1996 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data
N/A
Safety Rating
3
Owner Complaints
2
Recalls
7
Service Bulletins
0
Investigations
Overview of the 1996 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER
The 1996 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER has received a total of 3 safety complaints filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). There have been 2 recall campaigns affecting this vehicle, covering issues with TIRES:TREAD/BELT, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL. 7 technical service bulletins have been issued by Ford Motor Company for this model year. The most commonly reported problems involve the Tires (1 complaint), Tirestreadbelt (1 complaint), and Vehicle Speed Control (1 complaint).
Recalls for the 1996 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER
NHTSA has recorded 2 recalls for the 1996 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER, potentially affecting up to 14,423,000 vehicles.
Recall 00T005000 — TIRES:TREAD/BELT
| 14,400,000 vehicles affected
Defect: TIRE DESCRIPTION: FIRESTONE WILDERNESS AT, SIZE P235/75R15, PRODUCED AT THE DECATUR, ILLINOIS TIRE PLANT AND ALL FIRESTONE RADIAL ATX AND RADIAL ATX II TIRES, SIZE P235/75R15. OPERATION OF THESE TIRES AT LOW INFLATION PRESSURES, HIGH SPEED, AND IN HOT WEATHER, CAN CONTRIBUTE TO SEPARATION OF THE TIRE TREAD.
Consequence: IF THE TREAD SEPARATES FROM THE TIRE, THE DRIVER CAN LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A CRASH CAUSING INJURY OR DEATH.
Remedy: THE REPLACEMENT/REIMBURSEMENT PROGRAM FOR THIS CAMPAIGN EXPIRED ON AUGUST 29, 2001. HOWEVER, CUSTOMERS SHOULD CONTACT FIRESTONE CUSTOMER SERVICE AT 1-800-465-1904 FOR POSSIBLE ASSISTANCE.
View full details →Recall 97V074000 — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
| 23,000 vehicles affected
Defect: VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: MULTI-PURPOSE PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 5.0L ENGINES ORIGINALLY SOLD OR CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN THE STATES OF ALASKA, IDAHO, IOWA, MAINE, MICHIGAN (UPPER PENINSULA ONLY), MINNESOTA, MONTANA, NEBRASKA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW YORK, NORTH DAKOTA, SOUTH DAKOTA, VERMONT, WISCONSIN, AND WYOMING. THESE VEHICLES, WHEN OPERATED FOR EXTENDED PERIODS OF TIME AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND TEMPERATURES BELOW -20 DEGREES FARENHEIT, DO...
Consequence: ALTHOUGH THE VEHICLE CAN BE CONTROLLED BY EITHER APPLYING THE SERVICE BRAKES OR SHIFTING THE TRANSMISSION TO NEUTRAL, INCREASED BRAKE PEDAL EFFORTS OR SOME INCREASE IN STOPPING DISTANCE CAN RESULT.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSTALL A REVISED PCV SYSTEM WITH WATER HEATED VACUUM SOURCE.
View full details →Owner Complaints for the 1996 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER
3 complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 1996 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER. Below is a breakdown by vehicle component.
| Component | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tires | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tirestreadbelt | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Most Recent Complaints
I HAD TIRE BLOWOUT WHILE DRIVING AT APROX.55-60 MPH. VEHICLE VEERED FROM THE ROAD . TIRE SHOWS SIGNS OF TREAD SEPARATION IN AN AREA ABOUT 8 INCHES LONG THAT RUNS ALONG THE SIDEWALL AND RAPS ABOUT 1/3 OF THE WAY ACROSS THE TIRE. THE TIRE WAS A RIGHT REAR WILDERNESS AT. *AK (DOT NUMBER: W2HL TIRESIZE: P235 75 15)
MY WIFE PURCHASED A 1996 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER IN HAWAII IN FEBRUARY 1998. THE VEHICLE CAME EQUIPPED WITH WILDERNESS AT TIRES (VNHL IPY 336 235/75 R15). IN DECEMBER 1999, TREAD ON ONE OF THE NEW TIRES SEPARATED WHEN THE VEHICLE HAD 25,005 MILES ON IT WHILE DRIVING IN HAWAII AT A SPEED OF ABOUT 55 MPH. WE WENT TO A FIRESTONE DEALER IN WAIPAHU, HI AND WERE TOLD WE HAD TO BUY A NEW TIRE ($39.97 ) THAT WOULD BE PRORATED BASED UPON THE REMAINING TREAD. THE LOW COST FOR THE NEW TIRE REFLECTED THE LACK OF TREAD WEAR ON THE BAD TIE. UNFORTUNATELY, THIS REPLACEMENT TIRE WAS ANOTHER WILDERNESS TIRE (8XHL 1PY 1100 235/75 R15). WHILE IN EL PASO IN MAY 2000, AS WERE DRIVING THE MOUNTAINER ACROSS COUNTRY, A SECOND OF THE ORIGINAL "VNHL" TIRES SUFFERED TREAD SEPARATION AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. AS WE WERE REPLACING THE SECOND TIRE, WITH ANOTHER WILDERNESS AT (8XHL 1PY 269, 235/75 R15 ), AT A PRORATED COST OF $64.99, THE MECHANIC, AT BOB MUSEL MESA FIRESTONE IN EL PASO, NOTICED THAT A THIRD "VNHL" ON THE GROUND WAS BAD BECAUSE IT HAD A CHUNK OF TREAD MISSING FROM THE TIRE. HE TOOK THIS BAD TIRE OFF THE GROUND AND IT IS NOW MY USELESS SPARE. FORTUNATELY, NO ONE WAS INJURED DURING EITHER INCIDENT. BUT I THINK OUR LUNCK MIGHT BE RUNNING OUT. THE TREAD SEPARATION LED US TO CONDUDE IN MAY THAT THE ORIGINAL WILDERNESS AT TIRES THAT CAMNE WITH THE VEH WERE CLEARLY DEFECTIVE, AND THE RECENT FIRESTONE RECALL SUGGESTS THAT ALL OF THE WILDERNESS TIRES ARE PROBABLY DEFECTIVE, DESPITE THE DISTINCTION THAT IS CURRENTLY BEING PROFERRED. WE VISITED FIRESSTONE DEALERS IN NEWARK (COCHRAN & TREVITS) AND NEW CASTLE (SCOTT BALMANN, MANAGERE) DELAWARE THIS PAST WEEKEND TO ATTEMPT TO HAVE OUR DANGEROUS, DEFECTIVE TIRES REPLACED. WE SHOWED OUR RECEIPTS, TOLD OUR STORY AND GOT NO RESULTS. IN EACH CASE, THE DEALERSHIP STATED THAT NEITHER "VNHL" OR 8XHL" DOT DESIGNATED WILDERENESS AT TIRES WERE PART OF THE RECALL ESTABLISHED BY FIRESTONE. MY FORMER/CURRENT "VHNL" TIRES ARE BAD!!!!
WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH THROTTLE REMAINS OPEN, CAUSING UNATTTENDED ACCELERATION. CAUSE UNKNOWN. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
Safety Rating for the 1996 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER
NHTSA has not yet tested the 1996 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER in its New Car Assessment Program.
Technical Service Bulletins for the 1996 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER
Ford Motor Company has issued 7 technical service bulletins (TSBs) for the 1996 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER. TSBs are notices sent by manufacturers to their dealers describing a known issue and the recommended repair procedure.
00M11 — SUSPENSION:FRONT:SPRINGS:TORSION BAR
INFORMATION REGARDING FRONT SWAY BAR LINK . *YH
8149 — EQUIPMENT:MECHANICAL:WRECKER AND WHEEL LIFT DEVICES
SUBJECT REGARDING NEUTRAL TOW INOPERATIVE AFTER GEM REPLACEMENT. *TT
6980 — UNKNOWN OR OTHER
SOME VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON WITH DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE PO420. *TT
5272 — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
BRIEF INFORMATION REGARDING ENGINE STALL CONDITION. *TT
985157 — TIRES
INFORMATION ON SETTING THE TIRE INFLATION PRESSURE FOR 1991 THROUGH 1999 MODEL YEAR VEHICLES IN THE PRE-DELIVERY PROCESS AND DURING MAINTENANCE INTERVALS. *TT
BC3092970501 — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
ENGINEERING IS INVESTIGATING REAR CRANKSHAFT OIL LEAKS. *TW
BC5225961001 — POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT
VEHICLES MAY EXPERIENCE A VIBRATION DURING WIDE OPEN THROTTLE ACCELERATION OR WHILE CRUISING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. REVISED FRONT DRIVESHAFT. *TT
NHTSA Investigations for the 1996 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER
There are no NHTSA defect investigations on record for this vehicle.
Other Model Years of the MERCURY MOUNTAINEER
- 1993 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER — 0 complaints
- 1995 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER — 0 complaints
- 1996 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER (current)
- 1997 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER — 399 complaints
- 1998 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER — 298 complaints
- 1999 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER — 182 complaints
- 2000 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER — 164 complaints
- 2001 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER — 32 complaints
Other MERCURY Models
- MERCURY SABLE — 7,190 total complaints
- MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS — 4,949 total complaints
- MERCURY MILAN — 3,211 total complaints
- MERCURY COUGAR — 2,646 total complaints
- MERCURY VILLAGER — 2,205 total complaints
- MERCURY MARINER — 1,716 total complaints
- MERCURY MYSTIQUE — 1,510 total complaints
- MERCURY TRACER — 754 total complaints