2002 Mercury Mountaineer engine and engine cooling problems

“MY SPARK PLUG ON #2 CYLINDER JUST SHOT OUT OF MY TRUCK'S ENGINE... ARGH!!!! DESTROYED MY COIL PACK AND COULD HAVE BUSTED THE FUEL LINE. AND NOW I CANT PUT IN THE SPARK PLUG. WTF........??????? *TR”

“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 3 MPH, THE HIGH TEMPERATURE AND LOW OIL WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE OIL PRESSURE GAUGE DROPPED TO ZERO AND A LOUD NOISE WAS HEARD. THE CONTACT MERGED THE VEHICLE TO THE EMERGENCY LANE AND SHUT THE VEHICLE OFF. THE CONTACT CHECKED THE OIL LEVEL AND OBSERVED THAT THE OIL WAS FULL. THE CONTACT RESTARTED THE VEHICLE AND THE NOISE WAS STILL PRESENT. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE TECHNICIAN NOTICED THAT THERE WERE METAL SHAVINGS IN THE ENGINE OIL AND THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 150,000.”

“I PURCHASED A 2002 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER ON 4/11/2011. AS I WAS DRIVING IT HOME FROM THE DEALERSHIP, THE SAME DAY, I NOTICED SOME BLACK SMOKE COMING OUT THE BACK OF THE CAR. THERE WERE NO MESSAGES THAT CAME UP IN THE MESSAGE CENTER WINDOW SO I HAD NO CLUE WHAT WAS HAPPENING. AS I LOOKED BACK UP FROM THE REAR VIEW MIRROR, I NOTICED A FIRST RESPONDERS TRUCK NEXT TO THE DRIVERS WINDOW WHO WAS YELLING " GET OUT OF THE VEHICLE, ITS ON FIRE!" IMMEDIATELY I PULLED OVER AND MY MOTHER AND I HAD TO JUMP FROM THE VEHICLE BECAUSE THE ENTIRE ENGINE AREA WAS ENGULFED WITH FLAMES. I WAS INJURED WHILE I WAS FLEEING FROM THE VEHICLE. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND STATE TROOPERS WERE ENROUTE AND MY VEHICLE WAS HOSED DOWN AND TOWED. I ALMOST DIED IN THIS VEHICLE BECAUSE OF THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL GOING OUT ON IT. THIS VEHICLE TYPE HAS HAD MANY PROBLEMS WITH THIS PART AND THEIR CUSTOMERS SHOULD BE COMPENSATED! THIS CAR IS A FIRE HAZARD! IF I WOULD HAVE HAD MY 3 SMALL CHILDREN IN THEIR CAR SEATS I MAY NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GET THEM ALL OUT IN TIME. COMPENSATED!! *TR”

“2002 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER HAS UNEXPECTED IGNITION MISFIRING CODES, CAUSING HARD IDLE. AND THIS IS CAUSING COSTLY DIAGNOSTIC SERVICING THAT CANT LOCATE THE PROBLEM. I HAD ASKED 25 OTHER OWNERS AND THE ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM...VIN # [XXX] *TR”

“NEW SHOWROOM 2002 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER. THE ENGINE IN THIS VEHICLE MALFUNCTIONED TWICE WITHOUT WARNING; NO OVERHEATING, NO DASHBOARD LIGHT INDICATORS EITHER TIME. JULY 2004/ODOMETER READING 92213, THE MECHANICS AT THE FREEWAY LINCOLN MERCURY WERE BAFFLED. THEY ADVISED ME THAT ALL THE FLUIDS WERE IN THE VEHICLE. LATER (ONE WEEK) THEY FOUND A "HOLE" IN THE RADIATOR. I WAS TOLD I HAD A NEW ENGINE, WITH A NEW WARRANTY. 2ND TIME WAS JUNE 06, ODOMETER 166199,(NEW ENGINE 73986) NO WARNING, NO DASHBOARD LIGHTS, NO OVERHEATING. PER A DIFFERENT CERTIFIED MECHANIC NOT ONLY WAS THE ENGINE NOT NEW BUT IT HAD SEVERE CORROSION IN IT AND SHOWED SIGNS OF MULTIPLE OVERHEATING CONDITIONS. THEY TOLD ME OF AN "ALL TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN" DATED 1/21/02 FOR MY VEHICLE'S ENGINE REGARDING THE "ENGINE HEAD GASKET"---"SOME ENGINE ASSEMBLIES WITH ALUMINUM CYLINDER HEADS REPAIRED IN-VEHICLE HAVE BEEN FOUND TO LEAK COOLANT AND/OR OIL FROM THE CYLINDER HEAD GASKET AREA DUE TO PARTICLE CONTAMINATION OR SCRATCHES AND DENTS TO BLOCK MATING SURFACES." ACTION: REFER TO THE FOLLOWING SERVICE INFORMATION FOR RECOMMENDED GASKET SEALING SURFACE PREPARATION PROCEDURES. IF THE ENGINE DIAGNOSIS…”

“DRIVING FROM DALLAS, TX, TO WEST LAFAYETTE, IN, IN JAN 2010, THE 2002 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER WITH 4.6L V8 ENGINE BLEW A SPARK PLUG OUT OF THE CYLINDER HEAD CAUSING US TO STOP IN A SMALL TOWN TO HAVE THE ENGINE REPAIRED. THIS WAS A FACTORY INSTALLED (NOT REPLACED) SPARK PLUG. I HAVE SEEN MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS IN THE FORD V8 ENGINE. THE VEHICLE HAD AROUND 86,000 MILES ON IT AT THE TIME AND WAS NOT DUE FOR A SPARK PLUG REPLACEMENT UNTIL 100,000 MILES. THIS WAS A SAFETY HAZARD AS GASOLINE IS SPEWING OUT OF THE CYLINDER HEAD WITH AN ATTACHED AND STILL ARCING SPARK PLUG. *TR”