FaultScore

Worst years for a Mercury Mountaineer

Owners have filed 2,646 complaints about the Mercury Mountaineer with NHTSA across model years 1996 to 2010. More of them are about the transmission & drivetrain than anything else.

Avoid

1997 Mercury Mountaineer

399 complaints — the highest FaultScore of any year, mostly tires.

Cleanest on record

2010 Mercury Mountaineer

24 complaints — the lowest FaultScore of the graded years.

Every Mercury Mountaineer year, graded

The grade compares each year against the rest of this model's own run — never against another car. Click any bar or row to open that year's report.

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded
Year Grade Complaints Crashes Fires Median miles Most reported
2010 A 24 0 0 38,000 Brakes
2009 8 0 0 71,000 Steering
2008 B 156 4 0 65,000 Seats
2007 B 119 6 0 78,000 Seats
2006 C 153 9 5 58,945 Engine & Cooling
2005 B 113 9 0 48,150 Body & Structure
2004 D 271 20 2 70,000 Body & Structure
2003 C 220 8 7 78,898 Body & Structure
2002 D 504 19 8 75,000 Transmission & Drivetrain
2001 C 32 3 1 40,000 Brakes
2000 C 164 21 21 81,000 Acceleration & Cruise Control
1999 C 182 15 5 67,000 Tires
1998 D 298 29 31 79,500 Tires
1997 F 399 48 11 124,646 Tires
1996 3 0 0 Tires

What breaks on a Mercury Mountaineer

Across every model year on file. Follow a row for that part's complaints and the year it was worst.

Worst in 2002

Tires 364 13.8%

Worst in 1997

Body & Structure 298 11.3%

Worst in 2004

Worst in 1997

Engine & Cooling 217 8.2%

Worst in 2006

Worst in 2008

Brakes 142 5.4%

Worst in 1997

Seats 127 4.8%

Worst in 2008

Worst in 2002

Suspension 106 4.0%

Worst in 2002

Airbags 81 3.1%

Worst in 2002

Steering 70 2.6%

Worst in 2002

Worst in 2004

Worst in 2002

Exactly what failed on a Mercury Mountaineer

The named sub-assemblies behind those complaints, across every model year.

Automatic Transmission 205 27.5%
Tread/Belt 156 20.9%
Body 117 15.7%
Accelerator Pedal 50 6.7%
Hatchback/Liftgate 46 6.2%
Hinge AND Attachments 44 5.9%
Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip 41 5.5%
Engine 30 4.0%
Frontal 29 3.9%
Cooling System 27 3.6%

Complaints filed over time

Every complaint about every Mercury Mountaineer, by the month it reached NHTSA.

Oct 1996 peak 134 Sep 2025

Mercury Mountaineer problems by state

Where owners filed from. Heavier states are usually just bigger markets, but a part that fails in heat or salt shows up here first.

Compare the Mercury Mountaineer

Side by side on complaint history. Remember that raw totals track how many were sold as much as how good they were.