1998 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER Complaints

WHILE THE CHILD WAS IN THE BOOSTER SEAT, THE SEAT BELT WAS TOO TIGHT. WHEN THE CONSUMER TRIED TO LOOSEN THE BELT, IT BECAME SO TIGHT, THE CONSUMER HAD TO CUT THE SEAT BELT IN ORDER TO GET THE CHILD OUT. *AK *JB

ELECTRONIC CONTROLS OPERATED BY THE GENERIC CONTROL MODULE (WIPERS, REAR DEFROSTER, POWER WINDOWS ETC.) HAVE LOCKED UP. THROTTLE STICKS AFTER FULL STOP AND USE OF CRUISE CONTROL AND NEEDS EXCESSIVE FORCE TO MOVE FORWARD. EXISTING RECALLS SHOULD COVER THESE REPAIRS, AS WELL AS TWO OTHER RECALLS FOR THE CORROSIVE HOOD LATCH, AND SPEED CONTROL WHERE THE THROTTLE COULD ICE UP IN PROLONGED COLD WEATHER. I WENT IN ARMED WITH DOCUMENTATION AND THE RECALL INFORMATION FROM THE WEBSITE BUT THE SAYVILLE FORD DEALERSHIP IN SAYVILLE, NY, REFUSED TO SERVICE THEM, STATING THEY WERE "CAMPAIGNS" NOT ACTUAL RECALLS. IF YOUR VEHICLE DOESN'T COME UP FOR SERVICE ON THEIR COMPUTER, THEY DO NOT ACKNOWLEDGE THE LEGAL RECALLS AND WON'T DO THE REPAIRS. RECALL #'S: 00V072000, 99V062001, 99V164000, 97V074000.*AK

1998 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER. AUTOMATIC DOOR LOCKS WILL NOT UNLOCK. THIS ALSO CAUSES A PROBLEM WHEN TRYING TO UNLOCK THE VEHICLE WITH THE KEY(WON'T UNLOCK).HE HANDLES BRAKE WHEN TRYING TO GET OUT OF CAR. I WAS STUCK IN MY CAR AT THE POST OFFICE TODAY AND HAD TO CLIMB OUT OF THE WINDOW TO GET OUT. THANK GOD THIS WAS NOT AN EMERGENCY SITUATION AND KIDS WERE NOT WITH ME.*AK

1998 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER TRANSMISSION REPAIRS. *MR THERE WAS NO THIRD GEAR AND THE TRANSMISSION HAD TO BE REPLACED. ENGINE LIGHT STAYED ON AND THE EGR SENSOR HAD TO BE REPLACED. *TT *JB

WHILE DRIVING, THE (3RD) GEAR WENT OUT. THE TRANSMISSION WAS CHECKED AND PIECES OF THE GEAR WAS FOUND. THE TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED AT AN INDEPENDENT TRANSMISSION MECHANIC (NORTHEASTERN TRANSMISSION). THE PARTS WERE TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP, HOWEVER THEY REFUSED TO INSPECTED THE PARTS. THE CONSUMER THEN CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER, BUT THEY WERE NOT WILLING TO ASSIST. (NORTHERN OHIO AUTOMOTIVE, 7513 TYLER BLVD; MENTOR OH 44060, 440 942 2524 *JB

WHILE TURNING RIGHT THROUGH A CLOVERLEAF INTERSTATE ENTRANCE RAMP AT APPROXIMATELY 35-40 MPH I ATTEMPTED TO ACCELERATE AND MERGE WITH ON-COMING TRAFFIC. THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL POPPED AND WENT UNDER THE BRAKE PEDAL. I WAS ABLE TO PULL TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND VISUALLY VERIFIED THAT THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL BRACKET HAD BROKEN. THIS IS THE METAL BRACKET THAT WAS SPOT WELDED TO THE COWL PANEL/("FIREWALL"). THIS LEFT 3 HOLES IN THE COWL PANEL, EACH BEING APPROXIMATELY 7/32" IN DIAMETER. I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE HOME BY PULLING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL TOWARDS ME UNTIL I WAS ABOVE 30 MPH, THEN I CONTROLLED THE SPEED USING THE CRUISE CONTROL. I WAS OUT OF MY HOME STATE WHEN THIS OCCURED, AND BECAUSE OF MY LOCATION AT THE TIME OF FAILURE I WAS FORCED TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE IN THIS CONDITION FOR 3 HOURS. BOTH MY WIFE AND I HAD EXTREME HEADACHES THE REMAINDER OF THE NIGHT AND MY 2 YR OLD DAUGHTER SCREAMED MOST OF THE TRIP AFTER THAT OCCURENCE. THIS POSSIBLY COULD HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING DUE TO THE 3 HOLES LEFT IN THE COWL PANEL WHICH ARE DIRECTLY NEXT TO THE LH CYLINDER HEAD OF THE ENGINE. WE ALL FELT FINE THIS MORNING. I AM AN ASE CERTIFIED MASTER TECHNICIAN SO I WILL LIKELY REPAIR THIS MYSELF USING SCREWS AND LOCTITE.

MY DISPLAY LIGHTS ON MY RADIO STARTED DIMMING IN AND OUT. NOW THEY ARE COMPLETELY GONE. I TOOK IT TO MY LOCAL FORD DEALER AND THEY TOLD ME THAT IT WOULD COST AT LEAST $350 FOR THEM TO SEND IT OFF AND HAVE IT REPAIRED. THERE ARE SEVERAL OTHER SAME VEHICLES WHO HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. *NLM

THE VEHICLES BRAKE LIGHTS STAY ON. CONSUMER STATES SOMETIMES ALL THE LIGHTS WILL ILLUMINATE. CONSUMER FEELS THERE IS AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION. TS

WHEN WE TOOK OUR VEHICLE IN FOR THE BRAKES TO BE CHECKED, THE ROTORS WERE SO BADLY DAMAGED FROM THE METAL PEELING THAT THEY HAD TO BE REPLACED. THE MECHANIC TOLD US THAT FOR A VEHICLE WITH THE AMOUNT OF MILES THAT OURS HAD ON IT THAT THIS SHOULD NEVER HAVE HAPPENED UNLESS THE PARTS WERE DEFECTIVE. HE TOLD US TO CHECK FOR A RECALL ON THIS PART.*AK

WHILE DRIVING 55-60 MPH AND WITHOUT WARNING, RIGHT REAR TIRE BEGAN TO MAKE A FLAPPING NOISE, TREAD SEPARATED AND SIDEWALL BURSTED. *AK FIRESTONE WILDERNESS HT TIRES, NO OTHER TIRE INFORMATION GIVEN, *SLC