Failure of rear coil spring on 2002 mercury mountaineer.
2002 Mercury Mountaineer suspension complaints
Page 2 of 2: complaints 11 to 36 of 36, newest first, as owners wrote them.
While driving my 2002 mercury mountaineer I hit a bump on a small bridge and my rear drivers side coilspring snapped in half. Oddly about ten days later I was following a mountaineer that hit a dip in the road and the same coilspring broke. I do not know the year of that mountaineer though. To repair the coilspring is extremely expensive because it is dealer only 300.00 for the part and 135.00 to install it.
I had a flat tire at the left rear of the vehicle, when changing the tire I noticed the spring was broken in several pieces. I have to see of the dealer will replace it under warranty my vehicle has 90,000 miles.
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 mercury mountaineer. The vehicle has toyo open country at tires, size p22570r15 (na). The tires were purchased brand new in may of 2007 from jensen tire company while driving 15 MPH. At 36,000 miles, the rear passenger tire blew out in june of 2008. The repair shop stated that the tire was worn down to the steel. The tire company from where the tire was purchased is providing reimbursement for the failed tire. The remaining tires were inspected by other shops and each shop recommended that the rest of the tires be replaced. Toyo stated that the tires needed an alignment. The contact stated that an alignment had just been performed; however, the manufacturer advised her to have another one. While the vehicle was at the shop, the mechanic stated that the ball joints were defective due to the damage caused by the tires and needed to be replaced. The ball joints have not been replaced and the manufacturer is refusing responsibility for the repairs. The failure mileage was 34,200 and current mileage was 123,402.
I had noticed the stance of the vehicle had change and during a routine new york state inspection it was determined that the rear springs on my 2002 mercury mountaineer had broken. The rear spring defect also cause the rear shocks to prematurely wear out and need replacement. The springs were cracked entirely in half. It appears as if there were a defect relating to the metallurgical properties of the metal used or possibly a defect in the manufacture of the springs. At no time was this vehicle driven off road or used to tow anything. The vehicle simply was used by my wife to drive back and forth to work( 20 mile round trip on the highway) the car was out of warranty by about 2 years and had about 50,000 miles on it. A ford representative told me to take it to the dealer for them to inspect it, there conclusion was the same. Two rear broken springs, as well as 2 rear shocks that required replacement . Their cost ....over $1000.00. There is no way this item should break...god forbid it happens on the highway at a high speed, .... A spring break at highway speed would cause the vehicle to become extremely unstable and possibly cause a high speed crash. Springs actually support the weight of the vehicle and when there broken.....there is a sudden and unforeseen unsettling of the vehicle.....which in my opinion is a major safety issue. I brought this to the attention of ford via their 800 telephone # - (800‑392‑3673)...their response was..."we are under no legal responsibility to fix this problem. The car is out of warranty and it was my responsibility to fix the car....." I believe ford has a responsibility, not only me, but to all it's customers who own this vehicle or its cousin the ford explorer. I expected more from a large company such as ford. I'm sure they have a protocol to document this incident, but I wonder if they just swept this incident under the ford carpet. I feel I have a responsibility to let others know...this is why I made this complaint.
Normal driving lead to parts failure. Fortunately no accident occurred, however my mechanic stated that the wheel bearing failure was that severe that had I been traveling on a highway, the result could have been catastrophic. 2002 mercury mountaineer (ford explorer) with wheel bearing/hub failure on all 4 wheels at different mileage intervals. I researched this problem and found hundreds of owners with the same failures. Please research.
Both rear coil springs have broken in two places for no apparent reason which over time ruined my rear wheel bearings my wife drives this vehicle daily and has never towed a trailer or hauled heavy loads.
01/18/07 when truck shifts gears it vibrates. Solution: flush automatic transmission fluid. (also changed oil) helped for a few months but problem is back. ($198.95) 5/29/07 air bag light stays on. Solution: replaced drivers side pretensioner. (also changed oil). $273.19 6/26/07 heard very loud clunking noise. Solution: replaced front differential (internal damage to clutches), both rear axle seals (because of leakage) $1580.23 11/07/07 truck makes loud noise from the rear and seems to jump while turning. Solution: front end alignment and replace seals in rear. $482.97 still have the loud noise and jumping. 12/13/07 take truck to different place with same problem. Solution: replace left front hub bearing. $401.73. 02/18/08 still have same problem with loud noise and jumping. Solution: left rear hub bearing, drums in rear, and now mechanic tells me I need clutch packs in rear to solve problem. Tells me I should take it back to the dealer.??? $380.00. Now I can add all of this up 198.95+273.19+1580.23+482.97+401.73+380.00=$3017.07 to finally get my truck fixed---------priceless!!!!!!!!!
Noticed slight roaring noise in rear suspension. Figured it was a wheel bearing that was worn, which is what it was, but in looking at that issue saw that rear passenger coil spring was broken. Vehicle stance did not indicate a broken spring. Checked the driver side to be safe and noted that rear spring was broken in two places and looked as if it was to come off the bottom spring/strut cushion. As a result of this mechanic indicated broken springs had created premature wear of rear toe links. I am currently looking for replacement parts. This vehicle has seen no off-road use or been used to carry heavy cargo loads. Lady driven only.
Front end noise and vibration this is happening to a large number of ford SUV explorers and mountaineers. It is effecting the driving and shakes the steering wheel. The SUV springs are making a large noisy sound when turning and cant turn all the way in one direction. Truck just stops at a certain point.
The passenger rear side coil spring was cracked and broken almost cut down a tire said the dealer.
While driving on a highway at about 65mph a loud bang was heard and my 2002 mercury mountaineer swerved to the right almost hitting another car. I thought I hit something on the road, but inspection revealed the right rear coil spring had snapped. Further inspection revealed the left side had also broken at some point. I researched the internet and found this to be a common problem. Here are two of the many links with owners expressing the same concerns. Http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1619655 , has two pages of this problem with explorers and mountaineers, http://www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/ford_springs.html , talks about broken springs on all ford models. I called my local dealer to inquire about this problem and was told this is the first they had heard of the problem, however they just happen to stock the parts to repair it. I could not afford their cost so I had no choice but to have it repaired by a relative.
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 mercury mountaineer. While driving 30 MPH uphill, the contact heard a clunking noise coming from the rear of the vehicle. The dealer stated that the wheel bearing needed to be replaced. The VIN and engine size were unknown. The current mileage was 70,000 and failure mileage was 65,000.
Loud roaring noise coming from front left wheel. Ford dealership service department replaced wheel bearing as part had failed. After replacing front wheel bearing the mechanic test drove the vehicle and determined the right rear wheel bearing had failed as well due to a roaring noise coming from rear end right wheel. Both are being replaced for $500.00. Who knows when the other two wheel bearings are going to fail and need replaced. Vehicle only has 81,000 miles on it and it is uncommon to hear of a wheel bearing failing with so few miles. This is not an uncommon problem with 2002 through 2004 mercury mountaineers or ford explorers from other complaints read and the dealership in which I am having the work done at stated this has been a common problem they have had to deal with. I would think with so many problems that a recall would have or will occur. I would understand if it was a vehicle with over 100,000 miles if not more than 150,000 miles, but vehicles with as few as 10,000 miles this is problem that could lead to serious accidents and injuries.
Bought used from a dealer 10-05 with 71328 miles. Checked out by mechanic. No problems w/ drive train, tranny, or suspension, except to change fluids in differentials (rear & front). Did this first week we owned it & water found in rear differential. 1st owner's records came with car. All services were done (no mention of problems). I serviced it every 2-3000 miles. On 4-27-06 the tranny flushed, & the rear differential & transfer case serviced. Mileage was 85857. 2 new tires put on front on 5-25-06 (flat tire). On way home (18 mi. Into 35 mi. Drive), front end started to fail. Couldn't find source of leaking fluid. Drive home. Next morning, tried to return to mechanic with car. Made it about 25 of the 35 miles to town before front end failed. Mechanic showed us the gears from the differential--the "teeth" were sheared completely off 1/3 of it--remaining teeth sheared down by at least 50%. Front differential was replaced, also 4 ball joints, seals for both shafts, brake pads (from differential fluid damage) were replaced. All 4 wheels had bearings repacked. 2 more tires bought. Within 1 week, began hearing noise again from drive train. Car back at mechanic on 6-20-06. The noise now from rear transfer case. It was flushed 2 times (fluid filled with fine metal fragments). The rear differential fluid also changed. Mechanic said 4-6 months until rear end failed. I've now lost the rear end--also have to replace all 4 sets of wheel bearings & replace all axles. Will re-assess front differential after rear is fixed. We've contacted ford, no recalls for our car. They'll not make any repairs or reimburse for faulty equipment. I'm not original owner & warranty has expired. It doesn't qualify for state lemon law (mileage). There's at least 31 problems and 18 complaints on your website that I've had in the 1 year since I bought this car. This is a ford issue. I just want to re-coup my $4000+ in repair costs & trade it off for a non-ford SUV.
Dt*: the contact stated the vehicle's front driver side made a wobbling sound while driving 8 MPH. The sound only occurred when the vehicle was in motion. On 08/08/06 the vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop who inspected the tires and determined that the wheel bearings were bad. The dealer was contacted on the same day and expressed that a diagnostic test needed to be performed to locate the cause of the noise. The manufacturer was not contacted.
During brake inspection mechanic discovered both rear coil springs were broken at the same location on each coil spring. I have never used this vehicle for towing, off-road use, or heavy hauling. I firmly believe this is not normal wear and tear.
Leaking rear-end fluid. Rear-end noise (howl/roar) defect not covered by ford motor company records show that ssm17560 was removed mysteriously.
2002 mountaineer stalls, transmission control assembly, main control valve, and gasket had to be replaced. *ts the lift gate was sticking, and while closing it, the glass shattered, the glass was recalled, and was suppose to have been fixed. The oil light illuminated. The trim on the front door fell off while driving. There was a grinding noise coming from the rear wheels, it was determined that there was severe rust on the brake componets, the park brake shoes fell apart due to corrosion, the rear wheel bearing and knuckle assembly had excessive rust.
Dt: while putting new brakes pads on the rear of my vehicle mechanic found that the coils around shocks were rusty, corroded, and crumbly. The coils fell apart in large chunk's in the mechanic's hands.
At 43577 miles I am having to replace my rear-end. This is going to cost approximately. 1500.00. Also ABS sensor has to be replaced.
While driving 55 MPH heard a knocking noise coming from the rear. Consumer took vehicle to dealer for analysis, and mechanic could not resolve the problem.
The front end dash has a very loud rattle while letting up on the gas or depressing the brake the vehicle has been in the shop five times. They have readjusted the A/C lines many times, tightened items in the engine, and replaced a missing bolt in the firewall. It was fixed once that last a couple of months, but the noise is back. It will be going in the shop for the sixth time. Also, there is a squeak when going over bumps. It has been in the shop twice and they replaced the ball bearing joints. However, the squeak is back.
While driving steering steering wheel shakes.
Three sets of goodyear, eagle ls tires, size p24570r16 (no dot # mentioned) with less than one hundred miles had to be replaced because knots were found on sidewall and tread. Dealer has been contacted. *ak engine light illuminated due to faulty dpfe sensor; air bag light on, air bag module replaced; loose rear center console; vibration and popping noise over bumps, replaced and balanced all four tires, replaced stabilizer bar links, rims were out of round; scrunching noise while turning, rack and pinion replaced; experiencing whistling noise; hard jerk and popping noise when shifting, gear selector slippage; A/C vent squeaking, A/C vent readjusted.
A loud popping noise could be heard coming from front end of vehicle. Dealer has been contacted for problem, and replaced tie rods. Consumer stated that this did not remedy the problem. *ak
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