2006 Mercury Monterey

No clear pattern

0% of complaints about the 2006 Mercury Monterey arrived in its first year of service. That is an unusual figure for a 2006 vehicle, but with only 54 complaints on record the sample is too small to call it a pattern — the margin of error covers the range where ordinary vehicles sit. The figures below are reported without a verdict. The most-reported system is power train (34 complaints), typically at 9.7 yr or about 86,778 miles.

Complaints: 54
Median age at failure: 8.3 yr
Median mileage: 78,655 n=53
Crash / fire / tow: 7.4% of reports
Safety recalls: 3

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

13V081000 2013-03-07

Seats

Ford is recalling certain model year 2004-2007 Freestar and Mercury Monterey vehicles manufactured from March 24, 2003, through November 7, 2006, equipped with a third row seat and originally sold in, or currently registered in, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. The third row stowable seat can experience corrosion and structural degradation at the seat anchor mechanism mounted to the

In the event that the vehicle is crashed into from the rear, an unlatched seat may increase the risk of personal injury.

06E056000 2006-06-13

Fuel system

CERTAIN AFTERMARKET FUEL FILTERS SOLD UNDER THE PUROLATOR BRAND NAME, P/N F65277, SHIPPED FROM JANUARY 16 THROUGH JUNE 2, 2006, FOR USE ON THE ABOVE LISTED PASSENGER VEHICLES. DUE TO INCORRECT DESIGN, THE QUICK CONNECTORS MAY NOT FULLY SEAT WITH THE TUBE INTERFACE, EVEN THOUGH THE PERSON MAKING THE CONNECTION MAY BELIEVE THAT THE QUICK CONNECTOR IS FULLY ATTACHED.

FAILURE OF THIS CONNECTION COULD LEAD TO FUEL SPILLAGE AND, IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE, A FIRE COULD OCCUR.

06V069000 2006-03-09

Structure:body:hatchback/liftgate

ON CERTAIN VANS EQUIPPED WITH THE POWER LIFTGATE OPTION, THE POWER LIFTGATE MOTOR AUTOMATICALLY DISENGAGES AFTER THE LIFTGATE IS POWERED OPEN.

IN THE EVENT OF A LIFTGATE STRUT MALFUNCTION, THE LIFTGATE CAN FALL FREELY WITH NO PRIOR WARNING. ANYONE STANDING BENEATH THE LIFTGATE MAY BE INJURED IF THE LIFTGATE FALLS.

In owners’ own words

Power train 35,487 mi 6.0 yr in service

VEHICLE STOPPED FOR A TRAFFIC LIGHT. WHEN A DRIVE AWAY WAS ATTEMPTED THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT MOVE IN ANY GEAR. ENGINE OPERATED NORMALLY. THERE WERE ABSOLUTELY NO WARNING SIGNS. *TT VEHICLE WAS TRANSPORTED TO A FORD SERVICE GARAGE. THE DIAGNOSIS WAS A FAILED TORQUE CONVERTER.

Power train 73,097 mi 6.3 yr in service

THE TORQUE CONVERTER FAILED ON A BUSY FREEWAY. WAS UNABLE TO USE ENGINE POWER TO SAFELY NAVIGATE TO A SAFE STOPPING POINT. THE SPLINES ON THE GEAR IN THE CONVERTER STRIPPED OFF REMOVING THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE ENGINE AND THE TRANSMISSION. *TR

Power train 117,000 mi 6.4 yr in service

NOTE DATE WILL NOT REGISTER//ON FRIDAY FEB. 03,2012 WAS ENTERING I-4 HERE IN FLORIDA. I NOTED THAT THE TACH WENT TO 4000.RPM. STARTED TO LOOSE POWER AND FINALLY PULLED OFF ROAD. TRIED ALL GEARS AND NOTHING WORKED. CALLED A TOW TRUCK AND HAD TOWED TO A MERCURY DEALER. THEY INDICATED THAT IS WAS THE TORQUE CONVERTER. HE STATED THAT THERE WAS A RECALL, BUT NOT ON MY CAR. PLEASE EXPLAIN WHY THERE WAS NOT A RECALL? *TR

Other Monterey 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.

2006 Mercury Monterey

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

In owners’ own words

Other Monterey model years

How to read this