MYRModel Year Report

2004 Mercury Mountaineer

◆ Worse than typical
2004 Mercury Mountaineer
BUILT 2026-10-10

This year had 30% to 100% more complaints than this model's typical year.

This verdict reflects complaint volume compared to this model's typical year. Recalls and safety issues below apply regardless of the verdict — always check them.

How is this computed?

Complaints
210
Recalls
1

Campaigns on file for 2004

Investigations
3

Opened by NHTSA

Top problem
Structure

40% of complaints

Complaints per year

1996: 3 complaints 1996 1997: 328 complaints 1998: 236 complaints 1998 1999: 151 complaints 2000: 123 complaints 2000 2001: 22 complaints 2002: 372 complaints 2002 2003: 152 complaints 2004: 210 complaints 2004 210 2005: 82 complaints 2006: 117 complaints 2006 2007: 81 complaints 2008: 96 complaints 2008 2009: 6 complaints 2010: 13 complaints 2010
1996: 3 complaints 1996 1997: 328 complaints 1997 1998: 236 complaints 1998 1999: 151 complaints 1999 2000: 123 complaints 2000 2001: 22 complaints 2001 2002: 372 complaints 2002 2003: 152 complaints 2003 2004: 210 complaints 2004 210 2005: 82 complaints 2005 2006: 117 complaints 2006 2007: 81 complaints 2007 2008: 96 complaints 2008 2009: 6 complaints 2009 2010: 13 complaints 2010
1996: 3 complaints 1996 1997: 328 complaints 1997 1998: 236 complaints 1998 1999: 151 complaints 1999 2000: 123 complaints 2000 2001: 22 complaints 2001 2002: 372 complaints 2002 2003: 152 complaints 2003 2004: 210 complaints 2004 210 2005: 82 complaints 2005 2006: 117 complaints 2006 2007: 81 complaints 2007 2008: 96 complaints 2008 2009: 6 complaints 2009 2010: 13 complaints 2010

2004: 210 complaints

View as data table
YearComplaints
19963
1997328
1998236
1999151
2000123
200122
2002372
2003152
2004210
200582
2006117
200781
200896
20096
201013

Known problem areas

Percentages can add to more than 100% — a complaint can name more than one system.

Structure

40% · 85 reports

Most commonly citing body and hatchback/liftgate.

CRASHINJURY
Show complaint excerpts

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Mercury Mountaineer. The contact stated that the latch on the hatch back fractured. The contact opened the door and the door came down and struck her head. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired.

NHTSA ODI report, 2014-07-07

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Mercury Mountaineer. The contact stated that the rear lift gate hinges were fractured and as a result, the lift gate fell onto the contacts right foot. The contact was not taken to the hospital.

NHTSA ODI report, 2014-02-03

1. Paint coming off of roof and driver's door. 2. Rear passenger side and driver side power windows not working. 3. Cracks in plastic area of rear lift gate around wiper arm. 4.

NHTSA ODI report, 2017-12-11

Also filed under Electrical system and wheels

Power train

32% · 67 reports

Most commonly citing automatic transmission and differential unit.

CRASHFIREINJURY
Show complaint excerpts

I purchased a 2004 Mercury Mountaineer V6 in April, 2004. I immediately started to notice a harsh jerk when putting the car in reverse and sometimes while driving forward. It sometimes felt like driving a 5-speed vehicle.

NHTSA ODI report, 2005-07-06

Vehicle speed control

10% · 21 reports

Most commonly citing cruise control and accelerator pedal.

CRASHINJURY

Electrical system

8% · 16 reports

Most commonly citing switch and 12v/24v/48v battery.

CRASH

Air bags

6% · 12 reports

Most commonly citing side/window and frontal.

CRASHINJURY
Show complaint excerpts

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Mercury Mountaineer. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, the driver and passenger's side curtain air bags deployed erroneously. The contact sustained injuries to the back as a result. A police report was filed.

NHTSA ODI report, 2013-12-30

Safety timeline

1 recall · 3 investigations · oldest first

To check one car, enter its VIN on the NHTSA recall page. Check a VIN →

  1. ▮
    2004Complaint volume 210 complaints filed for this model year.
  2. I
    2005-09-22Defect petitionClosed 2006-01-04 Spark plug ejection from cylinder head
  3. R
    2008-01-15Visibility07E104000 Certain curved tempered replacement glass manufactured by hangzhou safety glass ltd and supplied to safelite by auto temp inc., identified as DOT-430, and sold for use on certain domestic and…

    Remedy: Safelite will notify its retail customers and replace the glass free of charge. Retail customers can contact safelite toll free at 1-888-843-2906. Safelite will notify its wholesale customers and…

    Check if this car was fixed →

  4. I
    2008-06-23Recall queryClosed 2008-10-24 Rear liftgate glass hatch failure
  5. I
    2009-08-18Engineering analysisClosed 2013-02-12 Vehicle Rollaway Allegations

Buy-smart checklist

2004 Mercury Mountaineer — pre-purchase inspection

Inspect

  • Structure: 85 reports on file for this year.
  • Power train: 67 reports on file for this year.
  • Vehicle speed control: 21 reports on file for this year.

Verify these recalls were completed

  • Recall 07E104000 · Visibility
Inspected by ______________ Date ______________

Other years of this model

See all years ranked →

Best years3 years

Worst years3 years

FAQ

Is the 2004 Mercury Mountaineer reliable?
Based on NHTSA complaint volume compared to this model's typical year, the 2004 Mercury Mountaineer is rated "worse than typical".
What are the most common problems with the 2004 Mercury Mountaineer?
The most-reported component is structure, accounting for 40% of complaints on file.
How many recalls does the 2004 Mercury Mountaineer have?
1 recall on file for this model year.

Data updated 2026-10-09 · Complaints are unverified owner reports filed with NHTSA, not independently verified defects. Methodology.