MERCURY Complaints

TRANSMISSION IS SLIPPING DURING ACCELERATION IN 2004 MERCURY MONTEREY WITH LESS THAN 80,000 MILES MAKING IT DANGEROUS TO DRIVE. THIS STARTED RECENTLY AND WAS FIRST NOTICED DRIVING UP HILLS, BUT NOW IS OCCURRING ON LEVEL HIGHWAYS. *TR

I HAVE A 2002 MERCURY SABLE THAT BROKE A FRONT COIL SPRING AND NOTICED THAT 2001 MERCURY SABLES WERE RECALLED FOR THE SAME PROBLEM NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID # 04V332000 ACTION #PE04044 SHOULD THIS RECALL BE UPDATED TO INCLUDE YEAR MODEL 2002? *TR

2005 MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS HEADLIGHTS TURN OFF ON THEIR OWN & CAN'T BE TURNED BACK ON BY DRIVER - VERY UNSAFE! THIS EVENT HAS OCCURRED MANY EVENINGS WITH LIGHTS ON AND OPERATING THE VEHICLE FOR LESS THAN 10 MINUTES WITH LIGHTS OK. THEN SUDDENLY THEY GO OUT. THERE HAVE BEEN OTHER 2005 MGM WITH SAME PROBLEM OCCURRING. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. PLEASE PROVIDE RECALL INFORMATION AND/OR METHOD TO GET FORDMOCO TO REPLACE BAD LIGHTING CONTROL MODULE (LCM). PLEASE CALL [XXX]@ CELL [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MERCURY MONTEREY. WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE VEHICLE BEGAN STUTTERING AND SHIFTING HARD. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A TRANSMISSION CENTER WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE FAILURE WAS CAUSED BY THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION WHICH NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MECHANIC PULLED THE PAN FROM THE TRANSMISSION AND FOUND COPPER SHAVINGS ATTACHED TO THE MAGNET AREA. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED AT THE TRANSMISSION CENTER. WHEN THE CONTACT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER, HE WAS TOLD THAT HE WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE REPAIR COSTS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 89,048.

2004 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER HAS HUB BEARING DEFECTS, TRANSMISSION DEFECTS, DRIVE TRAIN DEFECTS, REAR AXLE AND DIFFERENTIAL DEFECTS. THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THESE COMPONENTS OF MERCURY MOUNTAINEER AND FORD EXPLORER YET NHTSA DOES NOTHING. FORD WILL NOT FIX THESE PROBLEMS AND HAS BEEN DOING BAND AID FIXES UNDER WARRANTY. THEY DENY THERE IS A PROBLEM YET THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF COMPLAINTS ON THE VARIOUS WEB SITES. IT MAKES ME BELIEVE NHTSA IS IN BED WITH THE AUTO MANUFACTURERS AND REALLY DON'T CARE ABOUT THE PUBLIC. WHEELS FALL OFF CARS CAUSE HUB BEARINGS FAIL YET THERE IS NO RECALL.. FORD PUTS THE WRONG TRANSMISSION FLUID IN CARS, TRANSMISSION FAILS...THERE IS NO RECALL. REAR AXLE SEAL FAILS AND NO RECALLS WHY!!! *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1995 MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS. WHILE DRIVING AT SPEEDS OF 55 MPH, THE CONTACT NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD AND DROVE ONTO THE EMERGENCY LANE. THE CONTACT CONFIRMED THAT THE FIRE BEGAN INSIDE THE DASHBOARD AREA AND SPREAD TO THE COMPONENTS UNDER THE HOOD. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE POLICE WERE CALLED AND A REPORT WAS FILED; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 90,000. UPDATED 6/1/10 *CN UPDATED 06/18/10.*JB

I AM CURRENTLY HAVING PROBLEMS WITH MY 2004 MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS WITH THE HEAD LIGHTS NOT COMING ON OR GOING OUT. ALL OTHER LIGHT STAY ON. TURNING THE LIGHT SWITCH ON / OFF AND IT WON'T COME ON. SAME SYMPTOMS IN AUTO OR MANUAL HEADLIGHT MODE. IF I STOP THE CAR IT WILL COME BACK ON. IT THEN MIGHT GO OFF AFTER A WHILE. I SEE OTHERS HAVE HAD THIS SAME PROBLEM, THIS WAS CONFIRMED BY MY LOCAL FORD DEALERSHIP. VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERNS. DEALER TELLS ME IT IS A FAILURE OF THE LIGHT CONTROL MODULE (LCM). *TR

I HAVE A 2004 MERCURY MONTEREY (WELL MAINTAIN, 65K). LAST FRIDAY (APRIL 2, 2010), I WAS DRIVING IN FLORIDA TURNPIKE WITH HEAVY TRAFFIC AND ALL OF SUDDEN WITHOUT ANY WARNING (ALARM OR LIGHT) LOSS MOTIVE POWER. MY WHOLE FAMILY W/ KIDS WAS IN THE VEHICLE AND I JUST THANK! GOD, THAT WE WERE NOT HURT. I IMMEDIATELY PULLED INTO A ROADSIDE. I TRIED BUT WASN'T ABLE TO PUT TO ANY GEAR, HEARD BIRD CHIRPING SOUND FROM THE ENGINE. AFTER STRANDED IN THE MIDDLE OF FREEWAY DURING HEAVY TRAFFIC FOR MORE THAN 3 HOURS, I HAD IT TOWED TO MY MECHANIC ALMOST 73MILES AND HAD TO PAY $300 TOWING FEE TO BRING THE VEHICLE TO THE MECHANIC. MY MECHANICS INITIAL INVESTIGATION FOUND THAT TRANSMISSION IS GONE AND NEED TO REPLACE IT. AFTER SEARCHING THE WEB, I FOUND VERY SIMILAR ISSUES FOR THE FORD FREESTAR (WHICH IS IDENTICAL TO MONTEREY). FORD /MERCURY SHOULD RECALL THESE VEHICLES TO FIX THIS TRANSMISSION FAILURE PROBLEM AND NOT TO PUT LOYAL FORD CUSTOMER IN A DANGEROUS POSITION IN A HIGHWAY. *TR

VEHICLE SUDDENLY AND UNEXPECTEDLY LOST POWER WHILE WIFE WAS DRIVING ON LEVEL TERRAIN WITH TWO PASSENGERS AT CONSTANT SPEED OF APPROX. 65 MPH IN RIGHT LANE OF AN INTERSTATE. ENGINE RPM INCREASED BUT VEHICLE SPEED DECREASED. POWER LOSS WAS COMPLETE. FORTUNATELY A REST AREA WAS WITHIN COASTING DISTANCE AND VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO COME TO A SAFE STOP THERE. ENGINE WOULD CRANK AND RUN BUT VEHICLE WOULD NOT MOVE IN ANY GEAR, FORWARD OR REVERSE. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A FORD DEALER, WHO DIAGNOSED TRANSMISSION FAILURE. VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED AT A COST OF APPROX. $3,300 BY REPLACING TRANSMISSION AND TORQUE CONVERTER WITH FORD REMANUFACTURED PARTS. I PERSONALLY REVIEWED THE FAILED TRANSMISSION AND TORQUE CONVERTER WHEN I PICKED UP THE REPAIRED VEHICLE. DUE TO THE SUBSTANTIAL CORE CHARGE (APPROX. $600) I ALLOWED THE DEALER TO KEEP THE PARTS FOR RETURN TO FORD. WHILE REVIEWING THE PARTS, I WAS ABLE TO IDENTIFY AND PHOTOGRAPH WHAT APPEARED TO BE THE ROOT CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. ALL TEETH OF THE PUMP DRIVE SPLINE (A FEMALE SPLINE INSIDE THE TORQUE CONVERTER) WERE SHEARED OFF SO THAT THE SPLINE BORE WAS COMPLETELY SMOOTH. (I ALSO OBSERVED AND PHOTOGRAPHED AN UNDAMAGED CONVERTER FOR COMPARISON.) THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE MATING MALE PUMP DRIVE SPLINE ON THE TRANSMISSION. THE NATURE OF THIS FAILURE CLEARLY POINTS TO A DESIGN OR MANUFACTURING DEFECT. THE FAILED SPLINE TEETH MUST HAVE BEEN SOFT OR THEY WOULD HAVE DAMAGED THE MATING TEETH ON THE MALE SPLINE. THE FAILED SPLINE COMPONENT APPEARED TO BE A STAMPED 1/8" THICK STEEL WASHER WHICH WAS WELDED TO THE INSIDE OF THE TORQUE CONVERTER CASE. FAILURE OF THIS COMPONENT SUGGESTS THAT ITS DESIGN THICKNESS AND STRENGTH WERE GROSSLY INADEQUATE TO SUPPORT THE PUMP DRIVE LOAD FOR THE SERVICE LIFE OF THE VEHICLE. IT IS EXTREMELY DISMAYING TO HAVE THE FAILURE OF A LESS THAN $2 COMPONENT RESULT IN A POTENTIALLY LIFE-THREATENING SITUATION AND A VERY EXPENSIVE REPAIR BILL. OF PARTICULAR CONCERN IS THAT THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO WARNING OF IMPENDING FAILURE! *TR

AFTER SPENDING HOURS TRYING TO REMOVE BACK DISC-DRUMS FOUND THAT THE EBRAKE SHOES HAD RELEASED FROM THE LININGS ON BOTH SIDES REAR OF A 2003 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER THE ADHESIVE ON THE SHOES HAD RELEASED FROM THE SHOE. *TR