2002 Mercury Mountaineer AWD V6 from North America
Summary:
It has serious issues regarding safety
Faults:
I have had serious electrical issues with the Mountaineer. I have owned it since 2005, and for the past 2 years it has been telling me that my door is always open, even while I'm driving. My door locks lock and unlock while driving, and the interior lights flicker on and off while driving. Sometimes when applying the brake, it does this. I have taken it into be serviced many times for this problem, but they don't seem to know that the issue is.. I have had numerous sensors replaced with no luck.
The stock 6 CD player just stopped working one day, and all of my CDs were stuck inside.
Just a week ago, I had the back glass open, and the whole thing fell off its hinges and shattered. $1,400 just for new glass from the Ford company. Which doesn't include the struts that failed, and the hinges. Overall estimate was for $2,307, and the Ford company is not taking responsibility. And my insurance is only paying for the glass, because they said that it is a manufacturer malfunction.
Also found out that the car has numerous recalls, which could cause serious injury. (e.g - cruise control issues... can make the car catch fire at any time, even while engine is not running)
Has anyone else had these issues???
General Comments:
Overall, I love the car itself, it has lots of room, very comfortable, and handles well for an SUV.
But, it does have some MAJOR issues/recalls that need to be fixed by the Ford company.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 12th November, 2010
13th Nov 2010, 10:08
I think the 2002 Explorer had a recall for the rear glass. It was something related to it, and if it was fixed improperly, the glass would fall out. Do a little research on your truck, as it is the twin to the Explorer, and find if it had the same recall, and if the work was done to it. Seems there are many of these trucks with faulty rear glass issues.
14th Nov 2010, 00:20
I partially disagree with the previous comment. There are some things that car manufacturers make so they don't break unreasonably, regardless of the age. The fact that a window fell off the back of its tracks is very concerning.
6th Jan 2011, 19:14
I researched the Mountaineer before I was going to buy one!! And yes, it does have a recall for the back glass!!! Recall id 20902, contact your Ford dealer - 18882222751 or 18003923673, or you could call the one that is closest to you!. Recall reason is --- Visibility;Glass, side and rear that was recall on 04-10-01 and again on 12-11-07...
12th Nov 2010, 12:29
The vehicle is nearly 9 years old, with nearly 130,000 miles, so things are going to be a bit worn out, not like a new car, you know. I mean, how many times has that rear glass hatch been slammed over the years? Things break eventually. Still, here are some things to consider:
Regarding the flickering interior lights, the little plunger in the door jamb has probably gotten corroded and stuck, so the switch thinks the door is open, and therefore turns on the lights. Get a can of WD-40 and spray down the door light switch, and while you're at it, spray down the door hinges and other moving parts.
Regarding the cruise control recall, yes there was a recall and Ford went through the process of fixing that problem a couple of years ago. The problem was that brake fluid might drip out of the line and into the cruise control wire connector and cause a short circuit, so Ford installed a sealed wiring harness. You should be able to tell if it has been replaced by checking to see if there is a tag on the wire that says it was replaced under recall. That is, if the previous owner bothered to take it in for the 10-minute fix.
I wonder if the door locks could be related to the brake pedal travel. The doors lock automatically when you take your foot off the brake pedal to first start moving, and I wonder if there might be a switch that is being activated there, or the switch may no longer be able to tell when the transmission is in drive, park, and reverse, and keeps locking the doors when it thinks the car has just been put into gear. If you don't want to deal with it, you can turn the automatic locks off altogether using the door key pad code. The directions are in the owner's manual.
If you plan to keep this car for a while, you should recognize that somebody got rid of it at a time when it is about to need a lot of maintenance. You should consider getting the coolant flushed out, have the spark plugs and wires changed, get the transmission fluid changed, and change the fluid in the transfer case and differentials if it's 4WD. You should also be prepared to replace the front wheel bearings and perhaps ball joints. It's a very used car, you know.