1999 Mercury Mountaineer problems & reliability
151 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1999 Mercury Mountaineer, alongside 4 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
8 complaints report injuries (9 injured, 1 deaths reported).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1999 Mercury Mountaineer vehicles were involved in 6 fatal crashes with 5 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Tires → | 51 | 34% |
| Visibility → | 21 | 14% |
| Air Bags → | 14 | 9% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling → | 12 | 8% |
| Vehicle Speed Control → | 11 | 7% |
| Electrical System → | 10 | 7% |
| Power Train | 8 | 5% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 8 | 5% |
| Equipment | 6 | 4% |
| Seats | 4 | 3% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 70,000 miles (middle 50% between 49,702 and 106,032 miles), based on 39 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Curse control occasionally makes engine accelerate while and after brake applied while moving under 5 mph and even while stopped with brake still applied. More than once a pedestrian was at risk in a crosswalk while vehicle stopped with brake still applied, then engine suddenly became near full throttle, requiring…”
Vehicle Speed Control · filed May 27, 2018
“Exploding airbags filled vehicle with smoke and ash. I received minor burns and abrasions on arms and face, daughter riding in back seat received black eye form flying object and required scan of head to rule out head injury. Was result of accident”
Air Bags · filed Jan 7, 2018
“Tl* the contact owns a 1999 mercury mountaineer equipped with cooper discoverer h/t tires, size: p265/75r15. While driving approximately 70 mph, a loud banging noise came from the rear of the vehicle. After stopping to inspect the vehicle, it was discovered that the rear driver side tire had experienced tread…”
Tires · filed Nov 28, 2016
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- SPARK PLUG EJECTION FROM CYLINDER HEAD
Defect Petition DP05005 · opened Sep 22, 2005 · closed Jan 4, 2006
- FRONT SEAT BACK RECLINER ATTACHMENT
Preliminary Evaluation PE03020 · opened May 21, 2003 · closed Sep 5, 2003 · led to recall 03V281000
- WINDSHIELD WIPER MALFUNCTION
Preliminary Evaluation PE99049 · opened Jul 28, 1999 · closed Apr 24, 2000 · led to recall 00V072000
- VEHICLE HESITATION/STALLING
Investigation SQ99017 · opened Jun 9, 1999 · closed Feb 22, 2000
Technical service bulletins
340 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1999 Mercury Mountaineer. The 10 most recent:
Front axle leaks fluid from vent tube - vehicles equipped with 4x4 or awd. *tt
030508 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 1, 2005
Warning indicators-parking aid-reverse sensing system (rss) and forward sensing system (fss)-false activation of warning tone-service tips. *mj update. *tt
0471 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 31, 2004
General (pcm) power train control module programming procedures. *tt
042107 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 13, 2004
Rear window defroster grid/integral antenna diagnosis and repair - terminal tab repair. *tt
04189 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 13, 2004
General power train control module (pcm) programming procedures. *tt
04217 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 1, 2004
Rear window defroster grid/integral antenna diagnosis and repair - terminal tab repair. *tt
041514 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 9, 2004
Inoperative electric rear window defroster (heated backlite) grid lines, integral antenna concerns. *tt
031501 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 12, 2004
Low line pressure reading at wide open throttle (wot), slipping shifts and / or delayed engagements with possible diagnostic trouble codes p0732, p0733, p1762 set on vehicles built before 12/1/2001. *tt
02138 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 10, 2003
Malfunction indicator lamp illuminated with diagnostic trouble codes (dtcs) p0442, p0455, p0456, p0457 or p1442 or a check fuel cap lamp illuminated with dtc p0457 for the evaporative emission system. *tt
03203 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 13, 2003
Rattle/buzz sound from under the vehicle on 4.0l single overhead cam (sohc) engines. *tt
03199 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 29, 2003
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 1999 Mercury Mountaineer has 4 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 1999 Mercury Mountaineer?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 70,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.