"How reliable is the 2004 Mercury Monterey?"

"Based on 346 NHTSA complaints, the 2004 Mercury Monterey has a median complaint mileage of 85000 miles. The most common issue is POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION."

"What are common problems with the 2004 Mercury Monterey?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2004 Mercury Monterey is POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION, accounting for a significant portion of the 346 total complaints filed."

2004 Mercury Monterey: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 346 complaints

346

Total Complaints

85,000mi

Median Mileage

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

59,041 25th Percentile

85,000 Median Mileage

115,170 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

130

POWER TRAIN

SEATS

STRUCTURE:BODY

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:TORQUE CONVERTER

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

STEERING

ENGINE

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"THE FRONT WHEEL OF THE 2004 MERCURY MONTEREY FELL OFF. THE VEHICLE HAD 1030 MILES ON IT WHEN IT HAPPENED. IT WAS IN FOR A SAFETY/COURTESY/NEW CAR CHECK AT 600 MILES WHERE THE DEALER SAID HE RETORQUED THE WHEELS. 400 MILES LATER WE HAD A NOISE IN THE BRAKING SYSTEM -- THE TECH SAID THERE WAS A TSB..."

"I AM IN POSSESSION OF A MERCURY MONTERY 2004 PURCHASED NEW AUGUST 2004. WHEN THIS VEHICLE HAD 4000 MILES AND DURING THE FIRST LENGHTHY HIGHWAY TRIP IN MARCH 2005, I BECAME AWARE OF PULSATING BRAKES BEGINNING AT A SPEED OF 50MPH AND HIGHER. THIS PULSATING MADE ME UNABLE TO SAFELY BRAKE AT A SPEED O..."

"AT 42000 MILES, I HEARD GRINDING IN THE REAR BRAKES. I TOOK IT IN TO HAVE IT LOOKED AT. I WAS SHOWN THAT THE DRIVER REAR BRAKES PADS WERE COMPLETELY GROUND INTO THE ROTOR. THE PASSENGER REAR BRAKES WERE ALMOST AS WORN. ROTOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED IN THE REAR. THE FRONT BRAKES LOOK GREAT, AS IF ..."

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