Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1997 Mercury Mountaineer owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl* the contact's husband owns a 1997 Mercury Mountaineer. The contact stated that when the brake pedal was released, the vehicle unintentionally accelerated. As a result, the contact's husband rear ended another vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was filed and there were no injuries. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic for diagnostic testing or repairs. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.
While completely stopped, the engine roared and the vehicle lunged into oncoming traffic hitting another vehicle. The dealer repaired the damages to the vehicle but was not able to determine the cause of the problem. Please provide any additional information.
While parking at a right angle on a steep hill overlooking a busy road, the car almost at a standstill, the driver's foot on the brake, the car engine suddenly started screaming, the gas pedal depressed on its own and the car surged forward over a concrete parking curb and mowed down a tall palm tree. My daughter-in-law would have been killed if not for hitting the tree, as she had already taken off her seatbelt and opened her door - we were so close to a standstill. The tree stopped the car from going over a very steep hill at a high rate of speed onto traffic on the road below. The replacement value of the tree is not yet known. I have since discovered via channel 4 tv in uk, and dateline nbc that this is a known problem with this vehicle and people have been killed, as my daughter-in-law and I would have been if not for the palm tree. …
When I use the cruise control and then turn it off I can't seem to push my gas pedal when you are driving the vehicle. I have to keep putting extreme pressure on the accelerator pedal until something breaks or pops and then it allows me to push the pedal. I keep having problems with smoke coming from on top of the steering column like something is burning when you are driving, now I have electrical problems to where my horn will not work anymore. I keep having problems with the front frame of the SUV. The frame sounds and feels like it is going to fall apart and it doesn't matter if you are driving or stationary. The mechanic says it is the sway bar that is causing that problem. I have been calling Ford about it and they keep saying there is no recall on my vehicle.
Tl* the contact owns a 1997 Mercury Mountaineer. He experienced difficult steering, because the front sway bar linkage had fractured. Secondly he would intermittently smell an odor of gasoline inside of the vehicle. Thirdly during brake application the accelerator pedal would also stick. This condition would cause the vehicle to lurch forward. Lastly the main bar that held the two bumpers together had corroded. The failures were described in recalls (98V060000, 00V422000, 00V402000). However he was advised by representatives from the dealer and the manufacturer that the previous owner had the vehicle repaired according the recalls. The current mileage was approximately 157,000. The failure mileage was approximately 156,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 1997 Mercury Mountaineer. The contact was driving approximately 45 MPH when the vehicle abnormally accelerated. The contact applied the brakes but the vehicle would not stop. The contact was unable to maintain control of the vehicle as it accelerated. The left side of the vehicle began to skid abnormally and the contact crashed into a wire fence. The vehicle then rolled over and crashed into several trees before coming to a stop. The passenger sustained major injuries to the head and bodily trauma. The contact sustained injuries to the head. The contact and passenger were transported to the hospital via ambulance. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The failure mileage was unknown.
When approaching stop sign, at intersection, vehicle accelerated when brakes were applied, causing a collision with the car in front of mine. The brake pedal was depressed all the way to the floor, and the engine roared as if accelerating. We have had one other similar incident in which the vehicle accelerated while braking. Dealer explained that driver had foot on brake and accelerator at same time. In second incident, I am sure that I had my foot only on the brake. Dealer examined vehicle after each incident and could find nothing wrong.
Tl* the contact owns a 1997 Mercury Mountaineer. The contact stated that he shifted into drive and the vehicle suddenly accelerated. The contact mentioned that he had to shift to neutral in order to stop the vehicle and stated that the failure occurred several times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician was unable to diagnose the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 160,000 and the current mileage was 170,000.
While turning into an intersection vehicle started to rev and take off. Motor on vehicle was going faster and faster. Foot was on brake, and vehicle would not stop. After 10 seconds motor was back to normal. This has occurred on three separte occasions, one time there was an accident where the consumer hit the vehicle in front of him, there were no injuries, consumer found service bulleting 97s67 and states that this exactly describes the problem the vehicle is experiencing.
Vehicle was in a park position with emergency brake on, got out of vehicle to check on baby was in car seat in back seat when suddenly vehicle started to accelerate which caused the vehicle to hit a brick wall with baby inside, and injuries to consumer who was trying to stop the run away vehicle. Consumer ran to vehicle, noticed that the baby sustained no injuries. Also noticed vehicle was still in park gear with emergency brake on.
Related recalls
Vehicle speed control
Ford is recalling model years 1995-2003 windstar, 2000-2003 excursion diesel, 1993-1997 and 1999-2003 f-250 sd through f-550 sd diesel, 1992-2003 e-150 through e-550, 1995-2002 explorer, 1997 and 2002 Mercury mountaineer, 1995-1997 and 2001-2003 ranger, and 1994 f53 vehicles equipped with the texas instruments speed control…
Remedy: Ford will notify owners that dealers will install a fused wiring harness in line with the scds. On 1999-2003 windstar vehicles with a leaking scds, dealers will also inspect the ABS control module connector and repair…
Vehicle speed control
Vehicle description: sport utility vehicles equipped with 4.0l sohc engines and still retain the original throttle body (part numbers 97jf-9e926ab or 97jf-9e926-ac). Some of the original throttle bodies installed allowed a gap between the plate and bore to be built too narrow.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the original throttle bodies.
Vehicle speed control
Vehicle description: multi-purpose passenger vehicles equipped with 5.0l engines originally sold or currently registered in the states of alaska, idaho, iowa, maine, michigan (upper peninsula only), minnesota, montana, nebraska, new hampshire, new york, north dakota, south dakota, vermont, wisconsin, and wyoming.
Remedy: Dealers will install a revised pcv system with water heated vacuum source.
Acceleration complaints in other Mountaineer years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 1997 Mercury Mountaineer?
NHTSA has 59 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 1997 Mercury Mountaineer, 18% of the model year's 328 complaints. The component named most often is accelerator pedal (15 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1997 Mercury Mountaineer acceleration problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 09V-399 (vehicle speed control, Oct 13, 2009); NHTSA recall 00V-422 (vehicle speed control, Dec 27, 2000); NHTSA recall 97V-074 (vehicle speed control, Apr 30, 1997). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 1997 Mercury Mountaineer acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 110,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 18 crashes, 1 fire and 4 injuries to speed control & acceleration problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.