Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUSPENSION | |||||
| 15984 | 03/01/2002 | 636316 | Exhibiting squeak / creak noises during front suspension movement. *tt | 11/07/2002 | |
| 15084 | 07/01/2001 | 621091 | Steering wheel shudder during low-speed turning maneuvers. *tt | 09/07/2001 | |
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - WHEEL BEARING | |||||
| 051710 | 10/07/2005 | 05258 | 10018064 | Noise from rear wheel hub bearings. *tt | 12/14/2005 |
| SUSPENSION - MULTIPLE AXLE | |||||
| 14795 | 06/01/2001 | 622785 | Some vehicles may exhibit a noisy and / or loose front wheel bearing. *tt | 10/22/2001 | |
| SUSPENSION - REAR | |||||
| 050618 | 01/01/2005 | 05126 | 10016789 | Rear axle noise repair. *sc | 10/07/2005 |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| SUSPENSION | |||
| 09/22/2010 | 101000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2002 mercury mountaineer. while driving approximately 55 mph he said the vehicle began to feel like it was floating. the vehicle was pulled over and upon examination he could not find anything wrong with the vehicle. he reentered the vehicle and began to accelerate when the vehicle began to shake. the vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop where he was informed the rear passenger side sway bar was broken. the vehicle was then taken to another independent repair shop where it was repaired. the failure has not recurred. the failure and current mileages were 101,000. sm. | |||
| 01/10/2009 | 125000 | ||
| The transmittion keeps slipping causing the car to stall and studder in traffic had to have it rebuilt in 2008 costing $3600.00, the differentials causing problems on front and rear with the car wheels spinning and sticking at times, the tires (all four) balling out from the inside out having to replace them every three to four months, the power locks, radio, interor lights all work when they want to like its a shortage, | |||
| 06/18/2009 | 121000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2002 mercury mountaineer. the contact was driving approximately 40 mph on normal road conditions. there was a loud noise outside of the vehicle. the driver pulled over to the side of the road and inspected the vehicle. the vehicle resumed operation with caution to the residence. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. the failure was contributed to the front and rear control arm. the front and rear control arms were replaced. the failure mileage was 121,000. the vin was unavailable. | |||
| 06/01/2008 | 34200 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2002 mercury mountaineer. the vehicle has toyo open country at tires, size p22570r15 (na). the tires were purchased brand new in may of 2007 from jensen tire company while driving 15 mph. at 36,000 miles, the rear passenger tire blew out in june of 2008. the repair shop stated that the tire was worn down to the steel. the tire company from where the tire was purchased is providing reimbursement for the failed tire. the remaining tires were inspected by other shops and each shop recommended that the rest of the tires be replaced. toyo stated that the tires needed an alignment. the contact stated that an alignment had just been performed; however, the manufacturer advised her to have another one. while the vehicle was at the shop, the mechanic stated that the ball joints were defective due to the damage caused by the tires and needed to be replaced. the ball joints have not been replaced and the manufacturer is refusing responsibility for the repairs. the failure mileage was 34,200 and current mileage was 123,402. | |||
| 01/18/2007 | 7 | 02/15/2005 | |
| 01/18/07 when truck shifts gears it vibrates. solution: flush automatic transmission fluid. (also changed oil) helped for a few months but problem is back. ($198.95) 5/29/07 air bag light stays on. solution: replaced drivers side pretensioner. (also changed oil). $273.19 6/26/07 heard very loud clunking noise. solution: replaced front differential (internal damage to clutches), both rear axle seals (because of leakage) $1580.23 11/07/07 truck makes loud noise from the rear and seems to jump while turning. solution: front end alignment and replace seals in rear. $482.97 still have the loud noise and jumping. 12/13/07 take truck to different place with same problem. solution: replace left front hub bearing. $401.73. 02/18/08 still have same problem with loud noise and jumping. solution: left rear hub bearing, drums in rear, and now mechanic tells me i need clutch packs in rear to solve problem. tells me i should take it back to the dealer.??? $380.00. now i can add all of this up 198.95+273.19+1580.23+482.97+401.73+380.00=$3017.07 to finally get my truck fixed---------priceless!!!!!!!!! *tr | |||
| 12/17/2007 | 50000 | 2 | 02/24/2005 |
| Noticed slight roaring noise in rear suspension. figured it was a wheel bearing that was worn, which is what it was, but in looking at that issue saw that rear passenger coil spring was broken. vehicle stance did not indicate a broken spring. checked the driver side to be safe and noted that rear spring was broken in two places and looked as if it was to come off the bottom spring/strut cushion. as a result of this mechanic indicated broken springs had created premature wear of rear toe links. i am currently looking for replacement parts. this vehicle has seen no off-road use or been used to carry heavy cargo loads. lady driven only. *tr | |||
| 10/26/2006 | 88345 | 20 | 10/04/2005 |
| Bought used from a dealer 10-05 with 71328 miles. checked out by mechanic. no problems w/ drive train, tranny, or suspension, except to change fluids in differentials (rear & front). did this first week we owned it & water found in rear differential. 1st owner's records came with car. all services were done (no mention of problems). i serviced it every 2-3000 miles. on 4-27-06 the tranny flushed, & the rear differential & transfer case serviced. mileage was 85857. 2 new tires put on front on 5-25-06 (flat tire). on way home (18 mi. into 35 mi. drive), front end started to fail. couldn't find source of leaking fluid. drive home. next morning, tried to return to mechanic with car. made it about 25 of the 35 miles to town before front end failed. mechanic showed us the gears from the differential--the teeth were sheared completely off 1/3 of it--remaining teeth sheared down by at least 50%. front differential was replaced, also 4 ball joints, seals for both shafts, brake pads (from differential fluid damage) were replaced. all 4 wheels had bearings repacked. 2 more tires bought. within 1 week, began hearing noise again from drive train. car back at mechanic on 6-20-06. the noise now from rear transfer case. it was flushed 2 times (fluid filled with fine metal fragments). the rear differential fluid also changed. mechanic said 4-6 months until rear end failed. i've now lost the rear end--also have to replace all 4 sets of wheel bearings & replace all axles. will re-assess front differential after rear is fixed. we've contacted ford, no recalls for our car. they'll not make any repairs or reimburse for faulty equipment. i'm not original owner & warranty has expired. it doesn't qualify for state lemon law (mileage). there's at least 31 problems and 18 complaints on your website that i've had in the 1 year since i bought this car. this is a ford issue. i just want to re-coup my $4000+ in repair costs & trade it off for a non-ford suv. *nm | |||
| 03/01/2005 | 46851 | 3 | 02/12/2005 |
| 2002 mountaineer stalls, transmission control assembly, main control valve, and gasket had to be replaced. *ts the lift gate was sticking, and while closing it, the glass shattered, the glass was recalled, and was suppose to have been fixed. the oil light illuminated. the trim on the front door fell off while driving. there was a grinding noise coming from the rear wheels, it was determined that there was severe rust on the brake componets, the park brake shoes fell apart due to corrosion, the rear wheel bearing and knuckle assembly had excessive rust. *jb | |||
| 01/09/2002 | |||
| While driving steering steering wheel shakes.*ak | |||
| 11/01/2001 | 1 | 06/15/2001 | |
| Three sets of goodyear, eagle ls tires, size p24570r16 (no dot # mentioned) with less than one hundred miles had to be replaced because knots were found on sidewall and tread. dealer has been contacted. *ak engine light illuminated due to faulty dpfe sensor; air bag light on, air bag module replaced; loose rear center console; vibration and popping noise over bumps, replaced and balanced all four tires, replaced stabilizer bar links, rims were out of round; scrunching noise while turning, rack and pinion replaced; experiencing whistling noise; hard jerk and popping noise when shifting, gear selector slippage; a/c vent squeaking, a/c vent readjusted. *tt | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT | |||
| 01/10/2009 | 125000 | ||
| The transmittion keeps slipping causing the car to stall and studder in traffic had to have it rebuilt in 2008 costing $3600.00, the differentials causing problems on front and rear with the car wheels spinning and sticking at times, the tires (all four) balling out from the inside out having to replace them every three to four months, the power locks, radio, interor lights all work when they want to like its a shortage, | |||
| 06/01/2005 | 55000 | 1 | |
| Normal driving lead to parts failure. fortunately no accident occurred, however my mechanic stated that the wheel bearing failure was that severe that had i been traveling on a highway, the result could have been catastrophic. 2002 mercury mountaineer (ford explorer) with wheel bearing/hub failure on all 4 wheels at different mileage intervals. i researched this problem and found hundreds of owners with the same failures. please research. *tr | |||
| 07/09/2007 | 1 | ||
| Front end noise and vibration this is happening to a large number of ford suv explorers and mountaineers. it is effecting the driving and shakes the steering wheel. the suv springs are making a large noisy sound when turning and cant turn all the way in one direction. truck just stops at a certain point. *tr | |||
| 06/11/2003 | 1 | ||
| The front end dash has a very loud rattle while letting up on the gas or depressing the brake the vehicle has been in the shop five times. they have readjusted the a/c lines many times, tightened items in the engine, and replaced a missing bolt in the firewall. it was fixed once that last a couple of months, but the noise is back. it will be going in the shop for the sixth time. also, there is a squeak when going over bumps. it has been in the shop twice and they replaced the ball bearing joints. however, the squeak is back.*ak | |||
| 11/01/2001 | 1 | 06/15/2001 | |
| A loud popping noise could be heard coming from front end of vehicle. dealer has been contacted for problem, and replaced tie rods. consumer stated that this did not remedy the problem. *ak *tt | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - CONTROL ARM - LOWER BALL JOINT | |||
| 06/11/2003 | 1 | ||
| The front end dash has a very loud rattle while letting up on the gas or depressing the brake the vehicle has been in the shop five times. they have readjusted the a/c lines many times, tightened items in the engine, and replaced a missing bolt in the firewall. it was fixed once that last a couple of months, but the noise is back. it will be going in the shop for the sixth time. also, there is a squeak when going over bumps. it has been in the shop twice and they replaced the ball bearing joints. however, the squeak is back.*ak | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - CONTROL ARM - UPPER BALL JOINT | |||
| 06/11/2003 | 1 | ||
| The front end dash has a very loud rattle while letting up on the gas or depressing the brake the vehicle has been in the shop five times. they have readjusted the a/c lines many times, tightened items in the engine, and replaced a missing bolt in the firewall. it was fixed once that last a couple of months, but the noise is back. it will be going in the shop for the sixth time. also, there is a squeak when going over bumps. it has been in the shop twice and they replaced the ball bearing joints. however, the squeak is back.*ak | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - WHEEL BEARING | |||
| 05/30/2007 | 1 | 03/29/2002 | |
| Loud roaring noise coming from front left wheel. ford dealership service department replaced wheel bearing as part had failed. after replacing front wheel bearing the mechanic test drove the vehicle and determined the right rear wheel bearing had failed as well due to a roaring noise coming from rear end right wheel. both are being replaced for $500.00. who knows when the other two wheel bearings are going to fail and need replaced. vehicle only has 81,000 miles on it and it is uncommon to hear of a wheel bearing failing with so few miles. this is not an uncommon problem with 2002 through 2004 mercury mountaineers or ford explorers from other complaints read and the dealership in which i am having the work done at stated this has been a common problem they have had to deal with. i would think with so many problems that a recall would have or will occur. i would understand if it was a vehicle with over 100,000 miles if not more than 150,000 miles, but vehicles with as few as 10,000 miles this is problem that could lead to serious accidents and injuries. *tr | |||
| 07/23/2006 | 56200 | 30 | 05/22/2002 |
| Dt*: the contact stated the vehicle's front driver side made a wobbling sound while driving 8 mph. the sound only occurred when the vehicle was in motion. on 08/08/06 the vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop who inspected the tires and determined that the wheel bearings were bad. the dealer was contacted on the same day and expressed that a diagnostic test needed to be performed to locate the cause of the noise. the manufacturer was not contacted.*ak | |||
| SUSPENSION - REAR | |||
| 06/02/2010 | 87000 | ||
| 2002 mercury mountaineer awd v8 - approximately january and may 2009 both rear hub bearings went bad at 87,000 and 90,000 miles , both sets of emergency brake shoes were dissentigrated when taken off . rear coil springs are broken . front differential box has leaked for some time now . rear end axle seal has been leaking for some time now . going on 4th set of brakes on front . june 2010 at 109,000 miles transmission finally went out - after acting up from time of purchase at 37,000 miles - it would slip when put in drive at first morning startup and would jerk erratically at low speeds - we have never pulled anything with vehicle . | |||
| 02/18/2010 | 116000 | 1 | |
| Rear coil spring failure - completely broken in two poses a major safety problem. *tr | |||
| 12/28/2009 | 90000 | 1 | |
| On cold mornings, the front windshield fogs/frosts up. turning heat on and selecting defrost provides little to no air to windshield. dealership identified it as a broken vent select door, requiring dashboard to be removed and part replaced, $1100 fix. in doing research on the vent select door - cars are designed that if the selector breaks that the air should default to the front defrost so that windshield would not fog/frost and cause a life threatening situation. multiple times this has occurred while driving, all along believing that the fogging up was due to snow build up on outside vents. the fact that the vent broke and did not push air to the windshield is why i'm logging this complaint as it could have resulted in a life threatening situation. in reading the other entries, noting that i've had to have the rear coil springs replaced and had back liftgate replaced after cracking. *tr | |||
| 09/29/2009 | 445690 | 1 | |
| 2002 mercury mountaineer. in the past 4 years we have replaced the rear bearings 5 times and now ford motor company will not honor the warranty. each time the bearings last between 4 and 6 months. *tr | |||
| 04/19/2009 | 95000 | 1 | |
| Both rear coil springs were broken. both had been weakened due to corrosion before they broke. this is a widely-known issue with this vehicle and i had been checking for this problem every couple months. i last checked in december of 2008 and neither spring was broken through and neither showed external corrosion at the time, but they must have been very deteriorated even then. my point is that a visual inspection with the wheels off did not reveal the problem before the springs broke. one of the broken springs has a split along the length of the spring wire several inches long and a complete failure roughly perpendicular to the wire. the other does not have the split; it is just broken in shear perpendicular to the wire. *tr | |||
| 04/27/2009 | 104000 | 1 | |
| Failure of rear coil spring on 2002 mercury mountaineer. *tr | |||
| 04/07/2009 | 91000 | 1 | |
| While driving my 2002 mercury mountaineer i hit a bump on a small bridge and my rear drivers side coilspring snapped in half. oddly about ten days later i was following a mountaineer that hit a dip in the road and the same coilspring broke. i do not know the year of that mountaineer though. to repair the coilspring is extremely expensive because it is dealer only 300.00 for the part and 135.00 to install it. *tr | |||
| 03/30/2009 | 90000 | 1 | |
| I had a flat tire at the left rear of the vehicle, when changing the tire i noticed the spring was broken in several pieces. i have to see of the dealer will replace it under warranty my vehicle has 90,000 miles. *tr | |||
| 08/15/2008 | 51000 | 1 | |
| I had noticed the stance of the vehicle had change and during a routine new york state inspection it was determined that the rear springs on my 2002 mercury mountaineer had broken. the rear spring defect also cause the rear shocks to prematurely wear out and need replacement. the springs were cracked entirely in half. it appears as if there were a defect relating to the metallurgical properties of the metal used or possibly a defect in the manufacture of the springs. at no time was this vehicle driven off road or used to tow anything. the vehicle simply was used by my wife to drive back and forth to work( 20 mile round trip on the highway) the car was out of warranty by about 2 years and had about 50,000 miles on it. a ford representative told me to take it to the dealer for them to inspect it, there conclusion was the same. two rear broken springs, as well as 2 rear shocks that required replacement . their cost ....over $1000.00. there is no way this item should break...god forbid it happens on the highway at a high speed, .... a spring break at highway speed would cause the vehicle to become extremely unstable and possibly cause a high speed crash. springs actually support the weight of the vehicle and when there broken.....there is a sudden and unforeseen unsettling of the vehicle.....which in my opinion is a major safety issue. i brought this to the attention of ford via their 800 telephone # - (800-392-3673)...their response was...we are under no legal responsibility to fix this problem. the car is out of warranty and it was my responsibility to fix the car..... i believe ford has a responsibility, not only me, but to all it's customers who own this vehicle or its cousin the ford explorer. i expected more from a large company such as ford. i'm sure they have a protocol to document this incident, but i wonder if they just swept this incident under the ford carpet. i feel i have a responsibility to let others know...this is why i made this complaint. *tr | |||
| 06/01/2005 | 55000 | 1 | |
| Normal driving lead to parts failure. fortunately no accident occurred, however my mechanic stated that the wheel bearing failure was that severe that had i been traveling on a highway, the result could have been catastrophic. 2002 mercury mountaineer (ford explorer) with wheel bearing/hub failure on all 4 wheels at different mileage intervals. i researched this problem and found hundreds of owners with the same failures. please research. *tr | |||
| 03/18/2008 | 105000 | 1 | |
| Both rear coil springs have broken in two places for no apparent reason which over time ruined my rear wheel bearings my wife drives this vehicle daily and has never towed a trailer or hauled heavy loads. *tr | |||
| 12/16/2006 | 65000 | 4 | 11/01/2005 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2002 mercury mountaineer. while driving 30 mph uphill, the contact heard a clunking noise coming from the rear of the vehicle. the dealer stated that the wheel bearing needed to be replaced. the vin and engine size were unknown. the current mileage was 70,000 and failure mileage was 65,000. | |||
| 03/15/2006 | 10000 | 1 | |
| Leaking rear-end fluid. rear-end noise (howl/roar) defect not covered by ford motor company records show that ssm17560 was removed mysteriously.*jb | |||
| 07/09/2004 | 41687 | 1 | |
| At 43577 miles i am having to replace my rear-end. this is going to cost approximately. 1500.00. also abs sensor has to be replaced. *la | |||
| 12/29/2003 | 1 | ||
| While driving 55 mph heard a knocking noise coming from the rear. consumer took vehicle to dealer for analysis, and mechanic could not resolve the problem. *ak | |||
| SUSPENSION - REAR - SPRINGS | |||
| 12/17/2007 | 50000 | 2 | 02/24/2005 |
| Noticed slight roaring noise in rear suspension. figured it was a wheel bearing that was worn, which is what it was, but in looking at that issue saw that rear passenger coil spring was broken. vehicle stance did not indicate a broken spring. checked the driver side to be safe and noted that rear spring was broken in two places and looked as if it was to come off the bottom spring/strut cushion. as a result of this mechanic indicated broken springs had created premature wear of rear toe links. i am currently looking for replacement parts. this vehicle has seen no off-road use or been used to carry heavy cargo loads. lady driven only. *tr | |||
| 05/10/2006 | 75800 | 1 | 07/10/2003 |
| During brake inspection mechanic discovered both rear coil springs were broken at the same location on each coil spring. i have never used this vehicle for towing, off-road use, or heavy hauling. i firmly believe this is not normal wear and tear. *jb | |||
| SUSPENSION - REAR - SPRINGS - COIL SPRINGS | |||
| 09/17/2009 | 80000 | 1 | 08/16/2001 |
| Tl* the contact owns a 2002 mercury mountaineer. the contact stated that during routine inspection, a technician concluded that the two rear coil springs have fractured without any prior warnings. he then added that the failure was common for this model type. he is in the process of having the vehicle repaired at an expense of $600.00. the manufacturer was notified, but no assistance was provided. the failure and current mileages were 80,000. updated 10/26/09. *lj updated 10/26/09*jb | |||
| 12/17/2007 | 50000 | 2 | 02/24/2005 |
| Noticed slight roaring noise in rear suspension. figured it was a wheel bearing that was worn, which is what it was, but in looking at that issue saw that rear passenger coil spring was broken. vehicle stance did not indicate a broken spring. checked the driver side to be safe and noted that rear spring was broken in two places and looked as if it was to come off the bottom spring/strut cushion. as a result of this mechanic indicated broken springs had created premature wear of rear toe links. i am currently looking for replacement parts. this vehicle has seen no off-road use or been used to carry heavy cargo loads. lady driven only. *tr | |||
| 08/15/2007 | 56000 | 1 | 09/09/2002 |
| The passenger rear side coil spring was cracked and broken almost cut down a tire said the dealer. *jb | |||
| 06/01/2007 | 68000 | 2 | 01/13/2004 |
| While driving on a highway at about 65mph a loud bang was heard and my 2002 mercury mountaineer swerved to the right almost hitting another car. i thought i hit something on the road, but inspection revealed the right rear coil spring had snapped. further inspection revealed the left side had also broken at some point. i researched the internet and found this to be a common problem. here are two of the many links with owners expressing the same concerns. http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1619655 , has two pages of this problem with explorers and mountaineers, http://www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/ford_springs.html , talks about broken springs on all ford models. i called my local dealer to inquire about this problem and was told this is the first they had heard of the problem, however they just happen to stock the parts to repair it. i could not afford their cost so i had no choice but to have it repaired by a relative. *tr | |||
| 04/14/2005 | 72600 | 1 | 04/15/2003 |
| Dt: while putting new brakes pads on the rear of my vehicle mechanic found that the coils around shocks were rusty, corroded, and crumbly. the coils fell apart in large chunk's in the mechanic's hands.*ak | |||