I purchased a used 2005 mercury mountaineer last month, with 135,400 miles, while using cruise control and traveling approximately 35 MPH, the road went from level to a very slight downgrade. The car then just shut off after audible warning bell was heard. Noticed dashboard lights were all lit and battery gage was normal. I lost power steering, brakes and oil pressure. After pulling safely to the side of the road, I rested for 30 seconds before restarting the car, which subsequently operated normally. After taking it in for an oil change and safety check, I went on a 450 mile weekend trip and had no issues, restricting cruise control to highway speeds. The other day, I was traveling on a different stretch of level road in my town while using cruise control at approx. 35 MPH. After heading into a slight downgrade, I again heard the warning bell, followed by engine shut off. A "check gage" light came on and I lost power steering, oil pressure and brakes. This time, I gently shifted the car into neutral, and while coasting at 15-20 MPH I turned the ignition off before restarting without issue. The car has subsequently operated normally, but I have not engaged the cruise control at any speed.
2005 Mercury Mountaineer: adaptive cruise control problems
10 of the 82 complaints about the 2005 Mercury Mountaineer describe adaptive cruise control problems.
- owner complaints
- 10
- of this car's complaints
- 12%
- typical mileage
- 48,549
- recalls
- 0
Adaptive cruise control problems by model year
What owners say
I had the cruise control set on 30 MPH driving in a residential area. Without warning, all the lights on my dash flashed, and my vehicle lost all power. Very scary. No more power steering, no power brakes, while coasting through a neighborhood. I put the car in neutral, turned the key off, back on again, and put the car back in drive. That fixed the problem. This is very scary and dangerous!! This is the third time it has happened to me. I am afraid to use the cruise control on my car now :(
Transmission jerks . Have that crack in middle lift gate around emblem like I see everybody has . Lift gate window bolts rusted and one broke in half on the driver side back lift gate at top back window it cracked in half didn't know that when I noticed my warning light saying hatch was open I didn't noticed anything went too open and try to shut it and when I lifted open the door the glass fell out and bent the hinge that supports the whole rear glass I grabbed glass held it till others came to help me in parking lot glass was heavy im tiny petite girl so thank goodness for people who came to help me at store it was just hanging there and the other side was just as bad just didn't break in half at that point yet thank goodness or I think the whole thing would have fell to ground and shattered .very expensive to fix at a dealer so my husband order parts at store and online for a lot less and fixed it himself so that's all fixed now. . Right after that we noticed same kind of car as our with same problem only they had it all duct tape and stuff to keep it together (probably because they found out how expensive it is to fix) I didn't think that was safe at all either. My cruise control stopped working had it replaced during warranty. My air conditioner sucks . Just last week the newest thing is my trunk lock wont open no matter what I do . I can only open the lift gate window that's it. But the whole back door wont lift open. Lock wont budge to open don't know why?
The engine has shut off twice while driving using cruise control. The first time I was able to get to the side of road and restart it.. The second time I put it in neutral and restarted it while moving. I am afraid to use the cruise control now - if there had been oncoming traffic we would've had a head-on collision as I was on a corner and went into the other lane. When the engine shuts off, the power steering is gone leaving it very difficult to turn.
2005 mercury mountaineer cruise control emergency while driving my wife's 2005 mercury mountaineer at approximately 50 MPH and using the cruise control the engine shut off. (dangerous and scary) I immediately placed the engine in neutral and restarted it with no trouble. Fortunately we were on a straight road. The engine shut down appeared to occur because the cruise control de-accelerated the engine while coasting down hill (using the cruise control) to below 400 RPM's. Below 400 RPM's the engine stops. The car speed, length of the downward coast, and hill slope appeared to affect the stoppage. If the speed control signals an increase prior to bottoming the RPM's the engine will continue to run, if not it will shut off loosing oil pressure, power steering, and power brakes. My wife doesn't normally use the cruise control, which is fortunate for her. I'm sure if she were driving when this occurred she would have coast to a stop of worse if it happened while going around a curve. I was able to duplicate this problem four times by picking a hill with the right conditions and setting the speed at around 45 to 50 MPH. I called the dealer where she bought the car new and was told there are no recalls on her car, however; while searching the internet we found that the same problem has occurred numerous times on ford explorers and mercury mountaineer's. We've set and appointment at the dealer for a diagnosis.
Without warning of any kind the engine quits under 35 MPH, sometimes with cruise control on. After car rolls to a stop, it can restart right away. Loss of power steering and brakes. Dealer says no codes to back up complaint. This has as happened at least 3x spread over 35,000 odometer miles.
Cruise control disengages after driving for an extended period of time, usual a trip over 90 minutes in length. It works fine until you have to apply brake for a construction zone, or of ramp, etc. When you push resume nothing happens. Turning it off and trying to turn it back on still does not resolve the problem. After turning the car on and off a few times it will start working again, but that isn't really useful while on a long trip. It first happened two and a half years ago and continues to happen. The dealership says they can't duplicate the problem but has only test driven for 20 minutes.
Tl*the contact owns a 2005 mercury mountaineer. On the day the vehicle was purchased, the contact noticed fluid leaking onto her garage floor. She returned to the dealer and was informed that the pinion seal needed to be replaced, and repairs were made. While traveling 45 MPH, the contact attempted to set the cruise control and the vehicle shut off in the middle of the road. She was able to pull over to the shoulder and restart the vehicle to drive home. After work one evening, she was unable to start the vehicle. After 20 minutes, her father arrived and was able to forcefully start the vehicle. The contact returned to the dealer the following day, but they could not duplicate the failure with the cruise control or the stalling. On june 16, 2008, she took the vehicle to the dealer and they replaced a fuse. Upon further inspection, they identified a bushing that needed to be replaced as well. All of these failures occurred within four months of purchasing the vehicle and with less then 4,000 miles placed on the vehicle by the contact. The failure mileage was 34,177 and current mileage was 37,600. Updated 07/15/08 *bf when the consumer started the vehicle, the power seats and power locks failed to work. The consumer returned to the dealer and they replaced the driver side motor. The sway bar bushings were replaced. Updated 07/15/08
Tl*the contact owns a 2005 mercury mountaineer. While driving 35 MPH, the vehicle stalled and the engine shut off. This has occurred three times since 2006. The failure is most common while driving down an incline and when the cruise control was activated. The check engine light was illuminated and the power steering does not operate normally. The vehicle restarted after ten to fifteen minutes. The failures occurred on december 18, 2006, january 19, 2007, and december 4, 2007. On each date, the dealer diagnosed the failure for thirty days and stated that they were unable to diagnose the cause of the failure. The dealer advised her to deactivate the cruise control and make sure there is enough fuel in the tank. The mechanic stated that if the failure recurred, the vehicle should be towed to the dealer before attempting a restart. The manufacturer has not offered any assistance. This is the second complaint filed with the federal safety agency. The failure mileage was 12,327 and current mileage was 27,000. Updated 01/24/08 *bf updated 01/24/08
Tl* - the contact owns a 2005 mercury mountaineer. On 11/20/06 the contact's heater on/off switch wouldn't allow her to turn the heater off. The contact had to drive with the windows rolled down. The contact also attempted to turn the vehicle off and restart and the failure continued to occur. While driving on 12/18/06 at 35mph the engine stalled and the vehicle shut off. The warning indicator light read check engine, low pressure prior to the failure. The failure also occurred on 1/19/07. Each time the failure occurred the contact was using the cruise control. The vehicle has been diagnosed and found the vehicle to be operating normally. The mechanic has also driven the vehicle to diagnose it since the last failure and has experienced no failures. She was advised that the service manager would contact her re: the failure and after the initial contact, she hasn't received any calls from him. After 15 to 20 minutes, the vehicle will restart. The most recent incident almost caused a collision with a heavy duty truck. The mechanic also stated to have the vehicle towed if this reoccurs. The contact does not want to drive the vehicle due to the safety risk involved. The current and failure mileage was 13,000. The mechanic also asked if a light was present on the windshield at the time of the failure.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2005 Mercury Mountaineer adaptive cruise
Is adaptive cruise control problems a common problem on the 2005 Mercury Mountaineer?
10 of 82 owner complaints about the 2005 Mercury Mountaineer (12%) mention adaptive cruise control problems. The model year with the most reports is 2004.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2005 Mercury Mountaineer?
There is no recall or service bulletin for this area of the car on record.
Other symptoms on the 2005 Mercury Mountaineer
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