHIROPRACTOR. I HAVE A VERY HARD TIME SLEEPING AND WORKING DUE TO THIS PAIN. I CALLED FORD MOTOR COMPANY TO ALARM THEM OF MY INJURY DUE TO THE DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSION IN THE VEHICLE THAT THEY MANUFACTURED. THE INDIVIDUAL THAT I SPOKE WITH WAS VERY RUDE, NON- CARING OF MY INJURY AND SPOKE TO ME IN A NEGATIVE TONE. I WAS TOLD THAT THERE WERE NO MEDICAL PROVISIONS ON THIS PARTICULAR RECALL. TO THIS DAY, I AM STILL IN CONSTANT PAIN. I HAVE SUFFERED LONG ENOUGH AND I FEEL THAT IT IS TIME FOR FORD MOTOR COMPANY TO OWN UP TO THE RRESPONSIBILITY THAT THEIR DEFECTIVE VEHICLE HAS CAUSED AN INJURY.

WHILE DRIVING OUR 2004 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER, ALL OF THE SUDDEN IT WILL STALL AND A LIGHT WILL COME ON SHOWING "ENGINE FAIL SAFE MODE". THERE IS NO POWER AT ALL AND THE CAR NEEDS A FEW MINUTES BEFORE STARTING UP AGAIN. THIS HAS HAPPENED 3 TIMES NOW AND ALL IN TRAFFIC. WE HAVE HAD TO PRAY THAT WE WOULD NOT BE HIT OR WORSE YET, KILLED. WE HAVE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALERDHIP TWICE NOW (THE 1ST TIME THEY SAID IT WAS BAD GAS AND SENT US ON OUR WAY) AND ALL THEY CAN SAY THE LAST TWO TIMES IS "WE CAN'T DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM". THIS IS VERY UNSAFE AND WE ARE VERY AFRAID TO DRIVE THIS VEHICLE.

CONSUMER COMPLAINED ABOUT A BRAKE PROBLEM. WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES PEDAL SANK IN INTERMITTENTLY. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO DEALER FOR SERVICE, BUT DEALER COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *AK

WHILE SHIFTING INTO REVERSE TRANSMISSION HESITATED THREE TO FOUR MINUTES BEFORE ENGAGING. THEN, VEHICLE SHOOK. DRIVER DROVE VEHICLETO THE DEALER, AND MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *AK

WHILE DRIVING IN 20 MPH IN CONGESTED TRAFFIC THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED AND LUNGED FORWARD. OWNER HAD TO STEER THE VEHICLE OFF THE ROAD TO AVOID HITTING ANOTHER VEHICLE. OWNER SHIFTED TO PARK IN ORDER TO STOP VEHICLE. NO INJURIES OR ACCIDENT OCCURRED. *AK