The 2001 Mercury Mountaineer has 3 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 5,600,885 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 32 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the latches/locks/linkages. Last updated July 5, 2026.
ON CERTAIN PICKUP TRUCKS, PASSENGER VEHICLES, SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, AND MOTOR HOMES CHASSIS, THE SPEED CONTROL DEACTIVATION SWITCH MAY, UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS, LEAK INTERNALLY AND THEN OVERHEAT, SMOKE, OR BURN.
Consequence
THIS COULD RESULT IN AN UNDERHOOD FIRE.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL INSTALL A FUSED WIRING HARNESS. OWNERS OF THE PASSENGER CARS INCLUDED IN THIS CAMPAIGN WILL BE INSTRUCTED TO RETURN THEIR VEHICLES TO THEIR DEALERS TO HAVE THE SPEED CONTROL DEACTIVATION SWITCH DISCONNECTED AS AN INTERIM REPAIR. AS SOON AS REPAIR PARTS ARE AVAILABLE (EXPECTED OCTOBER 2007), OWNERS WILL…
SEATS03V2810002003-08-051,552,880 affected
Defect
ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH HIGH BACK SEATS, THE UPPER BOLT ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE HIGH BACK SEAT, THAT ATTACHES THE SEAT RECLINER MECHANISM TO THE SEAT BACK FRAME, COULD FRACTURE. IF THE BOLT FRACTURES AND DOES NOT JAM IN THE SEAT BACK FRAME, THE SEAT BACK MAY RECLINE UNTIL IT MAKES CONTACT WITH…
Consequence
THE DRIVER COULD POTENTIALLY LOSE CONTACT WITH THE STEERING WHEEL OR FOOT PEDALS DURING SUCH AN EVENT, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE DRIVER SEAT UPPER BOLT WITH A METAL SPACER AND BOLT. IN ADDITION, SEATS WITH TUBULAR BACK FRAMES WILL HAVE THE FULLY THREADED LOWER RECLINER BOLT REPLACED WITH A PARTIALLY THREADED BOLT. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON AUGUST 29, 2003. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT FORD AT 1-800-392-3673.
ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH SPEED CONTROL AND 4.0L SOHC ENGINES, IF THE STRAND COVER ON THE SPEED CONTROL CABLE BECOMES FLARED AT THE END, THE SPEED CONTROL CABLE MAY BIND WHEN THE SPEED CONTROL IS ACTIVATED.
Consequence
THE THROTTLE RETURN SPRING FORCE MAY NOT BE SUFFICIENT TO OVERCOME THE BINDING CONDITION WHEN THE SPEED CONTROL IS DISENGAGED. BRAKING FUNCTION WOULD BE MAINTAINED THOUGH STOPPING DISTANCES MAY BE INCREASED.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE SPEED CONTROL CABLE AND, IF NECESSARY, REPLACE IT. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN AUGUST 29, 2003. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT FORD AT 1-800-392-3673.
Complaints by component
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH
2
SEATS
2
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
2
1crashes
STRUCTURE
2
1crashes1injuries
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
1
1injuries
ENGINE
1
1fires
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
1
EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:RADIO/TAPE DECK/CD ETC.
1
INTERIOR LIGHTING
1
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
1
Total complaints32
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“I opened the rear glass and while the glass was being raised by the pistons, I heard a loud bang. The glass suddenly shattered all over me and the back of the mountaineer. I got glass in my face and arms and feet. I had lacerations to my arms from the glass and glass splinters in my feet where the…”
“The frame in back is rusting through. The back cross member at the rear bumper is rusted bad. It rattles all the time.back sway bars are rusted bad.”
“The frame in back is rusting through. The back cross member at the rear bumper is rusted bad. It rattles all the time.back sway bars are rusted bad.”
“Tl* the contact owns a 2001 mercury mountaineer. The contact stated that while driving, smoke emitted from the hood and the vehicle caught on fire. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure and current mileages were 130,000.…”
“Seats:front assembly:recliner on my 2001 mercury mountaineer 5.0 suv. The front passenger seat no longer works. Cannot move it, adjust it, etc. There is a recall for this but the ford dealership says it does not apply to my vehicle. *tr”
“Seats:front assembly:recliner on my 2001 mercury mountaineer 5.0 suv. The front passenger seat no longer works. Cannot move it, adjust it, etc. There is a recall for this but the ford dealership says it does not apply to my vehicle. *tr”
“Tl*-the contact owns a 2001 mercury mountaineer. The vehicle was parked, and when the contacts daughter, seated in the passengers seat secured the safety seat belt.an inadvertent deployment of the airbag occurred. The passenger sustained minor injuries and was taken to the hospital. The authorized…”
“This is not a safety complaint but rather about service received on recall of speed control deactivation switch for a 2001 mountaineer, 05s28. We received notice in sep 2007 & called and setup an appointment to have the part replace on oct 11 2007. Upon arrival we were told that parts were not…”
Defect investigations
InvestigationDP05005 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…
InvestigationDP05005 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…
InvestigationDP05005 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…
InvestigationPE03020 Opened 2003-05-21 · closed 2003-09-05
FRONT SEAT BACK RECLINER ATTACHMENT
BY LETTER DATED AUGUST 4, 2003, FORD NOTIFIED THE AGENCY THAT IT IS CONDUCTING A VOLUNTARY SAFETY RECALL (NHTSA RECALL NO. 03V281) INVOLVING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR (MY) 1998-2001 FORD EXPLORER / MERCURY MOUNTAINEER 4-DOOR, MY 1998-2000 FORD EXPLORER 2-DOOR AND MY 2001-2002 FORD EXPLORER SPORT AND SPORT TRAC VEHICLES…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2001 Mercury Mountaineer as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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