2002 Mercury Mountaineer from North America - Comments

I too own a 2002 Mercury Mountaineer. I bought it used in 2003 with 36k miles. Within a few months the transmission began to slip or shudder as some of you put it. I bought an extended warranty up to $76k miles and so took it

in to the dealership. They told me it was a common problem and replaced the solenoid which seemed to help for awhile. Now it's slipping again and has been for several months. I have 91k miles on it now and have started putting money aside to have the transmission replaced some time next year. The biggest problem I have is when I put the truck in reverse. It takes several seconds for the transmission to engage. I think this should be a recall issue with Mercury since it is very prevalent most 2002 Mountaineers.

I thought I’d write a comment here to try and turn things around just a little since all comments so far are negative. I own a 2002 Mountaineer 2WD that I bought new in 2002. I had wanted one since they came out in late 2001 but a close friend with Ford told me that Mercury had created a lot of lemons on this model in early manufacturing and for me to wait until later in the year so they would have time to get all the bugs out. I did as he suggested waiting until June of 2002 to make my purchase. I now have over 98,000 miles on the vehicle and have never had any major problems. I did have a problem with the lift on the rear glass after warranty that I repaired myself. I now understand that item has an official recall since there have been many failures. I have owned many vehicles in my life from a $7,000 Mazda to A $72,000 Jaguar and this 2002 Mountaineer has been the best one of all. Even the original tires lasted over 50,000 miles and I replaced them with the exact same brand & type and they are now on the vehicle with 48,000 and still going. I truly feel for all of you that have had problems with your Mountaineer. I have been there with other vehicles and can appreciate the agony it causes each of you.

My sob sorry... We purchased a used 2002 Mountaineer in Dec '03 and it has had more than 3 years worth of problems compared to other vehicles I've owned.

Jan '04: Front end alignment, $90

Aug '04: Front and rear brakes replaced, not covered by extended warranty. Rear blower not working, replaced. $550

Feb '05: Lift gate hinge replace under recall notice. Key stuck in ignition. $50 under extended warranty.

Aug '05: Check engine light on. 2 sensors replaced + fuel system cleaning. $284

Oct '05: ABS light on, brakes pulsing. Rt rear window regulator broken. $450

Nov '05: Transaxle pinion seal leaking. Replaced speed sensor. $266

Nov '05: Battery dead, brakes mushy - flushed. $195

Apr '06: Front & rear brakes gone at 75k miles. $570

Nov '06: Tranny won't shift out of 1st. At the Nov '05 service, the mechanic suggested a new tranny for $3000 or so, to solve the shudder. I decided it wasn't that annoying and would wait until the tranny really died. Now it seems to have gone.

One problem I have not addressed yet is the valve clatter. Seems worse when cold and on regular gas, so we've started putting premium in, which seems to help.

Thankfully, I didn't pay a lot for this truck. But, now what? Sink another $3k into this beast or go for a quick fix and trade it in on Asian metal?

I had own an 02 mountaineer it's a great SUV until it breaks down. From reading all of the maintenance issues concerning this vehile. Glad to have gotten rid of the thing.

One problem was the rear window on the tailgate fell off while I was driving. Lucky there was a recall on it. Next I noticed the paint had started to peel and fade. Next I took it to a mechanic for transmission check and to my surprise they could not find the dipstick. I took it to the dealer and it cost me $400 to replace the fluid in it. I recommend if you have a 02 -06 mountaineer at 15000 get the rear diff checked. The last time I had the vehicle in for maintenance they inform of my axle seals leaking. Mind you the vehicle is only 4yrs old with 37,000 miles on it. I was outraged, it cost another $400 to repair, also at the same time my rack and pinion was bad. Finally after a month or two later I noticed a weird noise coming from underneath the vehicle. I took back to the dealer and what do you know! My rear diff, axles, and hubs needed to be replaced costing $4,000. Well I'll be, called Ford they gave me the run around warranty no good cause, I brought with 18000 miles on it 12,000 miles warranty used. I figured since it was a brand new vehicle I didn't need a 5yr warranty, well I guessed wrong! They asked me, "did I go off roading cuase I had sad in everthing"?

I own a 2002 Mountaineer AWD/V8 and have about 62,000 miles on it. Recently I began experiencing the infamous transmission shudder everyone talks about.

The shudder would only occur after the vehicle was driven at highway speeds for an hour or so. I was experiencing the shudder when it would shift from 2-3 and 3-4 gears. I took it to a dealer, a local repair shop and finally a transmission specialist.

Dealer told me that a flash upgrade to the computer would fix it. This was performed by the Mercury dealer and it did nothing to fix the problem.

The repair shop told me I needed a new transmission, without even looking at it, at a cost of $3500.

The transmission specialist I went to ran a number of tests over a period of a couple of days. Turned out to be the transmission solenoid. This was replaced at a cost of around $600 and the transmission has been shifting smooth and running fine since.

Hope this helps anyone else out there experiencing the same problem.

I got an 02 mountaineer awd, bought it from military family and the wife would drive to see her family when her husband was deployed. So it has 100,000highway on it. Drives and looks perfect. Until this week when the tranny light came on. It then made 2 hard bangs. I drove it 3rd for a few to get home and the light never came back on. Drove it to a friend of a friends tranny place without a prob. The tranny, torque converter, all junk. He said I should of lost reverse first. And that It should run me 3500 or so, but I got it for 2750. He hooked me up... I hope.

DOES REPLACING THE "transmission solenoid" SEEM TO FIX THE TRANSMISSION PROBLEM IF DONE BEFORE REPLACING THE TRANSMISSION?.

We own a 2002 Mountaineer 4.6 V8 with 60,000 miles. The transmission developed a slip/delay problem when shifting. Dealership diagnosed problem stating that the transmission needed to be rebuild or replaced at an estimated cost of $3,200. Got 2nd opinion from a well know reputable independent... diagnosis same. Called Ford customer service and filed a complaint that the transmission should not need to be replaced at 60,000. Car is out of warranty and they asked me what I wanted Ford to do. I asked them to pay for the repair. The called the dealership who gave me to orig quote (with me on hold) and came back with an offer to cover half of the cost! You never get what you don't ask for.

I guess I'm a bit late with my research, but I thought I'd add my two cents worth, as I have had significant problems with my 2002 V6 AWD Mountaineer. First, I love the ride I get when everything is running properly. So much so, in fact, that I have kept this vehicle longer than I should have, by all accounts. I purchased it pre-owned with 27k miles, and no extended warranty. I first experienced unacceptable tread life on my tires, and went through a few sets over a two year period, which I concluded was a result of higher performance. Someone told me that tread-life and performance were at opposite ends of the spectrum, and I need to sacrifice one in favor of the other...OK, I'm fine with that. Next came the infamous ABS light that didn't go out, then the transmission "shudder". The transmission solenoid was replaced, but it didn't fix the problem. It was concluded that the transmission was shot and had to be replaced. This little ordeal cost me $3,500 to fix. While it was in the shop, they noticed a leak in the rear seals, and repaired that for a few hundred dollars. That was 4 months ago. Last week I was on the GSP and felt a problem with my steering, which I'm told is related to the AWD. As I write this, I'm wondering what this is going to cost me. I have had good luck with Ford in the past, but recent events have left me with a very unpleasant view of the total cost of ownership. My next vehicle, which I fear is on the immediate horizon, will not be a Ford.

We have a 2002 Mountaineer with 37,000 miles. Today the transmission did not shift correctly or easily to the next gear and the engine raced.

The OD light came on and could not be turned off. There is no way to check transmission fluids which might normally be the culprit.

Any ideas from other readers?

We have a 2002 Mercury Mountaineer and had rear end work done. Brakes, calipers and routers total gone and now there is that HUM that is louder then the radio. So in the shop we go again. Next step is to dump the thing and tell everyone to stay away from FORD products.

Oh, well I wish I checked this site before buying my 2002 Mountaineer 2 days ago. I previously owned a 2001 Accord with tranny issues and was hoping to get away from those kinds of headaches. Good thing I bought the warranty I guess (even though the warranty costs almost as much as some of the reported tranny repair costs). I'm hoping if there were issues with this car that they were resolved before I bought it. Maybe that's why the dealership gave me such a smokin deal :- (I'll post any problems I have.

OKAY.

JUST FIX THE SOLENOID TRANSMISSION PROBLEM AND YOUR MOUNTAINEER WILL BE GOOD TO GO. DON"T PAY 3500 FOR A NEW TRANNY.. ALL IT TAKES IS 550$ to repair the problem and take off that annoying transmission light and get rid of the shuddering problem... now let me say. I LOVE THIS SUV.. it has been nothing, but beautiful and is definitely picks up the ladies;) hehe.. anyways... hope you enjoy your Mercury Mountaineers as much as I do.. because I would rathr be driving that SUPPORTING AMERICAN JOBS.. buying a Ford so 10's of thousands of my FELLOW people aren't out of jobs.. instead of making the japanese rich. Toyotas are nice, but I don't want to have the same car as 1 in every 3 people.

I have a 2002 Mountaineer purchased in '03 with 24K miles. Two weeks ago I was driving on the highway and the car completely died on me. After waiting a few minutes, it started again, but eventually died so had it towed to the dealer. They kept it for a day or two and determined the fuel pump was weak so I replaced it. Now two weeks later I am driving on the highway and it happened AGAIN! Both times it was very cold (car sat outside all day at work), I was 15 minutes into the drive going about 70 mph with the heat on. I was able to get it started and get it back to the dealer who has had the car for almost a week now and can't figure out the problem. HELP!

I have a 2003 Mountaineer V8 AWD Premier and am feeling (and hearing) the transmission shudder you mention. I have 39,000 miles on this truck and love it as a replacement for my 1999 2WD Explorer. This model should not do somersaults if a tire blows at speed.

I will explore the transmission solenoid as a fix before agreeing to a complete transmission replacement. Thanks for the information!