AI Damage2010 Mercury Mountaineer: common problems
Owners of the 2010 Mercury Mountaineer filed 13 complaints with NHTSA, most often about service brakes and vehicle speed control. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 13
What fails most often
- 1 Service brakes 38% of all complaints
- 2 Vehicle speed control 31% of all complaints
- 3 Engine 23% of all complaints
- 4 Powertrain 15% of all complaints
- 5 Steering 15% of all complaints
- 6 Electrical system 8% of all complaints
- 7 Fuel/propulsion system 8% of all complaints
- 8 Fuel system 8% of all complaints
- Service brakes: 5 complaints (38% of all).
- Vehicle speed control: 4 complaints (31% of all).
- Engine: 3 complaints (23% of all).
- Powertrain: 2 complaints (15% of all).
- Steering: 2 complaints (15% 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, 4WD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 13 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service brakes | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 2 | 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.
The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the computer had provided an incorrect error code.
Tl* the contact owns a 2010 mercury mountaineer. While the contact's wife was driving 70 mph, she depressed the brake pedal and the front driver's seat started to slide backwards and the interior lighting illuminated. There were no warning indicators illuminated.
Rear differential is filling with water pass the fill plug. This is a garage kept car and never off road nor dirven in deep water. First time discovered at 22000 miles and the dealer replace the pinion seal and oil, but could not find the cause. Differential now making noise and again full of water past the fill plug.
At high speeds, the car stalls. It also stalls at stop lights. This happens repeatedly, and ford cannot figure out what is wrong with it.
The contact stated that while attempting to latch both of the second row seat belts, the belts fractured and detached from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 60,000.
Front brakes started automatically seizing up random times and speeds due to a defective wheel bearing that disrupted the antilock brake sensors. This created an extremely dangerous driving issue. Ford refused to take responsibility or pay for any repairs because it was outside the warranty period.
It allows the brake to be pressed but also applies gas to give a vehicle a surge while braking. Had the same situation with a 2001 ford taurus and ford issued a recall notice to have the placement of pedals changed.
While driving the mountaineer I was slowing for a stoplight shortly after starting it up (had driven about 1/3 mile). The engine suddenly started to speed up and required significant extra braking force to come to a stop. I put the car in neutral and the engine ran at about 3,300 rpm for about 10 seconds.
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 9,843 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 27% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Mountaineer has 125 complaints (16 years in the data). This year has 13, below average.
What to check before buying
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
- Engine. Cold start, unusual noises, oil leaks and engine codes.
- 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 2000123 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 99999 sources
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2010 Mercury Mountaineer?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: service brakes, vehicle speed control, engine. Total complaints: 13. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: warning lights, check engine (15%), door locks, latches, handles (8%), won't start (8%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2010 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 2010 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 2010 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.