Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (wheels, lug nuts, original-equipment tires, TPMS).
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).
The tires are an "all terrain" design, however they perform very very poorly in snow/slush/very wet conditionswhen combined with the vehicles that have all wheel drive. I've talked to three experts who have all concluded that the problem is with the rubber band on the outer edge of the tread on both sides (this band has no lugs in it, resulting in poor traction in turns.) essentially, the all wheel drive tries to pull the car forward and is supposed to adjust power away from the wheels with poor traction. When it does so, the car has a major tendency to lose control at all wheels. Since I have owned the car I have seen or heard of two other identical vehicles getting into similar accidents with the same options/tires as my vehicle, so I asume it is a re-occuring problem. …
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 Mercury Mountaineer equipped with turbo tech radial a/sr tires, line size p235/75r15, dot number ut1tt2e4305. The contact was driving approximately 55 MPH when a loud pop sounded from the exterior of the vehicle. The contact suddenly lost control of the vehicle. The vehicle flipped over twice and landed onto the center lane of the highway. The contact sustained a mild concussion and injuries to the knee, back and neck. A police report was available. The failure was caused by the rear driver side tire exploding. The vehicle was destroyed and towed to a salvage yard. The failure mileage was approximately 149,000.
Pe00 020; consumer was traveling about 45mph on the highway and heard a noise. Then, started losing control, car slid, and went down a hill/ rolled several times. Passenger's rear tire tread separated. Tires were Firestone wilderness #at, size p23575 r15. Consumer has contacted Firestone. Vehicle was totaled. Consumer sustained minor injuries.
My wife was driving back to work at lunch, clear day, unlimited visibility, clear road conditions, when the driver side rear tire sidewall blew out. Fortunately, no one was hurt. The tire was put on the vechicle by the Ford dealership during the Firestone recall. A passerby helped my wife change the tire. This is a Goodyear wrangler rts, p235/75/15.
1998 Mountaineer's tires were apart of a recall and consumer is requesting reimbursement. The vehicle was originally equipped with wilderness at tires which were recalled. The consumer replaced these tire in 2004 after the consumer was almost involved in an accident as result of the faulty tires.
Driving eastbound on I-12 louisiana en route to md when vehicle shook violently and we lost control of vehicle and did a 360 and slammed into trees . Vehicle was total loss and 2 animals perished , spouse and I were taken via ambulance to slidell mem. Hospital( dot number: tire size: p23575r15 )
Pe00 020; consumer was traveling about 70mph on highway and heard a popping noise. Vehicle veered off into a bar ditch, and it traveled down bar ditch, and hit guardrail. Then went sideways into the lane of traffic, and then hit enbankment. Incident was caused by a tire blowout.
On Friday jan 7, 2000 upon leaving my office, I noticed upon approaching the 1998 Mountaineer a shiny object in the left rear tire. I thought it was a nail, but upon closer inspection the left rear tire had developed an indentation the size of a quarter on the tread side of the tire, on the tread closest to the outside of the tire. Through that indentation, you could clearly see what appeared to be a steel belt. Drove home (only 1 mile) slowly. Saturday morning I checked the air in the tire- it was 29 lbs. Then I headed early for martin tire which is 8 miles away. When I arrived at martin tire the size of the indentation had grown to about 3 inches and the steel belt was clearly visible for most of the three inches. Frank martin diagnosed the problem as tread/belt separation. During the trip to martin tire there was no indication of tire failure. …
I has had 3 of the original 5 tires fail. One failed at 7000 miles; the other two at 30,000 miles. I was told that the damage was internal. The tires began to buldge on the exterior wall. One of the tires flattened at 75 MPH on the freeway beyond repair; in fact, this tire is in my garage. The local dealer made the problem my fault--improper inflation. However, the dot number on my tires did not match those from the recall. I was prompted to write because I do have evidence that these particular tires as well have manufacturer defects. My problem was identified to me as belt slippage. However, the dealer also stated that these were the "best" tires Firestone makes. Fortunately, I have decided not to replace my Firestone tires with another set of "defective" tires. Nevertheless, others are putting these same type tires on the vechicles as replacements for the defects. …
I've been to a Firestone dealer and the place I bought the vehicle, both tell me that my tires aren't on recall, but can sell me new ones.my tires are cracking around the treads just like the recalled ones I've seen on television, but they both are telling me there is nothing they can do about it! I just can't go out and afford new ones, and these are clearly defective. Who can I get to actually look at these tires and take responsibility? The Firestone representative told me that he has seen several of my type of splitting, but there is nothing he can do (he was quite rude also) about it except sell me new ones. Now if these firestones aren't recalled and are bad, why would I purchase other non-recalled firestones. I have retained an air pressure of approx. 34psi since I've owned it. …
Wheel & Tire complaints in other Mountaineer years
Frequently asked questions
How common are wheel & tire problems on the 1998 Mercury Mountaineer?
NHTSA has 97 complaints about the wheels & tires of the 1998 Mercury Mountaineer, 41% of the model year's 236 complaints. The component named most often is tread/belt (48 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1998 Mercury Mountaineer wheel & tire problems?
No. NHTSA lists no wheels & tires 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 wheel & tire problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 85,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 6 crashes, 1 fire and 8 injuries to wheels & tires 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.