Problems · NHTSA complaints
1997 Mercury Mystique problems
Owners filed 74 complaints about the 1997 Mercury Mystique with NHTSA between Aug 1997 and Jul 2012. The most-cited component is service brakes, hydraulic (12).
Complaints
74
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
4
Reported by owners
Fires
3
Reported by owners
Injuries
3
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
Complaints by component
One complaint can cite several components
- Service brakes, hydraulic12
- Engine and engine cooling12
- Exterior lighting9
- Visibility9
- Power train8
- Electrical system7
- Seats4
- Vehicle speed control4
- Suspension4
- Steering4
- Tires2
- Equipment2
- Air bags2
- Service brakes1
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 6, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
When complaints were filed
Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
2
6
15
11
13
7
6
3
4
2
1
1
1
0
0
2
View as table
| Model year | Complaints filed per calendar year |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 2 |
| 1998 | 6 |
| 1999 | 15 |
| 2000 | 11 |
| 2001 | 13 |
| 2002 | 7 |
| 2003 | 6 |
| 2004 | 3 |
| 2005 | 4 |
| 2006 | 2 |
| 2007 | 1 |
| 2008 | 1 |
| 2009 | 1 |
| 2010 | 0 |
| 2011 | 0 |
| 2012 | 2 |
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
Service brakes, hydraulic
12 reports1 crash2 related recalls
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 MERCURY MYSTIQUE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE NOTICED A LEAK UNDER THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS WHERE HE WAS INFORMED THAT THE PRESSURE CONSCIOUS REGULATING VALVE ON THE REAR DRIVER SIDE WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE CONTACT REFERENCED NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 00V075000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS) AND CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER WHO STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 93,000. UPDATED 8/23/12 *CN”
Engine and engine cooling
12 reports
“DT: THE WIRING HARNESS AND THE BLOWER RESISTOR WAS FIXED WHICH WERE ON RECALL. ON 4-22-05 AND ON 5-06-05 WHILE THE CAR WAS BEING DRIVEN ON THE HIGHWAY, THE CAR GAVE A TICKING NOISE. THEN THE CAR GAVE A PUFF OF BLUE AND BLACK SMOKE AND THE CAR STOPPED. AFTER THE MECHANIC LOOKED AT THE CAR, THE MECHANIC SAID THE ENGINE WAS GONE. THE CAR UNDERWENT REGULAR CHECK UPS AND OIL CHANGES. THERE WERE NO INDICATIONS THAT THE ENGINE WAS HAVING ANY PROBLEMS OR MALFUNCTIONS. THE ENGINE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE COST FOR REPLACING WAS MORE THAN THE CONSUMER CAN AFFORD. *TT”
Exterior lighting
9 reports1 related recall
“CAR HAD A RECALL ASSOCIATED WITH EXTERIOR LIGHTS WHEN MY PARENTS OWNED IT ABOUT FIVE YEARS AGO. THE PARKING LIGHTS STOPPED OPERATING. PER SUGGESTION OF FORD TOOK CAR TO DEALERSHIP AND PAID $85 FOR AN EVALUATION. THEY INDICATED I HAD TWO OPEN WIRES AND THE ESTIMATED REPAIR COST WOULD EXCEED $2,000 TO REPLACE THE WIRING HARNESS. *NM”
Visibility
9 reports1 fire1 related recall
“WHILE DRIVING HEATER BLOWER SWITCH OVERHEATED, ALMOST RESULTING IN A VEHICLE FIRE.*AK”
Power train
8 reports1 related recall
“THE VEHICLE IS NOT SHIFTING INTO THE PROPER GEARS. IT JUST STARTED HAPPENING ONE DAY. IT HAS TO BE IN DRIVE 2 AT THE START OF DRIVING AND WHEN IT GETS TO A CERTAIN POINT IT MUST BE SHIFTED INTO DRIVE. THIS OCCURS EVERYTIME I DRIVE. NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE AS OF YET TO REPAIR THE PROBLEM. *TR”
Electrical system
7 reports2 fires1 related recall
“DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE TRAVELING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE OVERDRIVE ACTIVATED ON AND OFF. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP, WHERE A CERTIFIED MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT EITHER THE INSIDE OR OUTSIDE SENSOR OF THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION WAS FAULTY. THERE WAS A NHTSA RECALL #98V233000, REGARDING THE POWERTRAIN: AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION: LEVER AND LINKAGE: FLOOR SHIFT. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND DETERMINED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL DUE TO THE VIN. ALSO, THE CLOCK LIGHT ON THE INSRUMENT PANEL WENT PERMANENTLY OUT. THE REAR BRAKE LIGHT LOCATED ON TOP OF THE REAR WINDOW WOULD ILLUMINATE IN A DISTORTED PATTERN. THE REAR BRAKE LIGHTS WAS MADE UP OF 9 MINI LIGHTS, AND 3 LIGHTS WOULD LIGHT UP WHILE BRAKING. ON OTHER OCCASIONS, 4 OR 5 LIGHTS WOULD ILLUMINATE. THERE WAS A NHTSA RECALL #99V103000 REGARDING EXTERIOR LIGHTING: HEADLIGHTS: SWITCH. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL DUE TO THE VIN.”
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 6, 2026
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.