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Research · Midsize Cars

2011 Mercury MilanRecalls, problems, MPG & safety

NHTSA lists 9 safety recalls and 192 owner complaints for the 2011 Mercury Milan. Most complaints involve steering (77) and power train (31). The EPA rates it 20–26 mpg combined, and NHTSA gives it 4 stars overall.

Check a VINAdd to my garage
Combined MPG
20–26mpg
EPA · 5 versions
NHTSA overall
4of 5 stars
NCAP crash tests
Safety recalls
9campaigns
Latest Mar 2021
Owner complaints
192
Top: steering
Fuel cost / yr
$2,400est.
EPA estimate, best version
01 —Recalls

Safety recalls

9 NHTSA campaigns · applies to some vehicles, check your VIN

Air bags: inflator module

Park It: do not driveFree remedy

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2014 Ford Mustang vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Additionally, Ford is recalling certain 2011 Ford Ranger and Mercury Milan vehicles, 2011-2012 Ford Fusion and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles and 2011-2014 Ford Mustang vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." Ford is also recalling certain 2010 Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX vehicles, 2010-2011 Ford Ranger and Mercury Milan vehicles, 2010-2012 Ford Fusion and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles, and 2010-2014 Ford Mustang vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of AK, CO, CT, ID, IA, ME, MA, MI, MN, MT, NH, NY, ND, OR, RI, SD, UT, VT, WA, WI, and WY or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, used as original equipment or replacement equipment (such as after a vehicle crash necessitating replacement of the original air bags), that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.

Air bagsReported Jan 7, 2019NHTSA 19V001000

Air bags: inflator module

Park It: do not driveRemedy pending

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2007-2011 Ford Ranger vehicles, 2006-2011 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles, 2007-2010 Ford Edge, Lincoln MKX vehicles, 2005-2006 Ford GT vehicles, and 2005-2011 Ford Mustang vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Ford is recalling certain model year 2007-2008 Ford Ranger, Edge and Lincoln MKX vehicles, 2006-2008 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles, 2005-2006 Ford GT vehicles and 2005-2008 Ford Mustang vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Any vehicle not included in "Zone A", or "Zone B" is not included in the safety recall. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

Air bagsReported May 31, 2016NHTSA 16V384000

Air bags: inflator module

Free remedy

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2007-2011 Ranger, 2006-2012 Fusion, Lincoln Zephyr, Lincoln MKZ, 2006-2011 Mercury Milan, 2007-2010 Ford Edge, and Lincoln MKX vehicles. The driver's side air bag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.

Air bagsReported Mar 10, 2021NHTSA 21V158000
See all 9 recalls with remedies
Data from NHTSA Recalls API · synced Nov 10, 2026 · All recall detailsNHTSA vehicle page
02 —Complaints

Owner complaints by component

192 complaints filed with NHTSA · Jun 2012 – Oct 2026
  1. Steering77
  2. Power train31
  3. Exterior lighting29
  4. Engine22
  5. Vehicle speed control22
  6. Electrical system17
  7. Air bags17
  8. Fuel/propulsion system15
  9. Service brakes10

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.

By model year

Complaints for each Milan model year we’ve synced.

View as table
Model yearNHTSA complaints
2006214
2007434
2008451
2009226
20101,062
2011192
Crashes reported
1
Fires reported
2
Injuries reported
0
Deaths reported
0
Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 10, 2026 · Full problem breakdownNHTSA vehicle page
03 —Common problems

What owners report most

Verbatim excerpts from NHTSA complaints, by component

Steering

77 reports
“I was driving approximately 35 mph when a chime sounded and the DIC flashed "Service Advancetrak" and "service power steering NOW" I immediately parked the vehicle and called for roadside assistance and had it towed. Upon placing the service request with AAA I was informed that my vehicle was subject to an active recall involving the electric steering.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 21, 2026SteeringODI 11772612

Power train

31 reports
“While driving, the ABS, traction control and power steering lights came on. I was coming off the highway and I lost power steering!!! I almost wrecked into the guard rail coming off the exit!!! I got to the light at the bottom of the exit and I had no power steering. I pulled over immediately and called for a tow. I took it to my mechanic and he said the rack and pinion is bad. We looked it up and there are a ton of people with the same year/make/model as me that are getting tier cars fixed under recall. They wont pay for mine because my vin isnt in this campaign. They said take it to Ford for ANOTHER diagnosis just to tell me they will let me know if my car gets added!! Im not paying for another diagnosis when I have one already!! This is a serious safety issue and they arent fixing their product!!! I JUST bought it and its costing me almost $1800 for a repair!!! There was no indications it was bad or I wouldnt have bought it! Ford needs to stand by all of their cars, and get my vin added to the recall and pay for their crappy/shoddy parts!”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Aug 26, 2026Steering, Power trainODI 11759666

Exterior lighting

29 reports
“Passenger side brake light assembly failed June 2025. I found it our at an oil change inspection. Ford discontinued manufacturing this LED brake light assembly, so it is difficult to replace this safety critical part. The part number is 9N7Z 13404 A.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jul 23, 2025Exterior lightingODI 11675692
All 2011 Milan problemsSend a problem to a mechanic on findmechanic.ai
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 10, 2026
04 —Key specs

Engines, transmissions & drive

5 versions rated by the EPA
EPA class
Midsize Cars
Engines
2.5L 4-cyl · 3.0L 6-cyl
Transmissions
Automatic 6-spd · Manual 6-spd · Automatic (S6)
Drive
Front-Wheel Drive · All-Wheel Drive
Fuel
Regular Gasoline

Towing, payload and dimensions aren’t in the EPA or NHTSA data, so we don’t list them.

Data from EPA fueleconomy.gov · synced Nov 10, 2026EPA listing
05 —Fuel economy

EPA fuel economy by version

City / highway / combined, annual fuel cost and CO₂
EPA
VersionCityHwyComb.Fuel / yrCO₂ g/mi
Milan FWD
Auto 6-spd, 4 cyl, 2.5 L · Front-Wheel Drive
233226$2,400342
Milan S FWD
Man 6-spd, 4 cyl, 2.5 L · Front-Wheel Drive
223125$2,500355
Milan FWD
Man 6-spd, 4 cyl, 2.5 L · Front-Wheel Drive
222824$2,600370
Milan FWD FFV
Auto (S6), 6 cyl, 3.0 L · Front-Wheel Drive
202823$2,700386
Milan AWD FFV
Auto (S6), 6 cyl, 3.0 L · All-Wheel Drive
182520$3,100444
  • Milan FWD
    Auto 6-spd, 4 cyl, 2.5 L
    23 city · 32 hwy · $2,400/yr
    26
    mpg comb.
  • Milan S FWD
    Man 6-spd, 4 cyl, 2.5 L
    22 city · 31 hwy · $2,500/yr
    25
    mpg comb.
  • Milan FWD
    Man 6-spd, 4 cyl, 2.5 L
    22 city · 28 hwy · $2,600/yr
    24
    mpg comb.
  • Milan FWD FFV
    Auto (S6), 6 cyl, 3.0 L
    20 city · 28 hwy · $2,700/yr
    23
    mpg comb.
  • Milan AWD FFV
    Auto (S6), 6 cyl, 3.0 L
    18 city · 25 hwy · $3,100/yr
    20
    mpg comb.
Estimate your fuel costCost of ownership
Data from EPA fueleconomy.gov · synced Nov 10, 2026 · Fuel cost is EPA’s annual estimate (15,000 mi, 55% city)
06 —Safety

NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings

2 tested variants
Overall rating
4/ 5
4 of 5
Mercury Milan 4 DR AWD
Frontal crash
3 of 5
Side crash
4 of 5
Side pole
4 of 5
Rollover
5 of 5
Rollover risk
9.2%
Overall
4 / 5
Mercury Milan 4 DR FWD
Frontal crash
3 of 5
Side crash
4 of 5
Side pole
4 of 5
Rollover
4 of 5
Rollover risk
10.5%
Data from NHTSA NCAP Safety Ratings API · synced Nov 10, 2026Vehicle 607Vehicle 187
07 —Maintenance

Maintenance basics

General guidance, not the OEM schedule. Check your owner’s manual.
General guidance
ItemMilesTimeNote
Engine oil & filter5,000–10,000 mi6–12 monthsFollow the oil-life monitor if fitted
Tire rotation5,000–7,500 miEvery oil changeCheck pressure monthly
Engine air filter15,000–30,000 mi1–2 yearsSooner in dusty areas
Cabin air filter15,000–25,000 mi1–2 years
Brake fluid—2–3 yearsAbsorbs moisture over time
Coolant60,000–100,000 mi5–10 yearsLong-life coolants last longer
Spark plugs60,000–100,000 mi—Iridium/platinum plugs at the long end
12V battery—3–5 yearsHeat shortens battery life
  • Engine oil & filter5,000–10,000 mi
    6–12 months
  • Tire rotation5,000–7,500 mi
    Every oil change
  • Engine air filter15,000–30,000 mi
    1–2 years
  • Cabin air filter15,000–25,000 mi
    1–2 years
  • Brake fluid—
    2–3 years
  • Coolant60,000–100,000 mi
    5–10 years
  • Spark plugs60,000–100,000 mi
    —
  • 12V battery—
    3–5 years
Typical intervals for modern cars. Severe service (towing, short trips, extreme heat or cold) shortens them.
09 —FAQ

2011 Milan questions

How many recalls does the 2011 Mercury Milan have?

9 safety recalls as of Nov 10, 2026, according to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at a dealer. Check your VIN to see whether your car is included and whether the repair was done.

What are the most common 2011 Mercury Milan problems?

Owners filed 192 complaints with NHTSA. The most-cited components are steering (77), power train (31), exterior lighting (29). Complaints are unverified owner reports and aren't adjusted for how many cars were sold.

What MPG does the 2011 Mercury Milan get?

The EPA rates the 2011 Mercury Milan at 20–26 mpg combined, depending on engine and drivetrain (5 versions rated).

How safe is the 2011 Mercury Milan?

NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program gives the 2011 Mercury Milan 4 out of 5 stars overall.

Data from NHTSA & EPA · synced Nov 10, 2026