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1998 Mercury Villager problems

The most common problem on the 1998 Mercury Villager is acceleration and speed control. It has 4.2 times the complaints of a typical Villager model year.

Typical year4.2x the typical complaints
Owner complaints
83
Recalls
2
Service bulletins
73
Worst area
Acceleration
Fuel economy
18mpg

The worst 1998 Mercury Villager 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.

  • Acceleration
    14
  • Body
    12
  • Brakes
    10
  • Fuel system
    9
  • Suspension
    9
  • Transmission
    8
  • Locks
    7
  • Visibility
    6
  • Tires
    4
  • Airbags
    3
  • Wheels
    3
  • Engine
    2
  • Seats
    2
  • Steering
    2
  • Lights
    1
  • Seat belts
    1

Specific symptoms reported on the 1998 Mercury Villager

Door locks 6Coil spring 5

Recalls 2

Fuel system, gasoline: storage: tank assemblyReported January 2, 2001 · 394,000 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Vehicle description: minivans. The fuel tank vent hose allows air to vent from the fuel tank during refueling. Cracks have developed in the vent hose. If (1) the fuel tank is overfilled, not allowing excess fuel in the vent hose to flow back into the tank, (2) the vehicle is driven only a short distance after refueling and, (3) there is subsequently significant heating of the fuel tank, the fuel in the tank can expand into the vent hose and leak fuel.
Risk
Fuel leakage in the presence of an ignition source can result in a fire.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the vent hose.

Recall number 00V419002 · Recall details

Electrical system: 12v/24v/48v batteryReported October 29, 1997 · 6,000 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Vehicle description: passenger mini vans equipped with automotive batteries supplied by gnb technologies. These batteries have a defective negative post that can cause acid leakage and related corrosion damage.
Risk
This condition can cause a catastrophic failure of the battery which could lead to an engine fire or battery explosion.
Remedy
Dealers will replace these batteries. Until a new battery is obtained, owners should not attempt to "jump start" these batteries.

Recall number 97V184001 · Recall details

See all 2 recalls for the 1998 Mercury Villager

Defect investigations

Fuel tank vent hose leakageOpened May 22, 2000, closed January 4, 2001

Periodic exposure to liquid gasoline may result in extraction of antidegradants from the subject fuel tank vent hose.hoses which have suffered loss of antidegradants can develop cracks in areas of high strain.fuel may spray or drip from cracked vent hoses following tank fill.starting at job#1 1998 my (california emissions vehicles) and job#1 1999 my (federal emissions vehicles), the subject vent hose composition changed from nitrile rubber hoses with chloroprene rubber covers (nbr/cr) to fluorocarbon rubber hoses with an outer layer blend of nbr/pvc.the changes were made to improve hydracarbon resistance for complaince with new evaporative emissions regulations.the modified hoses are also significantly more resistant to degradation and cracking.in a letter dated january 2, 2001, ford notified the federal safety agency that it will conduct a safety recall campaign to replace the subject vent hose in affacted vehicles.ford will begin notifying customers of the affected vehicles on or about the week of february 12, 2001 to return their vehicles to dealers for replacement of the fuel tank vent hose with the latest design lever part.

EA00014

Technical service bulletins for the 1998 Mercury Villager 73

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

See all 73 bulletins for the 1998 Mercury Villager

1998 Mercury Villager fuel economy

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

EngineDriveCityHighwayCombined
3.0L 6‑cylFWD162218

What 1998 Mercury Villager owners say

Most recent owner complaints, unedited.

Filed Mar 14, 2018 · Fuel system · NV

Fuel leak under the hood

Filed May 16, 2016 · Fuel system · 202,000 miles · OK

Tl* the contact owns a 1998 mercury villager. The contact stated that the vehicle emitted a strong fuel odor in the cabin. The odor was primarily observed near the front end of the vehicle at all times. When the heat in the vehicle was activated, the odor intensified. The contact stated that a certified mechanic concluded that the failure of the vehicle directly related to the federal safety agency campaign number: 00v419002 (fuel system, gasoline). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the recall. The approximate failure mileage was 202,000.

Filed Jul 21, 2014 · Lights · 116,000 miles · LA

Tl* the contact owns a 1998 mercury villager. The contact stated that the rear brake lights illuminated and failed to turn off although the brake pedal was not depressed. After inspecting the vehicle and cruise control switch the contact discovered that the plastic bushings located on the brake pedal against the stop light switch were cracked into pieces causing the rear brake light to remain illuminated. The plastic bushings were replaced by the contact. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 116,000...updated 09/30/14 *bf updated 2/27/2015

Filed Mar 12, 2011 · Suspension · IL

I parked my van, 1998 mercury villager on the street in front of my home. Two days later, I noticed the front right tire was flat. I had four new tires since jan 2011. When I lifted up the front right and tried to remove the fr tire, it would not come off. After a while, I noticed the strut coil spring got broke, and the shape end of broken coil spring pierced thru. The inside side wall of the tire. I am the original owner of this van,and bought new. It has `150,000 miles on it. This incident could have been turned out be a very serious accident if it happened while I was driving at 70mpg. I do a lot of highway driving. Both front right and left complete strut assemblies were replaced and the flat tire was replaced with new one. I took some pictures and have the sharp end of broken coil spring.

Filed Dec 12, 2010 · Transmission · 115,000 miles · IN · crash

1998 villager-4 rapid acceleration situations-starting to brake the engine starts revving up to the point you cannot hold the car with the brake, only by shifting to neutral. Sept.2005,10/2006, 8/2010 & 12/09/10. Caused accident on 12/09 and totaled vehicle. Fortunate no injuries but a very shook up driver trying to get it stopped. It dragged her across the intersection up onto a sidewalk and took her several feet down the sidewalk barely missing houses & trees. All the time she was pushing on the brake & the engine was racing & the tires were digging up the dirt dragging the vehicle. Ran over a two foot stump & the van finally came to a stop. The driver was very shook and this all happened through no fault of hers. This problem was reported to the federal safety agency when the 9/2005 incident happened. There have been at least 4 or 5 other reports of the same problem with the 98 villager. The power trains in the villager are built by nissan. Very fortunate the driver was not injured or that no one was on the sidewalk at the time. Something definitely needs to be checked about this problem before someone gets injured or killed. I have several pictures of this last incident if someone would be interested in seeing what happened.

Filed Jul 13, 2010 · Engine · 180,000 miles · KY

My husband uses our mercury villager van for his work. He was going to a job and was traveling when he stated the van lost power, the engine actually turned itself off. He was able to get off the road before he was involved in an accident. He proceeded to try restarting the van. It did not work, so we had the van towed to our home. He check to see if the motor was tied up but it was fine.he changed batteries, because during the event, the battery was drained. After about 3 hours, the van miraculously started. We have spoken to a couple that had this happen to them. They stated that if the oil gets close to 1 quart below level, the sensors automatically shut off the engine. This is dangerous. My husband could of been in a serious accident when the engine turned itself off. There were no engine lights signifying low oil. Please check and advise. Thank you.

Filed Mar 2, 2010 · Transmission · 40,000 miles · OH

Sometimes when I go from a stop position or slow down and you want to accelerate, you put your foot down and get nothing, when tap harder on it, it will lurch forward, and whip back your passengers (children). It seems to occur when humidity is higher, regardless of season.

Filed Jan 13, 2010 · Body, Fuel system · 189,732 miles · MA

Tl*the contact owns a 1998 mercury villager which was purchased in 2007. She stated that the fuel filler hose had several cracks in it. The cracks in the hose caused major gasoline fumes to enter the interior of the vehicle. Although there was a recall for the failure, the federal safety agency campaign id number, 00v419002, fuel system, gasoline storage tank assembly her VIN was not included. On a separate occasion, the vehicle would not accelerate. The vehicle was towed to her home where an independent mechanic stated that the sub-frame on the vehicle was cracked. No repairs had been made to date. The failure and current mileages were under 189,732.

Filed Feb 9, 2009 · Fuel system · 80,000 miles · MO

Tl*the contact owns a 1998 mercury villager. The contact smells a strong odor of fuel, which can be noticed both inside and outside of the vehicle. Through research, the contact discovered the federal safety agency campaign id number 00v419002 and the federal safety agency action number ea00015 (fuel system, gasoline:storage:tank assembly). He took the vehicle to the dealer and provided them with the information he found online. The contact left the vehicle at the dealer for the day. He retrieved the vehicle the following day and noticed that the repair was not performed. The dealer stated that the VIN was excluded from the 19 year recall range. The manufacturer agreed with the dealer. The vehicle has not yet been repaired, but the contact believes that his VIN should be included. The failure mileage was 80,000 and current mileage was 130,000.

Filed Sep 29, 2007 · Acceleration, Fuel system · 144,946 miles · NJ

1998 mercury villager purchased used in 2003. Idle throttle body failed in 2006, mercury dealer took two weeks to find the part and replaced at my expense. Idle throttle body failed again in early 2007. Dealer took two weeks again to find part and did not charge me but I had to rent a car at my expense. Today 9/30/07 the same symptom of the car accelerating to 1500 RPM intermittently while sitting stopped at a light has begun again instead of constant 800 RPM when this part is working correctly. I will have to wait on the dealer to find a part and repair it again at my inconvenience and expense. Have other owners of this vehicle engine experienced the same repeated safety and waste of fuel issue?

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Questions about the 1998 Mercury Villager

Is the 1998 Mercury Villager reliable?

Owners have filed 83 complaints about the 1998 Mercury Villager, 4.2 times a typical Villager model year.

What is the most common problem with the 1998 Mercury Villager?

Acceleration and speed control, with 14 complaints. Next is body (12).

How many recalls does the 1998 Mercury Villager have?

2 recalls, covering fuel system, gasoline and electrical system.

What year does the Mercury Villager have the most acceleration problems?

The Mercury Villager model years with the most acceleration complaints are 1999 (87 complaints), 2000 (39 complaints) and 1998 (14 complaints).

What gas mileage does the 1998 Mercury Villager get?

Official estimates for the 1998 Mercury Villager range from 18 mpg combined. The most efficient version (3.0L 6-cyl, FWD) gets 16 city and 22 highway.

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