MERCURY Complaints

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS. WHENEVER THE CONTACT WOULD ATTEMPT TO SLOW DOWN THE VEHICLE, HE NOTICED THAT IT WOULD SUDDENLY SHUT OFF. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THE FUEL PUMP NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 23,000. UPDATED 09/04/09.*JB

DRIVER'S SIDE AIRBAG FAILED TO DEPLOY ON FRONT IMPACT CAR CRASH. THE CAR IS A 2003 MERCURY SABLE. THE PASSENGER AIR BAG DID DEPLOY (THOUGH THERE WAS NO PASSENGER). THE HIGHWAY PATROL CUT OPEN THE STEERING WHEEL COVER TO REVEAL THAT THERE WAS INDEED A DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAG WITH THE NUMBER TGP037SPAEIT P5206000-00EE09. THE VIN NUMBER OF THE VEHICLE IS [XXX] MY DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING AND IS UNSURE OF THE SPEED OF THE CAR WHEN SHE LOST CONTROL OF THE CAR AND HIT THE WALL. I'M GUESSING IT WAS IN THE 35-45 MPH RANGE. HER INJURIES WERE MINOR - THANKS TO THE SEAT BELT - I AM VERY CONCERNED THAT THE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY TO OFFER HER FURTHER PROTECTION AS EXPECTED. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

REAR AXLE FAILURE AT 35,000 MILES. REPLACED BOTH REAR AXLE SHAFTS, BEARINGS, SEALS, CV BOOTS, AND COMPLETE DIFFERENTIAL WITH USED PARTS PER THE EXTENDED WARRANTY COVERAGE. *TR

WE HAVE A 2004 MERCURY MONTEREY, WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY TRAVELING AT 65 MPH, DURING RUSH HOUR, WITH OUR THREE CHILDREN INSIDE, THE VAN DROPPED OUT OF GEAR, ALL WE COULD DO IS COAST! NO WARNING...NOTHING. THEY COULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY HURT. THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO REV AND THE TRANSMISSION JUST DISENGAGED. LUCKILY FOR MY FAMILY, I WAS NEAR A RAMP AND WAS ABLE TO COAST OFF OF THE HIGHWAY AND INTO THE PARKING LOT OF AN ADJACENT BUSINESS, WE ARE LOOKING AT 2-3,000K FOR THE REPAIRS. WE JUST BOUGHT THIS VAN AND IT IS ONLY FIVE YEARS OLD AND ONLY 112000 MILES. WE HAVE DONE SOME INTERNET SEARCHING AND FOUND THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM AND OCCURS ABOUT EVERY FIFTY THOUSAND MILES OR SO. *TR

MY WIFE WAS DRIVING ON HIGHWAY 100 W IN ELLICOTT CITY WITH MY KID LAST EVENING AND SUDDENLY THE MINIVAN STARTING DE-ACCELERATING. SHE PRESSED ON THE GAS PEDAL BUT THE CAR WAS NOT MOVING. UNFORTUNATELY, DUE TO HEAVY TRAFFIC, SHE COULD NOT GET THE CAR TO THE SHOULDER AND THE CAR CAME TO HALT ON THE HIGHWAY. MIRACULOUSLY, THERE WAS A COP WHO NOTICED THE PROBLEM AND HELPED HER TO GET OUT OF THE CAR. WE CALLED TOWING SERVICE, WHO TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP. UPON DIAGNOSIS, THE TECHNICIAN FOUND THAT SOMETHING IN THE TRANSMISSION BROKE. THERE WAS NO SIGNS OF TRANSMISSION PROBLEM WITH THE CAR. THE VEHICLE IS MERCURY MONTEREY, 4 YEARS OLD (2004 MAKE, BOUGHT NEW IN JAN 2005) AND HAS 50,000 MILES ON IT. WE NEED DEPARTMENT OF VEHICLE TO INVESTIGATE IN TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS WITH 2004 MERCURY MONTEREY'S AS IT WILL CAUSE FATALITIES ON THE ROAD. FORTUNATELY, I CAN SEE MY FAMILY BUT THIS HORRIFIC INCIDENT CAN HAPPEN WITH OTHERS. FORD, SHOULD BE LIABLE TO PAY FOR THE TRANSMISSION REPAIR/REPLACEMENT. DEALERSHIP PROVIDED AN ESTIMATE OF 3,300 DOLLARS TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION WHICH IS UNFAIR FOR A CONSUMER IN THIS TOUGH ECONOMY. *TR

RECENTLY, THE PCV VALVE IN MY 2002 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER HAD A LEAK (VACUUM SYSTEM LEAK). AS THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO STALL AS A RESULT OF THIS LEAK, WHILE TRAVELING 55 MPH, AND DECELERATING TOWARDS A TRAFFIC LIGHT, I LOST ALL FUNCTION OF MY BRAKES. WHEN I STEPPED HARD ON THE BRAKES, THERE WAS NO RESPONSE. HOWEVER, BECAUSE I EQUATED THIS TO POSSIBLY BEING TIED TO THE PCV VALVE, I STEPPED ON THE ACCELERATOR TO INCREASE AIRFLOW INTO THE ENGINE SO THAT I WOULD HAVE BRAKE FUNCTION. THIS GAVE ME BRAKE FUNCTION, TEMPORARILY. HOWEVER, THIS MOVE WAS VERY RISKY, AS I WAS APPROACHING CARS IN FRONT OF ME AND ACCELERATING TOWARDS THEM INSTEAD OF DECELERATING, JUST SO I COULD SLAM ON THE BRAKES AND HAVE FUNCTIONING BRAKES. THERE IS AN APPARENT LINK BETWEEN THE BRAKES AND THE VACUUM SYSTEM...WHICH POSES A DEADLY SITUATION. HAD I NOT BEEN AWARE OF VACUUM SYSTEM ISSUES AND HOW TO MITIGATE THEM, I WOULD HAVE PLOWED INTO THE STOPPED VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME WITH NO BRAKES. THIS OCCURRED IN THE EVENING. I HAD TO USE THIS METHOD TO COMPLETE THE REMAINDER OF MY TRIP TO GET HOME, ACCELERATING EVERY TIME I NEEDED TO USE BRAKES, BECAUSE THE STALLING VEHICLE EVERY TIME HAD NO BRAKE FUNCTION. THIS CONDITION PUT ME IN A VERY BAD SITUATION, AS I ALSO HAD MY 5 YEAR OLD IN THE CAR WITH ME. THIS SYSTEM SHOULD BE RECALLED AS IT IS UNSAFE. REPLACING THE PCV VALVE CORRECTED THE PROBLEM. THERE IS ALSO NO NOTICE IN THE OPERATING MANUAL FOR THIS VEHICLE ABOUT THIS VACUUM SYSTEM PROBLEM, ESPECIALLY SINCE THE OPERATING MANUAL THAT CAME WITH THIS CAR IS FOR A PROTOTYPE SOFTWARE SYSTEM, AND DOESN'T EVEN MATCH MY VEHICLE. I HAVE COMPLAINED TO MERCURY/FORD ABOUT THIS INCORRECT MANUAL, BUT THEY DID NOT OFFER TO SEND ME A NEW ONE, AND SIMPLY TOOK THE INFORMATION AND DIDN'T EVEN RESPOND TO MY CONCERNS. *TR

NO SINGLE EVENT LED TO THE FAILURE. THIS APPEARS TO BE A STRUCTURAL DEFECT IN THE REAR LIFT DOOR OF THE MERCURY MOUNTAINEER. THE MOUNTING PLATES FOR THE REAR DOOR HINGES HAVE FAILED. NOTE THAT THE HINGES HAVE NOT FAILED. THE FAILURE IS IN THE MOUNTING POINT IN THE DOOR. ONE SIDE HAS COMPLETELY CRACKED THROUGH AND THE OTHER SIDE HAS PARTIALLY CRACKED. THE CONSEQUENCES ARE THAT IF BOTH MOUNT POINTS FAIL THERE WILL NOT BE ANY THING HOLDING THE TOP OF THE REAR LIFT DOOR. THE DOOR COULD THEREFORE SEPARATE FROM THE CAR AND FALL OFF THE VEHICLE. IF THE MOUNT POINTS FAIL, THE ONLY ITEMS HOLDING THE DOOR WOULD BE THE SIDE LIFT CYLINDERS. THESE CYLINDERS WOULD NOT BE STRONG ENOUGH TO KEEP THE DOOR ATTACHED TO THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE WAS DISCOVERED 2 DAYS AGO. ACTIONS TAKEN SO FAR ARE LIMITED TO GETTING ESTIMATES TO FIX PROBLEM. MERCURY DEALER REPRESENTATIVE WAS NOT HELPFUL SINCE VEHICLE IS A 2000 MOUNTAINEER AND NOT UNDER ANY WARRANTY. HIS RESPONSE WAS LIMITED TO SAYING HE HAD NEVER SEEN THE PROBLEM BEFORE AND GIVING ME THE NAME OF A COLLISION REPAIR SHOP. HOWEVER, I BELIEVE THIS IS A MAJOR STRUCTURAL FAILURE AND A SEVERE SAFETY ISSUE SINCE IF THE HINGE MOUNTS FAIL COMPLETELY AND THE DOOR FALLS OFF THE VEHICLE WHEN ON THE HIGHWAY, A MAJOR ACCIDENT MIGHT RESULT. *TR

I DRIVE 100 MILES BACK AND FORTH TO WORK ON A NIGHTLY BASIS, HEADLIGHTS MIGHT COME ON AND STAY ON IF I'M LUCKY. HEADLIGHTS WILL COME ON FOR ABOUT 3 MINUTES WHEN I FIRST START THE CAR, AND THEN MAYBE ONCE I GET ON THE HIGHWAY, THEY MAY STAY ON, FOR A FEW MORE MINUTES. HOWEVER TRAVELING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AT 75 MPH, IN THE DARK, I FEEL IMPOSES A SAFETY RISK. FORD WANTS OVER 700.00 TO FIX THE PROBLEM. MILEAGE AT 65,000. *TR

MY TRANSMISSION FAILED WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY WITH MY CHILD IN THE CAR. THIS CAUSE MY CAR TO "BUCK" AND COME TO ALMOST COMPLETE STOP. THANKFULLY I WAS IN THE RIGHT LANE AND ABLE TO GET OFF ONTO THE SHOULDER. MY CAR THEN WOULD ONLY GO INTO 1ST AND 2ND GEAR. IT WOULD NOT SHIFT TO 3RD. I TOOK IT TO A SERVICE CENTER (ACTUALLY 3 OF THEM) WHO TOLD ME I NEED A NEW TRANSMISSION. THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION OCCURRING WITH THESE CARS. THERE WERE NOT TELL TAIL SIGNS. IT WAS NOT SLIPPING OR RATTLING PREVIOUS TO THIS. IN SEARCHING THE INTERNET ON GOOGLE I FIND THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WHO ARE HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS SAME PROBLEM WITH MERCURY OR FORD 2000-2003 VEHICLES. WHY ISN'T THERE A RECALL ON THIS PART. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE. EVENTUALLY SOMEONE IS GOING TO GET HURT. THIS REPAIR IS GOING TO COST ME APPROX. $3000. IN ADDITION TO THIS ONE OF MY SEAT BELTS STOPPED WORKING. WHEN BUCKLED IT COMES UNDONE WHEN I AM DRIVING. THIS IS A REAR PASSENGER SEAT BELT WHERE MY CHILD SITS. HE CAN NOT REFASTEN IT BY HIMSELF. I NO LONGER SEAT HIM IN THAT PARTICULAR SEAT. BUT HOW LONG BEFORE THE OTHER STOP WORKING AS WELL. FOR SOME REASON YOUR WEBSITE WILL NOT TAKE THIS NUMBER. I JUST CALLED FORD AND THEY VERIFIED THE #. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS. WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED, THE VEHICLE WILL SUDDENLY SHUT OFF. THE CONTACT IS ABLE TO SHIFT INTO NEUTRAL AND RESTART THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN DIAGNOSED BY THE DEALER. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 67,000.