AI Damage2004 Mercury Mountaineer: common problems
Owners of the 2004 Mercury Mountaineer filed 210 complaints with NHTSA, most often about structure and powertrain. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 210
- involving a crash
- 11
What fails most often
- 1 Structure 38% of all complaints
- 2 Powertrain 30% of all complaints
- 3 Vehicle speed control 10% of all complaints
- 4 Electrical system 8% of all complaints
- 5 Air bags 6% of all complaints
- 6 Engine and cooling 5% of all complaints
- 7 Engine 4% of all complaints
- 8 Visibility 3% of all complaints
- Structure: 79 complaints (38% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Powertrain: 64 complaints (30% of all), 4 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Vehicle speed control: 21 complaints (10% of all), 3 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 16 complaints (8% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Air bags: 12 complaints (6% of all), 2 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
- 4.6 L · petrol · 8 cyl
- automatic, 5-speed
Drive: RWD, AWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 210 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 | 79 | 1 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 64 | 4 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 21 | 3 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 16 | 1 | 0 |
| Air bags | 12 | 2 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 11 | 1 | 0 |
| Engine | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 5 | 2 | 0 |
| Steering | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Latches, locks, linkages | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels | 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.
While attempting to enter the moving vehicle, the contact was knocked down and sustained injuries. The vehicle continued to roll backwards until crashing into a tree. The vehicle was not taken to have the failure diagnosed or repaired.
Roar noise and shakes at all speeds 9. Hub assemblies making noise front left/right side; unless replaced vehicle unsafe to drive per ford dealership 10. Brake pads- front/rear need to be replaced going bad (second time needing to be replaced) 11. Needs front alignment-pulls to the right side 12. Fuel filter 13.
Airbag did not deploy. I have had the body damage repaired and my auto insurance has paid over $3,000 for that. My husband took it to our nearest ford dealer where they ran a diagnostic and it showed an electronic malfunction. They said the throttle body assembly needs replacing.
I was driving on state highway 295 milemark 54 when all 5 lugs broke on the passenger front tire of the 2004 mercury mountaineer. The tire fell off and the car pulled to the right. I compensated and steered left to the center grass median, luckily no one was hurt. I had it towed to the closest dealer.
Brake pedal rubber cover came off during braking. Foot slipped to accelerator causing car to learch forward hitting rear of parked car and causing damage to that car.
I flipped in my 2004 mercury mountaineer and hung upside down for an hour till someone came by because my seat belt would not release. The emt's could not even get it to release so they had to cut it off of me.
Takata recall air bag light stays on for no apparent reason... All the time grinding noises while turning left or right sounds like gears are freely spinning while engaged and driving. No issues with changing gears as far as mechanic says.
Humming in front at all speeds ft wheel bearings where bad. Now right rear bearing making noise. Very loose . Lots of other complaints online need to be looked at
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 1,942 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 5% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Mountaineer has 125 complaints (16 years in the data). This year has 210, 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.
- Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
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 2003152 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 2004 Mercury Mountaineer?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: structure, powertrain, vehicle speed control. Total complaints: 210. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: windows, sunroof (17%), stalls while driving (8%), jerking, harsh shifts (6%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2004 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 2004 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 2004 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.