Body complaints by model year
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
The consumer has experienced the following: rear wiper hangs-won't clear the glass(to open rear hatch glass)-motor inoperative, accelerator sticks-has to keep tapping it to loosen, the rear bench seat recliner will let go and seat will collapse, the left handle is loose, and the rear seat latch is binding/collapsing.
Traveling inside lane; cruise on 60mph. Rock in road appeared size of softball. Passed over rock scrapping bottom of manifold shield, hitting the pliable plastic shield breaking fuel purge valve, and bending rear stabilizer bar. List of parts ordered for repair by garage and insurance adjustor: clock spring, airbag control module, steering wheel and instrument panel airbags, fuel tank, rear stabilizer bar and bracket, front lower air defector, fuel purge valve, and align 4 wheel suspension. No one has an answer to why the airbags deployed only, "the rock did it." jack is totally disabled (asbestos in the lung) and just used up another one of his nine lives. He had burns on his right thumb/hand area, forearm,; along with swelling, burns on his abdomen, and broken blood vessels in the chest area. …
While driving at various speeds the consumer would hear a loud noise coming from the brakes. When brake pedal was depressed it would go to the floor and there would be extended stopping distance. Different brake components have been replaced several times but the brakes continue to fail. The windshield molding flapped while driving. The driver's front door rattled while driving. The dealer lubed the window tracks.
Defective design of the braking system caused a grinding noise when braking, and could cause extended stopping distance which might result in a crash. Dealer replaced front brake rotors twice, and turned rotors once/ brake pads 4 times. Also nois ecoming from sub-frame bolts. Dealer could not determine the cause of the problem.
Tl contact owns a 1998 Mercury Villager which was purchased in 2007. She stated that the fuel filler hose had several cracks in it. The cracks in the hose caused major gasoline fumes to enter the interior of the vehicle. Although there was a recall for the failure, NHTSA campaign id number, 00V419002, fuel system, gasoline storage tank assembly her VIN was not included. On a separate occasion, the vehicle would not accelerate. The vehicle was towed to her home where an independent mechanic stated that the sub-frame on the vehicle was cracked. No repairs had been made to date. The failure and current mileages were under 189,732.
I have had numerous problems with the locking system on this vehicle. The door locks will lock on their own at inopportune times. They will lock when doors are shut, or when driving over a bump in the road. At times, they will immediately lock back when attempting to unlock the vehicle, making it difficult to enter or exit the vehicle. I have been told by a service manager that they have had bulletins out on this problem. The dealership where I bought the vehicle has made five attempts to fix the problem to no avail. The last time it was in the shop, they replaced the actuator, and the sec timer. However the locking system is still not working. I was told that Ford knows that there is a problem, but they have no fix for it at this time.
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. …
NHTSA investigations
Unexpected opening on sliding door
There is no summary currently available
Frequently asked questions
Which Mercury Villager years have body problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 1996 (25), 1997 (21), 1995 (16), 1998 (12) and 1999 (11) model years. Body complaints make up 13% of all complaints for the 1996.
Is there a recall for Mercury Villager body problems?
No. NHTSA lists no body & structure recall for any Mercury Villager model year. A widespread problem may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin, so ask a dealer.
At what mileage do Mercury Villager body problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 129,000 miles; 60% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the body › door (63 mentions), followed by the body › door › hinge and attachments (10).
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.