AI Damage2003 Mercury Mountaineer: common problems
Owners of the 2003 Mercury Mountaineer filed 152 complaints with NHTSA, most often about structure and powertrain. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 152
- involving a crash
- 6
What fails most often
- 1 Structure 39% of all complaints
- 2 Powertrain 28% of all complaints
- 3 Electrical system 7% of all complaints
- 4 Engine and cooling 7% of all complaints
- 5 Service brakes 7% of all complaints
- 6 Suspension 7% of all complaints
- 7 Air bags 6% of all complaints
- 8 Vehicle speed control 6% of all complaints
- Structure: 59 complaints (39% of all).
- Powertrain: 42 complaints (28% of all), 5 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 11 complaints (7% of all).
- Engine and cooling: 10 complaints (7% of all).
- Service brakes: 10 complaints (7% of all).
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 1 complaints
- 4.6 L · petrol · 8 cylnamed in 1 complaints
- automatic, 5-speed
Drive: RWD, AWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 152 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Structure | 59 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 42 | 5 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Latches, locks, linkages | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Equipment | 3 | 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.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 mercury mountaineer. While the contact's vehicle was approaching a red light, another vehicle crashed into its rear at a moderate rate of speed. The seat back and the headrest fractured without warning.
I have a 2004 mercury mountaineer and the transmission is very dangerous, my wife started to back up and put it in reverse and the transmission hesitated and then slammed into reverse causing her to jerk and then her foot came of the brake and hit the gas pedal causing her to ram a parked car behind her, and that was…
The vehicle then rolled down the driveway and crashed into my house and struck my 8 month old son 's stroller. It caused damage to my house and vehicle received damage to the windshield, front bumper, hood and grill. I immediately called the dealer and was given an appointment to bring it on 9/11/06.
I have a mercury mountaineer 2003 and it was stationed there was a crack in the back middle of the hatch now there a huge crack and my window of the trunk came unhinged and fell off I see this problem in all mountaineers they all have the crack in the hatch hope theirs don't fall off I see it in almost everyone's.
While driving, the transmission failed to shift. While parked, the emergency brakes failed and caused the vehicle to roll away. The contact was able to gain control of the vehicle. In addition, the brake warning indicator illuminated.
My 2003 mercury mountaineer has a solid air bag light on. It has a code of 33, when you turn the car on, the light goes on and blinks 3 times then 3 more times. This indicates a code 33. Ford has a technical letter about the issue. The letter states there is a kit for this problem.
This has caused problems including corrosion, rust, and locking mechanism failure on the liftgate. This problem can be seen on every single mountaineer or explorer of this era. It's pretty ridiculous that ford has not been forced to remedy the issue or done it voluntarily. It is clearly an engineering failure.
The explosion also caused the driver side window to fall from its casters and was unable to close window (and the passenger side rear window no longer works). The air in the curtains would not dissipate and I remember not being able to breath well.
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 2,616 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 7% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Mountaineer has 125 complaints (16 years in the data). This year has 152, above average.
What to check before buying
- Structure. Rails, pillars, panel gaps, signs of pulling or welding.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
Other years of this model
- Mountaineer 19963 sources
- Mountaineer 1997328 sources
- Mountaineer 1998236 sources
- Mountaineer 1999151 sources
- Mountaineer 2000123 sources
- Mountaineer 200122 sources
- Mountaineer 2002372 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 2003 Mercury Mountaineer?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: structure, powertrain, electrical system. Total complaints: 152. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: windows, sunroof (18%), stalls while driving (5%), warning lights, check engine (5%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2003 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 2003 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 2003 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.