AI Damage2000 Mercury Mountaineer: common problems
Owners of the 2000 Mercury Mountaineer filed 123 complaints with NHTSA, most often about vehicle speed control and tires. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 123
- involving a crash
- 15
What fails most often
- 1 Vehicle speed control 23% of all complaints
- 2 Tires 18% of all complaints
- 3 Electrical system 15% of all complaints
- 4 Powertrain 12% of all complaints
- 5 Air bags 7% of all complaints
- 6 Service brakes 7% of all complaints
- 7 Seats 6% of all complaints
- 8 Equipment 5% of all complaints
- Vehicle speed control: 28 complaints (23% of all), 6 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Tires: 22 complaints (18% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 19 complaints (15% of all).
- Powertrain: 15 complaints (12% of all).
- Air bags: 9 complaints (7% 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 cylnamed in 2 complaints
- 5 L · petrol · 8 cylnamed in 1 complaints
- automatic, 4-speed
- automatic, 5-speed
Drive: RWD, AWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 123 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicle speed control | 28 | 6 | 0 |
| Tires | 22 | 1 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 19 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 15 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 9 | 7 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 8 | 4 | 0 |
| Seats | 7 | 2 | 0 |
| Equipment | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Engine | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 4 | 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.
In the accident the air bags did not deploy. No one was injured, seatbelts were worn and a police report was filed. The vehicle was totaled.
Dt: air bags did not deploy going at 35-40mph.states he did have an accident which totaled his front end, but neither air bag (l or r) deployed.
We were rear ended and both seats broke, flinging us into the back seat. We then went into the oncoming lane (because my wife could no longer reach the steering wheel or the brakes) and were hit head on. Complaint #1 - the seats should not have broken. Complaint #2 - the airbags never deployed.
When I attempted to stop on a dry day going approximately 20 mph my brakes did not operate properly. They grabbed and then released with a forward motion. I continued to apply pressure with both feet and the brakes still reacted in the same fashion. Subsequently I hit the car in front of me.
While leaving parking lot, accelerater pedal became stuck. Driver came to a stop by hitting other cars. Air bags did not deploy. Cause unknown.
Vehicle experiences sudden acceleration, consumer changed floor mats because he thought they were getting under the accelerator, however after the change it happened again causing a rear end collision, dealer can not figure out the problem.
Lost complete control of vehicle when 2 right-side tires blew out off rims and left me to drive on only the rims.( dot number: tire size: p255/70r16 )
The contact's daughter owns a 2000 Mercury Mountaineer. The contact stated that while her husband and her daughter were inspecting the engine compartment of the vehicle, the hinges of the hood failed, causing the hood to drop inadvertently.
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 3,086 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 8% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Mountaineer has 125 complaints (16 years in the data). This year has 123, about average.
What to check before buying
- Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
- Tires. Tire age by DOT code, bulges, wear pattern.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
Other years of this model
- Mountaineer 19963 sources
- Mountaineer 1997328 sources
- Mountaineer 1998236 sources
- Mountaineer 1999151 sources
- Mountaineer 200122 sources
- Mountaineer 2002372 sources
- Mountaineer 2003152 sources
- Mountaineer 2004210 sources
- Mountaineer 200582 sources
- Mountaineer 2006117 sources
- Mountaineer 200781 sources
- Mountaineer 200896 sources
- Mountaineer 20096 sources
- Mountaineer 201013 sources
- Mountaineer 99999 sources
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2000 Mercury Mountaineer?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: vehicle speed control, tires, electrical system. Total complaints: 123. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: smoke, burning smell, fire (16%), airbags did not deploy (5%), door locks, latches, handles (5%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2000 Mercury 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 2000 Mercury 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 2000 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.