1997 Mercury Mountaineer: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 399 complaints
399
Total Complaints
124,646mi
Median Mileage
TIRES:TREAD/BELT
Top Issue
48
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

97,250 25th Percentile
124,646 Median Mileage
156,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

TIRES:TREAD/BELT
81
TIRES
78
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
36
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
24
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL
15
SEAT BELTS
7
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
7
EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER
6
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR
6
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS
6

Severity Assessment

48
Crashes
11
Fires
25
Injuries
2
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"WHILE VEHICLE WAS PARKED ON AN INCLINE WITH IGNITION RUNNING VEHCILE JUMPED INTO REVERSE AND WENT ABOUT 300 FEET AND HIT 2 PARKED VEHICLES. *AK"
"ON FOUR OCASSIONS WHEN BRAKES WERE APPLIED THEY EXHIBITED MINIMUM BRAKING ABILITY/ABS DID NOT ACTIVATE ON ANY OCCASION. *AK"
"OWNER STATES THAT WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE AT 60MPH AND TAKING FOOT OF GAS THE VEHICLE DID NOT SLOW DOWN, OWNER NOTICED THAT VEHICLE WAS GAINING SPEED WHILE APPROACHING OTHER VEHICLES. OWNER HAD TO USE BRAKES CONSISTENTLY TO STOP VEHICLE. *AK"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28