2003 Mercury Mountaineer problems
Owners have filed 220 complaints with NHTSA about the 2003 Mercury Mountaineer. Body & structure is the most reported problem area, at 28% of complaints. After that come transmission (11%) and drivetrain & axles (9%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 220 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Body & structure 28% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 8 and 7
- Injuries and deaths
- 11 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 79,000 miles 158 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 10 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 20 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 18 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 37 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 31 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 13 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 10 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 9 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 5 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 1 |
| 200k+ miles | 4 |
What the data shows
Among the 158 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 79,000 miles. For body & structure specifically, the median reported mileage is about 77,000 miles (46 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 8 complaints mention a crash; 7 complaints mention a fire; 11 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2003 ranks 5th most-complained-about out of 12 model years of the Mercury Mountaineer with enough data (108 complaints in that window).
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
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. The contact sustained extensive damages to the neck and back, which required medical treatment. The contact indicated that the seat and headrest were not structurally sound. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed by the insurance company to a repair shop.
When using the recline seat handle, the seat would lurch forward, this caused a minor head injury. While the consumer was lowering the middle back second row seat she bent over the seat to gain access to the release lever. This action positioned the right side of the consumer's face level with the shoulder harness assembly. When the lever was released the seat sprung forward with enough force to crush the consumer's right eye. The consumer no longer has vision in her right eye.
2003 mountaineer transaxle housing broke in half. The oil from the transaxle leaked on the exhaust causing a small fire. The driver indicated that she may have hit an object in the road.
Rear back hatch cracked when purchased, promised to be fixed by dealership, but they never honored their promise. I have since seen several mercury mountaineers with the rear back hatch cracked as well, wondering why their wasn't a recall?? Also transmission problems, already replaced transfer case and now power steering is leaking.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 mercury mountaineer. The contact stated that the rear liftgate became inoperable. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing and the technician stated that the liftgate and window needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 111,500.