NHTSA Complaint #10116317 — 2003 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER

MY 2003 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER WOULD STUTTER AND HAVE A JERKING MOTION LIKE IT WAS GOING TO STALL AND IT WOULD DO THIS AT ANY GIVEN TIME. ON THE 13TH OF JANUARY I WAS TAKING MY YOUNGEST DAUGHTER TO SCHOOL AND MY CAR STARTED TO STUTTER AND THEN IT JUST STALLED ON ME I HAD A DIFFICULT TIME STARTING THE CAR. I THEN TOOK HER TO SCHOOL AND I SHUT THE CAR OFF TO WALK HER TO HER CLASSROOM AND THEN GOT BACK INTO MY CAR AND WHEN I PUT THE KEY INTO THE IGNITION AND TURNED THE KEY THERE WAS NO POWER MY CAR WAS DEAD I HAD TO CALL THE ROAD SIDE ASSISTANCE NUMBER AND HAD TO WAIT AN HOUR FOR A TOW TRUCK. I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALERSHIP THAT IT WAS THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER HEAD AND IT WAS FIXED AND I WAS NOT GIVEN A RENTAL CAR AND I ONLY HAD THIS CAR 11 MONTHS. WELL TWO WEEKS LATER AS I WAS GETTING READY TO MAKE A LEFT TURN ON A VERY BUSY INTERSECTION MY MOUNTAINEER STALLED ON ME ONCE AGAIN AND ALL I COULD DO WAS PRAY THAT IT WOULD START IT TOOK THREE TRIES TO GET IT STARTED AND I DROVE IT DOWN THE BLOCK TO THE DEALERSHIP ONCE AGAIN AND MADE THEM TAKE THE CAR. WELL THEY HAD MY CAR FOR ANOTHER FOUR DAYS AND I WAS TOLD ONCE AGAIN IT WAS THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER HEAD. THEN IN FEBRUARY OF 2005 THE FORD DEALERSHIP WANTED TO DO A RUN DOWN OF MY CAR TO MAKE SURE IT WAS FIXED BUT LOW AND BEHOLD I HAVE TO TAKE MY CAR BACK ON APRIL 5, 2005 FOR THE SAME STUTTERING AND STALLING PROBLEM. I FEEL THAT THIS CAR IS A LEMON AND UNSAFE FOR MY FAMILY.*AK