AI Damage2009 Mercury Milan: common problems
Owners of the 2009 Mercury Milan filed 226 complaints with NHTSA, most often about service brakes and air bags. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 226
- involving a crash
- 12
What fails most often
- 1 Service brakes 51% of all complaints
- 2 Air bags 38% of all complaints
- 3 Vehicle speed control 4% of all complaints
- 4 Structure 3% of all complaints
- 5 Engine 2% of all complaints
- 6 Powertrain 2% of all complaints
- 7 Electrical system 1% of all complaints
- 8 Equipment 1% of all complaints
- Service brakes: 115 complaints (51% of all), 9 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Air bags: 85 complaints (38% of all), 3 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Vehicle speed control: 10 complaints (4% of all), 3 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Structure: 6 complaints (3% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Engine: 5 complaints (2% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 2.3 L · petrol · 4 cyl
- 3 L · petrol · 6 cyl
- automatic, 5-speed
- automatic, 6-speed
- manual, 5-speed
Drive: FWD, AWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 226 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service brakes | 115 | 9 | 0 |
| Air bags | 85 | 3 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 10 | 3 | 0 |
| Structure | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| Engine | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Latches, locks, linkages | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Electronic stability control | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Forward collision avoidance | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 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.
The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to tire shop to have the brakes repaired. The contact stated she continued to experience the failure.
Also after the replacement of the airbags there was an issue with my brakes.they told me because of the car setting that is probably just rusty, but I wasn't comfortable and I called them and told them that I was going to bring the car to them and look at it again because something was definitely wrong.
The air bags did not deploy. A police report was not filed and there were no injuries. The vehicle was damaged, but drivable. Meanwhile, the contact reported that there was an open investigation (pe16017) on brake issues related to the year, make, and model vehicle.
The contact was driving 30 mph and crashed head-on into a utility pole, but the air bags did not deploy. The contact was injured and a police report was filed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but denied any assistance with repairs to the defect. The vehicle was destroyed.
There is a federal recall on my vehicle. I have set up an appointment twice with mathews ford in newark, ohio. They have failed to fix the problem. The first time I took it in they said because of covid they were not fixing them. I spoke to a representative from ford who set up a second appointment.
The interior door handles driver's side front and back quit working. No longer able to open the door from inside. In case of an emergency this could be very dangerous
"takata recall" have received multiple times recall warnings about this airbag recall. I have called the local ford dealer at saratoga springs,ny and they reported they do not have parts to replace, on back order. We have called months ago another dealer who said the same thing.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 mercury milan. The contact stated that there were no failures with the oem tires until after they were changed. The vehicle was taken to spitzer ford ([address], cuyahoga falls, [ZIP], [phone]) and they stated that they could not provide a permanent remedy, but would resurface the aluminum…
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 1,787 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 5% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Milan has 420 complaints (6 years in the data). This year has 226, below average.
What to check before buying
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
- Structure. Rails, pillars, panel gaps, signs of pulling or welding.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2009 Mercury Milan?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: service brakes, air bags, vehicle speed control. Total complaints: 226. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: brake failure (7%), warning lights, check engine (4%), door locks, latches, handles (3%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2009 Mercury Milan?
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 2009 Mercury Milan 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 2009 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.