2004 Mercury Mountaineer problems
Owners have filed 271 complaints with NHTSA about the 2004 Mercury Mountaineer. Body & structure is the most reported problem area, at 31% of complaints. After that come transmission (13%) and drivetrain & axles (12%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 271 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Body & structure 31% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 20 and 2
- Injuries and deaths
- 17 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 70,000 miles 234 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 | 28 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 19 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 47 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 45 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 41 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 20 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 16 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 8 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 4 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 3 |
| 200k+ miles | 3 |
What the data shows
Among the 234 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 70,000 miles. For body & structure specifically, the median reported mileage is about 64,000 miles (81 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 20 complaints mention a crash; 2 complaints mention a fire; 17 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2004 ranks 4th most-complained-about out of 12 model years of the Mercury Mountaineer with enough data (124 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.
I drove a 2004 mercury mountaineer SUV and as I was turning into the apartment complex from a complete stop, the gas pedal clamped down & I couldn't get the brake to work. My SUV was totaled & I ran into a full-sized pick-up truck, which was totaled too. I reported the problem to the police & my insurance company. The insurance company told me not to tell anyone else about it. It was late evening, so no kids were out, but being unable to control my vehicle, which totaled two full-sized trucks is scary!
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. I the thing released I could have crawled out the window and would not have had to have $12,000.00 damage to my car because they would not let me crawl out and had to use the jaws of life to get me and the board out. I was told that this is how they are designed and I feel this is not a good thing.
Vehicle speed control: while preparing to back up, before shifting, vehicle jumped, and then suddenly accelerated forward, brakes were applied but vehicle wouldn't stop and engine was roaring as if the accelerator was stuck. Vehicle went airborne over an embankment, through a lawn, hit a rock/debris area, tire blew before hitting curve, landed on right rim, was then able to put vehicle in park. Vehicle towed away, dealership currently states nothing is wrong with the vehicle. Help!!
Structure:body:hatchback/liftgate:hinge and attachments - the left hinge on the liftgate on my 2004 mercury mountaineer fractured, causing the glass liftgate to swing out. The right hinge held but shows corrosion. This appears to be the same issue in NHTSA campaign 04v442000 for model years 2002 - 2003. The liftgate is no longer operational. I have not yet replace the parts.
Rear back panel cracked. Was parked in garage for 2 days, temp was -15f low/22f high. Fine one day, cracked rear panel (around the rear hatch window). Dealer states no recall, see this all the time. $500 to fix.