2003 Mercury Mountaineer Fuel system Problems
- Complaints
- 7about this part
- Share
- 5%of 152 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 97,300miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 7 complaints about the fuel system of the 2003 Mercury Mountaineer, 5% of the 152 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 97,300 miles.
Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“Purchased the 2003 Mercury Mountaineer in 2007. We only drive the car locally for school and work and within 30 days of purchase, the car would not go into reverse. Was told the transmission was slipping and made the dealership/warranty pay for $1600 repair. Since then the check engine light comes on every 3 months. We get check fuel cap message, replaced that twice (last one from actual ford dealership) because they told us it wasn't the original from the car. …”
NHTSA complaint #10319097, filed 2010-03, 78,898 miles“On the baltimore-washington parkway (295 n ) northbound, changed lanes to the left and accelerated. The gas peddle was pushed to the floor, stayed there and would not release. I stood on the brakes, but only somewhat slowied the acceleration. The vehicle continued until we reached about 80mph and coming close to rear ending the vehicle in front of me. I went off on the shoulder and turned off the ignition key to get the vehicle stopped. The brake overheated brakes. I could not see a problem. This was not caused by a floor mat. The pedal was stuck to the floor. …”
NHTSA complaint #10633440, filed 2014-09, 97,300 miles“2003 Mercury Mountaineer 4.6l-v8: when the vehicle is not under acceleration [stop sign/signal, exiting an expressway to a surface street, coasting] the engine will not hold idle, then stall. The steering & brakes are compromised when the engine stalls. To restart the engine, the headlights go dark for a moment...this is a very serious matter. Decelerating from an expressway to a surface street, on a curved exit ramp , at night makes for an out of control situation where the driver can not see because of engine failure! I've replaced the throttle position censor [tps] with no improvement. …”
NHTSA complaint #10275214, filed 2009-06, 127,000 miles“2003 Mercury Mountaineer recalls I have had to change the intake manifold, ignition coils, I'm having a gas smells now, transmission thumps hard when going into first gear, sounds like my rear end is about to fall out, my front seat is electric and doesn't move, the o/d light comes on, check engine light on, brake light on, I keep trying to fix everything the more I fix the more problems that come up, I have check the recall list for 2003 Mercury Mountaineer recall on transmission and also called the ford co they said there is nothing. …”
NHTSA complaint #10907125, filed 2016-09“The contact owns a 2003 Mercury Mountaineer. While driving at various speeds, the vehicle suddenly shut off. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the fuel pump was faulty. The fuel pump was replaced, but the failure continued. No further information was available. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 113,000.”
NHTSA complaint #10736214, filed 2015-07, 113,000 milesRelated service bulletins
- 10019379Jan 1, 2006Malfunction indicator lamp on with pcm diagnostic trouble code p0463 and/or ic diagnostic trouble code b1201 - fuel gauge drops to empty or slow to update after refueling.
- 10013388Oct 31, 2005Fuel gauge slow to update after refueling.
- 10017860Jul 1, 2005Malfunction indicator lamp coming on with diagnostic trouble codes (dtcs) p0171, p0172, p0174 and/or p0175 (fuel system too rich or lean).
- 10011332Sep 1, 2004Fuel gauge slow to update.
Fuel system: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 2 | 15% |
| 2008 | 3 | 3% |
| 2007 | 1 | 1% |
| 2006 | 5 | 4% |
| 2005 | 3 | 4% |
| 2004 | 2 | 1% |
| 2003 | 7 | 5% |
| 2002 | 8 | 2% |
| 2000 | 3 | 2% |
| 1999 | 2 | 1% |
| 1998 | 5 | 2% |
| 1997 | 6 | 2% |
Other parts of the 2003 Mercury Mountaineer
59 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
42 complaintsElectrical system
11 complaintsBrakes
10 complaintsEngine cooling
10 complaintsSuspension
10 complaintsAir bags
9 complaintsVehicle speed control
9 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
7 complaintsLatches, locks and linkages
6 complaintsOther or unknown
6 complaintsSteering
6 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2003 Mercury Mountaineer
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology