The 1998 Mercury Villager has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 400,000 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 100 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the vehicle speed control. Last updated July 5, 2026.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: MINIVANS. THE FUEL TANK VENT HOSE ALLOWS AIR TO VENT FROM THE FUEL TANK DURING REFUELING. CRACKS HAVE DEVELOPED IN THE VENT HOSE. IF (1) THE FUEL TANK IS OVERFILLED, NOT ALLOWING EXCESS FUEL IN THE VENT HOSE TO FLOW BACK INTO THE TANK, (2) THE VEHICLE IS DRIVEN ONLY A SHORT DISTANCE AFTER…
FUEL LEAKAGE IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE CAN RESULT IN A FIRE.
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE VENT HOSE.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER MINI VANS EQUIPPED WITH AUTOMOTIVE BATTERIES SUPPLIED BY GNB TECHNOLOGIES. THESE BATTERIES HAVE A DEFECTIVE NEGATIVE POST THAT CAN CAUSE ACID LEAKAGE AND RELATED CORROSION DAMAGE.
THIS CONDITION CAN CAUSE A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF THE BATTERY WHICH COULD LEAD TO AN ENGINE FIRE OR BATTERY EXPLOSION.
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THESE BATTERIES. UNTIL A NEW BATTERY IS OBTAINED, OWNERS SHOULD NOT ATTEMPT TO "JUMP START" THESE BATTERIES.
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“Fuel leak under the hood”
“Tl* the contact owns a 1998 mercury villager. The contact stated that the vehicle emitted a strong fuel odor in the cabin. The odor was primarily observed near the front end of the vehicle at all times. When the heat in the vehicle was activated, the odor intensified. The contact stated that a…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 1998 mercury villager. The contact stated that the rear brake lights illuminated and failed to turn off although the brake pedal was not depressed. After inspecting the vehicle and cruise control switch the contact discovered that the plastic bushings located on the brake…”
“I parked my van, 1998 mercury villager on the street in front of my home. Two days later, I noticed the front right tire was flat. I had four new tires since jan 2011. When I lifted up the front right and tried to remove the fr tire, it would not come off. After a while, I noticed the strut coil…”
“I parked my van, 1998 mercury villager on the street in front of my home. Two days later, I noticed the front right tire was flat. I had four new tires since jan 2011. When I lifted up the front right and tried to remove the fr tire, it would not come off. After a while, I noticed the strut coil…”
“1998 villager-4 rapid acceleration situations-starting to brake the engine starts revving up to the point you cannot hold the car with the brake, only by shifting to neutral. Sept.2005,10/2006, 8/2010 & 12/09/10. Caused accident on 12/09 and totaled vehicle. Fortunate no injuries but a very shook…”
“My husband uses our mercury villager van for his work. He was going to a job and was traveling when he stated the van lost power, the engine actually turned itself off. He was able to get off the road before he was involved in an accident. He proceeded to try restarting the van. It did not work,…”
“Tl*the contact owns a 1998 mercury villager which was purchased in 2007. She stated that the fuel filler hose had several cracks in it. The cracks in the hose caused major gasoline fumes to enter the interior of the vehicle. Although there was a recall for the failure, nhtsa campaign id number,…”
PERIODIC EXPOSURE TO LIQUID GASOLINE MAY RESULT IN EXTRACTION OF ANTIDEGRADANTS FROM THE SUBJECT FUEL TANK VENT HOSE.HOSES WHICH HAVE SUFFERED LOSS OF ANTIDEGRADANTS CAN DEVELOP CRACKS IN AREAS OF HIGH STRAIN.FUEL MAY SPRAY OR DRIP FROM CRACKED VENT HOSES FOLLOWING TANK FILL.STARTING AT JOB#1 1998 MY (CALIFORNIA…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1998 Mercury Villager as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.