MERCURY Complaints

THIS HAS OCCURRED TWICE. THE FIRST TIME, (9-6-2010), DRIVING IN BUMPER-TO-BUMPER TRAFFIC ON THE FREEWAY- THE LIGHT, "STOP SAFELY NOW" COMES ON AND YOU CANNOT USE THE GAS PEDAL AND YOU HAVE TO TRY TO GET TO THE SHOULDER SAFELY AS THE CAR HAS NO POWER. I WAITED FOR HALF AN HOUR AND RESTARTED THE CAR AND WAS ABLE TO GET TO WHERE I HAD TO GO. TOOK IT TO DEALER AND THEY COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH IT. THE 2ND OCCURRENCE (MARCH 31, 2012), SAME THING HAPPENED EXCEPT I WAS ON THE FREEWAY WITH EVERYONE GOING AT LEAST 65 MILES PER HOUR AND HAD TO GET TO THE SHOULDER WITHOUT ANY POWER. TOOK IT TO DEALER AND THEY SAID IT WAS A COOLANT PUMP PROBLEM. I WENT ONLINE AND THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL ISSUE AND I SHOULDN'T HAVE HAD TO PAY FOR THIS. EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. COULD SO EASILY HAVE BEEN HIT BY ONCOMING TRAFFIC. SCARY EXPERIENCES. *TR

THE HEADLIGHTS TURNED OFF ,WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH,AND WOULD NOT COME BACK ON..I HAVE NOTICED ON THE INTERNET THAT THERE ARE ALOT OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS SAME PROBLEM,WHY NO RECALL,WHAT IF I WAS DRIVING 55 MPH,THINGS COULD HAVE TURNED OUT VERY BAD..MY CAR WILL SIT IN FRONT OF MY HOUSE UNTIL A CURE IS FOUND..THANK YOU *TR

DRIVING ON THE HWY WITH MY 3 YR OLD DAUGHTER @ APPROX 65 MPH THE VEH STARTED ACCELERATING ON ITS OWN. EVEN WITH PRESSING THE BRAKE VEH WOULD SLOW DOWN BUT KEPT ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN ( AND IT KEPT CLIMBING UNTIL I PRESSED ON THE BRAKE) AND GOT UPTO APPROX 80 MPH. I WAS ABLE TO SAFELY GET VEH OFF THE HWY WITH DEPRESSING THE BRAKE EXTREMELY HARD (AND VEH KEPT CREEPING FORWARD, LUCKILY THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN QUICKLY) AND A FORD DLRSHP WAS RIGHT NEXT TO THE HWY. DLRSHP PERFORMED REPAIRS. THEY REPLACED THE ACCELERATOR CABLE ASSEMBLY FOR THE THROTTLE CONTROL. I WAS ADV BY DLRSHP THAT THE PLASTIC PIECE ON THE CRUISE CONTROL THROTTLE BROKE AND GOT STUCK ON MY REGULAR ACCELERATOR CABLE. I CANT BEGIN TO SAY HOW FRIGHTENED I WAS FOR MY DAUGHTERS SAFETY AS WELL AS MY OWN. I SEEN THERE IS AN INVESTIGATION FOR 2005 & 2006 TAURUSES...YOU NEED TO ALSO LOOK @ THE 2001 SABLES FOR THE SAME PROBLEM! SOMEONE IS GOING TO GET KILLED IF THEY DON'T DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. *TR

THE CAR IS IN DRIVE AND AS YOU'RE DRIVING ALONG THE CAR BEGINS TO ACCELERATE ON ITS OWN. WHEN THE BRAKES ARE APPLIED THE CAR IS STILL PULLING FORWARD AS IF THE GAS IS BEING APPLIED. WHEN THE BRAKE IS RELEASED THE CAR LUNGES FORWARD ON ITS OWN. I'M EXTREMELY ANGRY THAT THIS PROBLEM HAS NOT BEEN RECALLED WHEN A CAR ACCELERATES ON ITS OWN AND CARS HAVE BEEN RECALLED FOR LESS. REGARDLESS OF THE AGE OF THE CAR DO SOMETHING TO FIX OUR CARS!!!! FIX THE PROBLEM AND PUT IT ON YOUR RECALL LIST. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MERCURY SABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH AND MAKING A TURN THE STEERING BECAME HAD BECOME VERY DIFFICULT TO MANEUVER. AFTER SHUTTING OFF AND RESTARTING THE VEHICLE, THE POWER STEERING SEEMED TO HAVE RESET BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED AFTER ATTEMPTING TO PARK THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC AND THEY ADVISED HIM THAT FRONT TIE RODS FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND THEY OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 18,600.

MY TRANSMISSION JERKS AS I ACCELERATE DURING TRAVEL. TO ME IT'S GETTING WORSE. I HAVE HAD IT LOOKED AT. NO CODES ARE SHOWING THAT I HAVE A PROBLEM. BUT CLEARLY SOMETHING IS WRONG. I HAVE DONE THIS SEVERAL TIMES, STILL NO CODES TO INDICATE ANYTHING IS WRONG WITH MY VEHICLE. ALSO MY GAS SENSORS ARE SHOT. ENGINE LIGHT GOES IN AND OUT. MY VEHICLE HAS STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF ATLANTA TRAFFIC, CAUSING PROBLEMS OF OTHER VEHICLES TRAVELING IN THE DIRECTION THAT I AM WITH CHILDREN. I ALSO HAVE THE PROBLEM WITH BACKING MY VEHICLE, IT JERKS BEFORE BACKING. *TR

WITHOUT WARNING I EXPERIENCED A LOSS OF POWER WITH MY 2004 MERCURY SABLE. AFTER DRIVING MY CAR APPROXIMATELY 46 MILES (I LIVE 47 MILES FROM JOB) I CAME TO A STOP SIGN AND WHEN I WENT TO PROCEED THROUGH THE STOP SIGN, I WAS NOT ABLE TO DO SO. I HAD LOST FORWARD AND REVERSE GEARS AND THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE. THERE WERE NO WARNING SIGNS. NO SLIPPING, NO BANGING, NO GRINDING OR ANY OTHER NOISES THAT ALMOST ALWAYS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH TRANSMISSION FAILURE. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO A TRANSMISSION SHOP (AAMCO OF MINEOLA, NY) AND THE TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED. I NEVER IN ALL MY 32 YEARS OF DRIVING HAD A TRANSMISSION FAIL IN THE MANNER THAT THIS TRANSMISSION DID. I ALSO TRULY FELT IT WAS A TORQUE CONVERTER OR INPUT SHAFT FAILURE BUT I AM NOT A MECHANIC (I DO HAVE A GOOD KNOWLEDGE OF HOW A CAR AND IT'S COMPONENTS WORK) AND JUST DECIDED TO GET THE TRANSMISSION FIXED. I DID NOT THINK MUCH ABOUT THIS UNTIL I RECEIVED A NOTICE THAT MY FORD FREESTAR IS INVOLVED IN A RECALL (11S25/NHTSA RECALL 12V-006) WHICH DESCRIBED THE SAME FAILURE. IT JUST SO HAPPENS THAT IT IS ALSO A MODEL YEAR 2004 AND IS EQUIPPED WITH THE SAME MODEL TRANSMISSION (AX4S). I AM NOW VERY CONFIDENT THAT THE TRANSMISSION'S TORQUE CONVERTER FAILED JUST AS IT IS DESCRIBED IN THE RECALL FOR MY FORD FREESTAR. I BELIEVE THAT THERE IS A DESIGN PROBLEM WITH THE SPLINES IN THE TORQUE CONVERTER WHEN IT IS MANUFACTURED AND A POSSIBLE FAILURE OF THE INPUT SHAFT (WHICH THE TORQUE CONVERTER SPINS ON). *TR

THE SMELL OF FUEL IS SO STRONG INSIDE THE VAN THAT IT MAKES YOU DIZZY AND SICK. *TR

AT APPROXIMATELY 11:00 PM ON 3/24/12, I SUDDENLY LOST MY HEADLIGHTS AS I WAS DRIVING SOUTH THROUGH NORTH CAROLINA ON INTERSTATE-95. I PULLED INTO A REST AREA, AND AFTER A FEW MINUTES, MY HEADLIGHTS CAME BACK ON WHEN I RESTARTED THE CAR. I DROVE FOR A FEW MORE HOURS WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. AT APPROXIMATELY 8:00 PM ON 3/25/12, I LOST MY HEADLIGHTS AGAIN WHILE DRIVING THROUGH FLORIDA. FORTUNATELY, I WAS ONLY A FEW MILES AWAY FROM MY MOTEL WHEN THE INCIDENT OCCURRED. THE NEXT MORNING, 3/26/12, I TOOK MY CAR TO AN INDEPENDENTLY-OWNED GARAGE, AND THE MECHANIC DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS A DEFECTIVE LIGHT CONTROL MODULE. HE WAS ABLE TO OBTAIN A NEW MODULE FROM A NEARBY FORD DEALERSHIP AND SUCCESSFULLY INSTALL THE MODULE INTO MY CAR. THERE IS NO QUESTION THE LIGHT CONTROL MODULE WAS DEFECTIVE BECAUSE THE MECHANIC WAS UNABLE TO RESTORE MY HEADLIGHTS BY FIRST TRYING TO REPLACE THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH OR THE HEADLIGHT DIMMER SWITCH. WHAT'S MORE, HE WAS UNABLE TO GET THE DEFECTIVE LIGHT CONTROL MODULE TO RESPOND TO AN EXTERNAL COMPUTER COMMAND. THE REPAIR COST $816.77. I WAS CONCERNED THAT I SUDDENLY LOST MY HEADLIGHTS WHILE DRIVING ON A BUSY INTERSTATE HIGHWAY, BUT EVEN MORE CONCERNED WHEN I HEARD A PARTS SPECIALIST AT THE FORD DEALERSHIP THAT PROVIDED MY NEW REPLACEMENT LIGHT CONTROL MODULE CLAIM HIS DEALERSHIP WAS REPLACING AN AVERAGE OF THREE OF THESE MODULES WEEKLY ON FORD CROWN VICTORIA PATROL CARS BEING DRIVEN BY LOCAL POLICE. THE IDEA OF POLICEMAN LOSING THEIR HEADLIGHTS DURING HIGH SPEED PURSUITS AT NIGHT MADE ME VERY CONCERNED. MY CONCERN WAS HEIGHTENED WHEN I STARTED INVESTIGATING THE MATTER ON THE INTERNET AND READ MANY STORIES SIMILAR TO MINE. A NUMBER OF THESE STORIES SUGGESTED THAT FORD HAS KNOWN ABOUT THESE DEFECTIVE LIGHT CONTROL MODULES FOR QUITE SOME TIME AND THAT A RECALL HAS LONG BEEN IN ORDER. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS SERIOUS MATTER. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 MERCURY MARINER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE WINDSHIELD RETAINED MOISTURE ON THE INSIDE AND BLOCKED HER VIEW. PREVIOUSLY, THE PASSENGER SIDE FLOOR BOARD WAS REPLACED DUE TO MOISTURE RETENTION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER SEVERAL TIMES FOR THE WINDSHIELD FAILURE. THE DEALER STATED THAT THEY COULD NOT CORRECT THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE WINDSHIELD MOISTURE RETENTION WAS A CHARACTERISTIC OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 1,906 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 12,600. UPDATED 05/09/12 *BF UPDATED 07/06/12 *JS