Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (seat frames, recliners, heated seats and seat tracks).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2007 Mercury Mountaineer owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
It happens every time I drive this vehicle. The ignition is lose, so the key jiggles and if their is too much bumping or shaking the key slightly moves and the seat and interior lights come on now I've tried Combat the issue with keeping the lights off on the interior and thought maybe I could turn off the seat function still haven't figured that out yet
The drivers seat, will, without warning, while driving on the interstate, automatically start moving backwards to it's default position. Sometimes the interior light will come on simultaneously. In a panic, so far, I have been able to stop the backward movement by grabbing the seat position button and forcing it to move back up to the preset position where I have been able to get my feet back on the pedals. This has occurred multiple times while driving full speed on interstates, on side streets and frontage roads and everytime without warning. One time, while sitting at a stop sign, I could not catch it quickly enough and it moved so far back that my feet could not reach any of the pedals! Luckily that time I was sitting still. This has been happening for three years.
When driving the vehicle at any speed the seat moves all the way back and the interior lights come on. This also happens when you brake or go over a bump. This is very dangerous to someone of my size because when the seat goes all the way back I can no longer touch the pedals. This is happening very often and I have googled it and I can see that a lot of other people who own this year make and model are having the same problems with their vehicle. I have taken it to several mechanics and Ford dealers and nobody seems to be able to figure out what is wrong with it.
While driving my children to school this morning my seat adjusted itself a couple of times so that I had a difficult time reaching the pedals until I could get it back to the proper position. This has happened before but I thought it was a "fluke". Today, when I picked my kids up and drove home it happened 7 times in 3 miles and almost caused me to hit a pedestrian. This happened on a city street. I was unable to isolate a "trigger" to the movement. One time I was going about 30 on a street, another time I was slowing down to a stop sign at a busy intersection.
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 Mercury Mountaineer. While driving at an unknown speed, the driver's seat adjusted on its own. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the ignition needed to be replaced. The repair was not made. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 87,000. Updated 09/29/16 the consumer stated the piston type hood holding system failed. The hoodcame crashing down.updated 08/09/2017
I was driving my vehicle and the driver's seat moved back, and the dome light came on. This really scared me! Thank god I wasn't on the highway traveling at a higher rate of speed with other vehicles when this occurred. The first time this happened was approximately 3 months ago (the seat moves back, I move the seat up & it goes back again, I move it up again...until it finally stops). This continues to happen periodically every since.
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 Mercury Mountaineer. While driving various speeds, the interior lighting illuminated and the driver's seat unintentionally moved backwards. The contact stated that the failures occurred periodically. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer for diagnostic testing or repairs. The manufacturer was made aware of the failures. The failure mileage was 207,000.
Intermittently, the seat moves to the 'easy egress' position while the car is in motion. The dome light comes on, as it would if you were getting out of the car. From reading the many similar complaints, I agree that it happens when braking or turning and it happens at all speeds. This started happening about one month ago. No accident yet but it's very jarring and dangerous.
1st while driving the driver's seat continues to move back n forth from way back to up close driving this vehicle while this seat moves is very dangerous everytime I lock the doors they unlock n only lock when off
I was driving on the expressway at 55 MPH. I hit a slight bump in the road. The dome lights came on and the seat moved backwards, as if I had just removed the key from the ignition. I thankfully thought quickly and pushed on the key, which made the seat move back into position. It was just a miracle that the first thing I thought to do to fix the problem actually did. That could have been a very serious incident, as my feet were too far from the brake pedal and I could hardly reach it. I would not have been able to stop if I needed to stop quickly. That was the first of many occurrences. It has happened to me turning corners, driving on bumpy roads, having to brake suddenly (I just barely missed hitting the car in front of me), and even pulling in and out of my driveway.
Seat complaints in other Mountaineer years
Frequently asked questions
How common are seat problems on the 2007 Mercury Mountaineer?
NHTSA has 26 complaints about the seats of the 2007 Mercury Mountaineer, 32% of the model year's 81 complaints. The component named most often is front assembly › power adjust (2 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2007 Mercury Mountaineer seat problems?
No. NHTSA lists no seats recall for the 2007 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 2007 Mercury Mountaineer seat problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 78,000 miles, and 8% before 25,000 miles.
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.