14th May 2003, 18:00
I purchased a 1998 Mercury Mystique and I have noticed that the rear lights hold water in them and my fuses blow all the time. I also noticed my check engine light comes on several times a year. I will be devastated if I realize I have brought a lemon. I am already being overcharged for the car itself. The front dashboard where the radio sits is falling apart and the seatbelt holder on the side of the driver and passenger seats are falling apart as well. Thank you for letting me know that I'm not the only one with these problems. What do we do? We definitely should be reimbursed for all the drama we have to deal with.
25th Jul 2003, 19:10
I bought a 1998 Mystique with 77,000 miles on it last week and it drove like a dream, until the other day. Whenever I go to stop or make a sharp turn, the engine stalls. It will start right back up and drive fine at faster speeds, then stall again when I go to stop. It will cost about 80.00 to hook it up to the diagnostic machine just to see whats wrong with it, then only God knows how much to fix it. If anyone has had the same problem and knows what it is, please email me at mike3434@wmconnect.com. Also, if everyone who has had problems with their Mystique wants to get our names, and contact info together, maybe we can notify Ford and try to get something worked out. Thanks.
8th Sep 2003, 13:20
I'm in the bunch! Now I have an antifreeze leak, a leaky trunk, a car that bangs into gear occasionally, a broken cup holder, and a fishtank tail light. It's a lemon alright.
2nd Oct 2003, 11:50
We own a 1996 Mercury Mystique, which has caused us nothing but grief.
We've replaced the head gasket, timing belt, transmission, idler pulleys, springs, cup holders etc. We have a problem with her stalling out at lights which is a safety issue. The dealership was unable to diagnose what the problem was. Can anyone help? My email address is bernicepow@yahoo.ca.
I can honestly say I will never buy another Ford product again, unless Ford can own up to its mistake in putting this car on the market.
11th Oct 2003, 19:00
I have owned a 1996 Mercury Mystique with a 5 speed manual transmission, V-6 engine, and four wheel disc brakes for over seven years. It has been a delight to drive and completely reliable. It now has 73,000 miles on it It is scrupulously maintained. A K&N air filter and synthetic oil add punch to its already spirited performance. Sound construction and rust proofing have kept the body in immaculate condition. Ford provided a fine European car at a reasonable price.
7th Dec 2003, 17:25
I am really happy to find out that others are having the same problems as me. I was beginning to think I just got a bad car. In my 96 Mystique, My cup older broke almost immediately, my trunk leaks, I had to buy the "special" battery. It seems to eat tires, and I have just replaced the transmission, and it is still shifting hard after being driven for an extended period of time. I am having trouble with the overdrive light flashing and wondered if anyone had any insight on why or what to do about it. I am positively disgusted by the problems that I have had with the car and I am still making payments, but can't get rid of it because I owe more than it is now worth. I am sick and tired of everyone referring to it as the Mercury Mystake!!! I wish Ford would own up to even some of the problems it has and help out us poor suckers that are stuck with one!!! Any help with the overdrive issue, please email me at jessd522@yahoo.com.
28th Sep 2004, 10:24
I have a 96 mercury mystique
I'm also having problems. I bought my car in Feb of 2003, drove it for 2 months, transmission went out, wiring harness, timing belt, alternator, drivers window don't work, trunk leaks, over drive don't work.ect...
Now after 1 year, Axel broke, now check engine light on, wants to over heat, heater blower don't work, speedometer don't work, wants to cut out at stop lights or just idling. plus misc. other problems.
I'm a single mother, I don't need to have these problems. can't afford to get it fixed or buy another car.
Take care.
9th Feb 2005, 18:53
I just bought a 96 mercury mystique for 2,000 bucks. What a deal. Yeah right. After 2 weeks the temp. gauge goes almost to the over heating point and stops, I drive it like this because my mechanic says there was nothing wrong with it, but charged me 100 bucks to look at it. the gasket broke causing it to leak major oil, 500 bucks to fix. Now it shifts gears really hard from first to second and when I'm doing 70mph with the cruise set it shifts between gears on its own. After reading these I am scared what is going to happen next. I live 50 miles from work with no money left to fix future problems. Wish me luck.
25th May 2005, 09:54
Wow a class action law suit would be a great idea. I own a 96 mercury mystique. About a week after I pulled it off of the lot I lost reverse. Then about a month later the battery kept dying. It turned out that a light under the hood for some reason would not turn off. About 2 months after that the check engine light went on. I have taken it to 3 separate mechanics and none of them know why the light is on. The car constantly stalls out when I am slowing down to make a turn or at a red light. When I got the car inspected in January, it cost me $1,100 because it was failing emission testing as well as some problems with the braking system as well as the check engine light would not turn off. Now last week on my way to Atlantic City, the o/d light started flashing. However I recently learned that the overdrive light flashing is a good thing. When it is not flashing and the car is in drive it stays in 1st gear. I can manually shift it to second by shifting it to ‘2’. Once the light starts flashing I can then put it in drive and it will go to 3rd. I am not even going to try to fix it, I am just going to by a more reliable vehicle. If anyone know of a class action suit please email me at balefire97@hotmail.com.
14th May 2003, 14:46
I purchased a 1996 Mercury Mystique in 1999 with about 42,000 miles. I paid a little under $10,000 (after tax and tags) which I can only laugh at now. This car has been nothing but trouble for me. I've only had it for about 4 years and I've paid about half of my originally purchase price in repairs. Some of the problems included a trunk that leaked, the driver's power window (the cable snaped) and the Transmission which died leaving me stranded in the middle of an intersection. It now also seems that my CV joints are going. This will probably put my total over $5000 in repairs. This car is totally not worth it. When the Transmission went I had less than 80,000 miles. I drove a Chevy Celebrity over 200,000 miles before the transmission went. I will never, EVER, purchase another Ford product.