Driving at normal speed of approximately 40 MPH on a city street, the spark plug and coil shot out from the #2 cylinder. A large percussion banging sound emitted from under the hood which was the detectable evidence something had just gone desperately wrong with the engine.
2002 Mercury Mountaineer engine problems
35 complaints (9% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 92,213.
- owner complaints
- 35
- of this car's complaints
- 9%
- typical mileage
- 92,213
- crashes
- 0
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
- Engine7
- Engine: gasoline4
- Exhaust system2
- Exhaust system: manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe1
- Exhaust system: emission control: gas recirculation valve (EGR valve)1
- Engine: gasoline: belts and associated pulleys1
- Cooling system: radiator assembly1
- Cooling system1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
0k-25k
25k-50k
50k-75k
75k-100k
100k-125k
125k-150k
150k-175k
175k-200k
200k+
Mercury Mountaineer engine problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 2002 Mercury Mountaineer engine
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Related investigations
Spark plug ejection from cylinder head
On september 6, 2005, odi received a petition requesting that the agency investigate allegations of engine spark plug ejection in certain model year 1997 through 2004 ford vehicles with triton v-8 and v-10 engines.odi received a total of 474 non-duplicative complaints on the subject vehicles where the complainant, or the dealer repairing the vehicle, reported that a spark plug detached from the cylinder and/or ejected from the engine.as of december 8, 2005, odi is not aware of any allegations where the alleged defect resulted in a loss of vehicle control, a crash, an injury, or a fatality in any of the 10,319,810 subject vehicles.in addition, odi is aware of only two incidents where the vehicle stalled without restart.information contained in the odi consumer complaints and obtained from 72 telephone interviews with complainants showed the following:(1) 99% of the complaints were on my 1997 to 2002 subject vehicles.(2) most the complainants reported hearing a loud pop while driving or upon starting up the vehicle followed by a loud, repetitive clicking or popping sound.(3) many of the complainants reported that the popping sound was accompanied by some loss of vehicle power; however, in 99% of the incidents reported, the vehicle did not stall.in the very few incidents where the vehicle did stall, most vehicles could be restarted.(4) only a small percentage of the complainants cited that they smelled gas or a slight burning smell when the incident occurred.(5) in all but a very few incidents, vehicle damage was limited to the engine.in one incident, the complaint reported that the fuel rail was damaged and replaced after one of the spark plugs ejected from the engine; however, the complainant reported that the damage did not result in any type of fuel leak or fire.in another incident, the only incident where a fire was alleged, the complainant reported that no fluid leak was observed, but that a fire resulted after the spark plug had ejected from the engine and he had restarted the vehicle and driven to another location.none of the complainants reported any damage to the vehicle hood.(6) only two complainants reported that they observed what appeared to be some drops of fuel coming from the cylinder where the spark plug had failed or on the spark plug itself; however, each of these complainants reported that there was no smoke or flames as a result of his incident.as the petitioner noted, and odi?s analysis showed, it is possible for a spark plug to detach from the engine cylinder threads in the subject vehicles.however, odi?s analysis of 474 complaints describing such incidents found only a very few alleged any safety-related consequences.none of these showed any evidence of a serious safety consequence.given the large population and relatively long exposure time of the subject vehicles, the complaint analysis indicates that the risk to motor vehicle safety from the alleged defect is very low.in view of the foregoing, it is unlikely that the federal safety agency would issue an order for the notification and remedy of the alleged defect at the conclusion of the investigation requested in the petition.therefore, in view of the need to allocate and prioritize the federal safety agency?s limited resources to best accomplish the agency?s safety mission, the petition is denied.
DP05005
What 2002 Mercury Mountaineer owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
My spark plug on #2 cylinder just shot out of my truck's engine... Argh!!!! Destroyed my coil pack and could have busted the fuel line. And now I cant put in the spark plug. Wtf........???????
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 mercury mountaineer. While driving approximately 3 MPH, the high temperature and low oil warning indicators illuminated. The oil pressure gauge dropped to zero and a loud noise was heard. The contact merged the vehicle to the emergency lane and shut the vehicle off. The contact checked the oil level and observed that the oil was full. The contact restarted the vehicle and the noise was still present. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The technician noticed that there were metal shavings in the engine oil and the engine needed to be replaced or repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage was 150,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 mercury mountaineer. The contact stated while driving approximately 20 MPH and suddenly all of the instrumental panel lights including the "door ajar" light illuminated on and off then suddenly the vehicle stalled . Immediately after the failure occurred the contacts dome lights did not disengage. The contact took her vehicle to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The mechanic stated that the failure was caused by an unknown electrical failure. Both the dealer and manufacturer were not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 150,000.
I purchased a 2002 mercury mountaineer on 4/11/2011. As I was driving it home from the dealership, the same day, I noticed some black smoke coming out the back of the car. There were no messages that came up in the message center window so I had no clue what was happening. As I looked back up from the rear view mirror, I noticed a first responders truck next to the drivers window who was yelling " get out of the vehicle, its on fire!" immediately I pulled over and my mother and I had to jump from the vehicle because the entire engine area was engulfed with flames. I was injured while I was fleeing from the vehicle. The fire department and state troopers were enroute and my vehicle was hosed down and towed. I almost died in this vehicle because of the rear differential going out on it. This vehicle type has had many problems with this part and their customers should be compensated! This car is a fire hazard! If I would have had my 3 small children in their car seats I may not have been able to get them all out in time. Compensated!!
2002 mercury mountaineer has unexpected ignition misfiring codes, causing hard idle. And this is causing costly diagnostic servicing that cant locate the problem. I had asked 25 other owners and the are having the same problem...VIN # [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
New showroom 2002 mercury mountaineer. The engine in this vehicle malfunctioned twice without warning; no overheating, no dashboard light indicators either time. July 2004/odometer reading 92213, the mechanics at the freeway lincoln mercury were baffled. They advised me that all the fluids were in the vehicle. Later (one week) they found a "hole" in the radiator. I was told I had a new engine, with a new warranty. 2nd time was june 06, odometer 166199,(new engine 73986) no warning, no dashboard lights, no overheating. Per a different certified mechanic not only was the engine not new but it had severe corrosion in it and showed signs of multiple overheating conditions. They told me of an "all technical service bulletin" dated 1/21/02 for my vehicle's engine regarding the "engine head gasket"---"some engine assemblies with aluminum cylinder heads repaired in-vehicle have been found to leak coolant and/or oil from the cylinder head gasket area due to particle contamination or scratches and dents to block mating surfaces." action: refer to the following service information for recommended gasket sealing surface preparation procedures. If the engine diagnosis points to a faulty head gasket (leaks oil, leaks coolant, oil or coolant contamination, or air in coolant), thorough cleaning procedures are necessary for a successful head gasket repair. Diagnosis and post- repair confirmation can be done successfully utilizing leak detection methods such as a black light dye process. Service procedure:to sum up, a successful leak repair depends on:accurate diagnosis of the leak using ford-recommended test equipment and procedures .surface preparation and gasket installation using the approved tools, cleaners, and methods.exercising care and cleanliness during disassembly/assembly of components use of genuine ford oem replacement parts<use of a ford remanufacturer
Driving from dallas, tx, to west lafayette, in, in jan 2010, the 2002 mercury mountaineer with 4.6l v8 engine blew a spark plug out of the cylinder head causing us to stop in a small town to have the engine repaired. This was a factory installed (not replaced) spark plug. I have seen many complaints about this in the ford v8 engine. The vehicle had around 86,000 miles on it at the time and was not due for a spark plug replacement until 100,000 miles. This was a safety hazard as gasoline is spewing out of the cylinder head with an attached and still arcing spark plug.
While driving on i75, I heard a loud bang then a constant popping sound from under the hood. I pulled off the interstate and looked under the hood. I found that one of the spark plugs had blown out of the engine, which allowed fuel to escape into the engine compartment.
Just left the highway and ended up at a red light traffic signal and one the light turned green, I went to drive off and a loud boom I could hear coming from under my hood, as I looked in my rear view mirror a semi truck started honking its horn and slammed to miss hitting from behind. I went to pull to the side the road but truck was jumping all over and I had to pull in front of cars turning which I smelt a smell like something burning. The spark plug had ripped from its socket, it had happened the first time 1 year ago now 2nd one, repairman says he sees this all the time with my vehicle, " ford is helping putting my kids through college with these problems from your year" wow, I thought ford got, paid, repairmen got paid, and I'm the only one taken for a ride of a lifetime. Not right is it.
Questions about the 2002 Mercury Mountaineer engine
Does the 2002 Mercury Mountaineer have engine problems?
Owners have filed 35 complaints about the engine of the 2002 Mercury Mountaineer, 9% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 2002 Mercury Mountaineer engine problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 92,213 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2002 Mercury Mountaineer engine?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
What year does the Mercury Mountaineer have bad engine?
The Mercury Mountaineer model years with the most engine complaints are 2006 (56 complaints), 2002 (35 complaints) and 1998 (22 complaints).
Other 2002 Mercury Mountaineer problems
Transmission 144Body 70Suspension 36Visibility 33Brakes 23Steering 23Airbags 20Electrical 19Acceleration 18Fuel system 8Tires 8Seat belts 7Locks 6Wheels 6Seats 2Driver assistance 1Lights 1
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