Owner-reported complaints naming the steering system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming the steering system — racks, columns, power-steering assist and steering linkage. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1996 Mercury Villager 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.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
THE TILT WHEEL ASSEMBLY MOVES SIDEWAYS AS YOU ARE MAKING TURNS TO THE LEFT. ON COLD DAYS THE RACK AND PINION WORKS FINE ON THE LEFT SIDE BUT TAKES A WHILE TO WORK ON THE RIGHT SIDE. IT'S AS IF IT NEEDS TO WARM UP, FIRST.
HEAD CONTROL MODULE WIRE HARNESS IN BACK OF THE DASH PANEL BURNED UP. WIRES WERE COMPLETELY MELTED. *AK SEVERAL ELECTRICAL RELATED PROBLEMS: BATTERY FAILURE, OPEN CIRCUIT IN MAIN ENGINE HARNESS TO EGR SOLENOID, OVERHEAD LIGHT FAILED, POWER DOOR LOCKS WERE OPERATING BY THEMSELVES, POWER LOCKS WOULD NOT LOCK WITH THE SWITCH, REAR WINDSHILED WIPER SWITCH FAILED AND REAR WIPERS WOULD NOT STOP EVEN AFTER FUSE WAS REMOVED, SLIDING DOOR WOULD NOT OPEN WITH REMOTE OR SWITCH. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED. POWER STEERING PUMP NOISY AND WAS REPLACED. AIR CONDITIONER MOTOR FAILED. WHEN LOCKING VEHICLE WITH KEY, HORN WOULD OPERATE, KEYLESS ENTRY HAD JUST BEEN INSTALLED. *SLC
LEFT FRONT TIE ROD HAD TO BE REPLACED. IT PROBABLY HAD BEEN BAD FOR SOME TIME, BUT WAS NOT DISCOVERED UNTIL VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. LEFT FRONT BALL JOINT WAS REPLACED UNDER WARANTY WHEN VEHICLE ONLY HAD MILEAGE IN THE UPPER 20,000S. THIS IS VERY LOW MILAGE FOR SUCH FRONT END COMPONENTS TO GO BAD. CONTACTED DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENT. THEY SAID VILLAGERS ARE NOT KNOWN FOR WEARING OUT OF FRONT END PARTS AT LOW MIELAGE, SO THESE MUST HAVE BEEN DEFECTIVE PARTS FROM THE FACTORY. THEY WOULD NOT DO ANYTHING FOR ME THOUGH ON THE TIE ROD BECAUSE THE VEHICLE WAS JUST OUT OF WARRANTY. HAD TO REPLACE AT MY OWN EXPENSE. *AK
WHILE MAKING A TURN THROUGH AN INTERSECTION THE STEERING AND BRAKES FAILED, THE DRIVER COASTED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND TRIED TO TURN THE KEY, THE VEHICLE DID NOT START, THEN THE DRIVER TURN THE VEHICLE OFF AND RESTARTED THE VEHICLE AND IT STARTED.
POWER WINDOWS FAILED CAUSING JAMMING.
DRIVERS WINDOW WOULD NOT GO UP.
CONSUMER STATES THAT THE SHIFT INTERLOCK MACH. ON VEHICLE DID NOT WORK PROPERLY . THE CAR WOULD BE OFF AND THE CAR COULD SHIFT TO PARK. MANF. CONTACTED . VEHICLE HAS BEEN GIVEN BACK TO THE DEALER.
OWNER STATES WHILE DRIVING AND MAKING A RIGHT TURN THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP, RESULTING IN AN ACCIDENT. *AK
STEERING WHEEL WAS LOCKED INTO PLACE, UNABLE TO TURN THE STEERING WHEEL WHILE DRIVING. *AK
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 .