NHTSA Complaint #769402 — 2002 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER

THE FIRST TIME THE TRANSMISSION PROBLEM HAPPENED WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON I-275 GOING TO JURY DUTY. IT WAS RUSH HOUR, STOP & GO TRAFFIC. I WAS EXCELLERATING AND AT APPROXIMATELY 60 MILES PER HOUR, THE TRUCK LIKE "SLAMMED" INTO GEAR. IT STARTED ME & I THOUGHT I HAD BEEN REAR-ENDED. I CONTACTED THE DEALER ON MY CELL PHONE AND ASKED TO BRING IT IN. I WAS TOLD SINCE I WAS IN JURY DUTY, I WOULD HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL MY SERVICE ENDED AND THEN BRING IT IN. I ASKED IF THE TRANSMISSION OR DRIVETRAIN COULD FURTHER DAMAGE & WAS TOLD NO. I WAS AFRAID TO KEEP DRIVING IT BUT DID NOT HAVE A CHOICE AT THE TIME. I KEPT TRACK OF THE TIMES THE TRUCK "SLAMMED" INTO GEAR WHICH UP UNTIL THE TIME I TOOK THE VEHICLE IN, WAS WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS WARM & IT WAS ON EXCELLERATIONS AT DIFFERENT SPEEDS & TIMES. THE SERVICE PEOPLE SAID IT DID NOT DO IT WHILE THEY TEST DROVE IT BUT FORD'S KNEW THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH IT & THE REPAIR WAS TO REPROGRAM THE COMPUTER CHIP & THAT WOULD FIX THE PROBLEM IT DID NOT. I HAD TO RE-SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT FOR ANOTHER ATTEMPT TO FIX IT. THIS TIME THE DEALER PLACED A RECORDING DEVICE ON THE TRUCK & WERE ABLE TO CAPTURE IT ACTING UP. THE SERVICE PERSON TOLD ME I NEEDED A NEW TRANSMISSION & THAT'S WHAT HE'D LIKE TO DO TO REPAIR IT BUT I'D HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL FORD'S RETRIEVED THE DATA. I WAS CONCERNED ABOUT DRIVING THE VEHICLE AND IT ONLY HAD 800 MILES ON IT! WHILE WAITING FOR A DETERMINATION, I HAD DRIVEN THE VEHICLE ABOUT 6 OR 7 MILES AND AN AWFUL ODOR FILLED THE CAB. IT SMELLED LIKE SOMETHING BURNING UNDER THE VEHICLE. I PULLED OVER & CHECKED UNDER THE TRUCK FOR A FIRE. I DID NOT SEE ANYTHING THAT LOOKED LIKE IT WAS BURNING. I CALLED THE DEALER & COMPLAINED AGAIN ABOUT IT SLAMMING INTO GEAR & NOW THE AWFUL SMELL. I WONDERED IF THE TRANSMISSION WAS BURNING. I WAS TOLD IT WAS ANOTHER COMPLAINT OTHERS MADE AS WELL. IT WAS COMING FROM THE EXHAUST (VALVE?) FOR THE 3RD TRY, THESE 2 ISSUES & OTHERS ARE NOW BEING REPAIRED. DT