MERCURY Complaints

ENGINE BEGAN TO MISS AT 65+ MILES PER HOUR. AFTER LOOKING AT THE PCM AND SEEING WATER IN IT CAR WAS FIXED AS PER FORD'S TSB. NOW CAR WILL STALL OUT AT RANDOM. DEALER DOES NOT KNOW WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE CAR. CAR STALLS IN REVERSE, AND DRIVE WITHOUT WARNING. IT IS DANGEROUS TO DRIVE. *TR

PURCHASED MY 2006 MERCURY MONTEGO IN 2007. CAR HAS ALWAYS SEEMED TO IDLE TOO FAST. CAR WILL SUDDENLY LURCH FORWARD OR BACKWARD, SEEMINGLY WITHOUT PROVOCATION. I AM FEARFUL OF MY SAFETY, SAFETY OF OTHERS OR OF DAMAGE TO SURROUNDING VEHICLES/PROPERTY. MECHANICS I HAVE CONTACTED HAVE RESET THE COMPUTER, BUT THE CAR ALWAYS RETURNS TO THE SAME ISSUE AFTER A DAY OR SO. MECHANICS ARE BAFFLED OVER THIS ISSUE. IT IS ALMOST AS IF THE CAR HAS A MIND OF ITS OWN. *TR

IN FEBRUARY OF 2009 (AT 41,214 MILES), MY 2008 MERCURY MARINER STARTED JERKING WHEN I WAS DRIVING AND WOULD NOT ACCELERATE WHEN I GASED. I TOOK THE CAR TO A FORD DEALER AND THEY DIAGNOSED IT WITH TRANSMISSION FAILURE. SINCE THE CAR WAS UNDER WARRANTY THEY PERFORMED A "TRANSMISSION OVERHAUL". THREE YEARS LATER, FEBRUARY 2012, MY CAR STARTED HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM AGAIN, TRANSMISSION ISSUES. ACCORDING TO THE PAPERWORK, IT WAS NOTED "TRANSMISSION/CONVERTER SLIPS AND TRANSMISSION FLUID LEAKED". I WAS RELUCTANTLY TOLD BY A SUPERVISOR AT FORD HEADQUARTERS THAT SOME 2008 MARINERS DID INDEED HAVE TRANSMISSIONS DEFECTS BUT MY VIN NUMBER WAS NOT KNOWN TO BE AFFECTED AND BECAUSE IT IS OUT OF WARRANTY THEY WILL NOT ADDRESSED IT WITHOUT ME PAYING $4062. I HAVE CALLED FORD HEADQUARTERS AND THEY WOULD NOT PROVIDE ME WITH ANY DETAILS ON THE ISSUES WITH SOME OF THE MARINERS THAT WERE RECALLED. A CAR THAT HAS TRANSMISSION ISSUES TWICE WITHIN FOUR YEARS SOUND LIKE THERE IS INDEED A MAJOR DEFECT ISSUE WITH THE TRANSMISSION PARTS BUT FORD IS NOT WILLING TO ADMIT IT. I AM SURE MY CAR (VIN) SHOULD HAVE BEEN INCLUDED. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A SAFETY HAZARD FOR MY FAMILY AND I. THIS CAR IS A LEMON AND FORD WAS WELL AWARE OF IT BUT REFUSE TO CORRECT THE MATTER. FORD SHOULD DO THE RIGHT THING AND RESOLVE THE ISSUE THAT THEY WERE WELL AWARE OF INSTEAD OF MAKING THERE CUSTOMERS BELIEVE THAT IT IS NORMAL FOR A CAR TO HAVE TRANSMISSION FAILURE NOT ONLY ONCE BUT TWICE WITHIN FOUR YEARS. I WILL PURSUE THIS MATTER UNTIL I AM SATISFIED WITH THE RESULTS. UPDATED IVOQ 03/28/12 *TR

ACCELERATOR GAS PEDAL DIFFICULT TO DEPRESS WHEN WEATHER GETS COLD (BELOW 50F). IT REQUIRES A HARDER PRESS TO ENGAGE AND HAVE THE CAR MOVE. IT IS DANGEROUS WHEN CROSSING AN INTERSECTION AFTER A STOP. FOR THE FAILURE TO WORK RIGHT KEEPS US IN THE INTERSECTION AS WE TRY TO MOVE OUT OF THE WAY OF ONCOMING TRAFFIC. HAVING TO PRESS HARDER RESULTS IN LOSS OF CONTROL AS WE MANEUVER THE CAR WHEN TURNING AT AN INTERSECTION. WE TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER AND THEY ADDED A LUBRICANT . IT HELPED A LITTLE , BUT IT WAS AGAIN DIFFICULT THE NEXT COLD FRONT THAT WE HAD (TEMPERATURES BELOW 50F). THIS CONDITION GRADUATED FROM THE FIRST WINTER WE OWNED IT IN 2008 TO THIS WINTER STARTING IN 2011. IT APPEARS THAT THE PEDAL WORKS BETTER AFTER THE CAR HAS BEEN OPERATING FOR A WHILE, LIKE 20 MINUTES OR SO. *TR

AFTER A RAINSTORM I OPENED THE TAILGATE OF MY VEHICLE AND WAS SURPRISED TO FIND THAT THE REAR WHEEL WELL WAS WET. I VACUUMED THE WATER OUT AND BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALER ALMOST 2 MONTHS LATER AFTER FINDING MOISTURE SEVERAL OTHER TIMES. THE DEALER HAD A SERVICE TECH TRY TO RECREATE HOW THE WATER GOT IN AND "DETERMINED" THAT I HAD CRACKED A PANEL. THE ONLY CRACK VISIBLE TO ME WAS IN A TRIM PIECE AROUND THE LICENSE PLATE. THEY TOLD ME IT WOULD COST OVER $600 TO REPAIR. I TOLD THEM NEVERMIND. THAT MUCH WATER COULD NOT COME FROM THAT CRACK. FAST FORWARD TO A TIME NEAR THE PRESENT. MOST RECENTLY, THE "PULL", A PLASTIC AND NYLON PIECE ON THE BACK OF THE SEAT FAILED. SOON THERE AFTER, ONE OF THE NYLON STRAPS USED TO RETRACT THE SEAT FAILED. I CANNOT GET MY SEAT BACK IN TO THE "STOWED" POSITION. AFTER REMOVING THE TRIM FROM THE BACK OF THE SEAT I FOUND ALL SORTS OF RUST AND CORROSION TO THE SEAT BASE. I WOULDN'T FEEL COMFORTABLE DRIVING WITH A PASSENGER IN MY 3RD ROW SEATING ANYMORE. I UNDERSTAND THERE MAY ALSO BE A RECALL ON THIS CAR FOR SOME SORT OF LEAK IN THE WHEEL WELLS. I'VE BEEN DRIVING AROUND WITH DAMPNESS IN THE BACK OF MY VAN FOR TWO PLUS YEARS NOW AND I FEEL LIKE FORD MOTOR CO. IS PASSING THE BUCK ON TO THE CONSUMER TO SAVE SOME MONEY. I HAVE NO FAITH IN AMERICAN MADE VEHICLES BETWEEN THIS AND A SEPARATE TRANSMISSION INCIDENT. I DON'T EVEN WANT TO GET ON THE STEREO. *TR

ON 2/24/2012 I WAS MERGING INTO HIGHWAY TRAFFIC. THE TRANSAXLES LIGHT CAME ON AND THE VAN HAD DIFFICULTY SHIFTING FROM WHAT I THOUGHT WAS 2ND GEAR IN TO 3RD, JUST BELOW 60 MPH AND AT ABOUT 5500 RPM. I FOUND THIS ODD, SO I EASED OFF OF THE GAS. TRIED TO ACCELERATE AGAIN WHILE THE LIGHT WAS FLASHING AND IT WOULD STILL NOT SHIFT. AFTER PULLING OFF THE HIGHWAY AT AN EXIT. I TURNED OFF THE CAR AND RESTARTED IT. THE LIGHT DISAPPEARED. I DROVE AWAY WITH OUT INCIDENT. I PROCEEDED TO PICK UP MY CHILD AND THEN WENT TO FILL MY GAS TANK ABOUT 2 MILES AWAY. WHEN I HIT JUST OVER 40MPH THE LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN. WHILE FILLING UP ON GAS I READ ABOUT A POTENTIAL RECALL ON THIS PARTICULAR MODEL'S TORQUE CONVERTER, SO I WENT IMMEDIATELY TO MY LOCAL FORD DEALER. HE WAS AWARE OF THE POTENTIAL RECALL (EVEN THOUGH CONSUMERS WEREN'T INFORMED), AND REITERATED SOMETHING I HAD READ ABOUT THE PART NOT BEING AVAILABLE UNTIL THE 2ND QUARTER. WE AGREED THAT I WOULD HAVE MY CAR THERE ON MONDAY MORNING FOR A CLOSER LOOK. MONDAY CAME AND THE SERVICE ASSOCIATE CALLED. HE EXPLAINED THAT THEY COULD NOT RECREATE MY PROBLEM IN A ROAD TEST. HE SAID THERE WAS AN ERROR CODE IN THE COMPUTER'S MEMORY, BUT THE CODE WAS NOT RELATED TO THE TORQUE CONVERTER. FROM HERE, I GUESS THEY DRAINED THE TRANSMISSION FLUID AND SAID THAT THERE WAS WATER IN IT. HE TOLD ME THAT THEY WOULD HAVE TO EITHER REPAIR MY TRANSMISSION (@$4000) OR REPLACE MINE WITH A WITH A REBUILT ONE (@$3200). MIND YOU, THE VAN ONLY HAS LESS THAN 43,000 MILES ON IT. I WAS TOLD BY AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC THAT THE $4000 PRICE IS TO SCARE YOU INTO BEING MORE COMFORTABLE WITH THE $3200 PRICE., BUT THAT BOTH PRICES SOUNDED STEEP. IN THE END, I BOUGHT THE REBUILT TRANSMISSION ANYWAY, BECAUSE IT HAD A 3 YEAR UNLIMITED MILEAGE WARRANTY THAT THE INDEPENDENT MECHANIC COULD NOT PROVIDE. SINCE THEN I'VE READ ABOUT A WATER /TRANSMISSION ISSUE THAT NHTSA IS INVESTIGATION. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE HEADLIGHTS FAILED TO ILLUMINATE. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A DEALER FOR A DIAGNOSTIC TEST WHERE THE DEALER REPLACED THE MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH. THE REPAIR DID NOT REMEDY THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER FOR A SECOND DIAGNOSTIC TEST AND THE DEALER DETERMINED THAT THE MODULE WHICH CONTROLLED THE EXTERIOR LIGHTING WAS DEFECTIVE. THE DEALER DID NOT REPLACE THE MODULE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 112,000.

THE THROTTLE BODY IS BAD ON THIS VEHICLE. THIS IS A WELL KNOWN ISSUE THAT FORD NEEDS TO RECALL. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MERCURY MONTEREY. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 35 MPH WHEN THE BRAKES SEIZED AND THE BRAKES WERE UNABLE TO BE DEPRESSED. THE TRANSMISSION AND BATTERY WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED DURING THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 77,175 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 77,215.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE CENTER PIECE EMBLEM OF THE HATCH BACK STARTED TO FRACTURE. THE VEHICLE WAS PREVIOUSLY REPAIRED WITH A NEW HATCH BACK DOOR APPROXIMATELY TWO YEARS PRIOR TO THE RECENT FAILURE. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN INSPECTED SINCE THE RECURRENCE OF THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 40,000. UPDATED 04/26/12 *BF UPDATED 05/10/12