1996 Mercury Mystique Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Mystique years
- Far more complaints than other years 3rd of 8 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 7 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 185 complaints with NHTSA about the 1996 Mercury Mystique. That ranks 3rd out of 8 Mystique model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is electrical system (47 complaints, 25%), typically at around 97,450 miles. Complaints mention 7 crashes, 12 fires, 9 injuries. There are 7 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 5 defect investigations involving it.
- 185owner complaints
- 7safety recalls
- 5NHTSA investigations
- 7complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 1996 Mercury Mystique problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical System | 47 | 25% | 97,450 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 41 | 22% | 94,750 | — | — |
| Power Train | 30 | 16% | 102,000 | — | — |
| Visibility | 19 | 10% | 53,000 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 15 | 8% | 86,500 | — | — |
| Suspension | 15 | 8% | 126,488 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 14 | 8% | 81,464 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 14 | 8% | — | — | — |
| Steering | 13 | 7% | 86,032 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 9 | 5% | 69,213 | — | — |
| Structure | 8 | 4% | — | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 8 | 4% | — | — | — |
| Air Bags | 7 | 4% | 88,000 | — | — |
| Equipment | 7 | 4% | 107,520 | — | — |
| Interior Lighting | 5 | 3% | 107,520 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 2 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Seats | 2 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Tires | 2 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Air | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
1996 Mercury Mystique recalls (7)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Electrical system
Problem: On certain my 1996-1998 passenger vehicles built at the kansas city, cuautitlan assembly plants or on my 1999 passenger vehcles built at the automotive alliance international assembly plants, the rough surface of the heater blower resistor's stainless steel blades can damage the copper surface of the wiring harness connector. The damage could, over time, cause increased resistance in the connector and, due to subsequent terminal relaxation, result in an open circuit condition.
Risk: The open circuit could lead to electrical arcing that could melt the connector housing material creasing the potential for a fire.
Fix: Dealers will install a new heater blower resistor and a new wire jumper harness. Owner notification began august 29, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact ford at 1-800-392-3673.
Engine and engine cooling
Problem: Vehicle description: 1995 passenger vehicles equipped with the 2.0l and 2.5l engines, and 1996 vehicles equipped with 2.5l engines. Tightening of the engine cooling fan motor bearings, up to and including motor stall, can result in increased motor torque and higher than normal motor current and accompanying high motor temperatures.
Risk: Overheating of the cooling fan motor due to excessive current can result in smoke and odors from bearing grease, insulation and other internal motor components. If electrical current continues to be applied to the motor, internal motor components could ignite possibly igniting other engine compartment components.
Fix: Dealers will install a positive temperature coefficient device in-line with each fan motor. Ford will also extend the warranty on the engine cooling fan assembly to a total of 8 years of service or 100,000 miles from the warranty start date, whichever occurs first. If the vehicle already has more than 100,000 miles, this coverage will last until july 31, 2001.
Service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components
Problem: Vehicle description: passenger vehicles not equipped with the anti-lock braking system (abs). A pressure conscious reducing valve (pcrv) in the rear brakes may be subject to corrosion and result in malfunction, when operated in areas that use salt compounds on the roadway for de-icing or dust control.
Risk: If both pcrv's malfunction, vehicle handling could be adversely affected during braking as a result of the rear wheels locking, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will install improved pcrv's in the rear brake system. This recall was expanded in september 2000 to include 1999 and 2000 ford contour, mercury mystique and cougar vehicles.
Fuel system, gasoline:storage:tank assembly:filler pipe and cap
Problem: Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The fuel filler pipe vent hose may have less than the intended level of ozone resistance, which could result in the hose becoming brittle and cracking.
Risk: A cracked hose could result in fuel leakage when the vehicle is being fueled.
Fix: Dealers will install a fuel filler vent hose contacting the appropriate blend of pvc and nitrile rubber.
Exterior lighting:headlights:switch
Problem: Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The terminals at the headlight switch and wiring harness connector can experience heat damage as a result of overheating.
Risk: The damage could result in distortion of the terminal causing an open circuit in the instrument panel illumination, parking lamp, and tail lamp circuits.
Fix: Dealers will install a headlamp switch wiring connector containing bronze terminals and an inspection, and replacement if necessary, of the headlamp switch.
Power train:automatic transmission:lever and linkage:floor shift
Problem: Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The floor shift automatic transmission control can be damaged if subjected to certain interior cleaning products. The gear position indicator can deteriorate and not correctly indicate the actual gear position.
Risk: This condition can result in incorrect gear selection.
Fix: Dealers will replace the automatic transmission floor shift control.
Vehicle speed control:cables
Problem: Vehicle description: passenger vehicles equipped with the traction control option. The throttle cables were damaged during vehicle assembly leading to fraying or separation of the throttle cable.
Risk: This condition could prevent the engine from returning to idle.
Fix: Dealers will replace the throttle cable with a revised design that is less susceptible to bending or kinking during installation.
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
- Incorrect gear indication (RQ02006) — opened Feb 26, 2002, closed Sep 12, 2002, led to recall 98V233000.
- Blower switch/resistor or wiring harness (EA01001) — opened Jan 5, 2001, closed Jul 31, 2001, led to recall 01I009000.
- Blower switch/resistor or wiring harness (PE00023) — opened Jun 14, 2000, closed Jan 5, 2001.
- Various intermittent electrical issues (RQ99019) — opened Sep 15, 1999, closed Mar 7, 2001, led to recall 99V243000.
- Headlight switch (PE98063) — opened Dec 3, 1998, closed May 10, 1999, led to recall 99V103000.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
1996 mercury mys air bags failure in car accident. *tr
The under hood wire harness burned up. This car has 89,000 miles and runs good. I heard there was a recall / tsb #( onp 99m03) on this car but ford will not honor it because the car is over 10 years old. I think ford should reimburse for repairs or buy back the car. This is a dangerous situation as…
Tl*the contact owns a 1996 mercury mystique. The parking lights on the front and rear of the vehicle along with the instrument panel lights were inoperative. The manufacturer stated that the vin was not included in nhtsa campaign id number 99v103000 (exterior lighting:headlights:switch). The…
The forward gears on my transmission have ceased to work. Now i'm being told that the transmission needs to be replaced. I find it kind of weird that a 96 needs a new transmission already. *tr
Faulty wiring insulation makes the car inoperable and dangerous to operate. *tr
Other Mercury Mystique years
← 1995 Mystique · 1997 Mystique →
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 Mystique | 2 | 0 |
| 2001 Mystique | 2 | 0 |
| 2000 Mystique | 63 | 3 |
| 1999 Mystique | 128 | 2 |
| 1998 Mystique | 231 | 8 |
| 1997 Mystique | 71 | 4 |
| 1996 | 185 | 7 |
| 1995 Mystique | 335 | 8 |
See all Mercury Mystique 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 1996 Mercury Mystique?
Owners most often report electrical system, engine and engine cooling, power train problems. The top one, electrical system, accounts for 47 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 1996 Mercury Mystique?
Yes, 7 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 1996 Mercury Mystique a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Mystique model years, the 1996 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.