Faults:

Head gasket blew at 100,000.

Timing belt & timing belt tensioner at 100,000.

Replaced front springs at 75,000.

Front wheel bearings at 110,000.

Replaced heater core at 120,000.

Transmission replaced at 110,000

Cigarette lighter & clock don`t work

Tape player doesn`t work

Driver side headrest broken

Passenger side door handle broke off in my hand

Cold weather comes & the doors freeze shut!

Both back doors squeak loudly when opened

When trunk is opened, water pours out from the turn signal compartment, if it raining that day

General Comments:

This car has never seemed to have the power it should.

In the shop more than it's on the road.

I will never buy another Ford or Mercury product!

Faults:

First, one major plus about the car: Despite all the expensive repairs it has required since I purchased it, only twice has the required maintenance rendered it undrivable: 1) when the battery died and 2) when a nail puncture necessitated a tire patch.

Other than that one big positive, this car has actually eaten a lot of cash in the nearly four years that I've had it. Some of the following repairs are expected with age, but all in all, the amount of big-ticket repairs has felt rather excessive:

All of the springs have needed replacement.

The tie rods have needed replacement.

A trailing-arm replacement was needed, as well.

The bushings in the rear (mainly on the right) needed replacement.

The brakes, rotors, and calipers have needed replacement. (The rotors were very worn.)

Both tail lights burnt out and needed replacement. Not together, though.

Wiper blades wore out... although, that's not surprising at all.

Tire tread wore down, necessitating new tires. Although that's not a shocker either. Only two of the four tires were really bad, though.

The fan belt needed replacement.

The timing-belt was the latest to go, and the water pump had some side-to-side play to it, meaning it maybe wasn't far behind, so that was replaced as well.

And I have had to have a few alignments done... if I remember correctly, three so far. This is definitely a recurring repair. And it's not cheap.

Also, the light burnt out on the clock on the dashboard. But that's fairly trivial, so it hasn't been repaired.

More yet-to-be-repaired items:

Driver's side head-rest is broken.

The buttons to maneuver the electric seat (driver's seat) fell off. (Although, it can still be maneuvered via the nubs that are left.)

The door-lock mechanism is finicky... locks tend to not open on the first turn of the key.

General Comments:

As I have said, despite the amount of money I have had to shell out for some rather excessive and expensive repairs, this car is extremely reliable. No matter what has been wrong with it, it has always gotten me from Point A to Point B. It has never broken down or stranded me.

The car is also very comfortable. The electric driver's seat was a selling point for me. I am not tall, so the ability to move the seat up vertically, and not just back and forth, has allowed me to feel like a trucker when driving my little four-door. Also, the seat expands (seems to inflate) near the lower area of the driver's back, so it serves as an excellent cushion. The car is great for long drives and road trip.

The truck is very roomy! I have used it to move myself and my belongings across half the country and between old and new apartments a couple of times.