AI Damage2002 Ford Mountaineer: common problems
Owners of the 2002 Ford Mountaineer filed 11 complaints with NHTSA, most often about powertrain and vehicle speed control. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 11
What fails most often
- 1 Powertrain 45% of all complaints
- 2 Vehicle speed control 18% of all complaints
- 3 Visibility 18% of all complaints
- 4 Engine and cooling 9% of all complaints
- 5 Equipment 9% of all complaints
- 6 Fuel system 9% of all complaints
- 7 Service brakes 9% of all complaints
- 8 Steering 9% of all complaints
- Powertrain: 5 complaints (45% of all).
- Vehicle speed control: 2 complaints (18% of all).
- Visibility: 2 complaints (18% of all).
- Engine and cooling: 1 complaints (9% of all).
- Equipment: 1 complaints (9% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 11 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
I have a 2002 ford explorer and have had to replace wheel bearings and have seen where many others on the internet as well as people I have talked to with the exact same model suv have had to replace their bearings as well. To me it seems if everyone has had to replace these bearing that there would be a recall.
Tl contact owns a 2002 ford mountaineer. While driving 35 mph, the service engine light illuminated and has remained lit. The contact stated that once the reset button was pressed, it triggered the service engine light to illuminate. The dealer inspected the vehicle and was unable to find any failures.
Transmission started to shudder when shifting, had dealer power flush and fill transmission and reprogram pcm this fixed problem for 3 days, then problem returned. Have now been told that transmission needs to be replaced. Transmission can go out anytime so repairs have to be done at a cost of $3600.00 at dealer.
I am the owner of a 2002 ford/mercury mountaineer I had to have my right front window fixed. I let it down and it would not come back up so I took it to my local body shop and he said this it the 6th one he has had to fix in the last few months. Is there a recall on this part.
The problem was fixed, there was a ssm on the fuel gauge. I then noticed a strong smell of gasoline every time I came out of the vechile. Within a week the check engine light came on. I returned the vichele to the same dealer on june 21, 2005 only to find out the gas tank was not sealing properely.
Re: 2002 mountainer , safety recall, rear glass broken out, replace defective window motor. Consumer shut the back window and the glass blew out throwing glass throughout the vehicle. Top part of the back door fell on the consumer.
The gear shift did not move from park, and brakes did not work. Vehicle was taken to the dealer and to the repair shop, and neither could locate the causes of the problem.
While driving the vehicle stalled without warning. The dealership replaced the transmission/main computer, now the cruise control is inoperative.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 10,520 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 29% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Mountaineer has 5 complaints (8 years in the data). This year has 11, above average.
What to check before buying
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
- Visibility. Wipers, mirrors, defrosters, cracked glass.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2002 Ford Mountaineer?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: powertrain, vehicle speed control, visibility. Total complaints: 11. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: windows, sunroof (18%), fuel system, fuel smell (9%), jerking, harsh shifts (9%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2002 Ford Mountaineer?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 2002 Ford Mountaineer from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 2002 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.