1997 Mercury Mountaineer Vehicle Speed Control Problems
Owners have filed 59 complaints with NHTSA about vehicle speed control problems on the 1997 Mercury Mountaineer, 18% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 109,500 miles. The words owners use most often: “suddenly accelerated” (8% of reports).
- 59vehicle speed control complaints
- 109,500median miles at failure
- 18mention a crash
- 3mention an injury
- 3related recalls
- 18%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Suddenly accelerated: mentioned in 5 of 59 complaints (8%)
At what mileage do vehicle speed control problems happen?
Based on 8 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 59 complaints, 18 mention a crash, 1 a fire, 3 an injury.
Mercury Mountaineer vehicle speed control complaints by model year
| Model year | Vehicle Speed Control complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 Mountaineer | 4 | 31% | 34,500 |
| 2009 Mountaineer | 1 | 17% | 47,000 |
| 2008 Mountaineer | 2 | 2% | 38,319 |
| 2007 Mountaineer | 7 | 9% | 39,000 |
| 2006 Mountaineer | 3 | 3% | 28,000 |
| 2005 Mountaineer | 13 | 16% | 40,000 |
| 2004 Mountaineer | 21 | 10% | 80,000 |
| 2003 Mountaineer | 9 | 6% | 93,000 |
| 2002 Mountaineer | 18 | 5% | 67,000 |
| 2001 Mountaineer | 2 | 9% | — |
| 2000 Mountaineer | 28 | 23% | 102,000 |
| 1999 Mountaineer | 11 | 7% | 79,000 |
| 1998 Mountaineer | 36 | 15% | 99,800 |
| 1997 Mountaineer | 59 | 18% | 109,500 |
| 1996 Mountaineer | 1 | 33% | — |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (3)
Vehicle speed control
Problem: Ford is recalling model years 1995-2003 windstar, 2000-2003 excursion diesel, 1993-1997 and 1999-2003 f-250 sd through f-550 sd diesel, 1992-2003 e-150 through e-550, 1995-2002 explorer, 1997 and 2002 mercury mountaineer, 1995-1997 and 2001-2003 ranger, and 1994 f53 vehicles equipped with the texas instruments speed control deactivation switch (scds). The scds may leak internally and then overheat, smoke, or burn.
Risk: A vehicle fire could occur with or without the engine running.
Fix: Ford will notify owners that dealers will install a fused wiring harness in line with the scds. On 1999-2003 windstar vehicles with a leaking scds, dealers will also inspect the abs control module connector and repair as necessary. Repairs will be completed free of charge. The safety recall began on october 27, 2009. Owners may contact ford at 1-888-222-2751.
Vehicle speed control
Problem: Vehicle description: sport utility vehicles equipped with 4.0l sohc engines and still retain the original throttle body (part numbers 97jf-9e926ab or 97jf-9e926-ac). Some of the original throttle bodies installed allowed a gap between the plate and bore to be built too narrow. This reduced clearance allowed the engine deposits normally present in the throttle body to contact or bridge the gap. If the engine deposits bridged the gap between the throttle plate and bore and then hardened, on the initial application of the accelerator pedal after the engine has cooled, the operator would need to apply additional force to the accelerator pedal to break the bridge.
Risk: This could result in engine surge when the accelerator pedal breaks free.
Fix: Dealers will replace the original throttle bodies.
Vehicle speed control
Problem: Vehicle description: multi-purpose passenger vehicles equipped with 5.0l engines originally sold or currently registered in the states of alaska, idaho, iowa, maine, michigan (upper peninsula only), minnesota, montana, nebraska, new hampshire, new york, north dakota, south dakota, vermont, wisconsin, and wyoming. These vehicles, when operated for extended periods of time at highway speeds and temperatures below -20 degrees farenheit, do not return to idle due to ice in the throttle body.
Risk: Although the vehicle can be controlled by either applying the service brakes or shifting the transmission to neutral, increased brake pedal efforts or some increase in stopping distance can result.
Fix: Dealers will install a revised pcv system with water heated vacuum source.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
Tl* the contact's husband owns a 1997 mercury mountaineer. The contact stated that when the brake pedal was released, the vehicle unintentionally accelerated. As a result, the contact's husband rear ended another vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was filed and there were no…
When i use the cruise control and then turn it off i can't seem to push my gas pedal when you are driving the vehicle. I have to keep putting extreme pressure on the accelerator pedal until something breaks or pops and then it allows me to push the pedal. I keep having problems with smoke coming…
Tl* the contact owns a 1997 mercury mountaineer. The contact stated that he shifted into drive and the vehicle suddenly accelerated. The contact mentioned that he had to shift to neutral in order to stop the vehicle and stated that the failure occurred several times. The vehicle was taken to the…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 1997 Mercury Mountaineers have vehicle speed control problems?
No. NHTSA has 59 owner complaints about vehicle speed control for the 1997 Mercury Mountaineer (18% of the 328 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 1997 Mercury Mountaineer vehicle speed control?
Yes: 3 safety recalls list vehicle speed control. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
At what mileage do vehicle speed control problems start?
The median reported mileage is 109,500 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about vehicle speed control problems on the 1997 Mercury Mountaineer?
The most frequent phrase is “suddenly accelerated”, in 5 of 59 complaints.
Other 1997 Mercury Mountaineer problems
- Tires problems (138)
See all 1997 Mercury Mountaineer problems or vehicle speed control problems across all Mountaineer years.