Saturday, August 8, 2026
RecallGazette

Vehicle problems, recalls & safety intelligence

2003 Mercury Mountaineer engine and engine cooling problems

10 owner complaints filed with NHTSA name the engine and engine cooling on the 2003 Mercury Mountaineer7% of all complaints for this model year.

10
Engine and Engine Cooling complaints
7%
share of all complaints
median reported incident mileage
0 / 0
crash / fire reports

What owners report

  • I purchased a 2003 mercury mountaineer on 2/15/14 and I took it on a road trip on 2/16/4 with my grandkids. After entering the highway and gaining speed I started to smell a strong burnt rubber and exhaust smell. The smell was very toxic and stuck to our clothing. On 2/18/14, I took it to the…

    filed Feb 19, 2014

  • We have experienced two well known issues with the explorer/mountaineer. The body panel on the back hatch is cracked in the middle and friday we had the spark plug blow out of the head/socket stripping the threads out to the point that the common repair kit used for these instances won't work and…

    filed Sep 4, 2011

Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.

Related service bulletins

  • Some 1997-2008 vehicles equipped with a 4.6l 2v, 5.4l 2v, or 6.8l 2v engine--spark plug thread repair procedure--not covered under new vehicle limited warranty. *nj this includes f-53 motorhome chassis. Updated 2/23/10…

    07212 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 1, 2007
  • Wds cop kit diagnostic tip - coil on plug (cop) ignition systems - engine misfire or rough running. *tt

    041601 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 14, 2005
All 2003 Mercury Mountaineer TSBs →

Counts are unique NHTSA complaints naming this component group. Complaints are unverified owner reports; mileage is computed only from complaints that included a usable odometer reading.