1999 Mercury Mystique problems & reliability
128 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1999 Mercury Mystique, alongside 1 safety recall campaign. 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.
11 complaints report injuries (12 injured, 1 deaths reported).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1999 Mercury Mystique vehicles were involved in 2 fatal crashes with 1 occupant death. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Structure → | 28 | 22% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic → | 19 | 15% |
| Unknown OR Other | 19 | 15% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling → | 15 | 12% |
| Electrical System → | 14 | 11% |
| Visibility → | 14 | 11% |
| Air Bags | 6 | 5% |
| Equipment | 6 | 5% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 6 | 5% |
| Suspension | 6 | 5% |
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 60,000 miles (middle 50% between 41,150 and 80,500 miles), based on 47 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“I was driving along when I could smell my car getting hot, so I pulled over and sure enough it was overheating, but did not show inside on the dashboard, so I had it checked and the plastic housing around the thermostat was cracked in 3 places, so I say fix it ,they said it would be 450.00, ok no problem, then they…”
Engine · filed Oct 8, 2012
“S10 appropriate handling- letter to the secretary from requesting the recall and replacement of faculty floor mats due to safety reasons on his 1999 mercury mystique. *tgw the consumer stated the clips that held the floor mats in place broke due to normal wear.”
Equipment · filed Mar 17, 2011
“Tl* the contact owns a 1999 mercury mystique. The entire length of the instrument control panels surface began developed cracks and warps. A plastic piece from the panel, that was 5 inches in height blocks the windshield. The vehicle has not been repaired for the malfunction. The contact commented the failure was…”
Structure · filed Oct 29, 2009
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- INSTRUMENT PANEL COVER WARPAGE
Defect Petition DP06004 · opened Oct 23, 2006 · closed Apr 10, 2007
- BLOWER SWITCH/RESISTOR OR WIRING HARNESS
Engineering Analysis EA01001 · opened Jan 5, 2001 · closed Jul 31, 2001 · led to recall 01V230000
Technical service bulletins
170 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1999 Mercury Mystique. The 10 most recent:
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
Inoperative electric rear window defroster (heated backlite) grid lines, integral antenna concerns. *tt
031501 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 12, 2004
Malfunction indicator lamp illuminated with diagnostic trouble code p0420 and/or p0430/ 2.5l engine only. *tt
04104 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 21, 2004
Steering column shipped without crush pad - reuse original crush pad if not damaged. *tt
041814 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 1, 2004
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
Remote keyless entry (rke) - service tips. *tt
03181 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 15, 2003
Malfunction indicator lamp on and diagnostic trouble codes p0171/p0174 or p1072/p0175 stored in memory or as hard faults. Hesitation, lack of power or runs rough condition. *tt
17174 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 1, 2003
The malfunction indicator lamp (mil) may be illuminated and diagnostic trouble codes (dtcs) p1380, p1381, p1383, and/or p0340 may be stored in memory. *tt
031514 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 4, 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 Mystique has 1 NHTSA recall campaign — 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 Mystique?
- · 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 60,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.