Owner-reported complaints naming the airbag system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2004 Mercury Mountaineer submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 12 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.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
TAKATA RECALL AIR BAG LIGHT STAYS ON FOR NO APPARENT REASON... ALL THE TIME GRINDING NOISES WHILE TURNING LEFT OR RIGHT SOUNDS LIKE GEARS ARE FREELY SPINNING WHILE ENGAGED AND DRIVING. NO ISSUES WITH CHANGING GEARS AS FAR AS MECHANIC SAYS.
MY SON WAS DRIVING TO WORK ON AUGUST 6, 2015. SOMETHING HAPPENED, AND HE RAN OFF THE ROAD AND HIT A TREE. AT THAT POINT THE AIRBAG COVER FLEW TOTALLY OFF, INSTEAD AND FALLING DOWN AS IT IS SUPPOSED TO. THE COVER ITSELF GASHED MY SONS FOREHEAD FROM LEFT TO RIGHT, AND HE LOST HIS RIGHT EYE. THIS IS A TERRIBLE ACCIDENT. THE AIRBAGS CAME OUT SO FAST THAT THEY HAD BURN MARKS ON THEM. THESE AIRBAGS WERE SUPPOSED TO SAVE PEOPLES LIVES INSTEAD OF MANGLING THEIR FACES. SOMEONE NEEDS TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS HORRIFIC ACT....01/04/17 *BF *TR *CN
I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE STREET AND ALL OF A SUDDEN MY SIDE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED. I DID NOT HIT A POT HOLE, THERE WAS NO ACCIDENT, THEY WENT OFF BY THEMSELVES. *TR
DRIVING AT APPRX 50 MPH WHEN SUDDENLY BOTH THE DRIVER SIDE AND PASSENGER SIDE AIR CURTAINS DEPLOYED!! THERE WAS NO ACCIDENT. NO IMPACT FROM OBJECTS. NO POT HOLES OR ROAD HAZARDS. NO WARNINGS JUST A LOUD BANG AND THE NEXT THING I KNEW I WAS HIT IN THE HEAD BY AN AIRBAG!! I HAD NO IDEA WHAT HAPPENED. I THOUGHT I WAS STRUCK OR SHOT AT FIRST! I WAS FORTUNATE TO KEEP THE CAR UNDER MY CONTROL AS I WAS ON A TWO LANE SURFACE STREET IN MORNING TRAFFIC. I AM CURRENTLY IN CONTACT WITH FORD TO ATTEMPT RESOLUTION FOR THE DEFECT. IN RESEARCHING ONLINE I HAVE FOUND THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES WITH THE SAME MODEL AND YEAR VEHICLE. THIS SOUNDS LIKE A SAFETY RECALL SHOULD BE CONSIDERED. I WILL ATTEMPT TO UPDATE MY COMPLAINT AS I CONTINUE MY TALK TO TRY AND GAIN RESOLUTION WITH FORD. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH, THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER'S SIDE CURTAIN AIR BAGS DEPLOYED ERRONEOUSLY. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED INJURIES TO THE BACK AS A RESULT. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER WHERE THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE AIR BAGS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AND RESET. IN ADDITION, THE LINER AROUND THE WINDOWS AND THE SAFETY CONTROL MODULE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE WAS 107,000. ...UPDATED 03/07/14 *BF
AFTER REVERSING APPROXIMATELY 6 FT IN MY DRIVEWAY I PUT THE VEHICLE IN DRIVE AND BEFORE TAKING MY FOOT OFF OF THE BRAKE THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG DEPLOYED IN THE FRONT SEAT WHERE MY 14 YEAR OLD WAS SITTING. NO ACCIDENT, NO POTHOLES, NOT EVEN MOVING, NO REASON AT ALL THE AIRBAG DEPLOYED. *TR
I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT ABOUT 55MPH IN A 2004 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER AND SUDDENLY BOTH SIDE CURTAIN AIRBAG DEPLOYED. THERE WAS NO ACCIDENT, NO IMPACT, NO POTHOLES, NO VEERING OR RUNNING OFF THE ROAD; JUST DRIVING AND IT HAPPENED. SCARED ME HALF TO DEATH. I WAS ABLE TO COMPOSE MYSELF WELL ENOUGH TO NOT WRECK. FURTHERMORE, THERE WAS NO WARNING FROM THE DASH FOR THE AIRBAG TO INFORM ME OF ANY MALFUNCTIONS OR PROBLEM WITH THE AIRBAG SENSOR OR MODULE. *TR
WE WERE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AT ABOUT 55MPH IN A 2004 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER AND SUDDENLY BOTH SIDE CURTAIN AIRBAGS DEPLOYED...NO ACCIDENT, NO IMPACT, NO POTHOLES, NO VEERING OFF THE ROAD...JUST CRUISING WHEN THIS HAPPENED. WE ALMOST WRECKED. OUR LOCAL FORD DEALER SAYS WE HAVE TO PAY $80 FOR A DIAGNOSTICS TEST TO DETERMINE WHY THIS HAPPENED AND DETERMINE WHY THE AIRBAG LIGHT DID NOT LIGHT UP AHEAD OF TIME TO WARN US IF THERE WAS A MALFUNCTION OR PROBLEM WITH AIRBAG SENSORS OR MODULE. HOWEVER, THE DEALER SAYS THAT NO MATTER WHAT THEY FIND, FORD MOTOR COMPANY WILL NOT PAY FOR REPAIRS. WE WILL HAVE TO PAY FOR THEM (WHICH WE CAN'T AFFORD) AND NOW WE HAVE NO WORKING AIRBAGS AT ALL. *TR
MY 2004 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER ACCELERATED ON IT'S OWN AS I WAS PULLING INTO A PARKING SPACE. THE VEHICLE MADE A ROARING SOUND. MY FOOT NEVER LEFT THE BRAKE PEDAL AND I COULD NOT STOP IT. I JUMPED THE CURB, WENT OVER A GRASSY AREA, OVER THE SIDEWALK AND DID NOT STOP UNTIL I HIT A CONCRETE BUILDING AT APPROXIMATELY 25-30 MILES PER HOUR. IT CAUSED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO THE BUILDING AND TO THE CAR. AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY. I HAVE HAD THE BODY DAMAGE REPAIRED AND MY AUTO INSURANCE HAS PAID OVER $3,000 FOR THAT. MY HUSBAND TOOK IT TO OUR NEAREST FORD DEALER WHERE THEY RAN A DIAGNOSTIC AND IT SHOWED AN ELECTRONIC MALFUNCTION. THEY SAID THE THROTTLE BODY ASSEMBLY NEEDS REPLACING. THE TECHNICIAN DID NOT GIVE US A PRINT-OUT AND SAID HE COULDN'T FIND IT WHEN WE CHECKED BACK LATER. WE CONTACTED FORD MOTOR COMPANY TO SEE IF THEY WOULD PAY FOR THE REPLACEMENT BECAUSE OUR INSURANCE WOULD NOT. THEY ALSO WILL NOT PAY FOR IT, BUT SENT US TO ANOTHER FORD DEALER TO RUN A DIAGNOSTIC ON THE AIRBAGS. AFTER EXPLAINING MY ORDEAL TO THE TECHNICIAN, HE AGREED TO ALSO CHECK THE THROTTLE BODY. HE SAID THEIR DIAGNOSTIC TEST SHOWS NO PROBLEMS WITH THE AIRBAG OR THE THROTTLE BODY! HE ALSO STATED THAT THE FIRST DEALER COULD HAVE WIPED IT FROM THE MEMORY OF THE COMPUTER. AFTER MY HUSBAND SPOKE WITH A CUSTOMER SERVICE REP AT FORD MOTOR COMPANY TODAY, SHE SAID SHE WOULD REQUEST THAT THE DEALER WHO RAN THE FIRST DIAGNOSTIC TEST SEND US A COPY OF THE PRINT-OUT THAT HE COULDN'T FIND FOR US. THE CAR IS GOING BACK INTO THE SHOP TOMORROW AT A LOCAL PRIVATE MECHANIC (NOT A FORD DEALER TECHNICIAN) AND WE WILL TAKE IT FROM THERE. AS OF TODAY, NOTHING HAS BEEN REPAIRED OTHER THAN THE BODY DAMAGE. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER. WHILE IDLING AT A STOP LIGHT, THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED WITHOUT ANY PRIOR WARNINGS. AN INSPECTOR FROM THE INSURANCE AGENCY CONCLUDED THAT THE FAILURE WAS CAUSED BY A MANUFACTURES DEFECT. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED, AND A REPRESENTATIVE REQUESTED THE CONTROL RESTRAINT MODULE FROM THE DEALER TO INVESTIGATE THE FAILURE. NO REPAIRS WERE MADE. SHE WAS AWAITING A RESPONSE FROM THE MANUFACTURER. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,000. UPDATED 11/13/09.*LJ THE FRONT AND REAR AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. UPDATED 11/16/09
MY 2004 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER HAS A CRACK IN THE LIFT GATE THAT APPEARED A YEAR AFTER I BROUGHT IT FROM THE DEALERSHIP. AT FIRST I THOUGHT IT WAS SOMETHING I MIGHT HAVE DONE BUT EVERY ONE I RAN ACROSS HAS THE SAME IDENTICAL CRACK IN THE SAME AREA. PEOPLE I SPOKE WITH SAID IT JUST SHOWED UP ONE DAY. IS THERE A RECALL ON THIS DEFECT? *TR
ON JANUARY 01, 2004, WHILE DRIVING 25-30 MPH OVER ICY ROADS THE CONSUMER LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE FLIPPED OVER TWICE YET THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY AT ANY TIME. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. *NM
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.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
Data on this page last refreshed .