Problems · NHTSA complaints
2000 Mercury Villager problems
Owners filed 73 complaints about the 2000 Mercury Villager with NHTSA between Feb 2000 and Jan 2015. The most-cited component is vehicle speed control (39).
Complaints
73
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
9
Reported by owners
Fires
1
Reported by owners
Injuries
13
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
Complaints by component
One complaint can cite several components
- Vehicle speed control39
- Seat belts7
- Service brakes, hydraulic7
- Air bags6
- Structure5
- Visibility4
- Seats4
- Electrical system3
- Engine and engine cooling3
- Suspension3
- Equipment2
- Exterior lighting1
- Power train1
- Latches/locks/linkages1
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 9, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
When complaints were filed
Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
4
10
7
13
11
11
7
5
2
1
1
0
0
0
0
1
View as table
| Model year | Complaints filed per calendar year |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 4 |
| 2001 | 10 |
| 2002 | 7 |
| 2003 | 13 |
| 2004 | 11 |
| 2005 | 11 |
| 2006 | 7 |
| 2007 | 5 |
| 2008 | 2 |
| 2009 | 1 |
| 2010 | 1 |
| 2011 | 0 |
| 2012 | 0 |
| 2013 | 0 |
| 2014 | 0 |
| 2015 | 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
Vehicle speed control
39 reports
“TL*- THE CONTACT STATED THAT HER 2000 MERCURY VILLAGER HAS ACCELERATION PROBLEMS. WHEN AT A COMPLETE STOP OR AT A LOW SPEED, WHEN SHE TRIED TO ACCELERATE, THE VEHICLE WILL NOT ACCELERATE AS EXPECTED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SHE HAS TO PUT THE FOOT COMPLETELY TO THE FLOOR FOR THE VEHICLE TO ACCELERATE. SHE HAS REPLACED THE THROTTLE BODY TWICE SINCE SHE OWNED THE VEHICLE. SHE STATED THAT SHE HAD SEVERAL CLOSE CALLS, ALMOST RESULTING IN SEVERAL CRASHES. ALSO, THE STABILIZING LINK WAS CAUSING PROBLEMS WITH THE STEERING. WHEN SHE TURNED LEFT OR RIGHT THERE WAS A NOISE COMING FROM THE FRONT END OF THE DRIVER SIDE WHEEL. IF SHE HIT A HOLE THE VEHICLE MADE A LOUD CLUNKY NOISE. THE CONTACT HAD THE STABILIZER BAR REPAIRED 2/1/07, AND SHE HAS HAD THREE TIRES REPLACED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT DEALERSHIP SAID THE STABILIZER BAR WAS THE CAUSE OF THE TIRES WEARING OUT SO QUICKLY. THERE HAVE BEEN 6 OCCURENCES OF THIS FAILURE. *AK”
Seat belts
7 reports2 crashes1 related recall
“SEAT BELTS ON 2000 MERCURY VILLAGER ESTATE HAVE LOCKED UP AND WILL NOT RELEASE. CALLED FORD CUSTOMER RELATIONS REGARDING ISSUE AND THEY ARE STATING THEY HAVE NO KNOW ISSUE OR RECALL WITH SEAT BELTS LOCKING UP. REAR SEAT BELTS ARE THE ONES AFFECTED. FORD CUSTOMER RELATIONS IS STATING IT IS OUT OF WARRANTY SO I WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR FIXING VEHICLE. *TR”
Service brakes, hydraulic
7 reports3 crashes
“HAVE HAD REPEATED FRONT BRAKE WEAR OUT AND NOISE (SQUAEK/GROAN) ON MY 2000 MERCURY VILLAGER SINCE NEW. HAVE HAD 4 SETS OF FRONT BRAKE PADS AND A SET OF ROTORS REPLACED IN ONLY 28,000 MILES. DEALER SAYS THERE IS NOTHING WRONG. THE OTHER TWO MERCURY VILLAGERS THAT I'VE OWNED (1996 AND 1998 MODELS) DID NOT HAVE THIS PROBLEM.*AK”
Air bags
6 reports5 crashes
“DT: ON 5/17/05 WHILE ON THE WAY TO WORK AN ACCIDENT OCCURRED. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE VEHICLE IS EQUIPPED WITH PASSENGER AND DRIVER AIR BAGS. THE AIR BAG LIGHT WAS NOT ON. THE AIR BAG LIGHT HAS NEVER CAME ON. THERE WERE NO RECALLS ON THE VEHICLE AS FAR AS THE OWNER KNOWS. THE VEHICLE WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 50 MPH WHILE ON HIGHWAY. THERE WAS A VEHICLE IN FRONT OF THE OWNER'S CAR WHO STOPPED COMPLETELY AND THEN OWNER HIT THE OTHER VEHICLE IN THE REAR END. THE IMPACT WAS FRONTAL TO THE OWNER'S VEHICLE. THERE WERE NO PREVIOUS PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLE. THERE WERE INJURIES. THERE WERE INJURIES TO THE PASSENGER'S CHEST, NECK AND BACK. THERE WAS A POLICE REPORT FILED. THE VEHICLE MANUFACTURER HAS NOT BEEN CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS A TOTAL LOSS. THE OCCUPANTS WERE WEARING SEAT BELTS. *NM *SC”
Structure
5 reports
“WE HAVE VERY LITTLE MILEAGE ON OUR MERCURY VILLAGER SPORT VAN AND THE PAINT IS CHIPPING. APPARENTLY, THIS SHOULD NOT BE HAPPENING. IT ACTUALLY NEEDS A COMPLETE PAINT JOB. WE HAVE NEVER HAD A VEHICLE DO THIS. IT WILL RUST IF THIS IS NOT TAKEN CARE OF. WE ONLY HAVE APP. 68,000 MILES ON A 2000 YEAR CAR. *TR”
Visibility
4 reports1 crash
“TL* - THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 MERCURY MARQUIS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS A SAFETY RECALL, BUT IN ACTUALITY IT WAS A SAFETY BULLETIN ON THE WINDSHIELD WIPER MODULE. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THERE WAS NO SAFETY RECALL ON THE WINDSHIELD WIPER MODULE. AS SOON AS REACHING 70 MPH THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS STARTED RUMBLING AS IF SOMETHING WAS LOOSE. IF THE WEATHER WAS POOR THE VISIBILITY WAS DIMINISHED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HAD DONE THIS SINCE THE PURCHASE DATE. THE CONTACT HAD REPLACED THE WINDSHIELD WIPER BLADES THREE TIMES WITH EXPENSIVE WIPER BLADES, BUT IT DID NOT REMEDY THE FAILURE. THAE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 50,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 83,360.*AK”
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 9, 2026
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.