MERCURY Complaints

2ND MOUNTAINEER OWNED TRANSMISSION WILL NOT SHIFT IN LOW GEARS AND UNRESPONSIVE. STALLED IN TOWN AND ON HIGHWAY AT HIGH SPEEDS ALMOST CAUSING COLLISIONS SEVERAL TIMES AFTER BECOMING UNRESPONSIVE WHILE DRIVING.

I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY I SMELLED A WEIRD SMELL COMING FROM THE PASSENGER SIDE WHEN I TURNED TO LOOK TOWARDS THE DIRECTION OF THE PASSENGER SIDE FRONT DOOR IT WAS SMOKING SO I IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF HIGHWAY AS I WAS DOING SO THE PASSENGER FRONT DOOR CAUGHT FIRE. I FINISHED PULLING OVER TURNED THE CAR OFF GOT OUT AND PULLED MY FIRE EXTINGUISHER OUT TRUNK WENT TO THE BACK PASSENGER SIDE DOOR IN ORDER TO PUT THE FLAMES OUT IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE DOOR. TRULY UPSET AND SCARED ME. CAN'T UNDERSTAND WHY IT HAPPENED. I DID TAKE THE DOOR PANEL OFF WHAT'S I FIGURED IT SAFE TO AND TRY TO FIND WHERE AND HOW THE FIRE STARTED AND AS WELL TO MAKE SURE THE FIRE WAS COMPLETELY EXTINGUISHED. ALL I COULD SEE WAS SOME EXPOSED WIRES THAT WERE PARTIALLY COVERED IN BLUE TAPE. I WAS VERY LEARY TO DRIVE ON HOME BUT DID SO CAUTIOUSLY WITH WINDOWS DOWN. GRATEFUL I MADE IT HOME AND MY FAMILY WASN'T IN THE CAR. TOOK PICTURES THEY WILL BE ATTACHED.

REAR TAILGATE WINDOW HINGE BROKE WHILE HAVING THE WINDOW ONLY OPEN AND PUTTING AWAY GROCERIES. UPON CLOSING THE WINDOW, THE RIGHT HINGE BROKE CAUSING THE WINDOW TO ALMOST FALL OFF OF THE CAR. I ATTEMPTED, WITH ASSISTANCE FROM OTHERS IN THE PARKING LOT, TO PUSH THE WINDOW BACK INTO THE FRAME AND HAVE IT LOCK AT THE CENTER LATCH. THE LATCH IS NO LONGER ENGAGED AND I HAVE ATTEMPTED TO PUSH ON THE WINDOW TO CONNECT WITH THE LATCH. I AM NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO DO SO. THE WINDOW IS AT A POINT WHERE IT COULD FALL OFF OF MY CAR. THERE WAS A RECALL ON THIS PART FOR 2000-2003 VEHICLES OF THIS MAKE AND MODEL. FORD IS NOT CARRYING OVER THE RECALL TO 2004 STATING THE DEFECT IS NOT THE SAME (WITH THE DETAILS) AS THE RECALL ITSELF. IT IS STILL THE SAME DEFECTIVE PART! I AM OF SHORT STATURE AND DO NOT HAVE THE STRENGTH TO PUSH THE WINDOW THE 1" OR SO TO GET IT INTO THE FRAME TO LOCK SUCCESSFULLY. I HAVE CONTACTED MY LOCAL FORD DEALERSHIP FOR ADVICE BUT HAVE BEEN TOLD I WOULD NEED TO PAY OUT OF POCKET. I AM AT RISK OF HAVING THE WINDOW FALL OFF THE BACK OF MY CAR AND DO NOT CURRENTLY HAVE THE MONEY TO PAY FOR THIS REPAIR AT THIS TIME. THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL COMPLAINTS NOTED FOR THIS EQUIPMENT FAILURE ON THIS SITE FOR THE 2004 MOUNTAINEER. JUST NOT SURE WHAT TO DO NEXT. MY VEHICLE IS MY BREAD AND BUTTER IN ORDER TO WORK.

AUTOZONE- VALUCRAFT BRAND- BALL JOINTS PART NUMBER VFA2101 I RECENTLY HAD MY BALL JOINTS REPLACED AND I HAD A PREMATURE FAILURE OF THE BALL JOINT FASTENING HARDWARE WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE CITY ROAD IN A STRAIGHT LINE AT 45 MPH. IT CAUSED THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS OF DAMAGE AND IT ALSO ALMOST CAUSE ME GREAT INJURY. I SUSPECT AUTOZONE IS USING LOW GRADE NUTS CAUSE THE NUT THAT WAS ON THE BALL JOINT SHEARED OFF CAUSING ME TO BEND A CONTROL ARM, CRACK MY FRAME, BLOW A TIRE, ALL WHILE BARELY MISSING A TELEPHONE POLE. HAD I BEEN GOING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AT THE POSTED SPEED LIMIT I COULD HAVE FLIPPED MY CAR, GOT PULLED UNDER A SEMI, CROSS THE MEDIAN INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC AND SO ON. I WOULD LIKE FOR AN INVESTIGATION TO BE STARTED ON THEIR POOR ENGINEERING CHOICES AND A RECALL TO BE STARTED. ITS JUST NOT FOR THE SAFETY OF ME BUT FOR THE SAFETY OF OTHER PEOPLE. I DO HAVE ALL DAMAGE PICTURES AND PICTURES OF THE FAILURE POINT. I HAVE PICTURES OF THE NUT IN QUESTION COMPARED TO ANOTHER COMPETITORS BRAND AND THERE IS A NOTICEABLE SIZE DIFFERENCE AND HARDNESS DIFFERENCE. THE BALL JOINTS WERE REPLACED 9/26/2015 AND FAILED ON 4/25/2016. AUTOZONE PART NUMBER VFA2101. MY BELIEF IS THE NUT IS A LOWER GRADE WHEN IT SHOULD BE A GRADE 8 NUT. I SAY THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS BECAUSE THE AUTO BODY SHOPS AROUND ME SAID THEY WILL NOT REPAIR THE FRAME BECAUSE ITS A LIABILITY AND WOULD RECOMMEND A NEW FRAME TO BE PUT UNDER THE VEHICLE ESSENTIALLY TOTALING MY CAR OUT CAUSING ME TO HAVE TO SPEND THOUSANDS TO REPLACE MY VEHICLE.

IT HAS A VERY HIGH SMELL OF GAS WHEN DRIVING CAR AND WHEN YOU STOP ALL YOU SMELL IS GAS

THE VEHICLE RECENTLY EXPERIENCED TWO SUDDEN ACCELERATION EVENTS IN TWO DAYS 15 MILES APART WHILE DECELERATING AND USING THE BRAKE IN WHAT COULD ONLY BE RELATED TO AN INTERMITTENT FAILURE OF THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL. WHILE ON VACATION DURING A 75 DEG EVENING WITH THE CAR AT OPERATING TEMPERATURE I WAS NAVIGATING SOME S TURNS HIGH ON A BLUFF AT 30MPH. WHILE COMING INTO A CORNER WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE AND SLOWING TO AROUND 20MPH THE CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATED. I HIT THE BRAKES HARD, TURNED AWAY FROM THE CORNER TO AVOID GOING OVER THE CLIFF AND TURNED OFF THE KEY. ALL THIS HAPPENED IN LESS THEN 5 SECONDS. THE NEXT DAY MID AFTERNOON AFTER DRIVING 20 MILES I WAS LEAVING A PARK AND TRAVELING ON A LEVEL STRAIGHT ROAD AT AROUND 25MPH. COMING UP TO A STOP SIGN I LET OFF THE GAS AND STARTED APPLYING THE BRAKE (LIKE THE DAY BEFORE) AT ABOUT 15MPH THE CAR VIOLENTLY ACCELERATED. I HIT THE BRAKES HARD AGAIN, THE REAR TIRE STARTED SPINNING AND IT PUSHED THE CAR THROUGH THE CROSSWALK PAST THE STOP SIGN AND INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC BY ABOUT 4FT BEFORE I GOT THE ENGINE SHUT OFF. ONCE AGAIN THIS ALL HAPPENED IN A MATTER OF SECONDS. AFTER A RESTART EVERYTHING WAS NORMAL AGAIN. I DROVE AROUND 250 MI TO GET HOME WITHOUT ANY FURTHER INCIDENT. TWO WEEKS PRIOR TO THESE EVENTS I HAD THE CAR AT THE DEALER TO PROGRAM A NEW TRANSPONDER KEY, RESET THE KEYLESS ENTRY AND TEST THE THROTTLE TO SEE IF THE INITIAL DEADBAND COULD BE ADJUSTED (NO ADJUSTMENT WAS DONE). AFTER THE INCIDENT I RETURNED TO THE DEALER AND THEY SAID THEY HAVE NEVER HEARD OF THIS PROBLEM, THERE ARE NO RECALLS OR TSBS, AND THE ECM WOULD NOT DATALOG ANYTHING SINCE THERE WAS NO TROUBLE LIGHT. THEY SAID THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO. I CONSIDER THIS UNSATISFACTORY, DEEM IT A MAJOR SAFETY DEFECT AND FORD SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO CORRECT THIS IMMEDIATELY. A QUICK SEARCH REVEALS I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO HAS EXPERIENCE THIS.

TEST DRIVING VEHICLE AND I COULD NOT ACCELERATE. DEALER SAID HE WOULD FIX PROBLEM.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS. WHILE DRIVING INTO A PARKING SPACE AT APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AND THE VEHICLE UNINTENDEDLY ACCELERATED AND CRASHED INTO THE SIDE OF A CONCRETE BUILDING. THERE WERE NO INJURIES AND A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE THE FRONT END DAMAGES WERE REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 45,800.

I RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE (15V-793) FROM FORD IN JANUARY 2016 ABOUT THE CANISTER PURGE VALVE, VAPOR CANISTER, GAS TANK, AND POWER CONTROL MODULE ON MY 2010 MERCURY MILAN. I TOOK IT TO THE FORD DEALER AND THEY DID AN ELECTRONIC TEST AND SAID IT WAS OK. ONE MONTH LATER THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND THE CODE SAID THE PROBLEM WAS THE PRIOR RECALLED CANISTER PURGE VALVE. TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALER AND THEY DID THEIR ELECTRONIC TEST AGAIN AND SAID IT WAS THE GAS TANK FILL TUBE VALVE. FOUR DAYS LATER THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN AND THE CODES AGAIN SAID IT WAS THE CANISTER PURGE VALVE. THIS TIME THE DEALER DID AS I ASKED THEM AND MECHANICALLY CHECKED THE VALVE, AND DISCOVERED THAT IT AND THE VAPOR CANISTER HAD FAILED. HOWEVER, FORD WILL NOT COVER THE REPAIR. IS THIS ALLOWED? I WILL MAIL A LETTER WITH MORE DETAIL. AFTER RESEARCHING THE ISSUE, THIS PARTICULAR VALVE COMMONLY FAILED BY STICKING OPEN OR CLOSED AND THE ONLY WAY TO DETECT IT, WAS TO DO A MECHANICAL TEST BY TAKING THE HOSES OFF AND CHECKING FOR PRESSURE OR VACUUM. THE DEALER DID NOT PERFORM THE TEST PROPERLY. UPDATED 05/31/16.*JB

ON 25 APRIL 2016 DRIVING ON A TWO LANE COUNTRY ROAD AT NIGHT BOTH HEADLIGHTS SUDDENLY TURNED OFF. I WAS ABLE TO PULL INTO A FARM ACCESS SPACE AND AVOIDED THE DITCH. ALTHOUGH THE PARKING LIGHTS SEEMED TO WORK I WAS NOT ABLE TO TURN ON THE HEADLIGHTS FOR SEVERAL MINUTES. FINALLY AFTER MANY TRYS WITH THE LIGHT SWITCH THE HEADLIGHTS DID COME BACK ON. I WAS ABLE TO REACH HOME WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT BUT NOW FEAR DRIVING CAR AT NIGHT!