2008 Mercury Milan Problems, Complaints & Recalls

Source: NHTSA · Updated Apr 16, 2025 · 451 owner complaints analyzed

Compared with other Milan years
More complaints than other years 2nd of 6 for complaints
NHTSA crash rating
Not rated

Owners have filed 451 complaints with NHTSA about the 2008 Mercury Milan. That ranks 2nd out of 6 Milan model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is air bags (211 complaints, 47%), typically at around 100,000 miles. Complaints mention 22 crashes, 1 fire, 8 injuries. There are 4 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 5 defect investigations involving it.

Mercury Milan
2006-2007 Mercury Milan photographed in USA.. Representative photo; appearance varies by model year. Photo: IFCAR, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.

Compare with another car

Most common 2008 Mercury Milan problems

Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.

Air Bags211 · ~100,000 mi
Service Brakes178 · ~100,000 mi
Vehicle Speed Control19 · ~61,750 mi
Service Brakes, Hydraulic18 · ~109,000 mi
Power Train17 · ~80,000 mi
Engine12 · ~76,800 mi
Structure11 · ~60,725 mi
Unknown or Other10 · ~83,438 mi
Electrical System6 · ~110,000 mi
Steering5 · ~75,000 mi
Problem areaComplaintsShareMedian milesOwners mention mostTypical repair cost
Air Bags problems21147%100,000“takata air bags” (22%)—
Service Brakes problems17839%100,000“pedal went” (16%)$1,450
Vehicle Speed Control194%61,750——
Service Brakes, Hydraulic184%109,000——
Power Train174%80,000——
Engine123%76,800——
Structure112%60,725——
Unknown or Other102%83,438——
Electrical System61%110,000——
Steering51%75,000——
Wheels51%25,000——
Engine and Engine Cooling41%74,253——
Fuel System, Gasoline41%68,703——
Tires41%14,500——
Electronic Stability Control (esc)31%108,000——
Exterior Lighting31%95,000——
Fuel/propulsion System31%89,000——
Seats31%9,100——
Service Brakes, Electric20%8,900——
Suspension20%25,000——
Service Brakes, Air10%———

One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.

Complaints by year received

Peak: 2017, with 175 complaints
2008: 3200832009: 112010: 7201072011: 662012: 2201222013: 10102014: 182014182015: 19192016: 522016522017: 1751752018: 802018802019: 16162020: 292020292021: 20202022: 7202272023: 332024: 1202412025: 22

n = 451 complaints · Source: NHTSA

2008 Mercury Milan recalls (4)

Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.

Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator moduleMar 10, 2021 · NHTSA campaign 21V158000 · 2,602,668 vehicles

Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2007-2011 Ranger, 2006-2012 Fusion, Lincoln Zephyr, Lincoln MKZ, 2006-2011 Mercury Milan, 2007-2010 Ford Edge, and Lincoln MKX vehicles. The driver's side air bag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.

Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.

Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver-side airbag inflator or module with an alternate one, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on April 9, 2021 for the passenger side, and November 14, 2022 for the driver side. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S12.

Service brakes, hydraulic:antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip:control unit/moduleDec 18, 2019 · NHTSA campaign 19V904000 · 600,166 vehicles

Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2006-2010 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan, Lincoln Zephyr and MKZ vehicles. The valves within the ABS Hydraulic Control Units (HCU) may react with brake fluids containing specific corrosion preventative additives. This reaction may cause the valves to not close properly.

Risk: If the valves do not properly close, additional brake pedal travel may be required to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will flush the brake system with DOT 4 fluid and install a new brake fluid reservoir cap. In addition, the HCU will be tested to detect a possible stuck valve condition, replacing the HCU as necessary. All services will be performed free of charge. The recall began April 1, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S54.

Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator moduleDo not driveJan 10, 2017 · NHTSA campaign 17V024000 · 654,695 vehicles

Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2012 Ford Fusion and Mustang and Lincoln Zephyr and MKZ vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Ford is recalling certain 2009 Ford Ranger, Edge, Fusion and Mustang, Lincoln MKX, MKZ and Zephyr and Mercury Milan vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" or "Zone B" above, Ford is recalling certain 2007-2008 Ford Ranger, Edge and Lincoln MKX, 2006-2008 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan, Lincoln Zephyr and MKZ, 2005-2008 Ford Mustang and 2005-2006 Ford GT vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. Interim letters informing owners of the recall and that parts are not yet available began mailing March 1, 2017. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S01.

Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator moduleDo not driveMay 31, 2016 · NHTSA campaign 16V384000 · 1,892,343 vehicles

Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2007-2011 Ford Ranger vehicles, 2006-2011 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles, 2007-2010 Ford Edge, Lincoln MKX vehicles, 2005-2006 Ford GT vehicles, and 2005-2011 Ford Mustang vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Ford is recalling certain model year 2007-2008 Ford Ranger, Edge and Lincoln MKX vehicles, 2006-2008 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles, 2005-2006 Ford GT vehicles and 2005-2008 Ford Mustang vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Any vehicle not included in "Zone A", or "Zone B" is not included in the safety recall. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. Ford mailed interim letters informing owners that parts are not yet available on July 15, 2016. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S01.

To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.

NHTSA defect investigations

  • Extended Braking Distance (EA18002) — opened Apr 18, 2018, closed Jan 15, 2021, led to recall 19V904000.
  • Extended Braking Distance (PE16017) — opened Dec 20, 2016, closed May 4, 2018.
  • Floor mat interference with accelerator (EA12009) — opened Dec 12, 2012, closed Jun 12, 2014, led to recall 14E028000.
  • Accel Pedal Interference - Acc Floormat (PE10019) — opened May 28, 2010, closed Jan 11, 2013.
  • Tire valve cracking (PE08060) — opened Oct 14, 2008, closed Apr 9, 2009.

Recent owner reports

Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.

08 merc milan abs did not work and brakes failed almost causing major accidents. I used e brake to stop. Brakes went to floor. Been calling for and dealerships for recalls I find out now about abs malfunctioning noone will fix or get back to me. Leaking brake fluid all around abs module now…

Service Brakes · received Apr 16, 2025 · NHTSA complaint 11655118

There is a problem with my tourqe converter with 100k miles. My car won't accelerate.

Engine · received Feb 7, 2025 · NHTSA complaint 11641428

P205/60r16

Tires · received Apr 25, 2024 · NHTSA complaint 11585170

The ABS brake function checked out during the recall window on Nov. 2 of 2021. The Ford dealer mechanics purged the brake system with fresh fluid and tested the function. Tested OK. The car was used without issue until recently and now the brake pedal goes down nearly to the floor before the brakes…

Service Brakes · received Nov 27, 2023 · NHTSA complaint 11556992

The gas pedal gets stuck at the top when I go to press down on it allowing the car to keep driving when I am trying to stop the car.

Service Brakes · received Apr 5, 2023 · NHTSA complaint 11515561

Other Mercury Milan years

← 2007 Milan · 2009 Milan →

YearComplaintsRecalls
2011 Milan1917
2010 Milan1,00311
2009 Milan2266
20084514
2007 Milan4344
2006 Milan2144

See all Mercury Milan problems by year, every Mercury model, or the VIN decoder.

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Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems with the 2008 Mercury Milan?

Owners most often report air bags, service brakes, vehicle speed control problems. The top one, air bags, accounts for 211 complaints.

Was there a recall on the 2008 Mercury Milan?

Yes, 4 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.

Was the 2008 Mercury Milan a good year?

Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Milan model years, the 2008 has more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.