1999 Mercury Mountaineer

Summary:

Reliable and excellent

Faults:

Car seems to have an electrical problem. Stereo lights doesn't work, and the CD player stopped working.

Rear lights don't work due to an electrical issue.

General Comments:

Very reliable car. Other than the electrical problem, the engine is powerful and reliable.

Leather interior gives it a nice interior look, and it's comfortable.

Runs fantastic in the snow.

Great amount of room for a number of people or transporting pets. Back seats go down to make for extra storage room.

Highly recommend this car to anybody, and am considering buying a newer Mountaineer myself when this one starts having expensive issues that need fixing.

As old as the car is, and as long as I've owned it, it has never been a headache to own, and shows no signs of being one any time soon.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 5th March, 2009

1999 Mercury Mountaineer V6

Summary:

I wouldn't hesitate to buy another one, if I have faith in the service

Faults:

I personally did not experience problems with the following, but they were repaired under recall:

Front seat brackets found to be unsafe and would break in an accident.

Timing Belt was replaced twice (the 2nd time was a guess)

The tires were the Firestone Tires that were recalled.

I do not recommend having the rear-end maintenance performed. It took 3 tries before they got it right, and nearly ran dry.

General Comments:

The largest problem I had with this vehicle had to do with the dealership. Even with the smallest general repairs.

I had the oil and transmission fluid changed, they forgot to put the transmission fluid in when done. Worst part was they lied and said it was 1/2 quart low.

The Mountaineer is a wonderful SUV, research the quality of the dealership, not the vehicle itself.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 2nd October, 2004

1999 Mercury Mountaineer 5.0 V8 AWD

Summary:

Good

Faults:

This SUV has been great with the exception of a few items. To begin, I have had electrical problems for quite a while. My radio lights don't always work and my car has had a shimmy forever. I recently was told to have the vehicle "road force" balanced. I thought it was a sales ploy, but I have read that road force is real...I'll see

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 20th September, 2004

9th Jan 2005, 11:03

Hi, I am about to buy one of these, and I too notice a shimmy when I road tested it. In fact most of the ones I drove seemed to have the same characteristic.

Please explain to me what is road force and how does the dealer make adjustments for it?

Thanks,

Paul.

15th Dec 2008, 18:35

Road Force is a type of tire balancing. It applies force to the tire similar what it would experience driving down the road. The machine then measures the vibration force of the tire and wheel separately to determine if either is out of whack, then suggests to the technician possible solutions to eliminate the vibration.

IN MOST CASES: A standard wheel balance will eliminate a shimmy.

A small trick.. 'feel' for the vibration in either your SEAT or your STEERING WHEEL.. this will (again, in most cases) tell you if the vibration is from the front or rear tires.

If the vibration is not stopped by either type of balance the vehicle should be inspected by a reputable mechanic for things such as worn u-joints or bent axles/drive shafts.