2006 Mercury Mountaineer: common problems

Owners of the 2006 Mercury Mountaineer filed 117 complaints with NHTSA, most often about engine and cooling and powertrain. Details by component below, with sources.

Key figures

Owner complaints: 117
involving a crash: 6

What fails most often

1 Engine and cooling 37% of all complaints
2 Powertrain 33% of all complaints
3 Engine 12% of all complaints
4 Electrical system 8% of all complaints
5 Structure 6% of all complaints
6 Seats 5% of all complaints
7 Fuel system 3% of all complaints
8 Service brakes 3% of all complaints

Circle size and colour show each component’s share of NHTSA complaints. Schematic only, not a drawing of the exact model.

Engine and cooling: 43 complaints (37% of all).
Powertrain: 39 complaints (33% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Engine: 14 complaints (12% of all).
Electrical system: 9 complaints (8% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Structure: 7 complaints (6% 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 cyl
4.6 L · petrol · 8 cyl
automatic, 5-speed
automatic, 6-speed

Drive: RWD, AWD

Symptoms owners describe

How many of the 117 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).

jerking, harsh shifts9 · 8%
knocking, grinding or other noise7 · 6%
stalls while driving7 · 6%
windows, sunroof6 · 5%
headlights and tail lights4 · 3%
overheating, coolant loss4 · 3%
A/C or heater3 · 3%
hesitation when accelerating3 · 3%
rust, corrosion3 · 3%
transmission slipping3 · 3%

Components owners complain about

Component	Owner complaints	involving a crash
Engine and cooling	43	0
Powertrain	39	2
Engine	14	0
Electrical system	9	1
Structure	7	0
Seats	6	1
Fuel system	3	0
Service brakes	3	1
Vehicle speed control	3	0
Equipment	2	0
Exterior lighting	2	0
Fuel/propulsion system	2	0
Tires	2	1
Wheels	2	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 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.
Electrical system · crash · 2018-05-26 · NHTSA complaint #11098075
The air bags did not deploy. The contact received injuries to the head, shoulder, and chest. The contact was transported to the hospital in an ambulance. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed. The manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage was 95,000.
Air bags · crash · 2016-03-21 · NHTSA complaint #10850783
2006 mercury mountaineer, blew a tire, then went off the right side of the road struck 3 bridge pillars and then jack knifed, coming to rest in the median. (ohio traffic crash report # 10-0245-89) updated 08/06/10
Tires · crash · 2010-07-26 · NHTSA complaint #10345518
It shifts roughly and lurches when beginning to move. For example, when stopped at a stoplight, and then beginning to drive, it will lurch, jolting the passengers. Our driveway is sloped toward the street. When I park the car, I always set the emergency brake as well.
Powertrain · crash · 2009-09-20 · NHTSA complaint #10284646
Both passengers were transported to the hospital, but only the front passenger, who was wearing a seat belt, suffered bruises and soreness. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed and towed. The vin, powertrain, engine size, purchase date, and number of cylinders were unknown.
Service brakes · crash · 2007-08-24 · NHTSA complaint #10200654
My car will jerk as I'm driving rpms going high while no speed is picking up. With jump out of gear when at stop light. Loud grinding noise from tires could have foot all the way down on gas petal and go no faster.
Powertrain · 2021-04-22 · NHTSA complaint #11413469
Foward of rear axle, has excessive corrosion in a length of 8 to 10 inches. Corrosion has rotted through this area. Vehicle has 123000 miles on it. Also vehicle has surface corrosion all over bottom of subframe. Ford did not apply corrosion coatings on this sub frame properly.
Structure · 2019-10-20 · NHTSA complaint #11269593
The car keeps stalling or dying as you may say as I drive. It will be okay for a short period of time and then just die right on the highway! Once it dies once, the car will continue to do so over and over again until the engine has cooled down. I have the engine codes of p2104, p2111 and p2135 with a refere to p2101.
Engine · 2017-09-07 · NHTSA complaint #11022125

When owners complained

NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.

20061
20079
20089
200912
201012
201124
201210
20138
20147
20159
20166
20172
20182
20192
20213
20221

Comparison

By complaint count this model year ranks 3,192 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 9% most complained about).

On average one model year of the Mountaineer has 125 complaints (16 years in the data). This year has 117, about average.

What to check before buying

Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
Engine. Cold start, unusual noises, oil leaks and engine codes.
Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.

Other years of this model

Questions and answers

What are the most common problems with the 2006 Mercury Mountaineer?

Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: engine and cooling, powertrain, engine. Total complaints: 117. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: jerking, harsh shifts (8%), knocking, grinding or other noise (6%), stalls while driving (6%).

How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2006 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 2006 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 2006 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.