Airbag complaints by model year
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (front, side and curtain air bags, sensors and inflators).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
Rainy day, SUV vehicle in front of me completely stopped in the middle of street to make a left hand turn, he must have just stopped, because when I slowed down to brake my car slid and hit him in the rear, my whole front of car was smashed with the radiator partially up in the air, the car totalled, I would say, yet the air bags did not deploy, and it had dual air bags. I had a cut on my nose, not bad, but with bleeding inside nose, and lower back pains, my head hitting steering wheel. Also my brother has pains in his rib which we are going to the doctor forto have xrays. I believe these air bags should have deployed at time of impact, I am lucky to be alive. Please investigate this . Thank you.
Consumer's vehicle was involved in a collision travelling approximately 20-25mph and was hit on the passenger's side door. Upon impact, air bags did not deploy. Both front and rear bumpers were off track. The front right & rear doors were pushed 2 feet into the drivers side, with the front & rear seats. The consumer suffered a broken nose , broken clavical in 2 places, 4 broken ribs, facial impairment and cracked the front bridge in mouth. (vehicle was totalled)
While waiting to make a left turn, another vehicle going between 50-55 MPH struck consumer's vehicle head on. Upon impact, air bags failed to deploy. The occupant of the vehicle that was killed was seated in the rear seat. According to the par the occupant was not buckled. According to the detective that investigated the crash, the impact was not to the direct front of the vehicle. Cw
Consumer received manufacturer's recall 99s23 concerning air bag control module. Consumer had no problems until dealer performed recall repairs. Currently, when it rains air bag light comes on. The vehicle was returned tot he dealer three times to correct the problem but the dealer was unable to findthe problem.
While in frontal impact the driver's air bag did deploy, but the passenger's airbag did not deploy, which did not protect the occupant in this accident. Also, the passenger's seatbelt did hold the occupant, causing the passenger to sustain head injuries. Please provide further information.
On this day a truck cut in front of us in heavy traffic where I hit his bumper and no damage was done to his. But my car took damage from the impact and my husband recieved trauma from the passenger airbag that put him in the hospital for four days with trauma to his right eye. He was in his seatbelt and was knocked out with blood trauma to his righteye that cause permanent nerve damage. The attorney's we have had has been disbarred and paidoff by Ford/Mercury and their was a airbag expert by the name of jack out of lufkin texas and we need his report to be compensated for the malfuction of the airbags and for the company to claim responsibility and pay for thier error. Prior to this my airbags had been scheduled to be replaced in louisiana in jul 1997. …
At around 50,000 miles we noticed the housing that holds the driver\\'s side airbag coming loose. We received a couple of recall notices on other things so when we took it in to get the recalls done I asked the technician at sunflower Lincoln/Mercury if he could check out the problem with the airbag housing and possibly fix it for us. He called us back stating that the bolts had sheered off from the inside of the housing and that they couldn\\'t fix it and that we would have to pay between $300-$500 dollars out of our own pocket to get it fixed. We then called Lincoln/Mercury headquarters and were told that \\"the housing is just like a tire and that over time it wears out and that we would be responsible for any repair costs to it\\". …
Consumer took car to the dealership severaltimes for brake failure/ steering column failure, and premature wear of tires. Had all her tires replaced two month ago. While driving 45mph on the highway and t approaching a trash truck in front of her, trash truck speeded up an d got in front of consumer's vehicle. Consumer tried to overtake the trash truck and ran into a curb. Trash truck put on brakes and so did consumer. However, consumer's vehicle rear ended the back of the truck due to brake failue, and steering column disconnected from dashboard, and dropped in her lap. Also airbags deployed and dropped into consumer's lap, and the substance released affected her son's eyes. The car was totaled.
Related recalls (1)
Air bags › Frontal › Sensor/control module-inactive
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The air bag sensor wiring pigtail insulation can become brittle and crack over time due to accumulation of water in the pigtail protective convolute in combination with high underhood temperatures related to the routing of the wiring pigtail near the radiator.
Remedy: Dealers will install air bag sensors with revised wiring insulation. In addition, vehicles which have the air bag warning light illuminated will have a new air bag diagnostic monitor installed.
Frequently asked questions
Which Mercury Mystique years have airbag problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 1998 (18), 1995 (17), 1996 (7), 2000 (7) and 1999 (6) model years. Airbag complaints make up 8% of all complaints for the 1998.
Is there a recall for Mercury Mystique airbag problems?
Yes — 1 recall, including 99V-243 (sensor/control module-inactive, Sep 8, 1999). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Mercury Mystique airbag problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 69,000 miles; 23% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the frontal (29 mentions), followed by the frontal › sensor/control module (6).
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.