AI DamageMercury Mountaineer: problems, complaints, bulletins
Summary for the Mercury Mountaineer across 16 model years: 2,001 owner complaints and 0 NHTSA service bulletins, plus repair videos. Pick a year for details.
Model years
What fails most often
- 1 Powertrain 19% of all complaints
- 2 Tires 17% of all complaints
- 3 Structure 14% of all complaints
- 4 Vehicle speed control 11% of all complaints
- 5 Electrical system 9% of all complaints
- 6 Engine and cooling 8% of all complaints
- 7 Seats 6% of all complaints
- 8 Service brakes 6% of all complaints
- Powertrain: 385 complaints (19% of all), 22 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Tires: 334 complaints (17% of all), 20 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Structure: 283 complaints (14% of all), 5 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Vehicle speed control: 215 complaints (11% of all), 46 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 182 complaints (9% of all), 7 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.
- 4 L · petrol · 6 cyl 1998–2010named in 4 complaints
- 4.6 L · petrol · 8 cyl 2002–2010named in 5 complaints
- 5 L · petrol · 8 cyl 1997–2001named in 6 complaints
- automatic, 4-speed 1997–2001
- automatic, 5-speed 1998–2010
- automatic, 6-speed 2006–2010
Drive: RWD, AWD, 4WD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 2,001 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 | 385 | 22 | 0 |
| Tires | 334 | 20 | 0 |
| Structure | 283 | 5 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 215 | 46 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 182 | 7 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 161 | 2 | 0 |
| Seats | 125 | 5 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 118 | 22 | 0 |
| Visibility | 108 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 96 | 8 | 0 |
| Air bags | 81 | 36 | 0 |
| Steering | 70 | 5 | 0 |
| Engine | 53 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 50 | 1 | 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 air bags did not deploy. A police report was filed and there were no injuries. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic for diagnostic testing or repairs. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.
The air bags failed to deploy. The contact sustained head, chest, lower and upper back, abdominal, and neck injuries that required medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing.
The seat wont move forward and backward.the air conditioning on the driver side doesn't blow cold , the dash and radio lights brighten and dim sporadically and the third row seats don't work, the gear stripped out. Also, the bushings on the feont and rear have had to be replaced.
Exploding airbags filled vehicle with smoke and ash. I received minor burns and abrasions on arms and face, daughter riding in back seat received black eye form flying object and required scan of head to rule out head injury. Was result of accident
While in park and turned off, the vehicle rolled forward and collided with another vehicle. There were no warning indicators illuminated or injuries. A police report was filed. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, but was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 70,500.
Issue with this car also is the electric driver window dies out mechanic could not figure out bought new motors still wouldnt open electric switches they thought it was fully electronic they where going to re wire very expensibe but car was totalled. Car horrible on gas also.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
What to check before buying
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Tires. Tire age by DOT code, bulges, wear pattern.
- Structure. Rails, pillars, panel gaps, signs of pulling or welding.
- Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
Other models of this make
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.