Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2004 Mercury Mountaineer owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Rear tailgate window hinge broke while having the window only open and putting away groceries. Upon closing the window, the right hinge broke causing the window to almost fall off of the car. I attempted, with assistance from others in the parking lot, to push the window back into the frame and have it lock at the center latch. The latch is no longer engaged and I have attempted to push on the window to connect with the latch. I am not strong enough to do so. The window is at a point where it could fall off of my car. There was a recall on this part for 2000-2003 vehicles of this make and model. Ford is not carrying over the recall to 2004 stating the defect is not the same (with the details) as the recall itself. It is still the same defective part! I am of short stature and do not have the strength to push the window the 1" or so to get it into the frame to lock successfully. …
The rear liftgate cracked near the Mercury emblem. This occurred about two years after purchasing the vehicle new. I took it to two different Ford dealerships and was told by both the Ford would not fix this problem on the 2004. One stated the 2003 model had the same problem, but that Ford repaired those. I did not receive a response to my email I sent to Ford. This is a substantial expense to the owners of this vehicle. If you look around you can tell if you are behind a 2004 explorer or mountianeer, they all will have at least one crack around the emblem.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Mercury Mountaineer. While the vehicle was parked, the rear liftgate glass strut disengaged and the glass detached from the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 107,000. ...updated 07/30/15!..updated 08/13/15 updated 10/26/2017
1. Paint coming off of roof and driver's door. 2. Rear passenger side and driver side power windows not working. 3. Cracks in plastic area of rear lift gate around wiper arm. 4. Almost lost control and potential accident on interstate when right rear wheel came loose.
I have a used 2004 Mercury Mountaineer I purchased in 12/2008 it had 53,000 miles. I have done all of the required maintenance oil changes,brake pads,fluid changes, and 60,000-mile service package. I have nothing but problems with the vehicle. The failures I have are as follows: 1. Front/rear brake pads,front/rear rotors,spark plugs,-defected parts 2. Battery 3. Tires-constant flats 4. Lug torque-driver front/rear 5. Hood shocks,tire pressure sensor light 6. Transmission fluid leak/ front pump seal leak 7. Noise at harmonic balancer 8. Roar noise and shakes at all speeds 9. Hub assemblies making noise front left/right side; unless replaced vehicle unsafe to drive per Ford dealership 10. Brake pads- front/rear need to be replaced going bad (second time needing to be replaced) 11. Needs front alignment-pulls to the right side 12. Fuel filter 13. Needs all new tires 14. …
Rear hatch back glass body-side hinge broke on right side in normal opening of glass. Hinge is composed of a black plastic or nylon retaining clip with a metal pin. The plastic appears to have failed from fatigue. Recent high heat (100+ degrees for several days) May be a factor. Plastic broke through over the pin channel, allowing the pin to pop out. The glass is heavy and torqued by the remaining hinge and two hydraulic lifts. No injuries, but easily could have fallen, broke or shattered on the operator. The heavy glass is a danger especially to children or smaller adults. The operator fortunately had a wood slat in the back big enough to prop up the glass and support it until help arrived. Even with two adults it was hard to hold and control the glass to close it and take to the dealer. …
We purchased our Mercury in February of 2007. At the time of purchase it had around 36,000 miles. It currently has around 46,000 miles. I have a concern on the vehicle that I believe is a defect in material workmanship or a flaw in the design of the vehicle. The rear of the vehicle has a crack on the rear liftgate trim. The crack starts right below the rear wiper and cracks along what appears to be the weak points of the rear body trim. I have noticed several vehicles with the same problem that are Mercury mountaineers and Ford explorers with the same body style and approximate time of manufacture. There is no reason for the plastic trim to crack in such a place. It is like a stress fracture in the hatch. …
I filed a much more serious complaint this evening regarding an issue with the cruise control causing a complete shutdown of power on our vehicle. Please be advised that I do not make a habit of filing these complaints. I was not even aware of this website until today. However, after I filed the complaint, I checked to see if you had record of other consumers with the same problem. When I looked at the complaints that had been registered for this vehicle's make and model I saw that at least 2 others have registered complaints for what seems to be a manufacturers defect. I thought that I would make you aware that our vehicle also has this same issue. One other complainant wrote that he was told that Ford was aware of this defect, but was refusing to acknowledge that it was a defect. …
I have two complaints involving the back liftgate on my 2004 Mercury Mountaineer. In 2008, with approx 45K miles on it, a crack developed above and below the emblem on the liftgate (like several others I've noticed on this website). The dealer didn't even look at it but said they were aware of the problem and it would cost me $500 for a new liftgate! I declined at that time. More recently, the back window hinges broke and my wife was there to catch it. She spoke to the dealer and there was no recall for it and, once again they wanted to sell a new hatch to us for over $1000 including parts and labor. We took it to our local body shop and they fixed it for $183 and got the new hinges directly from the Mercury dealer we spoke to earlier. These items should have been recalled and people reimbursed for their expenses relating to getting them fixed on their own. …
I actually missed two recall on my vehicle that I purchased in 2004. My dealer which is johnson brothers Ford/Mercury on ih 35 temple, texas 76501. My wife was unloading truck and the liftgate plunged down on her without any notice. She suffered minor injuries from incident. The year before our tailgate started cracking in 2006 . The dealer johnson brothers never notified me of the tailgate recall or the recall #rq8003 for the liftgate issue in 2008. This dealer has been the worst ive seen since buying my first new or used vehicle in America. I ,[redacted], have only received help concerning oil changes , and tire checks since 2004. Poor service center for customers. The consumer stated the transmission oil pan was never changed and the dealer continued to tell the consumer, all the fluids were fine. However, the vehicle would stall while in drive mode.
NHTSA investigations
Rear liftgate glass hatch failure
This investigation was opened on June 23, 2008, based on 34 complaints involving eight injuries in which the rear liftgate glass hatch on model year 2004 Ford explorers or Mercury mountaineers broke off and fell, usually while individuals were operating the glass hatch or loading or unloading items from the rear of the vehicle.Ford conducted recall 04v-442 in 2004 to address similar problems on model year 2002 and…
Body complaints in other Mountaineer years
Frequently asked questions
How common are body problems on the 2004 Mercury Mountaineer?
NHTSA has 79 complaints about the body & structure of the 2004 Mercury Mountaineer, 38% of the model year's 210 complaints. The component named most often is body (39 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2004 Mercury Mountaineer body problems?
No. NHTSA lists no body & structure recall for the 2004 Mercury Mountaineer. 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 2004 Mercury Mountaineer body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 69,000 miles, and 8% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 5 injuries to body & structure 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.