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 1997 Mercury Villager owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I was driving along after shopping and I started to hear this dragging or bottoming out sound so I pulled over to see what was happening and to my surprise the front frame on the passenger side that holds up the engine was broken I then opened the hood and saw that the engine was sitting sideways toward the passenger side. I limped the van home and had my mechanic look at it and he said that it was on fixable and then I called five body shops to see if they could fix it and they said no and that Mercury villagers was known to do this and that they were recalled for this before.
We started reporting the problem with the sliding door on 7/15/99. The lock did not lock or unlock consistently whether using the remote or the inside automatic button and the door rattled like something was loose inside. The service dept at capitol Lincoln Mercury(richmond, va) decided to replace the antenna on 8/16. This did not correct the problem. On 10/4, I took it back again and they replaced the sliding door lock actuator. This corrected the problem with the door locking/unlocking but now, the child safety lock is stuck and the door still rattles.****I initially reported a problem with the steering wheel shimmeying and the brakes grabbing on 8/16. They reported the brakes were okay - 5mm. I had the tires replaced and aligned which took 3 days because they didn't realize that they only had 3 tires. The steering wheel continued to shimmey so I took it back on 10/13. …
Intermittent self activation of the power door locks. It locked our 22 month old in vehicle after child was strapped into car seat and van door was closed. My wife, luckily, had removed the key from the ignition before she picked up baby. In hot weather my wife would have left the van running with the A/C on and our daughter would have been locked in an automobile that was running and the keys in the ignition. There are 3 TSB's covering this defect, but Ford will not repair the problem at their cost. I have a friend with a 1993 Villager that has the same problem. We have had to hide a key on vehicle in case we are locked out of the vehicle and our daughter is locked in.
I have contacted you before & talked to peggy about the side door of the Villager opening. The vechical is leased and being returned 12/14/98 I sent you pics of the inner workings of the door- touching the styroform also makes the door open & a little round thing does too other than just the rod that I told you already. Dealership refuses to fix panel saying I "abused the vechical" ifeel this is a serious saftey issue since the vechical is designed for families. Thank you
All of the doors lock by themselves. It has happened many times. We can be out of the car or in it. The keys can be out of the ignition. It usually happens when we are parked but it has also happened when we were driving. There have been numerour times whenwe have tried to unlock the car with the remote and it "quickly" locks itself back up; this May repeat itself for or five times before we can get into the car.
Power locks lock on their own, w/or w/o key in ignition, sheriff's office had to jimmy to get my 2 year old out. She was restrained by car set. Repeated attempts to get repaired by dealer. Only fixed after warranty expired and us charged $265.07. Claimed it to be "different problem" though records show same compaint. Want refund. Re: http://cbsnews.com/now/story/0,1597,310231-412,00.shtml regarding same problem.
While traveling doors lock and unlock out of control. Also while vehicle is turned off. Power lock system is defective while vehicle is running or shut down, consumer states locks are inoperable, dealer refuses to replace system and they have not been able to repair it. Consumer states vehicle had engine problems two days after purchase.
Sliding door pops open, creating an approximate 12" opening. This occurs at various speeds,with door unlocked or locked. The door doesn't have remote electrcic opening,, I suspect the problem to be purely mechanical,this has occurred approximately 10 times over the last 6 months.mre often during warm weather.
The power locks have self-activated on 20+ occassions. It is not on a regular basis, but is intermittent. This has been occuring for the last month or six weeks. The air bag light has been flashing for the last two months.
Door locks lock independently making entry and exit difficult- technical service bulletin 9823-6, presents danger of being locked in car for small children in dangerously hot summer weather in arizona
NHTSA investigations
Unexpected opening on sliding door
There is no summary currently available
Body complaints in other Villager years
Frequently asked questions
How common are body problems on the 1997 Mercury Villager?
NHTSA has 21 complaints about the body & structure of the 1997 Mercury Villager, 17% of the model year's 125 complaints. The component named most often is body › door (19 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1997 Mercury Villager body problems?
No. NHTSA lists no body & structure recall for the 1997 Mercury Villager, though it has 3 recalls for other components. 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 1997 Mercury Villager body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 190,000 miles, and 50% 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.