Most common 2005 Mercury Monterey problems
Share of the 119 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Mercury Monterey complaints by model year
Best Monterey years: 2007, 2006. Years to avoid: 2004, 2005. Compare all years →
2005 Mercury Monterey recalls (3)
Seats
Ford is recalling certain model year 2004-2007 Freestar and Mercury Monterey vehicles manufactured from March 24, 2003, through November 7, 2006, equipped with a third row seat and originally sold in, or currently registered in, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota,…
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will install new third row seat latch striker mounting brackets, free of charge. The recall began on March 28, 2013.
Power train › Automatic transmission › Torque converter
Ford is recalling certain model year 2004 and 2005 Ford freestar and Mercury monterey vehicles. The torque converter output shaft May fail.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the torque converter free of charge. The safety recall began on August 9, 2012. Owners May contact the Ford motor company customer relationship center at 1-866-436-7332.
Structure › Body › Hatchback/liftgate
On certain vans equipped with the power liftgate option, the power liftgate motor automatically disengages after the liftgate is powered open.
Remedy: Dealers will reprogram the power liftgate module to reduce the likelihood that the liftgate could fall free of charge. The recall began on March 15, 2006. Owners May contact Ford at 1-800-392-3673.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 6 possible defects involving the 2005 Mercury Monterey:
Service Jack Failure
The subject vehicles (SV) are all automatic transmission, front wheel drive vehicles with hand actuated mechanical park brakes. The investigation focused on allegations that the service jack failed and caused the vehicles to fall. The subject scissors-type jack appears to fail at the slotted hinge joints where the jack screw is located (bends at mid-point).
Engine Stalling
The subject vehicles suffered from a design issue whereby water could run down onto the cowling under the hood and located in the area of the windshield wipers and then drip onto a computer module, the Powertrain Control Module (PCM), which could be manifested in a variety of symptoms depending on which part of the circuit board became wet or which of the connector pins shorted out.In addition to causing an engine…
Torque converter output shaft failure
Odi has received 227 owner complaints alleging a sudden and unexpected loss of motive power due to an internal transmission failure in the subject vehicles.of those complaints, 124 can be attributed to the torque converter output shaft splines stripping causing a sudden loss of power to the drivetrain.the remaining 103 complaints experienced a loss of motive power but the specific internal failure cause within the…
Stabilus Rear Liftgate Struts Failing
Please see the attached closing resume summary.It has been attached to this document as a PDF.
Corrosion of Third-Row Seat Attachment
Ford is conducting a safety recall to repair the third-row seat's latch mechanisms in approximately 196,667 model year (MY) 2004 through 2007 Ford Freestar and Mercury Monterey vehicles (see NHTSA recall 13V-081 for more details).The recall covers vehicles originally sold, or currently registered, in the salt belt states or high corrosion areas of the United States: Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia,…
Transmission Torque Converter Failure
On January 4, 2012 Ford Motor Company submitted a Defect Information Report (NHTSA Recall No. 12V-006) to NHTSA regarding a defect in the performance of the transmission torque converter for approximately 205,896 Ford Freestar and Mercury Monterey vehicles.The supplier of the torque converter manufactured converters containing a pump shaft spline that did not consistently meet the specified heat treatment…
What 2005 Mercury Monterey owners say
Transmission & drivetrain all 97 →
The contact's fianc e owns a 2005 Mercury Monterey. The contact stated while his fianc e was driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed and the vehicle failed to respond and inadvertently stopped. The contact's fianc e pushed the vehicle over the third of a mile by herself until she received assistance to push the vehicle to a parking lot. The vehicle was hauled to the contact's residence. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle and shifting into gear, the vehicle failed to respond. The contact, who is an independent mechanic diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 95,357.
You'll be driving down the street or highway and it all of sudden it loses power and the light that means transaxle problem has been detected and shifting May be restricted. Have system services immediately if light remains on. I looked it up with my VIN number and I know there is a recall due to this problem. I looked it up on a site and it said it hadn't been fixed and I called one dealership and they said they don't see where it had been fixed either. Then all of sudden when I discover another dealership that is closer to me a couple days later and decided to call them to see if they could get me in instead of the first dealership cause it was closer to my house they all of sudden say it was already had been fixed back in 2012. …
Body & structure
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Mercury Monterey. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 13V081000 (seats). The vehicle was taken to a dealer. The technician stated that the condition of the vehicle did not support the installation of the recalled part due to excessive corrosion in the wheel well of the rear driver side of the vehicle. In addition, the contact stated that the striker latch had previously detached. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 141,765.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Mercury Monterey. The contact stated that the carpet on the vehicle's floor was moist. Also, the third row seat latch was so corroded that the contact could see the ground. The contact called westland Ford dealer [phone] (located at 3450 wall ave, ogden, ut 84401) and was informed that the VIN and state were not included in NHTSA campaign number: 13V081000 (seats). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to NHTSA. The approximate failure mileage was 112,000.
Engine & cooling
I purchased my 2005 Mercury Monterey in feb/March 2018, in July of 2018 I go out to start my van to leave and nothing happens wont start, so we look under the hood every thing seems fine, I call the tow truck to have it towed to the shop, oil spills out all over my driveway, there is a huge hole in the engine, so we had a used engine put in March 2019, sept 2019 I go to start my van and nothing, this time I get out and notice a huge puddle of oil.. We get down to look to see why and yet again there is another hole in the "newer" engine!
Tl contact owns a 2005 Mercury Monterey. The contact stated that the vehicle completely shut down several times while driving between 10 and 45 MPH. There was no power in the vehicle when the failure occurred. Occasionally, the vehicle would restart on its own and other times he had to wait a few minutes before it would start. On two occasions the vehicle had to be towed. There were no warning lights prior to the failure. He took the vehicle to the dealer four times and was told that they could not retrieve any codes to pinpoint the failure. Many components (sensor computer chips, engine detox and all the spark plugs) were replaced but none repaired the failure. He called the manufacturer and received no response to-date. The vehicle identification number was not available at the time of the complaint. The current mileage was 70,162. The failure mileage was approximately 68,000.
2005 Mercury Monterey engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4.2L 6-cyl | 4-speed automatic | FWD | 16 / 21 / 18 |
EPA ratings. Class: Minivan.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2005 Mercury Monterey a good car?
Based on 119 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2005 Monterey rates avoid: 4.0× as many complaints as a typical year of the Monterey at the same age. It is one of the Monterey years we suggest avoiding. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2005 Mercury Monterey?
The transmission & drivetrain — 97 complaints, 82% of all complaints for this model year, most often about automatic transmission. Next are the body & structure (8) and engine & cooling (7).
How many recalls does the 2005 Mercury Monterey have?
There are 3 recalls for the 2005 Mercury Monterey, the most recent from March 7, 2013 (seats). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Mercury Monterey?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2007 and 2006. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2004 and 2005. See the full Mercury Monterey years comparison.
At what mileage do 2005 Mercury Monterey problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 74,000 miles; 17% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.