MERCURY Complaints

WHILE DRIVING IN TRAFFIC WITH MY SISTER & MY YOUNG SON, WITHOUT ANY WARNING SIGNS, OUR MERCURY MONTEREY JUST QUIT. BY THE GOOD GRACE OF GOD, DIVINE INTERVENTION, ANGELS OR WHATEVER ELSE MAY HAVE INTERVENED, IT SO HAPPENED THAT WE HAD MISSED THE EXIT TO ENTER INTERSTATE 695 SO THE INCIDENT OCCURRED ON A BUSY CITY STREET INSTEAD OF THE HIGHWAY. THAT BEING SAID, WE EASILY COULD HAVE LOST OUR LIVES IN EITHER PLACE, HOWEVER IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A SURE BET AT 60 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY! THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A GARAGE AND THE PROBLEM WAS DIAGNOSED AS A FAILED TRANSMISSION, MORE SPECIFICALLY, THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION TORQUE CONVERTER. THE TRANSMISSION HAD TO BE REPLACED. *TR

I HAVE A 2007 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER WITH 42,000 MILES ON IT AND WAS NOTIFIED BY MY DEALERSHIP THAT THERE IS A LEAK IN THE RADIATOR AND IT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. MY DEALERSHIP TOLD ME THIS WAS COMMON PROBLEM WITH MOUNTAINEERS BUT FORD WILL NOT STAND BEHIND THE EQUIPMENT. *TR

I HAVE A 2005 MERCURY MONTEREY VAN THAT I'VE OWN BRAND NEW. I WAS DRIVING TO WORK THIS MORNING ON THE EXPRESSWAY AND THE DRIVER SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYED AND PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYED AND PASSENGER SIDE SEAT AIR BAG DEPLOYED FOR NO REASON. COULD HAVE CAUSED A BAD ACCIDENT! *TR

STARTED OUT AS A GOOD CAR. AT ABOUT 48000 MILES IT STARTED TO INTERMITTENTLY REFUSE TO GO INTO FORWARD OR REVERSE WHEN PLACED IN GEAR. MADE SURE IT WAS IN GEAR AND ALSO WOULD MOVE THE SHIFT LEVER OUT OF GEAR AND BACK AGAIN. STEPPING ON THE GAS JUST REVVED UP THE ENGINE. SOMETIMES IT WOULD CATCH AND THE CAR WOULD JUMP FORWARD OR BACKWARD. IT IS PRESENTLY IN A TRANSMISSION SHOP AND APPEARS IT NEEDS TO BE REBUILT. LARGE METAL CHIPS WERE FOUND IN THE OIL PAN. I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALER THAT I DIDN'T HAVE A DRIVE TRAIN WARRANTY, THEY WEREN'T AVAILABLE FOR THE 2005, I ONLY HAD THE 3YEAR 36,000 MILE WARRANT. THE TRANSMISSION SHOP SHOWED ME LARGE CHIPS IN THE OIL PAN. ALSO WHEN DISASSEMBLED THEY COULDN'T FINE WHAT WAS CALLED A NEEDLE PIN, WHICH RUNS THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF THE TRANSMISSION. WITH THAT GONE THE TRANSMISSION WAS GONE. THIS WASN'T A NORMAL OCCURRENCE. SO SELVES, WASHERS/SPACERS, GEARS ETC. SLOWLY WERE BEING DESTROYED. OVERHAUL KIT TORQUE CONVERTOR, PLANETARY ASSY, SOLENOID ASSY., SERVO CASE REPAIR KIT, AND TRANSMISSION FLUID. AND ALL OF THE LATEST PARTS FROM FORDS 6TH UPGRADE ON THIS TRANSMISSION WERE INSTALLED. FORD SHOULD HAVE A RECALL ON THIS TRANSMISSION. REIMBURSEMENT FOR COSTS WOULD BE NICE. BUT THEN I'M A DREAMER, AND BELIEVE CARS ARE BEING BUILT BETTER THAN THEY ARE. AFTER A WEEK OR SO OF DRIVING AND THE SHIFTING STILL NOT SMOOTH AND PARTS BEING SWITCHED OUT. I WAS TOLD IT WOULD BE OKAY TO OUT OF STATE. I GOT ABOUT 70 MILES WHEN THE TRANSMISSION DUMPED THE TRANSMISSION FLUID ON THE HIGHWAY. AFTER A $200 TOW BACK TO THE GARAGE AND ANOTHER WEEK OF SEARCHING FOR THE PROBLEM IT WAS DECIDED IT WAS THE VALVE BLOCK. THE ONLY THING THAT WAS NOT CHANGED. SEEMED THE VALVE BLOCK WAS WARPED. IT WAS REPLACED AND THE CAR IS BACK TO NORMAL. THIS SHOULD NOT BE HAPPENING TO A CAR WITH 48500 MILES ON IT. FORD SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF THEM SELVES FOR PRODUCING A CAR VEHICLE THAT HAS SO MANY TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. I UNDERSTAND FORD IS NOW ON THE 7TH UPGRADE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 MERCURY SABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED WHEN THERE WAS A LOUD BOOM. THE CONTACT DISCOVERED THAT THE COIL SPRING WAS FRACTURED AND PUNCTURED A HOLE IN THE TIRE SIMILAR TO THE FAILURE DESCRIBED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 04V332000 ( SUSPENSION: FRONT: SPRINGS: COIL SPRINGS). BOTH THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE WHO THEN INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT HIS VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL AND THAT COULD NOT OFFER ANY ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE. THE REPAIR SHOP REPAIRED ALL FOUR COIL SPRINGS AND STRUTS INCLUDING PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE AT THE CONTACTS EXPENSE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 66,000. UPDATED 2/28/11 *CN UPDATED 05/26/11

THE BACK LIFT GATE IS CRACKED FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE WINDOW, "THRU" THE MERCURY EMBLEM, AND ALL THE WAY DOWN. I'VE SEEN NEARLY IDENTICAL CRACKING ON MANY OTHER MOUNTAINEERS. I SEE A RATHER LARGE NUMBER OF THE SAME COMPLAINTS ON THE NHTSA WEBSITE. OBVIOUSLY THIS IS A DEFECT THAT COULD RESULT IN INJURIES AND NEEDS TO BE RECALLED. *TR

2003 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER CRACKED PANEL ON BACK LIFT GATE FROM WINDOW AROUND RIGHT SIDE OF ROUND EMBLEM TO BOTTOM. SECOND TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED. FIRST TIME VEHICLE WAS UNDER WARRANTY. 90% OF THESE VEHICLES I SEE ON ROAD ARE CRACKED. FORD /MERCURY NEEDS TO RECALL & FIX. *TR

ON JANUARY 8, 2011, THE INSTRUMENT PANEL OF MY 2005 MERCURY MONTEGO (SAME AS FORD FIVE HUNDRED) LOST ALL GAUGES: NO SPEEDOMETER, NO LIGHTS, NO DASH TURN SIGNAL INDICATOR ETC. THE BACKUP LIGHTS ALSO STAY ON IN ALL GEARS AT ALL TIMES. MILEAGE 78,000. THESE ARE UNSAFE CONDITIONS ESPECIALLY FOR NIGHT DRIVING. PER FORD REPAIR SHOPS, THE ONLY REMEDY IS FULL REPLACEMENT OF INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. FORD HAS KNOWN OF THIS PROBLEM FOR SEVERAL YEARS; HOWEVER THEIR LAST RESPONSE TO NHTSA ODI WAS THAT THE PROBLEM WAS 'INTERMITTENT'. BASED ON THIS, ODI CLOSED FILE IN 2007 FOR NO 'SAFETY ISSUE' BASED ON FORD RESPONSE. THE STATEMENT THAT THE PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT IS NOT TRUE AND THIS HAS BEEN CONFIRMED BY ME WITH DEALER AND BY MANY OTHERS IN ONLINE POSTS. 'INTERMITTENT PROBLEM' ABSOLUTELY IS NOT CORRECT AND BELIEVE THE ODI FILE SHOULD BE RE-OPENED BASED ON KNOWN SAFETY HAZARD. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS LS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE SEAT BELT BUCKLE FAILED TO LATCH SECURELY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER AND THEY INFORMED THAT THE BUCKLE ASSEMBLY WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THERE WAS A RECALL ASSOCIATED WITH NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 01V227001 (SEAT BELTS FRONT: BUCKLE ASSEMBLY); HOWEVER, THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE TECHNICIAN ORDERED THE PART, AND INFORMED THAT WHEN THE PART BECAME AVAILABLE THE VEHICLE WOULD BE REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 98,000. UPDATED 03/07/11*LJ UPDATED 03/14/11

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH HE HEARD A NOISE IN THE REAR PASSENGER AREA. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL MECHANIC WHO WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO PERFORMED A DIAGNOSTIC TEST THAT LOCATED THE FAILURE TO THE REAR DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE AXLES, BEARING AND SEALS. THE MANUFACTURER FILED REPORT 0405220071, BUT WILL NOT ASSIST WITH THE REPAIR. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 98,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 107,000. UPDATED 03/15/11*LJ THE CONSUMER STATED THE NOISE WAS A RECURRING ISSUE EACH TIME THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN AND REPAIRED. THE PROBLEM HAS SINCE BEEN REPAIRED. THE CONSUMER BELIEVED THE PREMATURE AXLE WEAR COULD BE A DANGER AND COULD HAVE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. UPDATED 08/17/11