MERCURY Complaints

I OPENED REAR LIFTGATE AND REMOVED SOME ITEMS AS USUAL. UPON TRYING TO LET THE GATE DOWN 1/4 WAY DOWN THE GLASS SHATTERED. THE STRUTS HUNG NOT ALLOWING ME TO BE ABLE TO CLOSE GATE. *TR

2004 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER REAR WINDOW PANEL CRACKED AND HINGES WILL NOT STAY TIGHT. FORD DEALER SAID THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM BUT FORD WILL NOT REPAIR IF VEHICLE IS NOT UNDER WARRANTY. VEHICLE HAS 53,000 MILES BUT I HAD DEALER CHECK VEHICLE WHILE IT WAS UNDER WARRANTY AND THEY SAID ALL IT NEEDED WAS ADJUSTING. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS. THE VEHICLE HAS TECH INTERNATIONAL TR414 VALVE STEMS. THE CONTACT DISCOVERED THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE TIRE WAS FLAT. AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC REPLACED THE VALVE STEM UNDER RECALL FOR FREE. ON A SEPARATE OCCASION, THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE TIRE FLATTENED. ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE CHANGED THE TIRE AND ALSO REPLACED THE VALVE STEM, WHICH WAS FOUND TO BE DEFECTIVE. ON THE THIRD OCCASION, WHILE DRIVING LESS THAN 60 MPH, THE CONTACT COULD HEAR THE REAR PASSENGER TIRE LOSING AIR. SHE WAS ABLE TO PULL OFF THE ROAD. IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE TIRE WAS AFFECTED BY THE VALVE STEM, WHICH PERTAINED TO NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 08T018000 (TIRES:VALVE). FORD REFUSED TO ASSIST BECAUSE THE VEHICLE WAS NOT BROUGHT TO THEM FIRST FOR REPAIRS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 26,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS LESS THAN 27,000. UPDATED 12/1/08 *CN UPDATED 12/05/08. *JB

TRANSMISSION SLIPPING AND RECENTLY WITHIN THIS MONTH NOTICED A CRACK IN THE LIFTGATE AND THE LIFTGATE WILL NOT RISE FULLY. *TR

CRACK ON REAR HATCH FROM TOP OF HATCH DOWN AND AROUND THE EMBLEM (UNDER THE REAR WINDOW). VEHICLE IS A 2004 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER WITH 75K MILES. *TR

THE CAR IS NOW TOAST. IT WAS ABOUT 100 MILES PAST ITS SCHEDULED OIL-CHANGE/TUNE UP BUT OTHERWISE HAS BEEN WELL-CARED-FOR AND WAS RUNNING SMOOTHLY. I WAS DRIVING, AND A BEEPING STARTED. IT SOUNDED LIKE IT'S COMING FROM THE CENTER OF THE CAR, AND THE BATTERY LIGHT CAME ON WARNING OF VERY LOW BATTERY, BUT NO OTHER WARNING LIGHTS. I SAW SMOKE COMING OUT THE BACK (REARVIEW AND SIDE MIRRORS) AND IT SMELLS LIKE SOMETHING SYNTHETIC IS BURNING (THIS ALL HAPPENS IN SECONDS TIME); SO, I PULL OVER, PARK, TURN THE CAR OFF. MY FRIEND AND I GOT OUT OF THE CAR. WITH THE CAR STOPPED I REALIZED THE SMOKE WAS COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. I CALLED AAA FOR A TOW-TRUCK AND THE SMOKE WAS DYING DOWN. THEN THE SMOKE PICKED UP AGAIN AND I SAW WHAT I CAN ONLY DESCRIBE AS SMALL DROPS OF FIRE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD (PROBABLY DRIPPING, BURNING OIL). I THEN CALLED THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. BY THE TIME THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ARRIVED, THE FRONT OF THE CAR WAS ABLAZE WITH A MASSIVE DARK SMOKE PLUME GOING WHAT MUST HAVE BEEN EASILY 100 FEET INTO THE AIR. THEY PUT OUT THE FIRE BUT NOT BEFORE THE EVERYTHING UNDER THE HOOD WAS TOTALLY BURNED OUT AND THE TWO FRONT TIRES (WHICH ARE NOW MELTED ONTO THE FRAME) HAD EXPLODED RATHER DRAMATICALLY. WHILE SMOKE GOT INTO THE COCKPIT, THE FLAME DID NOT BREACH IT NOR DID THE GAS TANK EXPLODE, BUT THE FUEL LINE MUST HAVE BEEN BREACHED. I'M CALLING A WRECKER TOMORROW MORNING TO TAKE THE CAR TO A SCRAP YARD (NO ONE OPEN SUNDAY EVENING). I'M WONDERING IF THIS IS THE SORT OF THING THE MANUFACTURER REIMBURSES SOMEONE FOR. I HAVE LIABILITY INSURANCE, BUT NOT COMPREHENSIVE. NO ONE WAS HURT, SAVE FOR WHAT I AS A LAYMAN WOULD CHARACTERIZE AS MINOR SMOKE INHALATION WHILE MY FRIEND AND I WERE IN/VACATING THE CAR (I FELT NAUSEOUS I WHILE AFTERWARD, BUT THAT COULD HAVE BEEN THE SHOCK OF SEEING MY CAR TURN INTO A FIREBALL AS MUCH AS IT WAS THE SMOKE I INHALED). *TR

I OWN A 2002 MERCURY SABLE. THE RIGHT FRONT COIL SPRING BROKE AS I WAS LEAVING MY DRIVEWAY ON 2/28/07. THIS RESULTED IN HAVING TO REPLACE BOTH FRONT COIL SPRINGS PER TECHNICIAN'S RECOMMENDATION. ALSO THEN HAD TO PAY FOR A WHEEL ALIGNMENT AFTER SPRING REPAIR. TOTAL BILL $418.00. WHILE INVESTIGATING COMPLAINTS OF THIS PROBLEM I DISCOVERED MULTIPLE COMPLAINTS FROM OTHER OWNERS OF SAME YEAR, MAKE, AND MODEL. THEN FOUND OUT THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE SPRINGS, FOR 1999-2001 AND THEN 2003, BUT NOT FOR 2002 MODELS IN SPITE OF THE LARGE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE AND WITH SO MANY COMPLAINTS I WONDER WHY THE MANUFACTURER HAS NOT RECALLED. AND I AM NOT ALONE IN WONDERING THIS. I HAVE TO ALSO WONDER HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE OUT THERE THAT HAD THE SAME PROBLEM THAT HAVE NOT REGISTERED A FORMAL COMPLAINT. I AM IN CONSTANT FEAR THAT MY REAR COIL SPRINGS WILL BREAK NEXT. I DO NOT FEEL SAFE DRIVING MY CAR KNOWING THAT AT ANY TIME THESE SPRINGS COULD BREAK. SPRINGS ARE JUST NOT SUPPOSED TO BREAK LIKE THIS ON CARS SO NEW. MY VEHICLE ONLY HAD 46,077 MILES ON IT WHEN THIS OCCURRED. THIS IS QUITE A SHOCK! PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS AND SEE ABOUT GETTING A MANUFACTURER RECALL FOR SPRINGS ON THE 2002 MERCURY SABLE. *TR

THE RECALL IS THE FUEL PUMP . I HAVE THREE CHILDREN AND MY VEHICLE IS DEEMED UNSAFE TO COMMUTE. THE EXPENSES ARE UNATTAINABLE AT THIS TIME TO COMPLETE REPAIRS. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MERCURY MARINER. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH ON NORMAL ROAD CONDITIONS AND PROCEEDING TO A STOP, THE ENGINE STALLED UNEXPECTEDLY. THE VEHICLE RESTARTED AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS WITH A LOUD NOISE COMING FROM THE TRANSMISSION. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. IN ADDITION, THERE WAS EXCESSIVE OIL LEAKAGE FROM THE GASKET. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON FOUR OCCASIONS, BUT THEY WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURES. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE CONTACT WAS CONCERNED OF THE SAFETY RISK INVOLVED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 1,094 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 7,000. UPDATED 12/1/08 *CN UPDATED 12/05/08.*JB

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 MERCURY SABLE. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS AT A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP FOR MINOR MAINTENANCE, THE MECHANIC TEST DROVE THE VEHICLE AND THE FRONT COIL SPRINGS FAILED. THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE TIRE BLEW OUT. THERE WAS NO CRASH AND THE DRIVER WAS UNINJURED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED BACK TO THE REPAIR SHOP AND THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THE COIL SPRINGS WERE FRACTURED DUE TO CORROSION. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE MECHANIC ALSO INFORMED HIM OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 04V332000 (SUSPENSION:FRONT:SPRINGS:COIL SPRINGS). THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL; THEREFORE, THEY WERE NOT LIABLE FOR THE REPAIRS. THE DEALER HAS NOT BEEN NOTIFIED. THE SPEED WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 68,827.