Body complaints by model year
| Year | Complaints | Share of year's complaints | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 1 | 8% | 31,000 miles |
| 2008 | 3 | 3% | — |
| 2007 | 5 | 6% | 81,000 miles |
| 2006 | 7 | 6% | 75,000 miles |
| 2005 | 26 | 32% | 69,000 miles |
| 2004 | 79 | 38% | 69,000 miles |
| 2003 | 59 | 39% | 79,000 miles |
| 2002 | 70 | 19% | 59,000 miles |
| 2001 | 3 | 14% | 120,000 miles |
| 2000 | 6 | 5% | 101,000 miles |
| 1999 | 4 | 3% | 120,000 miles |
| 1998 | 11 | 5% | 75,000 miles |
| 1997 | 9 | 3% | 60,000 miles |
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
**I first noticed my tire pressure light came on upon purchasing my vehicle. The dealer said that the air May have been low and could fluctuate with the weight in the vehicle. He filled the tire that appeared to have been low and it turned off momentarily. A few days later it happened again and I would add air which alleviated again in the same tire, but for a few hours later it came on again which I found out ended up being an issue with all 4 of the tires. After several attempts of filling and refilling over a period of time and using "a filler" (can of air for flat tires) is when I knew then all 4 tires are defective. The air pressure goes on and off and has now stayed on! I am lucky if it turns off at all now! The tires are Firestone destination a/t tires. …
Driver seat moves back into exit position and interior lights come on while driving. This happens at any speed periodically and while going over bumps. I am very short so when this happens I have a difficult time reaching the gas/brake. I have 4 young children and this is a very big safety issue while driving.
My 2007 Mercury Mountaineer never had any problems until recently, thought it was the transmission because of the way it drove. Took it to the mechanic and got transmission fluid put in but the problems remained the same and was told the transmission was fine. My thermostat housing unit was leaking (this is very common with these cars and very dangerous, needs immediate attention!) and had caused very expensive wiring issues. Almost acts exactly like the transmission is going out - RPM's are way too high, the vehicle would not accelerate in the middle of city traffic, the car jumped at a stoplight and caused me to hit the car in front of me, and it doesn't shift properly. Problems occurred out of nowhere and are too dangerous to be ignored but very expensive to be fixed. Its very common and should be recalled before someone gets seriously injured!!!!
Exact same as NHTSA id # 10654146. The "easy exit" feature activated at 65 MPH in freeway traffic. I am 6' tall and was able to slide seat forward, but my wife is 5' tall and May have had issues reaching the pedals... This has since happened on 3 other occasions ( 2 at freeway speed, and once pulling into our driveway). I will contact dealer, but wanted search recalls first.
2006 Mercury Mountaineer, 123,000 miles. Notice (bottom) of box subframe, located rear driver side only. Foward of rear axle, has excessive corrosion in a length of 8 to 10 inches. Corrosion has rotted through this area. Vehicle has 123000 miles on it. Also vehicle has surface corrosion all over bottom of subframe. Ford did not apply corrosion coatings on this sub frame properly. This could be a hazard for other vehicles as well as time goes on. Notice other Ford vehicles have numerous problems and recalls with sub frame corrosion, ranging from 2001 through 2014. Ford's vendors that fabricate these parts should be updated with modern procedures to apply corrosion prevented coatings on these parts properly. Should be a recall on these sections for repair... …
Shortly after purchasing my Mountaineer the electric running board on the driver side began to make a grinding sound. Bought from a dealer in wa state and moved to wi state where the driver side stopped and the passenger side stopped extending/retracting. Moved to nj and we had purchased the vehicle extended warranty. Began to sound like a knocking sound with little power and had towed to dealer. There they found all 8 spark plugs fouled, driver side had 3 exhaust manifold bolts loose. Passenger side had same 3 loose, but also had 2 broken off in exhaust manifold plus the manifold itself had a hairline crack. In the end, I paid almost $2,000 to have driver and passenger running board and motors replaced. The rear windshield wiper motor had gone bad and was replaced, the spark plugs and all manifold bolts (along with broken) were all removed and replaced.
My husband was driving our 2005 Mercury Mountaineer and he was going less than 20 miles per hour on a main street and got in a accident the woman stopped short and he rear ended her. The car totalled up buckled up air bags never inflated they came out completely deflated. Issue with this car also is the electric driver window dies out mechanic could not figure out bought new motors still wouldnt open electric switches they thought it was fully electronic they where going to re wire very expensibe but car was totalled. Car horrible on gas also. Have pictures of delated air bags both driver and passanger
Transmission jerks . Have that crack in middle lift gate around emblem like I see everybody has . Lift gate window bolts rusted and one broke in half on the driver side back lift gate at top back window it cracked in half didn't know that when I noticed my warning light saying hatch was open I didn't noticed anything went too open and try to shut it and when I lifted open the door the glass fell out and bent the hinge that supports the whole rear glass I grabbed glass held it till others came to help me in parking lot glass was heavy im tiny petite girl so thank goodness for people who came to help me at store it was just hanging there and the other side was just as bad just didn't break in half at that point yet thank goodness or I think the whole thing would have fell to ground and shattered .very expensive to fix at a dealer so my husband order parts at store and online for a lot …
Related recalls (1)
Structure › Body › Hatchback/liftgate › Support device/strut
Vehicle description: multi-purpose passenger vehicles. The liftgate assist gas cylinder bracket on the right hand bodyside outer panel was incorrectly welded.
Remedy: Dealers will reinforce the bracket attachment with two pop rivets.
NHTSA investigations
Rear liftgate glass assembly
Complaints report failure of the rear liftgate glass support while the operator is opening or closing the glass.the falling glass can strike the operator or bystander.the injuries reported are bruises to the head, neck or back, cuts to the face, arm or hand.on September 9, 2004, Ford notified the agency that it will recall approximately 955,732 my 2002 and 2003 Ford explorer and Mercury mountaineer vehicles to…
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…
Frequently asked questions
Which Mercury Mountaineer years have body problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2004 (79), 2002 (70), 2003 (59), 2005 (26) and 1998 (11) model years. Body complaints make up 38% of all complaints for the 2004.
Is there a recall for Mercury Mountaineer body problems?
Yes — 1 recall, including 97V-137 (support device/strut, Aug 19, 1997). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Mercury Mountaineer body problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 71,000 miles; 28% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the body (117 mentions), followed by the body › hatchback/liftgate (46).
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.