Tl* the contact owns a 1997 mercury mountaineer. The contact stated that he shifted into drive and the vehicle suddenly accelerated. The contact mentioned that he had to shift to neutral in order to stop the vehicle and stated that the failure occurred several times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician was unable to diagnose the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 160,000 and the current mileage was 170,000.
1997 Mercury Mountaineer: sudden unintended acceleration
10 of the 328 complaints about the 1997 Mercury Mountaineer describe sudden unintended acceleration.
- owner complaints
- 10
- of this car's complaints
- 3%
- recalls
- 3
Is there a fix? There are 3 recalls and 4 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below
Sudden unintended acceleration by model year
What owners say
Accelerator pedal is too close to brake pedal. This causes sudden acceleration when applying brake pedal because both pedals are being applied. Appointment for dealer has been made.
While parking at a right angle on a steep hill overlooking a busy road, the car almost at a standstill, the driver's foot on the brake, the car engine suddenly started screaming, the gas pedal depressed on its own and the car surged forward over a concrete parking curb and mowed down a tall palm tree. My daughter-in-law would have been killed if not for hitting the tree, as she had already taken off her seatbelt and opened her door - we were so close to a standstill. The tree stopped the car from going over a very steep hill at a high rate of speed onto traffic on the road below. The replacement value of the tree is not yet known. I have since discovered via channel 4 tv in uk, and dateline nbc that this is a known problem with this vehicle and people have been killed, as my daughter-in-law and I would have been if not for the palm tree. I have now had the cruise control disabled on the vehicle so that I can drive it, as I can not ethically trade it in and let someone else buy it when I know it has a problem. I hope that by registering this brief complaint that it will help you to influence ford lincoln mercury to acknowledge the fault recall these vehicles. Thank you.
While pulling into driveway with foot on brakes, engine started roaring/racing and suddenly accelerated, rear ending another vehicle. Air bags did not deploy.
When applying the brakes for vehicle to come to a stop, engine revs, causing an sudden acceleration. The brakes are unable to stop vehicle. Dealer has been contacted.
When brakes applied the vehicle suddenly accelerated moving forward at approximately a foot per second shifted to neutral RPM's at approximately 3000 vehicle returned to normal
Sudden acceleration caused accident due to throttle linkage failure.
While parking vehicle suddenly accelerated in reverse for no reason. Cause undetermined.
When brakes applied the vehicle suddenly accelerated, causing the vehicle to collide with another . Owner states that in order to stop the vehicle, she had to stand on the brakes. Had to put the vehicle in park to stop the engine from racing. The dealer has the vehicle .
Applied the brakes and vehicle made a loud noise and had sudden acceleration.
Service bulletins that may apply
- On some vehicles, the accelerator pedal bracket may become loose or separated from the dash panel
- Some vehicles may exhibit an intermittent hesitation on acceleration or while turning
- Vehicles may experience a no start condition when parked on an incline with the vehicle in a nose down...
- Some vehicles may exhibit a hard start / long crank, cold start stall, cold rough idle concern
Related recalls
Vehicle speed control
- What is wrong
- Ford is recalling model years 1995-2003 windstar, 2000-2003 excursion diesel, 1993-1997 and 1999-2003 f-250 sd through f-550 sd diesel, 1992-2003 e-150 through e-550, 1995-2002 explorer, 1997 and 2002 mercury mountaineer, 1995-1997 and 2001-2003 ranger, and 1994 f53 vehicles equipped with the texas instruments speed control deactivation switch (scds). The scds may leak internally and then overheat, smoke, or burn.
- Risk
- A vehicle fire could occur with or without the engine running.
- Remedy
- Ford will notify owners that dealers will install a fused wiring harness in line with the scds. On 1999-2003 windstar vehicles with a leaking scds, dealers will also inspect the ABS control module connector and repair as necessary. Repairs will be completed free of charge. The safety recall began on october 27, 2009. Owners may contact ford at 1‑888‑222‑2751.
Recall number 09V399000 · Recall details
Vehicle speed control
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: sport utility vehicles equipped with 4.0l sohc engines and still retain the original throttle body (part numbers 97jf-9e926ab or 97jf-9e926-AC). Some of the original throttle bodies installed allowed a gap between the plate and bore to be built too narrow. This reduced clearance allowed the engine deposits normally present in the throttle body to contact or bridge the gap. If the engine deposits bridged the gap between the throttle plate and bore and then hardened, on the initial application of the accelerator pedal after the engine has cooled, the operator would need to apply additional force to the accelerator pedal to break the bridge.
- Risk
- This could result in engine surge when the accelerator pedal breaks free.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the original throttle bodies.
Recall number 00V422000 · Recall details
Vehicle speed control
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: multi-purpose passenger vehicles equipped with 5.0l engines originally sold or currently registered in the states of alaska, idaho, iowa, maine, michigan (upper peninsula only), minnesota, montana, nebraska, new hampshire, new york, north dakota, south dakota, vermont, wisconsin, and wyoming. These vehicles, when operated for extended periods of time at highway speeds and temperatures below -20 degrees farenheit, do not return to idle due to ice in the throttle body.
- Risk
- Although the vehicle can be controlled by either applying the service brakes or shifting the transmission to neutral, increased brake pedal efforts or some increase in stopping distance can result.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install a revised pcv system with water heated vacuum source.
Recall number 97V074000 · Recall details
Questions about the 1997 Mercury Mountaineer sudden acceleration
Is sudden unintended acceleration a common problem on the 1997 Mercury Mountaineer?
10 of 328 owner complaints about the 1997 Mercury Mountaineer (3%) mention sudden unintended acceleration. The model year with the most reports is 1997.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 1997 Mercury Mountaineer?
There are 3 recalls and 4 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 1997 Mercury Mountaineer
Tire blowout 41Fire or smoke 9Seat belt 8ABS 7No deployment 7Brake failure 7Adaptive cruise 6Door locks 5
VIN decoder
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