Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | |||||
| 11778 | 08/01/1998 | 615278 | Some vehicles with analog instrument clusters may exhibit a concern of a fluctuating or jumping tachometer indicator needle. *tt | 01/10/2001 | |
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | |||||
| 0015 | 01/10/2000 | 612203 | Information regarding the new transmission cooler flusher- service tip. *mjs | 06/06/2000 | |
| 5858 | 03/01/1999 | 605245 | Information regarding transmission assembly shortage. *tt | 06/04/1999 | |
| 9888 | 04/27/1998 | 601238 | Information on a new transmission fluid usage chart. *yc | 07/10/1998 | |
| 97511 | 03/03/1997 | 51945 | Fluid- transmission fluid usage charts. *jd | 07/17/1997 | |
| BC3224970212 | 02/12/1997 | 51847 | Vehicles may experience a transmission overdrive whine between 25-40 mph. *tw | 07/17/1997 | |
| BC1027397020 | 02/01/1997 | 51714 | Vehicles may experience a transmission overdrive whine. *jd | 06/27/1997 | |
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - COOLING UNIT AND LINES | |||||
| 03148 | 07/21/2003 | 10003748 | New transmission cooler flusher - service tips. 2003 escort and super duty f series included. *tt | 10/29/2003 | |
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - PARK/NEUTRAL START SWITCH | |||||
| 01181 | 09/17/2001 | 625715 | Brake shift interlock.*jb | 11/30/2001 | |
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - TORQUE CONVERTER | |||||
| 962612 | 12/16/1996 | 50997 | Transaxle - torque converter replacement guidelines and torque converter/transaxle cooling system cleaning procedures - service tip. *tw | 06/17/1997 | |
| 96249 | 11/18/1996 | 50908 | Torque converter - leak test procedure - service tip. *tw | 06/17/1997 | |
| POWER TRAIN - AXLE ASSEMBLY - AXLE SHAFT | |||||
| BC2273950601 | 06/01/1995 | 42073 | Unknown | 11/01/1995 | |
| BC4281950601 | 06/01/1995 | 42071 | Unknown | 11/01/1995 | |
| POWER TRAIN - CLUTCH ASSEMBLY | |||||
| 14757 | 03/01/2001 | 619460 | Information on servicing the forward clutch. *tt | 05/31/2001 | |
| 13760 | 01/01/2000 | 612788 | Information regarding the servicing of the forward clutch, which has been replaced by three individual parts. *mjs | 06/12/2000 | |
| POWER TRAIN - CLUTCH ASSEMBLY - BELL HOUSING | |||||
| 7922 | 01/01/2000 | 7922 | 612408 | Be aware that the f6xz-7a360-aa forward clutch assembly has been replaced by 3 individual parts. xf5z-7a360-aa(drum), xf5z-7a398-aa (planetary) and f3xy-7b066-f (pressure plate). use of any of the original components in place of those lis | 06/08/2000 |
| POWER TRAIN - DRIVELINE - DRIVESHAFT | |||||
| 98161 | 08/17/1998 | 6090862 | Whining noise from transaxle on light acceleration, tip-in acceleration between 40-64 km/h (25-40 mph) | 03/31/2000 | |
| POWER TRAIN - MANUAL TRANSMISSION | |||||
| 12534 | 03/01/1999 | 6091783 | Information regarding shortage of new transmission assemblies. *tt | 11/14/2000 | |
| BC3372972301 | 01/23/1997 | 51452 | A resolution for eratic and/or harsh upshift- the root cause is micro particle debris in the transmission valve body. *jd | 06/27/1997 | |
| BC1022297230 | 01/23/1997 | 51583 | A resolution for erratic and/or harsh upshift. *jd | 06/27/1997 | |
| BC9685961001 | 10/01/1996 | 50543 | Parts information for replacing the main control. *tt | 05/27/1997 | |
| BC0842961008 | 10/08/1996 | 50427 | Procedure for intermittent engine flare on startup from a stop. *tt | 04/24/1997 | |
| BC0678961025 | 10/25/1996 | 50356 | Information on aode/4r7w transmission main control & case replacement. *tt | 04/24/1997 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | |||
| 06/15/1999 | 120000 | ||
| The paint is cracked on the hood, unknown what month, about 1997. we never had it fixed. drivers door seatbelt stays in the running position, it won't move forward, but it makes a loud motor noise, unknown what month, since about 1999. we never had it fixed. the seat belt on the right next to the middle seat fell off. we told the dealer. they ordered one. we went back about a month later they said it was too late to fix it. the transmission went out in about may of 1998, at about 120,000 miles. we had it rebuilt. it went out again about a yr later. we can't afford to have it rebuilt again right now. so it sits. in jul or aug of 1998, the motor went out. we were driving down the highway, and it started knocking, then quit. also on christmas eve of 1997, we were going down the road and the thing sounded like all the rods were knocking. the temp gauge said it was over heating. we paid a guy $100 to bring it from edmore, mi to battle creek, mi. the next day we went out and started it, and it was fine. our tail lights also went out, the ford dealer fixed them. so needless to say, i will never buy a mercury again. if i had wanted a nissan, i would have bought a nissan. i have a 1976 ford chateau club wagon, over 250,000 miles. it has only had to have a transmission at about 240,000 miles. so i guess i am saying this villager is a lemon. thank you for listening, dawn green | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | |||
| 11/20/2001 | 01/01/1995 | ||
| Lost reverse gear on transmission. took to the nearest transmission shop. owner said a piece had broken apart in the transmission, wearing a groove in the reverse cylinder. the transmission was full of metal pieces. after a $2000 repair, ford tells me that they won't honor any work done at a none ford repair shop. i believe that this defect has been seen in other transmission failures in these vehicles. *ak | |||
| 11/01/2000 | 04/01/1995 | ||
| Spring let loose in transmission slipped and chewed up gears in the transmission. *ak | |||
| 11/07/2000 | 10 | 04/01/1995 | |
| Transmission would not shift into reverse and check engine light came on when taken to dealership after one week they looked at it and said that a spring had come loose in the transmisson and had made the transmission slip and then chew up the gears number 3 and 4 and reverse that is why it went out and the fact that they said it was defective and not well lubricated in the transmission that was why it went out due to no neglect on my part . so i need someone to look at the whole picture and see i had my van serviced by the same people who did the transmission so i did the maintenance how ford told me to service it and i need a new transmission? and a spring went loose, and did all that damage to the van transmission ? i'm at there mercy of the dealership and then it 3 weeks to rebuild the transmission? so they had the car 4 weeks one (month) the dealership is san diego auto collection of mission valley in san diego ca.*ak (tiresize: 205r7015)( dot number: tire size: 205r7015 ) | |||
| 05/01/1995 | |||
| The van reverse transmission failed, transmission shop reported that 95% of villager and nissan quest riverse transmission failed. i think this is a manufacturer defect. | |||
| 11/15/1999 | 0 | 07/27/1997 | |
| When it is cold outside automobile will not keep running after it is put in gear. when it is finally in gear, it has no power. front brakes are noisy,belts replaced, vehicle screeches when running. despite replacements and repairs for all these problems, they still exist. *ak *ml | |||
| 12/15/1999 | 1 | 05/01/1999 | |
| I believe that the transmissions installed in many of the ford and mercury minivans are unsafe. after speaking to several independents and transmission repair facilities i was told over and over again that it was surprising if the transmissions (of foreign mfg) lasted for 80,000 miles. i was told by my local dealer that to replace the transmission would cost $4,200.00!! i thought they were kidding! but he was dead serious and told me that it was a very expensive repair. the cheapest price i have been quoted is $3,000.00. surely that will escalate when the final repair bill is prepared. i believe that there are many people that have also been victims of these sub-standard components. i would like ford motor to be notified and if possible a full scale investigation to see if as many people as i think have been horrified to learn about the premature failure and subsequent cost are out there! *ak | |||
| 10/02/1999 | 1 | 12/01/1994 | |
| Intermittent speedometer problem required the replacement of the speed sensor and dropping the transmission to replace the gear that drives the speed sensor with no noticeable transmission problems. appearently, there was a misalignment in the transmission that had to be corrected to function with new speed sensor. the concern is that the correct speed is not measured. 30 days after this repair, a dealership has diagnosed the current problem as being the transmission with the fix being a new transmission. the van is less than 5yrs old and has less than 48,000 miles. this appears to be a defective transmission or problem with the previous repair. the current problem was experienced while driving the van on 10/02/99. the van was coming to a stop for a traffic light. while the van was stopped, the engine raced, dropped as though it was going to die , and raced back to where it should be. the rpm gauge normally sits between 1 and .5 while the van is idleing. while at the traffic light the gauge raced above 1, dropped as though it was going to 0, and raced back to where it should be. the concern is that while the traffic light changed to green at the same time the engine raced, i simultaneously released the brake pedal. this caused the tires to squeal, grab, jerk, and thrust the van forward. this could potentially cause the van to be thrust forward into the rear of a vehicle in front of the van. the van would do this at every stop. also, the wife and two small children were stranded in the left turn lane of a very busy intersection and heavily traveled route in the tysons corner area of northern virginia/dc area. this produced a dangerous situation until the wife was able to turn off the ignition, restart the van, place the van in drive, and drive the van home eventually. at the intersection while encountering the problem, the wife pressed the accelerator causing the engine to race, but the van would not move. | |||
| Sliding door window has popped out, falling inward ,hitting child on top of head which could have caused serious injuires. dealer has replaced latch and fitting, but defect keeps reoccurring. also, transmission failed at 49,818 miles. *ak | |||
| 10/01/1998 | 03/01/1998 | ||
| No summary. *mjs | |||
| 11/01/1998 | 1 | 03/01/1998 | |
| Transmission failed for following gears: reverse, 2nd gear, and overdrive. also there is a recall for the nissan quest van for the cylinodes however, mercury-ford has not issued a recall and the mercury villager and the nissan quest are both manufactured by ford. please check to see if there should be a recall on the transmission for this van as well as the cylinodes. | |||
| 11/25/1998 | |||
| The consumer has been experiencing problems with automatic transmission. the consumer is having problems with shifting into different gears. the manufacturer has yet to be contacted. *ak | |||
| 06/18/1997 | 1 | ||
| Defective part within transmission is causing the vehicle to become inoperative, will not go into gear,which could result in an accident. *ak | |||
| 12/04/1997 | |||
| When putting the vehicle in the park position, and taking the key out of ignition and getting out of the vehicle, the vehicle had jumped out of gear and the vehicle began rolling forward. this incident has happened twice. *ak | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL) | |||
| 04/04/2005 | 75246 | 2 | 11/06/2004 |
| Vehicle gear shift appears to go into park, however the transmission is not really in park, thus causing the vehicle to roll, possibly when no one is inside the vehicle. in addition, this condition can cause the driver to be stranded because the car will not restart due to it not being engaged in the park position.*ak | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - PARK/NEUTRAL START SWITCH | |||
| 04/04/2005 | 75246 | 2 | 11/06/2004 |
| Vehicle gear shift appears to go into park, however the transmission is not really in park, thus causing the vehicle to roll, possibly when no one is inside the vehicle. in addition, this condition can cause the driver to be stranded because the car will not restart due to it not being engaged in the park position.*ak | |||
| 2 | 03/23/2000 | ||
| Gear shift will indicate that vehicle is in park, but will actually be in reverse and roll away. this has happened twice. dealer has not seen vehicle. *ak consumer states that the two star head screws under the dash on the right side of the steering column backed off from their proper position, allowing the linkage and shifting indicator to move. *slc | |||
| POWER TRAIN - DRIVELINE - CONSTANT VELOCITY JOINT | |||
| 07/08/2002 | 3 | 05/06/1999 | |
| Very strong smelling gas fumes inside passenger compartment when heater is turned on. while driving the speed gauge will stop working and the check engine light will come on. brakes make a grinding noise even after being replaced. cv boot is leaking and cracked. driver side auto-seat belt sometimes fails to go up and down. rear windshield wiper gets stuck in up positions when tring to use it. *ak | |||
| 10/01/2000 | 2 | 11/01/1995 | |
| In 2000, the left cv boot cracked at 70,000 miles, requiring both the axle and boot to be replaced. now, the right cv boot has cracked at 87,425 miles, requiring the other boot and axle to be replaced. we are very concerned about the safety of this vehicle. we have never had to replace axles on any previous cars at all, and especially not before the odometer reached 100,000 miles. we are concerned that there might be a manufacturing defect causing these cracks. thank goodness we did not have an accident because of them. each repair came to a costly $295.00, but we had no choice but to pay it. | |||
| POWER TRAIN - DRIVELINE - DIFFERENTIAL UNIT | |||
| 10/02/1999 | 1 | 12/01/1994 | |
| Intermittent speedometer problem required the replacement of the speed sensor and dropping the transmission to replace the gear that drives the speed sensor with no noticeable transmission problems. appearently, there was a misalignment in the transmission that had to be corrected to function with new speed sensor. the concern is that the correct speed is not measured. 30 days after this repair, a dealership has diagnosed the current problem as being the transmission with the fix being a new transmission. the van is less than 5yrs old and has less than 48,000 miles. this appears to be a defective transmission or problem with the previous repair. the current problem was experienced while driving the van on 10/02/99. the van was coming to a stop for a traffic light. while the van was stopped, the engine raced, dropped as though it was going to die , and raced back to where it should be. the rpm gauge normally sits between 1 and .5 while the van is idleing. while at the traffic light the gauge raced above 1, dropped as though it was going to 0, and raced back to where it should be. the concern is that while the traffic light changed to green at the same time the engine raced, i simultaneously released the brake pedal. this caused the tires to squeal, grab, jerk, and thrust the van forward. this could potentially cause the van to be thrust forward into the rear of a vehicle in front of the van. the van would do this at every stop. also, the wife and two small children were stranded in the left turn lane of a very busy intersection and heavily traveled route in the tysons corner area of northern virginia/dc area. this produced a dangerous situation until the wife was able to turn off the ignition, restart the van, place the van in drive, and drive the van home eventually. at the intersection while encountering the problem, the wife pressed the accelerator causing the engine to race, but the van would not move. | |||
| POWER TRAIN - DRIVELINE - DRIVESHAFT | |||
| 11/21/2003 | 107000 | 2 | 03/24/1995 |
| While driving at 30 mph heard engine rattling noise. engine quit running and failed to restart. towed to mechanic who determined crankshaft was broken. mechanic said he has had 3 other broken crankshafts on same model vehicle with front wheel drive, transversely mounted engine, but no such problems seen when same engine is mounted with driveshaft to rear wheels.*ak | |||
| POWER TRAIN - MANUAL TRANSMISSION | |||
| 1 | |||
| Transmission gears worn due to broken gear. | |||