RecallRepo

1997 Mercury Mountaineer Recalls

Recalls on record Updated July 2026

The 1997 Mercury Mountaineer has 6 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 5,875,200 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 399 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the tires. Last updated July 5, 2026.

Recall campaigns

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 09V399000 2009-10-13 4,500,000 affected
Defect

FORD IS RECALLING MODEL YEARS 1995-2003 WINDSTAR, 2000-2003 EXCURSION DIESEL, 1993-1997 AND 1999-2003 F-250 SD THROUGH F-550 SD DIESEL, 1992-2003 E-150 THROUGH E-550, 1995-2002 EXPLORER, 1997 AND 2002 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER, 1995-1997 AND 2001-2003 RANGER, AND 1994 F53 VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE TEXAS INSTRUMENTS SPEED…

Consequence

A VEHICLE FIRE COULD OCCUR WITH OR WITHOUT THE ENGINE RUNNING.

Remedy

FORD WILL NOTIFY OWNERS THAT DEALERS WILL INSTALL A FUSED WIRING HARNESS IN LINE WITH THE SCDS. ON 1999-2003 WINDSTAR VEHICLES WITH A LEAKING SCDS, DEALERS WILL ALSO INSPECT THE ABS CONTROL MODULE CONNECTOR AND REPAIR AS NECESSARY. REPAIRS WILL BE COMPLETED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 27,…

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 00V422000 2000-12-27 220,000 affected
Defect

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 4.0L SOHC ENGINES AND STILL RETAIN THE ORIGINAL THROTTLE BODY (PART NUMBERS 97JF-9E926AB OR 97JF-9E926-AC). SOME OF THE ORIGINAL THROTTLE BODIES INSTALLED ALLOWED A GAP BETWEEN THE PLATE AND BORE TO BE BUILT TOO NARROW. THIS REDUCED CLEARANCE ALLOWED THE…

Consequence

THIS COULD RESULT IN ENGINE SURGE WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL BREAKS FREE.

Remedy

DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE ORIGINAL THROTTLE BODIES.

SUSPENSION 00V402000 2000-11-28 810,000 affected
Defect

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES. UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS, A FRONT SWAY BAR LINK CAN FRACTURE.

Consequence

VEHICLE HANDLING COULD BE AFFECTED, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.

Remedy

DEALERS WILL REPLACE BOTH THE LEFT AND RIGHT FRONT SWAY BAR LINKS.

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 98V060000 1998-03-19 320,000 affected
Defect

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: MULTI-PURPOSE PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 4.0L SINGLE OVERHEAD CAM ENGINES. THE ENGINE FUEL LINES CAN BE DAMAGED IF THE VEHICLE IS JUMP STARTED AND THE GROUND CABLE IS ATTACHED TO THE FUEL LINE BRACKET THAT IS LOCATED NEAR THE BATTERY. SINCE THE BRACKET IS NOT GROUNDED, THE STAINLESS…

Consequence

THE FUEL LINES CAN LEAK, AND IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE, A FIRE COULD POTENTIALLY RESULT.

Remedy

DEALERS WILL INSTALL A WARNING LABEL ON THE FUEL LINE BRACKET ADVISING OWNERS NOT TO USE IT FOR A JUMP START GROUND. ALSO A REVISED BOLT WILL BE INSTALLED IN THE ALTERNATOR BRACKET TO PROVIDE A CONVENIENT JUMP START GROUND LOCATION.

STRUCTURE 97V137000 1997-08-19 2,200 affected
Defect

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: MULTI-PURPOSE PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE LIFTGATE ASSIST GAS CYLINDER BRACKET ON THE RIGHT HAND BODYSIDE OUTER PANEL WAS INCORRECTLY WELDED.

Consequence

THE GAS CYLINDER BRACKET MAY NOT PROPERLY SUPPORT THE LIFTGATE INCREASING THE RISK OF PERSONAL INJURY.

Remedy

DEALERS WILL REINFORCE THE BRACKET ATTACHMENT WITH TWO POP RIVETS.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 97V074000 1997-04-30 23,000 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. …

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.

Complaints by component

TIRES:TREAD/BELT
81
3crashes1fires4injuries
TIRES
78
3crashes8injuries2deaths
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
36
11crashes1fires3injuries
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
24
10crashes3injuries
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL
15
5crashes1injuries
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
7
7crashes3injuries
SEAT BELTS
7
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR
6
EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER
6
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS
6
Total complaints399

What owners report

Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.

“Tl* the contact owns a 1997 mercury mountaineer. The contact stated while the vehicle was stationary, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an unknown dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the fuel pump needed to be…”

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP · reported 2021-03-06

“Drivers side seat belt buckle will not latch. 185,000 miles.”

SEAT BELTS · reported 2020-02-23

“Tl* the contact's husband owns a 1997 mercury mountaineer. The contact stated that when the brake pedal was released, the vehicle unintentionally accelerated. As a result, the contact's husband rear ended another vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was filed and there were no…”

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL · reported 2019-11-29

“Driver side seat belt refuses to latch and, if it does latch, comes unlatched on its own. On inspection, the 'guts' of the mechanism are gone.”

SEAT BELTS · reported 2018-04-15

“I was at a gas station making a purchase with my disabled mother. We left the store, and got into my truck. I started my truck and proceed to dive towards the exit of the gas station when I smelled something like burning rubber. I said to my mother that something smelled funny and then looked and…”

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM · reported 2017-05-27

“The driver's seat belt will not latch.”

SEAT BELTS · reported 2015-10-30

“Tl* the contact owns a 1997 mercury mountaineer. The contact stated that the front driver side seat belt buckle failed to latch. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 170,000. The vin was unavailable.”

SEAT BELTS · reported 2014-11-07

“When I use the cruise control and then turn it off I can't seem to push my gas pedal when you are driving the vehicle. I have to keep putting extreme pressure on the accelerator pedal until something breaks or pops and then it allows me to push the pedal. I keep having problems with smoke coming…”

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM · reported 2014-01-01

Defect investigations

Investigation DP05005 Opened 2005-09-22 · closed 2006-01-04

SPARK PLUG EJECTION FROM CYLINDER HEAD

ON SEPTEMBER 6, 2005, ODI RECEIVED A PETITION REQUESTING THAT THE AGENCY INVESTIGATE ALLEGATIONS OF ENGINE SPARK PLUG EJECTION IN CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 1997 THROUGH 2004 FORD VEHICLES WITH TRITON V-8 AND V-10 ENGINES.ODI RECEIVED A TOTAL OF 474 NON-DUPLICATIVE COMPLAINTS ON THE SUBJECT VEHICLES WHERE THE COMPLAINANT, OR…

Investigation DP05005 Opened 2005-09-22 · closed 2006-01-04

SPARK PLUG EJECTION FROM CYLINDER HEAD

ON SEPTEMBER 6, 2005, ODI RECEIVED A PETITION REQUESTING THAT THE AGENCY INVESTIGATE ALLEGATIONS OF ENGINE SPARK PLUG EJECTION IN CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 1997 THROUGH 2004 FORD VEHICLES WITH TRITON V-8 AND V-10 ENGINES.ODI RECEIVED A TOTAL OF 474 NON-DUPLICATIVE COMPLAINTS ON THE SUBJECT VEHICLES WHERE THE COMPLAINANT, OR…

Investigation DP05005 Opened 2005-09-22 · closed 2006-01-04

SPARK PLUG EJECTION FROM CYLINDER HEAD

ON SEPTEMBER 6, 2005, ODI RECEIVED A PETITION REQUESTING THAT THE AGENCY INVESTIGATE ALLEGATIONS OF ENGINE SPARK PLUG EJECTION IN CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 1997 THROUGH 2004 FORD VEHICLES WITH TRITON V-8 AND V-10 ENGINES.ODI RECEIVED A TOTAL OF 474 NON-DUPLICATIVE COMPLAINTS ON THE SUBJECT VEHICLES WHERE THE COMPLAINANT, OR…

Investigation PE99045 Opened 1999-07-06 · closed 1999-10-29

STEERING KNUCKLE SEPARATIONS

There is no summary currently available

Investigation PE99049 Opened 1999-07-28 · closed 2000-04-24

WINDSHIELD WIPER MALFUNCTION

There is no summary currently available

Investigation RQ98020 Opened 1998-11-03 · closed 2000-11-15

FUEL LINE DAMAGE FROM JUMP STARTING

There is no summary currently available

Sources & methodology

Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1997 Mercury Mountaineer as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.