Problems · NHTSA complaints
1998 Mercury Mountaineer problems
Owners filed 241 complaints about the 1998 Mercury Mountaineer with NHTSA between Mar 1998 and Jan 2018. The most-cited component is tires (96).
Complaints
241
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
22
Reported by owners
Fires
23
Reported by owners
Injuries
29
People reported injured
Deaths
1
Reported to NHTSA
Complaints by component
One complaint can cite several components
- Tires96
- Vehicle speed control36
- Electrical system24
- Engine and engine cooling21
- Seats13
- Latches/locks/linkages12
- Suspension11
- Structure10
- Power train8
- Equipment6
- Visibility6
- Fuel system, gasoline5
- Steering4
- Seat belts4
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
When complaints were filed
Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
9
20
93
27
18
17
12
12
13
5
1
1
3
1
1
1
3
1
1
1
1
View as table
| Model year | Complaints filed per calendar year |
|---|---|
| 1998 | 9 |
| 1999 | 20 |
| 2000 | 93 |
| 2001 | 27 |
| 2002 | 18 |
| 2003 | 17 |
| 2004 | 12 |
| 2005 | 12 |
| 2006 | 13 |
| 2007 | 5 |
| 2008 | 1 |
| 2009 | 1 |
| 2010 | 3 |
| 2011 | 1 |
| 2012 | 1 |
| 2013 | 1 |
| 2014 | 3 |
| 2015 | 1 |
| 2016 | 1 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 1 |
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.
Top problems in owners’ words
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
Tires
96 reports6 crashes1 fire1 related recall
“HAD A WRECK COMING DOWN THE MOUNTAIN. EMERGENCY BRAKE DIDN'T WORK RAN INTO A TREE AND DAMAGED A MAILBOX (RELATED VEHICLE INFORMATION: MODEL YEAR=1998, MAKE=MOUNTAINEER , MODEL=MERCURY ). *TR”
Vehicle speed control
36 reports7 crashes9 fires2 related recalls
“UNDER MY HOOD STARTED SMOKING, I POPPED MY HOOD TO FIND FLAMES UNDER IT. I HAD TO GET MY KIDS OUT THE TRUCK AND PUT THE FLAMES OUT WITH AND EXTINGUISHER. THAT'S WHEN I NOTICED THAT MY BRAKE FLUID RESERVOIR WAS MELTED AND SO WERE THE WIRES THAT CONNECT TO THE CRUISE CONTROL SWITCH. NOT I AM WITHOUT A VEHICLE TO GET TO WORK AND GET MY CHILDREN TO SCHOOL.”
Electrical system
24 reports1 crash8 fires
“ALL OF A SUDDEN WITH NO WARNING MY INTERIOR DOME LIGHTS, POWER WINDOWS AND FRONT AND BACK WINDSHIELD WIPERS DIDN'T FUNCTION. I WAS DRIVING IT STARTED TO RAIN AND I COULD SEE VERY WELL WITHOUT FUNCTIONING WIPERS. I HAD TO PULL OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. I FIGURE THAT A FUSE MIGHT HAVE BLOWN BUT WHEN I CHECKED ALL FUSES THEY SEEM TO BE OK. I WAS REVIEWING A RECALL FOR A 1999 MOUNTAINEER FOR A GEM PROBLEM. ALTHOUGH MY VEHICLE IS A 1998, COULD THIS PROBLEM BE SIMILAR TO THE 1999 RECALL. IT APPEARS TO HAVE ALL THE SIMILAR SYMPTOMS . IS IT POSSIBLE THAT MY 1998 MOUNTAINEER HAS A RECALL FOR THE SAME PROBLEM. THANK YOU *TR”
Engine and engine cooling
21 reports1 crash6 fires
“MOVED MY TRUCK TO LET ANOTHER CAR OUT OF THE DRIVE WAY. PULLED BACK IN TURNED THE TRUCK OFF CAME IN THE HOUSE AND HEARD A LOUD BOOM. LOOKED OUT THE WINDOW AND FIRE WAS SHOOTING UP BY THE WHEEL. *TR”
Seats
13 reports1 related recall
“DT: A BROKEN ROD UNDER THE DRIVER'S SEAT ALLOWED THE SEAT TO ROCK BACK AND FORTH. IT FELT LIKE THE SEAT MAY BREAK COMPLETELY AND CAUSE THE SEAT TO COLLAPSE BACKWARDS. A SEAT BOLT RECALL WAS DONE IN 2003. *NM CONSUMER BOUGHT A NEW SEAT TRACK AND PUT IT ON THEMSELVES.*SB”
Latches/locks/linkages
12 reports1 related recall
“1998 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER. THE DRIVERS DOOR WILL NOT UNLOCK FROM THE OUTSIDE WITH THE KEY AND MOST TIMES WILL NOT OPEN FROM THE INSIDE WITH THE LATCH HANDLE. I HAVE HEARD THAT THIS PROBLEM EXISTS WITH MOST 1998 - 2001 MERCURY MOUNTAINEERS, FORD EXPLORERS AND FORD RANGERS. IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY SUCH AS A CRASH, I MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO GET OUT OF THE VEHICLE. *TR”
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.