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 1999 Mercury Mountaineer owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 Mercury Mountaineer. The vehicle was equipped with Goodyear wrangler tires, line size: p235/75/r15, dot number: rtn-st235-75-15105s. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH, the front passenger side tire blew. The contact lost control of vehicle and drove into the woods, crashing into several trees. The contact received injuries to the ribs, head, back and shoulders. The police department was called to the scene and a police report was filed (south carolina police report number: 40-8691422). The vehicle was destroyed. The approximate failure and current mileage was 80,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 Mercury Mountaineer equipped with cooper discoverer h/t tires, size: p265/75r15. While driving approximately 70 MPH, a loud banging noise came from the rear of the vehicle. After stopping to inspect the vehicle, it was discovered that the rear driver side tire had experienced tread separation, which also caused damage to the rear body panel of the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN and tire failure mileage were unknown. The vehicle failure mileage was 180,000.
Vehicle was going south on nys rte 41 at 40mph and began pulling left, driver steered to the right. The next thing I remember the vehicle had crossed the northbound lane and was on its left side in a 5 ft ditch east of the northbound lane. The front and side airbags did not deploy and the left front tire was off the rim laying under the left front door. All tires had been rotated and properly maintained at 26 lbs as recommended on the manufactures sticker on the left front door. These tires are not included in the recent recall, as they do not have the "vd" dot #. The tread did not seporate, but was similar to accidents as depicted on the national tv news.( dot number: w2hl 1py tire size: p235/75r15 )
Pe00 020, consumer was traveling about 45mph on side road and heard a banging noise, vehicle veered left to right. She was able to control vehicle and steered onto the shoulder in the sand. Right rear tire tread had separated from rim, and tire was hitting up against vehicle and it was very hot. Firestone wilderness at, p23575r15, and dot w2hlity488. There were no injuries. She contacted Firestone. Manufacturer told her that this tire not on recall. Consumer replaced all four tires with Michelin tires. Firestone wilderness at p235/75/r15
Tl contact owns a 1999 Mercury Mountaineer. The vehicle has Firestone steeltex a/t tires. While driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle began to swerve from side to side. The driver pulled onto the side of the road and discovered that the rear passenger tire had tread separation. The tire size was unknown. The current mileage was 102,172 and failure mileage was 102,162.
While the vehicle was parked consumer heard a loud noise coming from the rear. Dealer inspected the vehicle and noticed that the spare tire was on the floor and that the support cable broke. Consumer will contact the dealer in the near future. This information was provided by mrs. Zelma's husband john sullivan.
Took the truck back to the dealer for the four time 9/2903 for the check engine light came on again and the same code keeps coming up and it is getting old not to have the truck that we are still paying for monthly.annd I have all the work orders for what they did
Total sidewall and belt failure on right rear tire on a 1999 Mercury Mountaineer. The tires were the replacements for the Firestone tire recall in 2001. The tires have 28,000 mile on them in the four years
The dealer was notified on four different occasions of the obvious tire problem. The dealer balanced, rotated and aligned the tires. When the problem persisted the dealer advised that I notify the Firestone tire and service center. I went to the Firestone dealer and upon inspection of the tires was told that the left front tire was very dangerous because the belts inside the tire were separating. The representative also checked the right front tire and found it to also have separated belts. The Firestone representative recommended for safety that I replace all 5 tires. The dealer prorated the tires based on the amount of tread remaining on the tires. As a safety measure I had the tires (wilderness at) replaced with uniroyal tiger paws at a cost of $200.32. I feel that I should not have had to bear the cost of replacing the tires. …
Tire failed as we were exiting expressway on the passenger rear side. We called for service and roadrunner roadservice came and replaced tire with spare at approximately 4 pm I have copy of receipt. We took tire to a Firestone store and they replaced tire free after we forced the issue, they did not want to replace for free at first. Tires have been properly rotated on time and tire pressure has been maintained and checked properly. Tire manufacturer was checked by Ford/Mercury service dept and we were told our tires were made in Canada and therefore we are not eligible for replacement even though we have had a tire failure. Firestone kept the tire that they replaced so we do not have it in our possession.( dot number: vn tire size: 23575r15 )
Wheel & Tire complaints in other Mountaineer years
Frequently asked questions
How common are wheel & tire problems on the 1999 Mercury Mountaineer?
NHTSA has 52 complaints about the wheels & tires of the 1999 Mercury Mountaineer, 34% of the model year's 151 complaints. The component named most often is tread/belt (18 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1999 Mercury Mountaineer wheel & tire problems?
No. NHTSA lists no wheels & tires recall for the 1999 Mercury Mountaineer, though it has 7 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 1999 Mercury Mountaineer wheel & tire problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 80,000 miles, and 13% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 5 crashes, 0 fires and 3 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.