Under my hood started smoking, I popped my hood to find flames under it. I had to get my kids out the truck and put the flames out with and extinguisher. That's when I noticed that my brake fluid reservoir was melted and so were the wires that connect to the cruise control switch. Not I am without a vehicle to get to work and get my children to school.
Mercury Mountaineer fire or smoke problems
59 of the 1,992 owner complaints about the Mercury Mountaineer describe fire, smoke or burning smell, most of them for the 1998 model year.
- owner complaints
- 59
- worst model year
- 1998
- typical mileage
- 112,000
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall for this area of the car. See below
By model year
Often reported together
Adaptive cruise 8Door locks 2Check engine light 2Grinding brakes 2Wipers 1Won't shift 1Slipping 1Overheating 1
What owners say
I was at a gas station making a purchase with my disabled mother. We left the store, and got into my truck. I started my truck and proceed to dive towards the exit of the gas station when I smelled something like burning rubber. I said to my mother that something smelled funny and then looked and saw a thin steam of smoke coming up from in between my legs. I parked the truck and jumpers out leaving my om in the car. I then saw a fire inside of the metal track in which my seat moves mechanically underneath my seat, where the wires are. I ran into the gas station panicked and asked the attendant for a fire extinguisher, to which he replied " no, I don't know I don't have one" and did nothing. So I ran back outside to my truck where my mother was having trouble exiting my truck as she has anxiety and health issues. She finally got out and a tow truck that was driving by, saw the smoke getting heavier and flowing out of my truck, he stopped and out the fire out with an extinguisher. The flames were coming through my seat and I was at a gas station. I was terrified. I have ptsd and this hasn't helped my sleep at all. Also, we were at a gas station and as you know, fire is very dangerous at a gas station. We could've been seriously hurt or worse.
When I use the cruise control and then turn it off I can't seem to push my gas pedal when you are driving the vehicle. I have to keep putting extreme pressure on the accelerator pedal until something breaks or pops and then it allows me to push the pedal. I keep having problems with smoke coming from on top of the steering column like something is burning when you are driving, now I have electrical problems to where my horn will not work anymore. I keep having problems with the front frame of the SUV. The frame sounds and feels like it is going to fall apart and it doesn't matter if you are driving or stationary. The mechanic says it is the sway bar that is causing that problem. I have been calling ford about it and they keep saying there is no recall on my vehicle.
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 mercury mountaineer. While parked, the vehicle erupted into flames without warning. The fire was extinguished by the fire department. A police report was not filed and there were no injuries reported. The vehicle remained at the contact's residence where it was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was destroyed. The vehicle parked in front of the contact's vehicle was also destroyed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The VIN was included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 05v017000 (vehicle speed control). The failure mileage was approximately 155,000.
I was driving don the road to an intersection going 45 MPH and noticed black smoke coming from under the hood. I proceeded to pull over and got my family out the car before the electrical was completely fried. I tried to put the fire out with two extinguishers and help from fellow bystanders. The blaze under the hood had to be put out by the fire department. I received a police and fire report. The area that the fire had originated from was the fuse box. I know this was a factory problem because I didn't do any work in those areas. I would like compensation for my vehicle because I'm now out 6500 dollars and I searched online and read about over a 100 explorer and mountaineer fires under the hood. I never received any recalls for my vehicle and I owned it over 10 years.
Tl* the contact owned a 2000 mercury mountaineer. While driving approximately 65 MPH, fuel fumes emitted into the vehicle and the engine began to smoke before it caught fire. The check engine indicator illuminated. The fire department was able to extinguish the fire. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle was deemed destroyed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 240,000.
I am disable on june 11, 2014 I was traveling about 35 MPH and suddenly flames gushed from the dash I stopped the ignition would not turn off fire wipped my right side and I broke my ankle trying to get out of the car.
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 mercury mountaineer. The contact stated that smoke emitted from under the hood area. The contact inspected the vehicle and noticed black smoke and flames in the engine area. The fire department was contacted to extinguish the fire. The vehicle was towed to the contact's insurance company for further investigation. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure and current mileage was 165,000. Updated 06/26/13*lj the consumer believed the speed control deactivation switch was the cause of the fire. Updated 06/27/13 *bf updated updated 07/02/2013
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 mercury mountaineer. The contact stated that while driving, smoke emitted from the hood and the vehicle caught on fire. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure and current mileages were 130,000. The VIN was not available.
At 2 am we smelled smoke and saw it coming from garage, when I opened garage door flames were coming out of front of car. My mothers car burnt and it is a total loss. We had to call fire dept. My garage was wrecked. My house has smoke damage.
Related recalls
Electrical system: wiring: fuses and circuit breakers
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: multi-purpose vehicles equipped with 4.0l engines and all-time 4-wheel drive (a4wd) powertrains. The generic electronic module (gem) could experience a condition referred to as "lock-up" in which the gem controlled electronic functions (e.g., front windshield wipers, interior lights, 4x4 system, etc.) could not be turned on or, in some cases if the function is on, could not be turned off.
- Risk
- An inoperative windshield wiper system could affect driver visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install a resistor in the gem circuit.
Recall number 00V072000 · Recall details
Questions about the Mercury Mountaineer fire or smoke
Which Mercury Mountaineer years have fire, smoke or burning smell problems?
The model years with the most reports are 1998 (21 complaints), 2000 (10 complaints) and 1997 (9 complaints).
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