Faults:

Exhaust Manifold Stud failure - twice.

Sun Visor disintegrated.

All Door Lock Actuators needed replacement.

Ball-Joints and Tie Rod Ends at 150000 km.

Transmission selector cable support snapped.

CV Both Boots replaced once at 130000 km.

Front light bar bulbs burnt out - left it dark.

General Comments:

Other than the exhaust manifold issue - the van is 11 years old and I'm just going to live with the noise - the van has been as reliable as any car. It still starts up easily in the morning and drives okay.

One thing worth mentioning is the vehicle was designed with maintenance in mind - for example, the oil filter is easy to reach, unlike my old Nissan Axxess. The ball joints and tie rods were un-bolt\bolt-on, and I did them myself without special tools. The door lock actuators were $120 Cdn from the dealer, but I replaced them with universal 2-wire ones for $16 each. I also had disintergrating sun visors, but I took them apart and replaced the cardboard inside with stiffer material.

Otherwise, electrical system, tranny, brakes, heater, A/C, cooling have worked no problem.

Faults:

Tail lights didn't work when purchased including dash lights. Got repaired and no more problems.

General Comments:

Really reliable, stored for winter so I don't know about snow handling. Confortable and Spacey.

Faults:

Timing belt had to be replaced.

General Comments:

This is a very comfortable van. I've driven the Dodge Caravans and the Mercury Villager is much more comfortable.

It is slightly less powerful than the Dodge Caravan, but not enough to make much of a difference.

I drove it through the winter and it handled very well in the snow.

Faults:

Inside vents are very cheap, handled carefully they still break, made of very cheap plastic. Left taillight bulb keeps going out even though bulb is okay. Front light bar between headlights keeps malfunctioning. Halogen bulbs are very expensive to replace. The dash is very large and in the summer, the dash gets so warm from the sun going down the road it is hard to cool.

General Comments:

Reliable vehicle, but has some minor electrical problems, has 67,000 miles on it. Comfortable vehicle but am unsure if I would buy another Mercury Villager LE.