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1996 Mercury Mystique problems

The most common problem on the 1996 Mercury Mystique is electrical system, typically around 96,500 miles. It has 92.5 times the complaints of a typical Mystique model year.

Typical year92.5x the typical complaints
Owner complaints
185
Recalls
7
Service bulletins
205
Worst area
Electrical
Fuel economy
21-25mpg

The worst 1996 Mercury Mystique problems

Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.

Problems by type

Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.

Specific symptoms reported on the 1996 Mercury Mystique

Stalling 19Headlights 8Check engine light 6Overheating 6Fire or smoke 5Loss of power 5Power steering loss 5

Recalls 7

Electrical systemReported July 9, 2001 · 342,962 vehicles affected
What is wrong
On certain my 1996-1998 passenger vehicles built at the kansas city, cuautitlan assembly plants or on my 1999 passenger vehcles built at the automotive alliance international assembly plants, the rough surface of the heater blower resistor's stainless steel blades can damage the copper surface of the wiring harness connector. The damage could, over time, cause increased resistance in the connector and, due to subsequent terminal relaxation, result in an open circuit condition.
Risk
The open circuit could lead to electrical arcing that could melt the connector housing material creasing the potential for a fire.
Remedy
Dealers will install a new heater blower resistor and a new wire jumper harness. Owner notification began august 29, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact ford at 1‑800‑392‑3673.

Recall number 01V230000 · Recall details

Engine and engine coolingReported November 6, 2000 · 262,559 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Vehicle description: 1995 passenger vehicles equipped with the 2.0l and 2.5l engines, and 1996 vehicles equipped with 2.5l engines. Tightening of the engine cooling fan motor bearings, up to and including motor stall, can result in increased motor torque and higher than normal motor current and accompanying high motor temperatures.
Risk
Overheating of the cooling fan motor due to excessive current can result in smoke and odors from bearing grease, insulation and other internal motor components. If electrical current continues to be applied to the motor, internal motor components could ignite possibly igniting other engine compartment components.
Remedy
Dealers will install a positive temperature coefficient device in-line with each fan motor. Ford will also extend the warranty on the engine cooling fan assembly to a total of 8 years of service or 100,000 miles from the warranty start date, whichever occurs first. If the vehicle already has more than 100,000 miles, this coverage will last until july 31, 2001.

Recall number 00V367000 · Recall details

Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation componentsReported March 9, 2000 · 436,200 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles not equipped with the anti-lock braking system (ABS). A pressure conscious reducing valve (pcrv) in the rear brakes may be subject to corrosion and result in malfunction, when operated in areas that use salt compounds on the roadway for de-icing or dust control.
Risk
If both pcrv's malfunction, vehicle handling could be adversely affected during braking as a result of the rear wheels locking, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will install improved pcrv's in the rear brake system. This recall was expanded in september 2000 to include 1999 and 2000 ford contour, mercury mystique and cougar vehicles.

Recall number 00V075000 · Recall details

Fuel system, gasoline: storage: tank assembly: filler pipe and capReported September 13, 1999 · 22,324 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The fuel filler pipe vent hose may have less than the intended level of ozone resistance, which could result in the hose becoming brittle and cracking.
Risk
A cracked hose could result in fuel leakage when the vehicle is being fueled.
Remedy
Dealers will install a fuel filler vent hose contacting the appropriate blend of pvc and nitrile rubber.

Recall number 99V247000 · Recall details

Exterior lighting: headlights: switchReported May 5, 1999 · 605,581 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The terminals at the headlight switch and wiring harness connector can experience heat damage as a result of overheating.
Risk
The damage could result in distortion of the terminal causing an open circuit in the instrument panel illumination, parking lamp, and tail lamp circuits.
Remedy
Dealers will install a headlamp switch wiring connector containing bronze terminals and an inspection, and replacement if necessary, of the headlamp switch.

Recall number 99V103000 · Recall details

Power train: automatic transmission: lever and linkage: floor shiftReported September 18, 1998 · 175,000 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The floor shift automatic transmission control can be damaged if subjected to certain interior cleaning products. The gear position indicator can deteriorate and not correctly indicate the actual gear position.
Risk
This condition can result in incorrect gear selection.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the automatic transmission floor shift control.

Recall number 98V233000 · Recall details

Vehicle speed control: cablesReported December 8, 1997 · 38,000 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles equipped with the traction control option. The throttle cables were damaged during vehicle assembly leading to fraying or separation of the throttle cable.
Risk
This condition could prevent the engine from returning to idle.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the throttle cable with a revised design that is less susceptible to bending or kinking during installation.

Recall number 97V225000 · Recall details

See all 7 recalls for the 1996 Mercury Mystique

Defect investigations

Incorrect gear indicationOpened February 26, 2002, closed September 12, 2002

There is no summary currently available

RQ02006

Blower switch/resistor or wiring harnessOpened January 5, 2001, closed July 31, 2001

There is no summary currently available

EA01001

Blower switch/resistor or wiring harnessOpened June 14, 2000, closed January 5, 2001

There is no summary currently available

PE00023

Various intermittent electrical issuesOpened September 15, 1999, closed March 7, 2001

There is no summary currently available

RQ99019

Headlight switchOpened December 3, 1998, closed May 10, 1999

Odi opened the preliminary evaluation on december 3, 1989 based on five consumer complaints, all of which mentioned concerns centered on the dashboard-mounted headlight switch.these concerns included an allegation of the switch catching fire, an allegation of headlight loss, and three allegations of instrument panel and tail light outages.three of the reports specifically identified the headlight switch and its associated wiring as having been heat damaged.ford investigations have found that overheating of an electrical terminal at the headlight switch connector causes loss of the instrument panel and tail lights.ford will remedy this condition in 1996-1998 model contour and mystique vehicles built at the kansas city assembly plant from april 20, 1995 through august 12, 1998 and at the cautitlan, mexico assembly plant from june 13, 1995 through august 24, 1998 under recall 99v‑103.the remedy involves replacement of the headlight switch connector and if necessary, the switch itself.this preliminary evaluation is closed.

PE98063

Technical service bulletins for the 1996 Mercury Mystique 205

Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.

See all 205 bulletins for the 1996 Mercury Mystique

1996 Mercury Mystique fuel economy

Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.

EngineDriveCityHighwayCombined
2.0L 4‑cylFWD20-2129-3123-25
2.5L 6‑cylFWD1827-2821-22

What 1996 Mercury Mystique owners say

Most recent owner complaints, unedited.

Filed Oct 13, 2009 · Airbags · 88,000 miles · ID · crash · 3 injuries

1996 mercury mys air bags failure in car accident.

Filed Jan 11, 2009 · Electrical · 89,000 miles · NY · fire

The under hood wire harness burned up. This car has 89,000 miles and runs good. I heard there was a recall / tsb #( onp 99m03) on this car but ford will not honor it because the car is over 10 years old. I think ford should reimburse for repairs or buy back the car. This is a dangerous situation as the car will stall abruptly and lose power steering.

Filed Feb 6, 2008 · Electrical, Lights · 138,552 miles · WA

Tl*the contact owns a 1996 mercury mystique. The parking lights on the front and rear of the vehicle along with the instrument panel lights were inoperative. The manufacturer stated that the VIN was not included in the federal safety agency campaign id number 99v103000 (exterior lighting:headlights:switch). The current and failure mileages were 138,552.

Filed Oct 23, 2007 · Transmission · 148,000 miles · PA

The forward gears on my transmission have ceased to work. Now I'm being told that the transmission needs to be replaced. I find it kind of weird that a 96 needs a new transmission already.

Filed Aug 21, 2007 · Electrical · 96,500 miles · FL

Faulty wiring insulation makes the car inoperable and dangerous to operate.

Filed Aug 3, 2007 · Electrical · 61,900 miles · TX

Tl*the contact owns a 1996 ford mercury mystique. While driving 60 MPH the speed odometer went from zero to 120, the rmp went up to 40,000, the over drive light illuminated and the vehicle shifted out of gear. The mechanic stated that the wiring harness was failed and the vehicle is no longer drivable. There is a recall for the electrical system (the federal safety agency campaign #01v230000) however; the manufacture stated that the VIN was not included. The current mileage was 63,500 and the failure mileage 61,900.

Filed May 7, 2007 · Suspension · 185,000 miles · NY

For along time there has been bearing changes. I gave my car to a tenant and she wanted it to get inspected, but she needed both front spring coils to be replaced. And for a long time the air conditioning (A/C) bearings have been bad. It is going to cost her much money. Can a claim be made because of a recall?

Filed Sep 7, 2006 · Electrical · 98,400 miles · FL · fire

Car has had increasing number of electrical problems...check engine light coming on. Mechanics couldn't find what was triggering it after replacing the oxygen sensors repeatedly. Other twitches (stalling, burned up turn signal module,) finally culminating in complete brake light and reverse light failure. Took the car back to my mechanics, who replaced the signal module, and showed me the burn marks on it. They stated that they tried to get the brake lights to work, and found that the primary wiring harness was just disintegrating (insulation failures all over.) they called ford/mercury before they told me of this problem, and were told that ford/merc would replace the harness as long as the car hadn't gone over 100k miles, and was not more than ten years old (it wasn't.) dropped the car at a local ford dealer, who called me back to say that they would have been glad to replace the harness, had I found the problem prior to jan 2006. They promptly informed that they would be more than happy to replace the harness for about $2,000.00 I informed them that I'd be more than happy to perform brain surgery on them with a weedeater at no charge. I'll never purchase another ford product in my life, and I unfortunately currently own five.

Filed Jun 16, 2006 · Fuel system · 81,464 miles · GA

Dt*: the contact stated there was fuel leakage when the vehicle was being fueled. There is a the federal safety agency recall, # 99v247000, regarding the fuel system gasoline storage tank assembly filler pipe and cap. The VIN was not included in the recall. Although the manufacturer was alerted, no inspections have been made.

Filed Jan 10, 2006 · Fuel system · 67,000 miles · TN

I first started smelling fuel after fueling up my car. Then later I noticed that fuel leaks out from under my car when I put fuel into it. I recently noticed it running out from under the car when I just happen to fill up at a gas station that was on an incline. I took the car to a dealership and they said that the ford recall #99s24 does not apply to my car. But.... It is what problem is. Help please.

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Questions about the 1996 Mercury Mystique

Is the 1996 Mercury Mystique reliable?

Owners have filed 185 complaints about the 1996 Mercury Mystique, 92.5 times a typical Mystique model year.

What is the most common problem with the 1996 Mercury Mystique?

Electrical system, with 47 complaints, typically around 96,500 miles. Next is engine (41).

How many recalls does the 1996 Mercury Mystique have?

7 recalls, covering electrical system, engine and engine cooling and service brakes, hydraulic.

Was there a recall on the 1996 Mercury Mystique electrical?

Yes, 1 recall: 01V230000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.

What year does the Mercury Mystique have the most electrical problems?

The Mercury Mystique model years with the most electrical complaints are 1995 (73 complaints), 1996 (47 complaints) and 1998 (29 complaints).

What gas mileage does the 1996 Mercury Mystique get?

Official estimates for the 1996 Mercury Mystique range from 21 to 25 mpg combined. The most efficient version (2.0L 4-cyl, FWD) gets 20-21 city and 29-31 highway.

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