1995 Mercury Villager GS from North America - Comments

75K miles (did not repair)

- Driver motorized seat belt failed - disconnected it and locked it in place due to high cost of repair.

83K miles ($1142)

- Replaced shorted cooling fan/motor assy

- Repair connectors on wiring harness, shorted wiring to ignition

- Replaced power door lock actuator in side sliding door.

93K miles ($104)

- Replaced transmission shifter linkage in steering column.

107K miles ($242)

- Investigate Check Engine Light (Repaired burnt wire on EGR transducer)

- Replaced filler pipe vent hose (covered by recall)

- Repaired bad solder joint in HVAC control head (in dash), prevented rear blower motor from operating.

Little things I fixed myself

- Windshield washer sprayer broke off

- Cassette storage console bin latch broke

- Sliding door window latch fell apart

- Driver side sun visor disintegrated.

First of all, this is my wife's kid hauler, so it gets all kind of abuse. Still, it lives a relatively gentle life since we live in a temperate area (no snow, low humidity, etc.)

Pros:

- A definite upgrade from my previous van (MPV) : more refined and less trucklike

- Fairly comfortable & roomy

- Well-designed (spacewise) interior

- Decent power, but needs more low-end torque

- Good mileage on highway, long trips

- Seemingly reliable drivetrain

- Quiet ride, smooth on the road.

Cons:

- I bought it thinking that it would benefit from the Nissan-based roots (similar to Quest). The part that has been reliable has been the Nissan part (engine, transmission, running gear). The part that has been miserable has been the Ford piece - electricals, interior components, etc.

- Lots of niggling little things that have broken down that have eroded my confidence in the vehicle (see details above)

- Engine needs more torque on the low end: With 7 in the van, you really feel it strain. Also when we have 5 plus bikes on the hitch rack

- Tranny has held up so far, but no starting to exhibit a little bit of lurching on takeoff when cold, so that has me a bit worried.

I have a 1995 LS Villager and I've had basically the same problems that you have. When my drivers seat belt failed, I looked through the manual. Somewhere in there it mentioned something about manually rewinding the belt, and also mentioned something about filling gas tank up as another remedy. The gas tank worked for me. However I have had numerous electrical problems, some I've fixed by just buying new fuses/regulators, others, like the occasionally light flickering on and off in the rear compartment... too costly, so I just removed the bulbs in the rear door. Still I occasionally get a warning light that flickers every few months, mostly in the winter seasons. I've had to replace my battery only twice since 95 because of the drain from the flickering. The front tires wear down about every 2 years, even the expensive ones, so this year I finally decided to go cheaper. It still runs great between tuneups. It doesn't like heavy rain (electrical parts) -- it has died at least twice in bad rain storms back in 97/98, but hasn't since, because I try to avoid the rain if possible.

Oh, you might want to check the manual, but I believe the motorized seatbelts are still covered by the manufacturer for free.

I have a 1995 Mercury, Nautica edition. I bought it used from a sweet little old man, and I really like this van. I have had the same problems that have been mentioned in this article. Now I know what I need to do to fix these problems. But would someone please explain to me how filling up the gas tank will stop a shortage in the seat belt/power seat motor?

I have a 93' Villager LS with about 121,000 miles. Shortly (a few hours) after I got new tires (Goodyear Assurance Triple Tread) installed my transmission started leaking and had to be completely rebuilt. I noticed a little lurching before, but didn't think much of it because it is an old car. The mechanic said that the lurching I was feeling before was probably a sign the transmission was beginning to leak, so you might want to get it checked fairly soon before anything gets damaged.

P.S we also have the Goodyear Assurance Triple Tread on our 2000 Villager Estate... I highly recommend them. It makes the car drive completely different.

We recently bought our second Villager, a used 2001, because we were so pleased with the performance of our first, a new 1995 LS. My teen took over the 1995 and at 178,000 miles it is still running strong. We expect to get 200,000 miles out of it. Yes, it is a little underpowered in hilly country - and I did not replaced the rear windshield washer motor when it went out around 40,000 miles. But every time I drive the older Villager I am impressed with how solid it feels and how well it handles. Our 2001 Villager Estate, BTW, is bigger which I dislike and at under 40,000 miles I have had to replace both electric window motors at $350 apiece. I hope that is not a sign of things to come or my son's Villager will outlast our newer one!

We had 1996 Villager, which died because we did not replace the timing belt. Now we have 200o Villager Sport. Everything is fine, and the steering is amazing. However a few days ago got "service engine soon" signal that won't go away. We'll have to take care of this. Overall, love Villager for room, look, and steering.

We bought a 1995 Villager in Oct 2001 with 98252 miles on it. When we bought it the a/c unit, stereo controls in the back didn't work nor did the rear wiper. We never sought to correct those "problems".

The A/C quit four years ago we had it recharged and it quit after 2 months. Never tried to fix that again.

Other than normal wear and tear this has been an awesome van! I have 215,400 miles on it. The shifting lever is beginning to give me problems. The park safety lever needs adjusting.

The engine and transmission have been phenomenal - we are giving the van to our 23 yr old daughter and fully expect it to continue to be a good vehicle for her. 300,000 miles should be achivable.

93 Villager Van

I have had all the problems that have been listed and then some. At the moment I have 230,000 Km on the van and now the seat belts are acting up again. The driver's side has died completely and doesn’t even want to move, it just buzzes. The radiator which was replaced because it was leaking at 50,000 Km is leaking again, and will probably have to be replaced again, but not on warranty this time. Someone mentioned that the belts are still covered under warranty. If so what is the actual warranty number to quote? The other comment was valid as well in that all the Nissan parts like engine and tranny stand up well, but the FORD pieces fail on a regular basis, I guess you don’t have to guess what company I will NOT be buying my next vehicle from.

We've got a 1997 Villager with 285000 km on it, and we've started getting intermittent flashing of the warning lights for the brakes and battery. I've had the guys at the shop check the alternator, and it appears to be fine.

The lights seem to come on when the car has been running for a while in wet or snowy conditions.

Anyone got any ideas?

Oh -- and the engine light is on, again -- but what else is new, eh?

"We've got a 1997 Villager with 285000 km on it, and we've started getting intermittent flashing of the warning lights for the brakes and battery. I've had the guys at the shop check the alternator, and it appears to be fine.

The lights seem to come on when the car has been running for a while in wet or snowy conditions.

Anyone got any ideas?

Oh -- and the engine light is on, again -- but what else is new, eh?"

If your battery and brake lights are coming on in wet and snowy conditions, I think that your serpentine belt or a fan belt is slipping. You probably have all the accessories running, like the defroster, headlights and wipers, but with the drive belt for the alternator slipping, the accessories have to run off the battery because the alternator isn't being turned enough.

Check the belt tension -- there should be no more than 1/2 inch of up and down motion from its taught position; belts stretch over time and become loose. Also check for shiny or cracked surfaces, and it might be time to replace it.

The slippery conditions are probably also causing the brake warning light to come on, because the pads initially slip on the wet rotor. Just to be sure, check the brake fluid reservoir level. The check engine light could be totally unrelated, hard to tell what that is. Do you have a code reader?

"93 Villager Van.

I have had all the problems that have been listed and then some. At the moment I have 230,000 Km on the van and now the seat belts are acting up again. The driver's side has died completely and doesn’t even want to move, it just buzzes. The radiator which was replaced because it was leaking at 50,000 Km is leaking again, and will probably have to be replaced again, but not on warranty this time. Someone mentioned that the belts are still covered under warranty. If so what is the actual warranty number to quote? The other comment was valid as well in that all the Nissan parts like engine and tranny stand up well, but the FORD pieces fail on a regular basis, I guess you don’t have to guess what company I will NOT be buying my next vehicle from."

As for the radiator, if it is simply leaking externally, go to an auto parts store or hardware store and buy some "Liquid Steel". I assume the radiator is a metal case? The Liquid Steel (or virtually any epoxy) is just something you knead together into a ball and stick on to the broken seam or pinhole. If it's plastic, they have epoxy for that as well. No sense paying for a new radiator if it's just a little drip.

I'm not much help on electric seatbelts, but I might suggest that you buy a Haynes Manual for your vehicle, and buy an inexpensive circuit tester (you know, the little electronic box that shows digital readouts for voltage, resistance, amps). When electrical things make buzzing sounds, it's usually an indication that something is bound up and the motor won't work, or is shorted out.

Haynes Manuals (or Chilton's Manuals) are great. They've saved thousands and kept my old car out of the junkyard on several occasions.

I bought a '94 Villager new. It now has 230 miles. It has been a good vehicle. The body and interior has held up very well considering its age and mileage. I have had a variety of little things go wrong.

I have had to replace engine oil seals several times.

The engine has less power than when it was new, but still runs well. The transmission is starting to shift a little hard.

The most annoying problem is that in the winter you can smell raw gas inside. I have had it to the dealer multiple times for this. The problem always comes back.

I took ownership of a 1995 GS minivan in Dec. 2003. The van had 77k miles. It now has 116k and the engine is running great. I had to replace the CV joints, motor mounts, and put in new struts, but I think for the purchase price of $4k, I got a deal. The woman who owned the van previously cried when I took the title. The interior and body were and are in excellent shape. The brakes squeal, and in the wintertime it smells like gasoline, but I have fallen in love with it! I learned that the smell of gas can be lessened it you tighten your gas cap at least halfway around... this works during warmer weather. I will drive this one to the end. Sun Visor broke, but I don't need to tell you that!

I have a 95 GS that I purchased about two years ago for 3500.00 with 93,000 miles on the odometer. The interior and exterior on this are in excellent condition as the previous two owners took excellent care of it. Right off I had to repair a broken exhaust manifold stud and I went in and replaced the timing belt, tensioner, water pump and all belts while I had it down, also the engine has the cold piston slap noise that some of these engines are noted for, but I still think I got an excellent deal. This is a great little van and I plan to keep it for a long time. Changing the rear speakers is a real hassle, but I really haven't had any major problems otherwise. It generally stays in the garage and I only drive it in the summer for the AC though. Dealer parts are mucho expensive so avoid those if at all possible.

Hi, am planning to buy a villager 95 gs and I will like to know the level of the van gas consumption. if its normal or does it suck gas more than other regular cars or van.