Problems · NHTSA complaints

2006 Mercury Montego problems

Owners filed 85 complaints about the 2006 Mercury Montego with NHTSA between Dec 2005 and May 2026. The most-cited component is power train (28).

Complaints
85
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
5
Reported by owners
Fires
1
Reported by owners
Injuries
4
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
01 —By component

Complaints by component

One complaint can cite several components
  1. Power train28
  2. Engine18
  3. Vehicle speed control14
  4. Electrical system7
  5. Engine and engine cooling6
  6. Suspension5
  7. Structure5
  8. Service brakes, hydraulic5
  9. Fuel/propulsion system4
  10. Fuel system, gasoline4
  11. Air bags4
  12. Exterior lighting4
  13. Seat belts3
  14. Tires3

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

Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 10, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
02 —Trend

When complaints were filed

Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
View as table
Model yearComplaints filed per calendar year
20051
20062
20073
20083
20094
20109
201113
20129
20139
20147
20158
20165
20171
20183
20192
20201
20210
20222
20230
20242
20250
20261

Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.

03 —Owner reports

Top problems in owners’ words

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first

Power train

28 reports2 crashes
“The contact owns a 2006 Mercury Montego. The contact stated that while driving at slow speeds and attempting to depress the accelerator pedal, the vehicle was jerking and shuddering. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or local dealer. A local dealer was contacted and confirmed that the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 184,000.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jul 10, 2024Power trainODI 11600918

Engine

18 reports1 crash1 fire
“WRENCH LIGHT COMES ON, CAR SPITS AND SPUTTERS AND DIES. AFTER RESTARTITBE CAR, LIGHT IS OFF. HAPPENS MULTIPLE TIMES A WEEK. CAR WILL NOT DRIVE WITHOUT RESTART.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled May 5, 2016Electrical system, Engine, Fuel/propulsion systemODI 10863448

Vehicle speed control

14 reports1 crash
“The contact owns a 2006 Mercury Montego. The contact stated that while parallel parking, the vehicle independently accelerated and lunged forward. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was due to the throttle body. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Aug 9, 2024Vehicle speed control, Fuel system, gasolineODI 11607562

Electrical system

7 reports
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 MERCURY MONTEGO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT IT TOOK MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS TO START THE VEHICLE. WHILE DRIVING 34 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED. WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED, THE ENTIRE INSTRUMENT PANEL ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DETERMINED THAT THE VEHICLE'S WIRING WAS NOT INSTALLED CORRECTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING OR REPAIRS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN AND FAILURE MILEAGE WERE UNKNOWN.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 1, 2019Electrical systemODI 11265442

Engine and engine cooling

6 reports
“PURCHASED MY 2006 MERCURY MONTEGO IN 2007. CAR HAS ALWAYS SEEMED TO IDLE TOO FAST. CAR WILL SUDDENLY LURCH FORWARD OR BACKWARD, SEEMINGLY WITHOUT PROVOCATION. I AM FEARFUL OF MY SAFETY, SAFETY OF OTHERS OR OF DAMAGE TO SURROUNDING VEHICLES/PROPERTY. MECHANICS I HAVE CONTACTED HAVE RESET THE COMPUTER, BUT THE CAR ALWAYS RETURNS TO THE SAME ISSUE AFTER A DAY OR SO. MECHANICS ARE BAFFLED OVER THIS ISSUE. IT IS ALMOST AS IF THE CAR HAS A MIND OF ITS OWN. *TR”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Mar 5, 2012Engine and engine coolingODI 10450392

Suspension

5 reports
“EXPERIENCING ODD INSIDE TIRE WEAR ON REAR TIRES OF MY MERCURY MONTEGO. HAD OIL CHANGED AT DEALERSHIP SERVICE REP FROM DEALERSHIP SAID FORD ISSUED TSB 10-2-13, SEEMS FORD SHOULD BE ISSUING A RECALL TO FIX THIS PROBLEM BECAUSE IT CAME FROM THE FACTORY WITH IT. UNDER NORMAL DRIVING IT WOULD SEEM AS IF THIS PROBLEM WOULD NOT HAPPEN, IT WOULD HAVE TO BE A MANUFACTURING DEFECT.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 7, 2013SuspensionODI 10542463
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 10, 2026

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