RoadVitals

1998 Mercury Mountaineer Visibility Problems

Owner-reported complaints naming the visibility system, filed with NHTSA

Data refreshed

Visibility reportsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
9
Latest Jan 14, 2018
Share of all reportsThis category as a share of every owner report on file for this model year. One report can name more than one component, so the categories overlap.
4%
of 236 total
Crash or fire reportedReports in this category whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. The reporter's own answer on the NHTSA form, not a verified finding.
0
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
0

What this page shows

Reports naming windshields, glass, wipers, defrosters and mirrors. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1998 Mercury Mountaineer submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 9 reports on file name it.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Owner reports naming visibility

Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed

Body & structureVisibility
Filed Jan 14, 2018

AT THIS POINT ALL 4 DOOR LOCKS/LATCHES ARE MESSED UP. BOTH DRIVER &PASSENGER BACK DOORS WON'T OPEN FROM OUTSIDE OR INSIDE. DRIVER &PASSENGER FRONT DOORS WON'T OPEN FROM OUTSIDE UNLESS OPEN FROM INSIDE FIRST. KEY WON'T UNLOCK DOORS. BACK GLASS ON HATCH DOOR WON'T OPEN. BACK WIPER BROKEN. BACK HATCH WOULDN'T OPEN UNTILL I PAID TO HAVE IT FIXED. I CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER THEY SAID MY TRUCK NOT ON RECALL LIST & WANTED ME TO PAY TO FIX IT. MY TRUCK HAS SAME ISSUES AS THE ONES BEING RECALLED. HOW DO THEY DETERMINE WHICH ONES TO RECALL?

NHTSA ID
11062659
Incident
May 20, 2015
ElectricalVisibility
Filed Feb 21, 2014

ALL OF A SUDDEN WITH NO WARNING MY INTERIOR DOME LIGHTS, POWER WINDOWS AND FRONT AND BACK WINDSHIELD WIPERS DIDN'T FUNCTION. I WAS DRIVING IT STARTED TO RAIN AND I COULD SEE VERY WELL WITHOUT FUNCTIONING WIPERS. I HAD TO PULL OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. I FIGURE THAT A FUSE MIGHT HAVE BLOWN BUT WHEN I CHECKED ALL FUSES THEY SEEM TO BE OK. I WAS REVIEWING A RECALL FOR A 1999 MOUNTAINEER FOR A GEM PROBLEM. ALTHOUGH MY VEHICLE IS A 1998, COULD THIS PROBLEM BE SIMILAR TO THE 1999 RECALL. IT APPEARS TO HAVE ALL THE SIMILAR SYMPTOMS . IS IT POSSIBLE THAT MY 1998 MOUNTAINEER HAS A RECALL FOR THE SAME PROBLEM. THANK YOU *TR

NHTSA ID
10565323
Incident
Feb 17, 2014
Mileage
104,000 mi
ElectricalInterior & seatsVisibility
Filed Aug 3, 2006

I BOUGHT MY VEHICLE ABOUT 3 YEARS AGO. IT HAD 60,000 ON THE ODOMETER. THE BACK WINDSHIELD WIPER NEVER WORKED, AND DOES ONCE IN A WHILE AND THE RADIO LIGHT NEVER STAYS ON. ONCE IN A WHILE IT WILL SHOW THE STATION OR THE TIME. MY DRIVERS SIDE DOOR HANDLE HAS ALWAYS BEEN LOOSE. MY ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON A YEAR AFTER I GOT IT AND IT WILL NOT GO OFF. IT SAY EGR FLOW INSUFFICIENT AND YET I HAVE REPLACED ALL OF THOSE AND HAD THE COMPUTER RESET. THE PASSENGER SIDE DOOR DOES NOT LOCK UNLESS I LOCK IT BY HAND AND THEN YOU CAN'T OPEN IT. THE BACK SEATS SOMETIMES LOCK AND OTHER TIMES WON'T. MY SEAT WAS RECALLED AND I TOOK IT, AND NOW IT IS BROKEN. THESE CARS ARE NOT MADE VERY WELL AND I THINK WE SHOULD GET LETTERS ON THE RECALLS. I HAVEN'T RECEIVED BUT ONE LETTER AND I TOOK IT IMMEDIATELY, BUT I SEE THERE HAVE BEEN OTHER RECALLS AND I WASN'T NOTIFIED. WHAT SHOULD I DO NOW? *JB

NHTSA ID
10164421
Incident
Mar 1, 2003
Mileage
63,000 mi
Visibility
Filed Apr 12, 2005

PURCHASED USED 1998 MECURY MOUNTAINEER FROM LOCAL MERCURY DEALER, DISCOVERED THE HEATER PLEANUM DOOR ACTUATOR WAS FAULTY AND THE AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM WOULD ONLY PROVIDE CONSTANT HOT AIR ON ALL SETTINGS, OTHER THAN MAX-AC. THE PROBLEM IS THAT DUE TO THIS FAULTY PART, DEFOGGING/DEFROSTING THE WINDSHIELD IS A CHALLENGE, CAUSING MY SON TO DRIVE FREQUENTLY WITH A FOGGED WINDSCREEN. MERCURY DEALER SERVICE SHOP AND OTHER SHOPS LOCALLY ARE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM WITH MANY OF THESE MODELS, AND REPAIR IS DONE BY REPLACING THE ENTIRE HEATER PLENUM WHICH HOUSES A NEW TYPE OF DOOR ACTUATOR. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND SHOULD BE RECALLED!*AK

NHTSA ID
10116802
Incident
Dec 23, 2004
Mileage
120,000 mi
Visibility
Filed Sep 21, 2004

THE CONSUMER WAS CONCERNED THAT EVERY YEAR SHE HAS TO REPLACE THE HEAT SENSOR. LAST YEAR SHE HAD TO REPLACE IT BEFORE THE VEHICLE COULD PASS EMISSIONS BECAUSE THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. THIS YEAR THE SAME THING HAPPENED. THE CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT THE PROBLEM WAS THE HEAT SENSOR. *AK THE CONSUMER STATED THAT SHE REPLACED THE ORIGINAL TIRES DUE TO THE RECALL ON THE TIRES (DEFECT NUMBER : 01X001000). THE INSIDE OF THE TREAD CAME APART. *TC *JB

NHTSA ID
10087731
Incident
Aug 11, 2004
Visibility
Filed Dec 26, 2001

VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN GARAGE OVERNIGHT. READ WINDOW EXPLODED OVER NIGHT. GLASS WAS ALL OVER THE GARAGE. ONLY A COUPLE PIECES BIGGER THEN A DIME.

NHTSA ID
756018
Incident
Dec 24, 2001
Body & structureBrakesEngine+1 more
Filed Feb 24, 2000

VEHICLE DRIVEN IN FORWARD AND COMES TO A STOP (I.E.- AT A STOP SIGN, TOLL BOOTH, OR TRAFFIC LIGHT) WILL STALL/HESITATE WITHOUT WARNING WHEN ATTEMPTING TO PROCEED FORWARD AGAIN. THIS HAS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES SINCE WE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE NEW. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO SEVERAL DIFFERENT DEALERSHIPS IN THREE STATES AND THEY SAY "FORD/MERCURY IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT AT THE CURRENT TIME THERE IS NO FIX." RADIO WHEN TUNING WOULD NOT PICK UP ANY RADIOSTATIONS DUE TO RADIO NOT HOOKED TO ANTENNA. DOOR MOLDING ON DRIVERS SIDE DOOR CAME LOOSE AND PREVENTED THE DOOR FROM BEING OPENED MORE THAN THREE INCHES. DRIVER WAS NOT ABLE TO ENTER DRIVERS SIDE DOOR TO DRIVE VEHICLE. REAR WINDSHIELD WIPER ENGINE BURNED OUT AND REAR WIPER DID NOT WORK. BRAKE STUCK WHEN ATTEMPTING TO PLACE VEHICLE INTO GEAR AFTER INITIAL START OF ENGINE. *AK

NHTSA ID
719184
Visibility
Filed Feb 3, 2000

THE REAR WINDOW WIPER DOES NOT ALWAYS COME ON WHEN THE SWITCH IS TURNED ON, THE WIPING EFFICIENCY OF BOTH THE FRONT AND BACK WIPER IS POOR, THERE IS NO CONTACT WITH THE WINDOW. *SLC

NHTSA ID
783973
Body & structureHeating & air conditioningElectrical+4 more
Filed May 14, 1999

FRONT TAG BRACKET FALLING OFF/ REQUIRED REATTACHMENT. MJS

NHTSA ID
545583
Incident
Jul 21, 1998

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.

Other components reported on this vehicle

Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own

Elsewhere on this vehicle

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .