MERCURY Complaints

I WAS DRIVING OFF OF AN EXIT RAMP ONTO A SECONDARY ROAD, HAD JUST MADE THE TURN AND WAS BEGINNING TO ACCELERATE WHEN THE VAN COMPLETELY LOST ITS "PULL" AND WOULD NOT GO INTO GEAR. THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM STILL FUNCTIONED FINE, AND THE ENGINE WOULD REV, BUT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT GO. THERE WERE NO WARNING SIGNS WHATSOEVER PRIOR TO THE COMPLETE LOSS OF PULL. THIS SITUATION WAS VERY CONCERNING BECAUSE HAD I BEEN PERFORMING ANOTHER ACTION LIKE CROSSING A 4 LANE HIGHWAY, I COULD HAVE EASILY BEEN HIT. ADDITIONALLY, WITH ONLY 65,000 MILES ON THE VEHICLE, I FEEL THAT THIS FAILURE MUST BE A DEFECT IN THE TRANSMISSION AS THERE HAS NOT BEEN A SUFFICIENT AMOUNT OF WEAR AND TEAR ON THE VEHICLE TO JUSTIFY THIS LEVEL OF REPAIR. (MY IN-LAWS PURCHASED THE VEHICLE NEW AND WERE BOTH CONSERVATIVE DRIVERS AND I AM A MOTHER OF TWO SMALL CHILDREN AND ALSO TEND TO BE A VERY CONSERVATIVE DRIVER SO THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN EXPOSED TO ANY ROUGH DRIVING CONDITIONS.) I HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO A TRANSMISSION SHOP WHERE THEY INDICATED THAT THERE WAS AN INTERNAL PROBLEM WITH THE TRANSMISSION AND IT WOULD HAVE TO BE REBUILT AT A COST OF APPROXIMATELY $1,800. I AM REPORTING THIS BECAUSE I AM CONCERNED THAT THE SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT AND I WANT OTHER MERCURY MONTEREY OWNERS TO BE AWARE OF THIS POSSIBILITY. *TR

HEADLIGHTS RANDOMLY TURN OFF WHILE DRIVING. LIGHTING CONTROL MODULE IS DEFECTIVE. *TR

VEHICLE EXHIBITED NO TRANSMISSION ISSUES AND WAS DRIVING COMPLETELY FINE WITH NO WARNING LIGHTS. I WAS ENTERING THE ON RAMP TO I-95 WHEN THE CAR STOPPED ACCELERATING WHEN IT SHOULD HAVE SHIFTED TO SECOND GEAR. WHEN I PULLED THE VEHICLE OVER IT ACTED LIKE IT WAS IN NEUTRAL NO MATTER WHAT GEAR IT WAS ACTUALLY IN. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A HORRIBLE ACCIDENT IF IT HAPPENED WHILE I WAS ON THE INTERSTATE. *TR

BRAKES BRING VEHICLE TO STOP THEN RELEASE AND CAR MOVES FORWARD 4-6' THEN BRAKES ENGAGE AGAIN. COULD CAUSE DAMAGE AND PERSONAL INJURY. *TR

WHILE DRIVING MY CAR AT IN THE VERY EARLY MORNING BOTH HEADLIGHTS FAILED ON A CURVY DOWNHILL ROAD. I SWITCHED THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH FROM THE AUTOMATIC POSITION TO THE MANUAL "ON" POSITION, BUT THE HEADLIGHTS DID NOT COME BACK ON. I PUSHED THE HIGH BEAM SWITCH FORWARD TO THE HIGH BEAM POSITION BUT THIS FAILED TO TURN ON THE HIGH BEAMS. I PULLED THE HIGH BEAM SWITCH BACK TO THE HIGH BEAM "FLASH" POSITION WHICH DID ILLUMINATE THE HIGH BEAMS. I HELD THE SWITCH BACK IN THIS POSITION (TO THE DISPLEASURE OF APPROACHING DRIVERS) UNTIL I FOUND A SAFE PLACE TO PULL OVER. I CYCLED THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH NUMEROUS TIMES WITH NO EFFECT. THE LIGHT DID FINALLY COME BACK ON THEIR OWN FOR A SHORT TIME, BUT THEM WENT OFF AGAIN. THIS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES UNIT THEY FINALLY DID SOME BACK ON FOR A LENGTHY PERIOD OF TIME. THE NEXT DAY THE SAME SITUATION OCCURRED. AT ALL TIMES THE OTHER LIGHTS (DASH, PARKING, ETC) CONTINUED TO OPERATE. VERY DANGEROUS. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 MERCURY MONTEREY. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH THE VEHICLE STOPPED MOVING WITHOUT ANY WARNING. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 40,000. THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT MOVED, EVEN THOUGH THE ENGINE WAS STILL RUNNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A REPAIR SHOP, WHERE THE CONSUMER WAS INFORMED THE VEHICLE NEEDED A TRANSMISSION. ACCORDING TO THE DEALER INVOICE, THERE WERE METAL SHAVING IN THE PAN, AND THE OIL PUMP/TORQUE CONVERTER FAILED. UPDATED 11/04/11

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH THE CONTACT BEGAN TO DEPRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL TO DECELERATE WHILE APPROACHING A TRAFFIC LIGHT. THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN AND THERE WAS AN INCREASE IN THE RPMS. THE FAILURE OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY AND OVER TIME BECAME PROGRESSIVELY WORSE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 63,000. UPDATED 10/4/11 *CN THE DEALER STATED THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS ADJUSTED TO HIGH, WHICH MAY HAVE INTERFERED WITH THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. THEY LOWERED THE AUTOMATIC BRAKE PEDAL . UPDATED 10/24/11

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 MERCURY COUGAR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS BEING INSPECTED BY A LOCAL MECHANIC FOR A FUEL ODOR, THE MECHANIC FOUND THAT THE FUEL TANK AND BOTH FUEL STRAPS WERE CORRODED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 99,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 MERCURY COUGAR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER HAVING ROUTINE MAINTENANCE PERFORMED, THE MECHANIC ADVISED THAT THE FUEL TANK AND STRAPS WERE RUSTED AND CORRODED. THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED WHO STATED THERE WERE NO RECALLS FOR THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 200,000.

WHILE LEAVING A PARKING LOT THE VEHICLE CAME TO A STOP WITHOUT ANY WARNING. THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING BUT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT MOVE IN ANY GEAR. THE LOCAL DEALER TOWED IN THE VAN AND HAD TO REPLACE THE TORQUE CONVERTOR. FORD MOTOR COMPANY DID NOT CONTACT ME AND WARN ME THAT THEY WERE AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM. THIS IS A DANGEROUS DEFECT AND ALL OWNERS OF THIS VEHICLE NEED TO BE WARNED BEFORE SOMEONE IS KILLED.