2005 Mercury Mountaineer

Typical pattern

4.4% of complaints about the 2005 Mercury Mountaineer 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 5.8 yr in service. The most-reported system is structure (29 complaints), typically at 6.3 yr or about 66,000 miles.

Complaints: 113
Median age at failure: 5.8 yr
Median mileage: 48,301 n=96
Crash / fire / tow: 8% of reports
Safety recalls: 1

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

07E104000 2007-12-11

Visibility:glass, side/rear

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 FOREIGN VEHICLES MAY NOT BREAK INTO SMALL PIECES AS EXPECTED OF TEMPERED GLASS AND FAILS TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 205, "GLAZING MATERIALS."

IN THE EVENT OF A VEHICLE CRASH, THE OCCUPANT(S) MAY BE SERIOUSLY INJURED BY SHATTERED GLASS.

In owners’ own words

Power train 100 mi 11 mo in service

HAD WARPED ROTORS WITHIN FIRST 2,000 MILES. FORD WOULD ONLY GROUND ROTORS BUT DEALER REPLACED THEM AT NO CHARGE. I HAVE ALSO EXPERIENCED A LOUD, THUMPING NOISE WHEN I AM MAKING A SHARP TURN TO LEFT OR RIGHT AT A VERY LOW SPEED. ALSO, OFTEN WHEN PUTTING CAR IN REVERSE MANY TIMES THERE IS A LARGE THUMP AND VEHICLE APPEARS TO SHIFT HARD. FINALLY, WHEN STOPPED ON A STEEP HILL, AFTER REMOVING FOOT FROM BRAKE, VEHICLE ROLLS BACKWARDS MANY TIMES. *JB

Power train 100 mi 11 mo in service

HAD WARPED ROTORS WITHIN FIRST 2,000 MILES. FORD WOULD ONLY GROUND ROTORS BUT DEALER REPLACED THEM AT NO CHARGE. I HAVE ALSO EXPERIENCED A LOUD, THUMPING NOISE WHEN I AM MAKING A SHARP TURN TO LEFT OR RIGHT AT A VERY LOW SPEED. ALSO, OFTEN WHEN PUTTING CAR IN REVERSE MANY TIMES THERE IS A LARGE THUMP AND VEHICLE APPEARS TO SHIFT HARD. FINALLY, WHEN STOPPED ON A STEEP HILL, AFTER REMOVING FOOT FROM BRAKE, VEHICLE ROLLS BACKWARDS MANY TIMES. *JB

Power train 9,302 mi 1.9 yr in service crash / fire / tow

2005 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER V6 WITH AWD WAS PLACED IN "PARK" , ENGINE TURNED OFF AND KEY REMOVED FROM IGNITION. THE CAR SLIPPED INTO REVERSE AND ROLLED DOWN DRIVEWAY STRIKING MAILBOXES ACROSS STREET. *JB

Structure 66,000 mi 3.8 yr in service

I HAVE A 2005 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER THE SUV HAS 66,000 MILES ON IT AND THE ROOF HAS PAINT PEELING ON IT AND A LARGE RUST SPOT. I TOOK TO THE MERCURY DEALER AND THEY SAID IT WAS NOT RUSTED THROUGH THE BODY. I SAID NOT NOW BUT IT WILL THE SERVICE MANAGER REPLIED YES BUT HOPEFULLY IT WILL BE OUT OF WARRANTY BY THEN ( HE WAS SO HELPFUL ) THE FORD REP CAME TODAY AND REJECTED THE CLAIM DO TO HER BUYING THE SUV USED EVEN THROUGH SHE BROUGHT IT FROM THIS DEALER. I WILL TRY TO APPEAL IT WITH FORD LETS SEE WHAT HAPPENS ????? *TR

Other Mountaineer 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 Mountaineer

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

In owners’ own words

Other Mountaineer model years

How to read this