Faults:

Bought a 2002 Mountaineer with very low miles (27,000 to be exact). Four days after buying it we started having transmission problems. The torque converter was shot and destroyed the tranmission casing in the process. $4,000 repair for a new transmission, and I hadn't even made a payment on it yet. The dealer who sold it wouldn't take responsibility for letting it past inspection and onto the lot for sale. They tried to blame Ford. Ford blamed previous owners. Got no where with the dealer or Ford. Their customer service is awful and that's what will kill them in the coming years.

Also had a Taurus as my loaner car. What a hunk of crap! I was actually anxious to get my Mountaineer back despite the problems.

Love the way the Mountaineer rides, still not in love with the performance from the new transmission or the idling. Wouldn't buy another Ford product. Previous had a Honda Civic EX. Best car EVER!!

Faults:

One week after purchasing this car used, I began to feel the transmission slipping. The aftermarket warranty paid the 1100 dollars to fix it.

Now the truck has 85K miles on it and is on its way to the shop again. However the original problem was never fixed. This time the overdrive light came on and its shifting incredibly hard. I will never buy Ford again.

Another thing wrong is the back lift gate is cracked just below the glass, I have seen two more trucks with the exact same crack. I called Ford and they have done nothing, not even a response after 1 year. Thanks Ford.

Faults:

Torque converter and transmission case shot at 27,000 miles.

General Comments:

We bought our 2002 Mountaineer used in 2007 with only 26,700 miles. The Mountaineer is comfortable and great to drive with wonderful features, but on the 4th day of owning it we started having problems with the transmission. If you came to a hard/fast stop in rush hour traffic and then hit the gas it wouldn't be in gear. It would just rev the engine and then finally get into a gear and lurch the truck forward. It would also clunk from 2 down to 1 and indecisively shift from time to time. It idled great though and drove like a dream at high speeds. Ended up the torque converter was shot and also damaged the transmission case. A transmission overhaul could be done for $3,400 with only a 12 month/12,000 warranty on replaced parts or a completely new transmission could be done for $3,900 with a 3 year/36,000 warranty. Kind of sad since we haven't even had the truck 14 days now. The sales dealership should have caught this from what most outsiders are saying. After complaining, they are going to Ford for help since at 27,000 miles this shouldn't happen. No verdict yet, but we're going with the all new vs. the overhaul. No car company is perfect, but I will say that I always drove a manual (clutch) vehicle for this exact reason. Transmissions have too many parts and too many issues. I will definitely own a manual again in the future. Whether it is domestic or foreign though I can't say. My previous Honda Civic was a dream and fun, but the Mountaineer is very luxurious.

Faults:

We bought our Mountaineer new. It drove well, but as soon as the warranty ran out problems began even though, with only 22,000 miles, it has been very lightly used and regularly serviced.

A module in the dash failed causing all the gauges to die. Cost $600 to replace.

Now the heater is malfunctioning. They say replace the heater core for about $500.

Cylinder in driver's door lock has failed even though we mostly use the remote to open the door instead.

Outside temperature sensor is shot, giving wildly erratic readings..

Dealership is polite, but unhelpful. I’ll never buy a Merc again. Next time Honda or Toyota only.