21st Jul 2004, 15:01

I have a 1995 Mercury, Nautica edition. I bought it used from a sweet little old man, and I really like this van. I have had the same problems that have been mentioned in this article. Now I know what I need to do to fix these problems. But would someone please explain to me how filling up the gas tank will stop a shortage in the seat belt/power seat motor?

21st Aug 2005, 00:44

I have a 93' Villager LS with about 121,000 miles. Shortly (a few hours) after I got new tires (Goodyear Assurance Triple Tread) installed my transmission started leaking and had to be completely rebuilt. I noticed a little lurching before, but didn't think much of it because it is an old car. The mechanic said that the lurching I was feeling before was probably a sign the transmission was beginning to leak, so you might want to get it checked fairly soon before anything gets damaged.

P.S we also have the Goodyear Assurance Triple Tread on our 2000 Villager Estate... I highly recommend them. It makes the car drive completely different.

24th Aug 2005, 10:13

We recently bought our second Villager, a used 2001, because we were so pleased with the performance of our first, a new 1995 LS. My teen took over the 1995 and at 178,000 miles it is still running strong. We expect to get 200,000 miles out of it. Yes, it is a little underpowered in hilly country - and I did not replaced the rear windshield washer motor when it went out around 40,000 miles. But every time I drive the older Villager I am impressed with how solid it feels and how well it handles. Our 2001 Villager Estate, BTW, is bigger which I dislike and at under 40,000 miles I have had to replace both electric window motors at $350 apiece. I hope that is not a sign of things to come or my son's Villager will outlast our newer one!

20th Oct 2005, 10:52

We had 1996 Villager, which died because we did not replace the timing belt. Now we have 200o Villager Sport. Everything is fine, and the steering is amazing. However a few days ago got "service engine soon" signal that won't go away. We'll have to take care of this. Overall, love Villager for room, look, and steering.

29th Dec 2006, 10:43

We bought a 1995 Villager in Oct 2001 with 98252 miles on it. When we bought it the a/c unit, stereo controls in the back didn't work nor did the rear wiper. We never sought to correct those "problems".

The A/C quit four years ago we had it recharged and it quit after 2 months. Never tried to fix that again.

Other than normal wear and tear this has been an awesome van! I have 215,400 miles on it. The shifting lever is beginning to give me problems. The park safety lever needs adjusting.

The engine and transmission have been phenomenal - we are giving the van to our 23 yr old daughter and fully expect it to continue to be a good vehicle for her. 300,000 miles should be achivable.

17th Feb 2007, 23:47

93 Villager Van

I have had all the problems that have been listed and then some. At the moment I have 230,000 Km on the van and now the seat belts are acting up again. The driver's side has died completely and doesn’t even want to move, it just buzzes. The radiator which was replaced because it was leaking at 50,000 Km is leaking again, and will probably have to be replaced again, but not on warranty this time. Someone mentioned that the belts are still covered under warranty. If so what is the actual warranty number to quote? The other comment was valid as well in that all the Nissan parts like engine and tranny stand up well, but the FORD pieces fail on a regular basis, I guess you don’t have to guess what company I will NOT be buying my next vehicle from.

26th Feb 2007, 14:22

We've got a 1997 Villager with 285000 km on it, and we've started getting intermittent flashing of the warning lights for the brakes and battery. I've had the guys at the shop check the alternator, and it appears to be fine.

The lights seem to come on when the car has been running for a while in wet or snowy conditions.

Anyone got any ideas?

Oh -- and the engine light is on, again -- but what else is new, eh?

26th Feb 2007, 18:03

If your battery and brake lights are coming on in wet and snowy conditions, I think that your serpentine belt or a fan belt is slipping. You probably have all the accessories running, like the defroster, headlights and wipers, but with the drive belt for the alternator slipping, the accessories have to run off the battery because the alternator isn't being turned enough.

Check the belt tension -- there should be no more than 1/2 inch of up and down motion from its taught position; belts stretch over time and become loose. Also check for shiny or cracked surfaces, and it might be time to replace it.

The slippery conditions are probably also causing the brake warning light to come on, because the pads initially slip on the wet rotor. Just to be sure, check the brake fluid reservoir level. The check engine light could be totally unrelated, hard to tell what that is. Do you have a code reader?

26th Feb 2007, 18:15

As for the radiator, if it is simply leaking externally, go to an auto parts store or hardware store and buy some "Liquid Steel". I assume the radiator is a metal case? The Liquid Steel (or virtually any epoxy) is just something you knead together into a ball and stick on to the broken seam or pinhole. If it's plastic, they have epoxy for that as well. No sense paying for a new radiator if it's just a little drip.

I'm not much help on electric seatbelts, but I might suggest that you buy a Haynes Manual for your vehicle, and buy an inexpensive circuit tester (you know, the little electronic box that shows digital readouts for voltage, resistance, amps). When electrical things make buzzing sounds, it's usually an indication that something is bound up and the motor won't work, or is shorted out.

Haynes Manuals (or Chilton's Manuals) are great. They've saved thousands and kept my old car out of the junkyard on several occasions.

17th Mar 2007, 21:25

I bought a '94 Villager new. It now has 230 miles. It has been a good vehicle. The body and interior has held up very well considering its age and mileage. I have had a variety of little things go wrong.

I have had to replace engine oil seals several times.

The engine has less power than when it was new, but still runs well. The transmission is starting to shift a little hard.

The most annoying problem is that in the winter you can smell raw gas inside. I have had it to the dealer multiple times for this. The problem always comes back.

20th Mar 2007, 21:10

I took ownership of a 1995 GS minivan in Dec. 2003. The van had 77k miles. It now has 116k and the engine is running great. I had to replace the CV joints, motor mounts, and put in new struts, but I think for the purchase price of $4k, I got a deal. The woman who owned the van previously cried when I took the title. The interior and body were and are in excellent shape. The brakes squeal, and in the wintertime it smells like gasoline, but I have fallen in love with it! I learned that the smell of gas can be lessened it you tighten your gas cap at least halfway around... this works during warmer weather. I will drive this one to the end. Sun Visor broke, but I don't need to tell you that!