1997 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER Complaints

WHILE DRIVING, THE TRANSMISSION SLIPPED. THE RPM STARTED RACING AT A HIGH RATE. THE CONSUMER RESTARTED THE VEHICLE. PLEASE PROVIDE MORE INFORMATION. *JB

I CURRENTLY OWN A 1997 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER. MY WIFE PURCHASED THIS MOUNTAINEER IN EARLY 1998, AND UP UNTIL NOW WE HAVE BEEN VERY HAPPY WITH ITS PERFORMANCE. *AK RECENTLY, I WAS CHARGING THE BATTERY OVERNIGHT. I LEFT FOR WORK AND INSTRUCTED MY WIFE ON DISCONNECTING THE CHARGER BEFORE SHE USED THE CAR. MY WIFE DISCONNECTED THE CHARGER AND CLOSED THE HOOD ON THE VEHICLE AND TOOK IT OUT TO RUN ERRANDS. UNFORTUNATELY, WHEN SHE CLOSED THE HOOD, IT DID NOT LATCH COMPLETELY. HOWEVER, IN THIS CASE I WOULD EXPECT THE SECONDARY, SAFETY LATCH TO HOLD THE HOOD CLOSED UNTIL THE VIBRATING HOOD WAS NOTICED AND THE HOOD CLOSED PROPERLY. THIS DID NOT HAPPEN. TURNING OUT OF OUR SUBDIVISION, AND AT A RELATIVELY LOW RATE OF SPEED (30 MPH), THE HOOD RELEASED AND JAMMED INTO THE UP POSITION. NOT ONLY DID THIS CREATE A SAFETY HAZARD SINCE THE HOOD, IN THE UP POSITION, OFFERS NO VISUAL GAP WITH WHICH THE DRIVER CAN MAINTAIN A REASONABLE VIEW OF THE ROADWAY IN ORDER TO PILOT THE VEHICLE TO A SAFE LOCATION, BUT IT ALSO BENT THE HINGES ON WHICH THE HOOD IS MOUNTED. WHEN I INSPECTED THE VEHICLE, I FOUND THAT THE SPRING THAT HOLDS THE SAFETY LATCH IN ITS TEMPORARY LOCKED POSITION HAD BROKEN. GLADLY, THIS HAPPENED IN A LOW TRAFFIC VOLUME LOCAL ROADWAY AND MY WIFE WAS ABLE TO GUIDE THE VEHICLE TO A SAFE LOCATION, EVENTUALLY CREEPING BACK TO OUR HOUSE AFTER SHE HAD FORCED THE HOOD DOWN. HAD THIS HAPPENED ON A HIGH VOLUME STREET, CHANCES ARE THAT HER AND MY ONE-YEAR-OLD SON WOULD HAVE BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT. WE HAVE DILIGENTLY FOLLOWED THE MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE FOR THE VEHICLE, AND THE SECONDARY, SAFETY LATCH GAVE NO INDICATION OF BEING BROKEN UNTIL IT FAILED. IT APPEARS THAT WE WILL HAVE TO HAVE THE HOOD AND ITS MOUNTING HINGES REPLACED.

WHEN ATTEMPING TO MOVE CONSUMER'S SIDE SEAT FORWARD RECLINER COLLAPSED INTO THE REAR SEAT. CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, AND MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT THE SEAT BOLT FAILED. *AK

I HAVE OWNED MY 1997 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER SINCE 1998. WITHIN A YEAR AFTER PURCHASE ONE OF THE REAR DOOR MECHANISMS BROKE. SINCE IT IS RARE FOR ANYONE TO RIDE IN THE BACK SEAT, I DIDN'T BOTHER FIXING IT. THIS PAST WEEKEND THE OTHER SIDE BROKE. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR A REAR PASSENGER TO EXIT THE VEHICLE IN AN EMERGENCY WITHOUT SOMEONE OPENING THE DOORS FROM OUTSIDE. I NOTICED THIS SAME COMPLAINT HAS BEEN FILED IN YOUR DATABASE BY NUMEROUS CUSTOMERS. I PHONED FORD/MERCURY AT THEIR TOLL FREE NUMBER AND WAS TOLD THERE WAS NO FACTORY RECALL ON THIS ISSUE. I PHONED MY LOCAL DEALER AND WAS TOLD THIS WAS A REOCCURING PROBLEM WITH MY MODEL VEHICLE AND THAT FORD HAD MADE DESIGN CHANGES TO SUBSEQUENT MODEL YEARS BUT HAD REFUSED TO RECALL THE EARLIER MODELS. THIS IS A DANGER TO ANYONE RIDING IN THE BACK SEAT OF THESE VEHICLES, AS THE DOOR BREAKS WITHOUT WARNING. WHEN YOU TRY TO EXIT YOU JUST CAN'T. ONCE AGAIN, FORD HAS RECEIVED NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS AND HAS REFUSED TO ACT IN THE WELFARE OF ITS CUSTOMERS.*AK

THE TAILGATE OF MY 1997 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER FELL OFF IN JULY 2001 DUE TO RUST AND / OR METAL FATIGUE AND / OR AN ENGINEERING DEFECT? IT WAS REPLACED ON 7/30/01 AND THE METAL IS NOW CRACKING AGAIN. FORD MOTOR COMPANY DOES NOT SEEM INTERESTED! *LA

WHILE COMPLETELY STOPPED, THE ENGINE ROARED AND THE VEHICLE LUNGED INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC HITTING ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE DEALER REPAIRED THE DAMAGES TO THE VEHICLE BUT WAS NOT ABLE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. *NM

TIRE TREAD SEPARATED FROM THE SIDEWALL. THE CONSUMER HAD FOUR TIRES INSTALLED ON THE SUV AND WHEN THEY REACHED 1/2 OF TREAD, THE TWO FRONT TIRES EXPERIENCED SIDEWALL SEPARATION. *PH *JB

THROTTLE STICKS WHILE IN CRUISE CONTROL. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER , WHO FIXED THE IEG VALVE. VEHICLE IS STILL EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM. *AK

THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED UNEXPECTED ACCELERATION. THE ONLY WAY TO STOP THE VEHICLE WAS TO SHIFT INTO NEUTRAL OR PARK. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. DEALER COULD NOT DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. THIS HAS OCCURRED FIVE TIMES. *AK

HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE FRONT STABILIZER BARS ON MY 1997 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER. I HAVE REPLACE THEM 4 TIMES AND WITHIN 6 TO 8 WEEKS THEY BREAK AGAIN. FORD HAD A RECALL AND FIXED THEM THE FIRST TIME AND EVER SINCE THEN I HAVE HAD TROUBLE KEEPING THEM FROM BREAKING. WITHOUT THEM THE TRUCK BOUNCES ALOT AND HARD TO HOLD ON THE ROAD.