NHTSA recalls, safety ratings, and consumer complaints for the 2003 Mercury Mountaineer.
| Overall Rating | Not Rated |
| Frontal Crash | Not Rated |
| Side Crash | Not Rated |
| Rollover |
Component: VISIBILITY:GLASS, SIDE/REAR
CERTAIN CURVED TEMPERED REPLACEMENT GLASS MANUFACTURED BY HANGZHOU SAFETY GLASS LTD AND SUPPLIED TO SAFELITE BY AUTO TEMP INC., IDENTIFIED AS DOT-430, AND SOLD FOR USE ON CERTAIN DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN VEHICLES MAY NOT BREAK INTO SMALL PIECES AS EXPECTED OF TEMPERED GLASS AND FAILS TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 205, "GLAZING MATERIALS."
Consequence: IN THE EVENT OF A VEHICLE CRASH, THE OCCUPANT(S) MAY BE SERIOUSLY INJURED BY SHATTERED GLASS.
Remedy: SAFELITE WILL NOTIFY ITS RETAIL CUSTOMERS AND REPLACE THE GLASS FREE OF CHARGE. RETAIL CUSTOMERS CAN CONTACT SAFELITE TOLL FREE AT 1-888-843-2906. SAFELITE WILL NOTIFY ITS WHOLESALE CUSTOMERS AND REIMBURSE WHOLESALE CUSTOMERS FOR CURRENT INVENTORY AND AT A SPECIFIED RATE FOR REPLACING THEIR CUSTOMER'S GLASS. WHOLESALE CUSTOMERS CAN CONTACT SAFELITE'S WHOLESALE DIVISION, SERVICE AUTOGLASS TOLL FREE AT 1-888-246-6298. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JANUARY 15, 2008.
After disconnecting the battery for battery replacement original equipment 6 cd in dash player only shows CD Error. no error number. When investigating on the internet I found over 100 complaints with the same issue. I tried all the corrections suggested but nothing works. I own the car since new has very low mileage. I have 6 diskettes in the unit I cannot eject under any circumstance.
BIG O TECHS CONNED WIFE INTO BUYING 2 TIRES AND WE OWN AWD SUV THAT REQUIRES 4 AT THE SAME INTERVALS .I IMMEDIATELY NOTIFY THEM THAT THIS IS NOT SAFE AND WILL DAMAGE MY CAR THEY CONTINUED FOR OVER 2 MONTHS TO LIE TO ME ABOUT HAVING SOMEMONE COMTACT ME . I HAVE ALL THE COMMUNICATIONS I'VE HAD WITH THEM THROUGH MESSAGES. A FEW WEEKS AFTER THEY PUT THE TIRES ON AND REFUSED TO TAKE THEM OFF AND PUT MY OLD O ES BACK ON AND ISSUE A REFUND WELL MY TRANSMISSION AND TRANSFER CASE FAILED I CONTACTED THEM AGAIN AND AGAIN THEY LIED TO ME ABOUT SOMEONE CONTACTING ME . I TOOK MY SUV TO THE TRANSMISSION SHOP WE MEASURED OVER 2 INCH CIRCUMFERENCE DIFFERENCE. I INFORMED BIG O THAT I HAVE A TSB ISSUED BY FORD MY EMPLOYER THAT DATES BACK TO 2011 ON TIRE CIRCUMFERENCE PROCEDURES FOR TIRE DEALERS TO FOLLOW . THE RESPONSE I GOT WAS THAT BIG O REFUSES TO REVIEW OR ACKNOWLEDGE TSBS . THAT'S ALARMING AS TSBS ARE ISSUED MY THE MANUFACTURERS FOR SAFETY . I HAD MY SUV FIXED FOR 3000+ $ OUT OF POCKET AND CONTACTED BIG O THE DAY I PICKED IT UP ABOUT THE TIRES STILL BEING ON THERE . I WARNED THEM THIS IS DANGEROUS AND CAN HURT MY NEW DRIVETRAIN THE VERY NEXT DAY FROM GETTING MY SUV OUT OF THE SHOP THE TIRES AGAIN CAUSED BINDING TO OCCUR BUT THIS TIME IT LED TO WHAT SHOULD'VE BEEN A FATAL ACCIDENT WHERE AS THE AWD SYSTEM DONE IT'S JOB BUT THE TIRES BEING OFF BY SO MUCH MADE THE SUV BIND A THREE IN INTO 3 360 DEGREE SPIN AND SLAMMED THE CONCRETE MEDIAN TOTALING MY VEHICLE AND INJURING MY WIFE. I'VE DOCUMENTED ALL MESSAGES WITH BIG O AND HAVE MUCH MORE EVIDENCE RELATED TO THIS CASE THAT I'M UNABLE TO ADD IN THIS DESCRIPTION BECAUSE I'M RUNNING OUT OF ALLOWED CHARACTERS REMAINING . I DID CONTACT BIG O AGAIN AND SENT PHOTOS OF MY CRASHED SUV AND SUDDENLY THEY NOW WON'T RESPOND BACK AT ALL . I THINK THIS JUSTIFIES A FULL INVESTIGATION INTO THERE REFUSAL TO REVIEW TSBS AND FULL REIMBURSEMENT FOR ALL MY
The 2003 Mercury Mountaineer has 1 NHTSA recall and 152 consumer complaints on file. It received an overall safety rating of Not Rated out of 5 stars in NHTSA crash testing. The high number of complaints suggests potential reliability concerns — review the complaint details above before purchasing. For the most detailed information about a specific vehicle, decode its VIN using our free decoder above.
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I HAVE SPENT THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS ON THE TRANSMISSION REPAIR AND NO MATTER WHAT I DO THERE ALWAYS A PROBLEM SHIFTING GEARS
I HAVE A MERCURY MOUNTAINEER 2003 AND IT WAS STATIONED THERE WAS A CRACK IN THE BACK MIDDLE OF THE HATCH NOW THERE A HUGE CRACK AND MY WINDOW OF THE TRUNK CAME UNHINGED AND FELL OFF I SEE THIS PROBLEM IN ALL MOUNTAINEERS THEY ALL HAVE THE CRACK IN THE HATCH HOPE THEIRS DON'T FALL OFF I SEE IT IN ALMOST EVERYONE'S. THIS SHOULD BE RECALLED BECAUSE WHAT WOULD OF HAPPENED IF I WAS DRIVING AND IT FELL OFF THIS IS NOT SAFE. PLEASE HAVE THIS INVESTIGATED. THANK YOU!
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER. WHILE DRIVING, THE TRANSMISSION FAILED TO SHIFT. WHILE PARKED, THE EMERGENCY BRAKES FAILED AND CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO ROLL AWAY. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO GAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. IN ADDITION, THE BRAKE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE BRAKE LINES AND HOSES NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, BUT THE ISSUE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 200,000.
1) FRONT WHEEL BEARING HUB ASSEMBLY FAILURE RESULTING IN UNSAFE​ UNDRIVEABLE (THIS HAS BEEN REPEATEDLY​ REPORTED BY VEHICLE OWNERS REGARDLESS OF VEHICLES MILAGE) FAILURE ACCURED WHILE SLOWING DOWN FOR A STOPLIGHT AFTER EXITING A PARKING LOT OF A RESTAURANT 2) LIFT HATCH CRACKED CENTER OF HATCH ABOVE THE EMBLEM POTENTIALLY ALLOWING WATER INTO THE INTERIOR WORKING OF HATCH AND CAUSING UNTOLD AND UNSEEN WATER RELATED DAMAGES​(THIS IS AN ADMITTED FORD MANUFACTURING DEFECT ACROSS THE ENTIRE VEHICLE​ LINE SPENDING MULTIPLE YEARS PRODUCTION)
MY 2003 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER HAS A SOLID AIR BAG LIGHT ON. IT HAS A CODE OF 33, WHEN YOU TURN THE CAR ON, THE LIGHT GOES ON AND BLINKS 3 TIMES THEN 3 MORE TIMES. THIS INDICATES A CODE 33. FORD HAS A TECHNICAL LETTER ABOUT THE ISSUE. THE LETTER STATES THERE IS A KIT FOR THIS PROBLEM. 1L2Z-78610E22-AAA IS THE KIT FOR A MEDIUM DARK PARCHMENT KIT. THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL ITEM AS IT IS A KNOWN DEFECT. FORD WANTS TO CHARGE $281.00 FOR THE PART. OUTRAGEOUS. I WOULD BE FORCED TO PAY OR NOT GET MY STATE VEHICLE TEST PASSED. DEFECTIVE PART SHOULD BE COVERED UNDER SAFETY RECALL ! SEE INFORMATION : 2003 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER BUILD DATE 09/02 VIN===[XXX] BELOW IS A COPY OF A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN REGARDING YOUR CONCERN. YOU CAN BUY THE KITS THROUGH ANY FORD DEALER, THAT'S ABOUT THE ONLY PLACE TO GET THEM. YOU'LL FIND THE BUILD DATE ON THE VIN TAG ON THE DRIVER'S DOOR. FORD:2002-2003 EXPLORER MERCURY:2002-2003 MOUNTAINEER ISSUE: SOME 2002-2003 4DR EXPLORER/MOUNTAINEER VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT AN AIR BAG WARNING LAMP ILLUMINATED WITH DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE (DTC) B2292 AND LIGHT FLASHING CODE (LFC) 33 (DRIVER SEAT PRETENSIONER FAULT), OR LFC 34 (PASSENGER SEAT PRETENSIONER FAULT). THIS MAY BE CAUSED BY INTERMITTENT PRETENSIONER CONNECTION AT EITHER SEAT BELT BUCKLE. ACTION: INSTALL PRETENSIONER KIT FOR AFFECTED SIDE(S) BY BUILD DATE/COLOR. REFER TO THE FOLLOWING SERVICE INFORMATION FOR DETAILS. SERVICE INFORMATION OBTAIN CORRECT SERVICE KIT AND REFER TO INSTRUCTION SHEET INCLUDED WITH KIT FOR INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS. 2002 MODEL YEAR THROUGH 3/3/02 BUILD DATES MEDIUM DARK PARCHMENT 1L2Z-78610E22-AAA 2002/2003 MODEL YEARS 3/4/02 THROUGH 1/17/03 MEDIUM DARK PARCHMENT 1L2Z-78610E22-BAA [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
2003 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER RECALLS I HAVE HAD TO CHANGE THE INTAKE MANIFOLD, IGNITION COILS, I'M HAVING A GAS SMELLS NOW, TRANSMISSION THUMPS HARD WHEN GOING INTO FIRST GEAR, SOUNDS LIKE MY REAR END IS ABOUT TO FALL OUT, MY FRONT SEAT IS ELECTRIC AND DOESN'T MOVE, THE O/D LIGHT COMES ON, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON, BRAKE LIGHT ON, I KEEP TRYING TO FIX EVERYTHING THE MORE I FIX THE MORE PROBLEMS THAT COME UP, I HAVE CHECK THE RECALL LIST FOR 2003 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER RECALL ON TRANSMISSION AND ALSO CALLED THE FORD CO THEY SAID THERE IS NOTHING. THE PROBLEM IS GETTING WORST AND AFRAID I WILL BE ON THE HIGHWAY WITH MY GRANDCHILDREN WHEN IT BREAKS. I'VE HAD TRANSMISSION LEVEL CHECKED SAID IT WAS FINE. GETTING READY TO DO A COMPLETE TUNE-UP ON IT TO SEE IF THAT WILL HELP WITH THE SMELL OF GAS AND MAKE IT RUN BETTER. IT IDLES HIGH. IT'S WORST WHEN I'M ON THE HIGHWAY.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 10 TO 15 MPH, THE PASSENGER AND DRIVER SIDE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED WITHOUT WARNING OR IMPACT. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED HEAD INJURIES THAT REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION, BUT THEY COULDN'T AFFORD TO GO. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 79,610.
JUST LIKE EVERY OTHER MOUNTAINEER OR EXPLORER OF THIS ERA THE LIFT GATE HAS CRACKED AROUND THE VEHICLE LOGO. THIS HAS CAUSED PROBLEMS INCLUDING CORROSION, RUST, AND LOCKING MECHANISM FAILURE ON THE LIFTGATE. THIS PROBLEM CAN BE SEEN ON EVERY SINGLE MOUNTAINEER OR EXPLORER OF THIS ERA. IT'S PRETTY RIDICULOUS THAT FORD HAS NOT BEEN FORCED TO REMEDY THE ISSUE OR DONE IT VOLUNTARILY. IT IS CLEARLY AN ENGINEERING FAILURE.
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. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 130,000.
FAULTY AIRBAGS: ON NOVEMBER 3, 2015 AT APPROXIMATELY 0540, THE SIDE CURTAIN (BOTH DRIVER SIDE AND PASSENGER SIDE) AIRBAGS EXPLODED IN MY 2003 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER WITHOUT CAUSE WHILE I WAS TRAVELING 55 MPH ON A MAJOR/BUSY STATE HIGHWAY. THE EXPLOSION OF THE AIRBAGS HIT ME ON MY LEFT SIDE CAUSING NECK STRAIN AND TEMPORARY HEARING LOSS TO THE LEFT EAR. I WAS THE ONLY OCCUPANT IN THE VEHICLE. I WAS ABLE TO SAFELY DRIVE TO SHOULDER OF ROAD (I DON'T REMEMBER HOW I GOT THERE), LUCKILY NO CARS WERE AROUND ME AT THE TIME. THE EXPLOSION ALSO CAUSED THE DRIVER SIDE WINDOW TO FALL FROM ITS CASTERS AND WAS UNABLE TO CLOSE WINDOW (AND THE PASSENGER SIDE REAR WINDOW NO LONGER WORKS). THE AIR IN THE CURTAINS WOULD NOT DISSIPATE AND I REMEMBER NOT BEING ABLE TO BREATH WELL. THERE WAS A CHEMICAL IN THE AIR AND DO TO THE CURTAINS, IT WAS DIFFICULT TO GET OUT OF THE CAR. LATER IN THE DAY I TOOK CAR TO REYNOLDS FORD AND WAS TOLD THIS WAS NOT COVERED BY FORD. I ALSO WENT TO MY PCP AND WAS TREATED WITH PREDNISONE AND EAR WASH FOR LEFT EAR HEARING LOSS. LATER, HAD DRIVERS WINDOW REPAIRED.
BACK HATCH GLASS EXPLODED WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY (PARKED IN A PARKING LOG), AND THE DRIVER WAS CLOSING THE HATCH. BACK GLASS PORTION OF HATCH WAS BEING MANUALLY CLOSED AT A SLOW-MODERATE RATE, AND GLASS SUDDENLY SHATTERED WITHOUT WARNING. THERE WAS NO IMPACT TO THE GLASS, NOR ANY DISCERNIBLE REASON WHY THE GLASS SHOULD HAVE SUDDENLY SHATTERED. APPROXIMATELY 90% OF THE GLASS ENDED UP IN THE CAR OR ON THE PARKING LOT SURFACE, WITH ONLY ABOUT 10% OF THE GLASS REMAINING ATTACHED TO THE HATCH FRAME AND STRUTS.
SEE WHERE SEVERAL PEOPLE ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME ISSUES THAT I AM HAVING WITH MY 2003 MOUNTAINEER. THE REAR GATE IS CRACKING AROUND THE EMBLEM. I'VE HAVE REPORTED THIS TO FORD AND THEY TELL ME I CAN PAY TO FIX IT AND IF THERE IS RECALL THEY WILL REIMBURSE ME. IN ADDITION I AM ALSO EXPERIENCING THE DOOR AJAR LIGHT COMING ON WHEN ALL ARE SHUT AND SECURE. I HAVE CONTACT FORD AND SEVERAL LOCAL DEALERSHIPS. THE DEALERSHIP ALL TELL ME THEIR HANDS ARE TIED UNTIL FORD MAKES A DECISION AND THAT I AM NOT ALONE. FORD REFUSES TO DO ANYTHING. IT'S ALMOST LIKE THEY DON'T CARE. WITH ALL THESE COMPLAINTS WHY ISN'T THIS AGENCY DOING SOMETHING?
NOT IN AN ACCIDENT. A 1 1/2 INCH VERTICAL CRACK HAS APPEARED IN THE BODY BETWEEN THE MIDDLE OF THE BACK LIFT DOOR UNDER THE WINDOW EXTENDING TO THE ROUND MERCURY SYMBOL BETWEEN THE LETTERS, R AND THE C. DID NOT NOTICE UNTIL TAKING IT THROUGH A CAR WASH WHERE I WAS WARNED IT HAD TO BE COVERED.
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