Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1998 Mercury Mountaineer owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I am the original owner of a 1998 Mercury Mountaineer, v8, AWD, VIN [redacted] with 142,000 miles. I parked the car in my driveway on Friday evening, July 14, 2006 where the car remained unused until Sunday afternoon, July 16, 2006. On Sunday afternoon, July 16, 2006, around 1:00 pm the car caught fire, also catching my house on fire. The car was a total loss and the house sustained major damage in one area. The car was not used between the time it was parked and caught fire. Updated 07/12/2012
At 2 am we smelled smoke and saw it coming from garage, when I opened garage door flames were coming out of front of car. My mothers car burnt and it is a total loss. We had to call fire dept. My garage was wrecked. My house has smoke damage.
The consumer stated that the vehicle caught on fire and burned up. The firemen indicated it was an electrical problem and looked like it started on driver's side. The consumer stated this document was mailed to her home in error.
After driving 20 min.on I-75 at 65mph the car was parked in a lot of a shopping mall. 1 minute later, the car made a loud hissing noise for 5-10 seconds and there was a loud explosion from the engine and a fire that was flaming under the hood,the side fenders,& the radiator grill. The fire melted aluminum and plastic engine components so fast along with the interior of the car and the windshield. This was an extremely dangerous fire I believe caused by defect of manufacturer. If this fire was on the highway at 70 MPH.the fire would be a torch and fumes,heat,and fire would have entered the interior making driving impossible. The intensity of the fire would have destroyed the brake system and the power steering system,leaving the car with no braking and steering to stop and pull over. …
I bought my vehicle about 3 years ago. It had 60,000 on the odometer. The back windshield wiper never worked, and does once in a while and the radio light never stays on. Once in a while it will show the station or the time. My drivers side door handle has always been loose. My engine light came on a year after I got it and it will not go off. It say EGR flow insufficient and yet I have replaced all of those and had the computer reset. The passenger side door does not lock unless I lock it by hand and then you can't open it. The back seats sometimes lock and other times won't. My seat was recalled and I took it, and now it is broken. These cars are not made very well and I think we should get letters on the recalls. I haven't received but one letter and I took it immediately, but I see there have been other recalls and I wasn't notified. What should I do now?
Electronic controls operated by the generic control module (wipers, rear defroster, power windows etc.) have locked up. Throttle sticks after full stop and use of cruise control and needs excessive force to move forward. Existing recalls should cover these repairs, as well as two other recalls for the corrosive hood latch, and speed control where the throttle could ice up in prolonged cold weather. I went in armed with documentation and the recall information from the website but the sayville Ford dealership in sayville, ny, refused to service them, stating they were "campaigns" not actual recalls. If your vehicle doesn't come up for service on their computer, they do not acknowledge the legal recalls and won't do the repairs. Recall #'s: 00V072000, 99V062001, 99V164000, 97V074000.
When handling a cd that was ejected from the stereo of my 1998 Mercury Mountaineer, the disc was so hot I received a first degree burn. Apparently, heat build-up within the dash board of the Ford explorer/Mercury Mountaineer is causing extremely high temperatures and I'm concerned that there is a potential fire hazard. The temperature is also high enough to cause component failures within the stereo head unit adding to my concern of a possible fire hazard. Many internet forums host discussions about the heat build-up causing the display units of the stereos to fail intermittently, or completely. According to the discussions, this is very common occurrence, happening on several Ford and Mercury models over several years. (incident date is approximate).
All of a sudden with no warning my interior dome lights, power windows and front and back windshield wipers didn't function. I was driving it started to rain and I could see very well without functioning wipers. I had to pull over to the side of the road. I figure that a fuse might have blown but when I checked all fuses they seem to be OK. I was reviewing a recall for a 1999 Mountaineer for a gem problem. Although my vehicle is a 1998, could this problem be similar to the 1999 recall. It appears to have all the similar symptoms . Is it possible that my 1998 Mountaineer has a recall for the same problem. Thank you
Consumer had just turned off the highway and was traveling on a dirt road when vehicle jerked to right and then rolled over. Consumer and her daughter were thrown out from vehicle. Consumer was knocked unconscious, and daughter was killed upon impact. Also vehicle exploded into flames.
While the vehicle was parked it caught on fire on its own. The fire department extinguished the fire. Then, vehicle was towed to the consumer's residence. Consumer will contact the manufacturer in the near future.
NHTSA investigations
Engine compartment fires
Ea05-005 is closed with Ford?s actions in recalls 05v-017, 05v-388, and 06v-286, recalling approximately 6.7 million vehicles equipped with texas instruments speed control deactivation switches (scds).the brake systems in these recalled vehicles generate a vacuum that can potentially cause the scds to fail and, in certain switch installation orientations, catch fire.Ford is also including the entire population of…
Electrical complaints in other Mountaineer years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 1998 Mercury Mountaineer?
NHTSA has 21 complaints about the electrical system of the 1998 Mercury Mountaineer, 9% of the model year's 236 complaints. The component named most often is wiring › front underhood (4 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1998 Mercury Mountaineer electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 1998 Mercury Mountaineer, though it has 5 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 1998 Mercury Mountaineer electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 99,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 8 fires and 2 injuries and 1 death to electrical system 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.