Electrical complaints by model year
| Year | Complaints | Share of year's complaints | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 1 | 8% | 109,000 miles |
| 2009 | 1 | 17% | 71,000 miles |
| 2008 | 39 | 41% | 65,000 miles |
| 2007 | 16 | 20% | 91,000 miles |
| 2006 | 9 | 8% | 75,000 miles |
| 2005 | 5 | 6% | 99,000 miles |
| 2004 | 16 | 8% | 85,000 miles |
| 2003 | 11 | 7% | 87,000 miles |
| 2002 | 19 | 5% | 60,000 miles |
| 2000 | 19 | 15% | 119,000 miles |
| 1999 | 10 | 7% | 56,000 miles |
| 1998 | 21 | 9% | 99,000 miles |
| 1997 | 15 | 5% | 125,000 miles |
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
While driving on a long trip, without warning, the memory seats change seat setting and went back fully as if I shut the vehicle off, this happened several times while I was driving without my assistance. I finally realized that when I touched the keys in the ignition, the seat went back to its original setting. When this occurred I was unable to reach brake and accelerator pedals which could have caused a fatal accident to occur. If this happened at a time that I needed to apply the brakes, I would not be able to and there would have been no way for me to stop. I took my vehicle to an authorized dealer who replaced the ignition. On 6/6/2012 the same thing happened again (mileage 60774), this time I struck the car in front of me, it was a good thing it happened while I was in traffic, and neither vehicle sustained damage. …
While driving down the road, the seat will suddenly move backwards to the "open door" position, as though the key had been pulled out of the ignition. This creates a very dangerous situation, especially for people with short legs, as one can no longer reach the gas pedal or brake. Slightly "wiggling" the key or ignition switch will usually get the seat to move back to the preset driving position. When this happens, the interior lights also go on, and turn off when the seat moves back into position. This seems to happen at all different speeds, and it seems most events happen after the car hits a bump, but not always. There have been times when it just seems to happen without anything to set it off. It also can happen when the vehicle is first started up, or just as you start to shut the vehicle off. It is absolutely ridiculous that repair of this condition is not a recall item. …
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
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.
The driver seat motor messed up causing the to be stationary. The seat wont move forward and backward.the air conditioning on the driver side doesn't blow cold , the dash and radio lights brighten and dim sporadically and the third row seats don't work, the gear stripped out. Also, the bushings on the feont and rear have had to be replaced.
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
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Mercury Mountaineer. When the vehicle was started, the contact heard a knocking noise from the middle of the dashboard and cold air was blowing from the vents. The dealer diagnosed that the temperature blender actuator failed and needed replacement. This was the third time the vehicle was repaired for the same failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 98,581.
Related recalls (1)
Electrical system › Wiring › Fuses and circuit breakers
Vehicle description: multi-purpose vehicles equipped with 4.0l engines and all-time 4-wheel drive (a4wd) powertrains. The generic electronic module (gem) could experience a condition referred to as "lock-up" in which the gem controlled electronic functions (e.g., front windshield wipers, interior lights, 4x4 system, etc.) could…
Remedy: Dealers will install a resistor in the gem circuit.
NHTSA investigations
Engine compartment fires
Ea05-005 is closed with Ford?s actions in recalls 05v-017, 05v-388, and 06v-286, recalling approximately 6.7 million vehicles equipped with texas instruments speed control deactivation switches (scds).the brake systems in these recalled vehicles generate a vacuum that can potentially cause the scds to fail and, in certain switch installation orientations, catch fire.Ford is also including the entire population of…
Frequently asked questions
Which Mercury Mountaineer years have electrical problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2008 (39), 1998 (21), 2000 (19), 2002 (19) and 2004 (16) model years. Electrical complaints make up 41% of all complaints for the 2008.
Is there a recall for Mercury Mountaineer electrical problems?
Yes — 1 recall, including 00V-072 (fuses and circuit breakers, Mar 7, 2000). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Mercury Mountaineer electrical problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 82,000 miles; 22% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the alternator/generator/regulator (8 mentions), followed by the wiring › fuses and circuit breakers (8).
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.