2005 Mercury Montego

Typical pattern

6.5% of complaints about the 2005 Mercury Montego came in the first year, which is unremarkable for a 2005 vehicle — around the middle of the 245 model-years on record. The median complaint arrives at 6.9 yr in service. The most-reported system is power train (49 complaints), typically at 6.6 yr or about 59,300 miles.

Complaints: 186
Median age at failure: 6.9 yr
Median mileage: 70,000 n=168
Crash / fire / tow: 8.1% of reports
Safety recalls: 2

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

06V383000 2006-10-05

Latches/locks/linkages:doors:latch

ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN THE FOLLOWING STATES: ALASKA, COLORADO, CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, IDAHO, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, KANSAS, KENTUCKY, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI, MONTANA, NEBRASKA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, NORTH DAKOTA, OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA, RHODE ISLAND, SOUTH DAKOTA, UTAH, VERMONT, WEST VIRGINIA, WISCONSIN, AND WYOMING. THE SIDE DOOR LATCH MECHANISMS MAY EXPERIENCE WATER INTRUSION ALLOWING THE LATCH MECHANISM TO FREEZE IN COLD WEATHER.

AS A RESULT, THE DOOR LATCH PAWL MAY NOT RETURN TO THE LATCH POSITION WHEN THE DOOR IS CLOSED, AND THE DOOR COULD OPEN WHILE THE VEHICLE IS MOVING.

05V515000 2005-11-09

Fuel system, gasoline:storage:tank assembly:mounting

ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE STRAPS THAT SECURE THE FUEL TANK TO THE VEHICLE BODY MAY BREAK, CAUSING THE FUEL TANK AND FUEL TANK HEAT SHIELD TO DROP ON THE DRIVESHAFT (ALL WHEEL DRIVE VEHICLES) OR EXHAUST SYSTEM (FRONT WHEEL DRIVE VEHICLES).

IF THIS HAPPENS, DRIVERS MAY NOTICE A NOISE OR A FUEL LEAK. A FUEL LEAK IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE COULD RESULT IN A FIRE.

In owners’ own words

Power train 2,000 mi 9 mo in service

ABS BRAKE FAILURE, GAS CAP WARNING COMING ON AND TRANSMISSION FAILURE ALL UNDER NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS THE CAR IS 7 WEEKS OLD

Power train 423 mi 4 mo in service

PURCHASED VEHICLE IN JAN.05 SEAT BELT REPLACED IN JAN TRANSMISSION REPLACED IN FEB. 05 AND A VALVE REPLACED DUE TO CHECK ENGINE WARNING FUEL PUMP REPLACED IN AUG.05, NOW HAVE TROUBLE STARTING CAR

Power train 51,000 mi 3.9 yr in service crash / fire / tow

WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE FREEWAY AT ABOUT 50 MPH I WENT TO ACCELERATE AND THE TRANSMISSION SPUTTERED AND THEN TRIED TO DOWNSHIFT BUT INSTEAD LOCKED UP AND CAUSED THE CARS FRONT TIRES TO SQUEAL AND A RAPID SLOW DOWN. THIS FAILURE OCCURS ANYTIME I TRY TO ACCELERATE TO PASS A VEHICLE. WITH CAREFUL DRIVING I CAN MINIMIZE IT BUT AM NOT ABLE TO ACCELERATE VERY WELL. DEALERSHIP HAS TOLD ME TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION AT MY COST. *TR

Service brakes, hydraulic 2,000 mi 9 mo in service

ABS BRAKE FAILURE, GAS CAP WARNING COMING ON AND TRANSMISSION FAILURE ALL UNDER NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS THE CAR IS 7 WEEKS OLD

Other Montego model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

2005 Mercury Montego

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

In owners’ own words

Other Montego model years

How to read this