2004 Mercury Mountaineer Transmission and drivetrain Problems
- Complaints
- 64about this part
- Share
- 30%of 210 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 65,000miles
- Trend
- FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 64 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2004 Mercury Mountaineer, 30% of the 210 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 65,000 miles. 4 of these say a crash was involved and 1 a fire, according to the filers.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“In april 2008 our transmission went. It was rebuilt with all ford parts. It's has gone again in july 2012. Ford will not do anything to help me. I would like a recall on this make and year and model . This is the 3rd transmission. Unacceptable!!!!!!! I want reimbursement for all 3 transmissions!”
NHTSA complaint #10464762, filed 2012-07, 45,600 miles“Problems with transmission in my 2004 Mercury Mountaineer. When in park and shifting in reverse it delays and then a loud hard clunk. It also clunks from going into second gear. My car is out of the standard 36,000 miles/ 3 year warranty. I am very disappoint in ford. The car hasn't even hit 30,000 miles yet.”
NHTSA complaint #10285591, filed 2009-09, 29,225 miles“2004 Mercury Mountaineer v8, 47,000 miles. Transmission is shot. It slipped in and out or reverse (creating a very dangerous situation since I could not control the vehicle when it was in reverse) and it struggled to shift gears in drive. No warning light before the problems began. The vehicle aged out of warranty in july 2010. Ford will not pay for anything (although the dealer is cutting me a break on the service costs).”
NHTSA complaint #10371151, filed 2010-12, 47,000 miles“I had picked up my kids from daycare and I put my vehicle in reverse and backed up. While backing up I heard a loud pop and I got out to see but there was nothing visible. So I put the vehicle in drive and as I was going down the street my vehicle axle broke and my truck hit the street in the middle of traffic. I took it to the ford dealership and they said it was my axle and my differential had broken also, am I am lucky that I didn't have a bad accident with the extend of the damage of the differential. After I fixed that and it cost $2900. …”
NHTSA complaint #10640980, filed 2014-10, 78,000 miles“During the later part of june 2008, I purchased a 2004 Mercury Mountaineer from carmax at the chicago ridge location in illinois which had 28,579 miles. According to the carfax report and sales person, this vehicle had successfully passed the 100 point inspection, and under normal driving condition this car had no major mechanical or electrical defects. Within the first 30 days I noticed a slight delay between shifting gears began to manifest, so naturally, I took the car immediately back to carmax. …”
NHTSA complaint #10269518, filed 2009-05, 28,000 milesRelated service bulletins
- 10028736May 1, 2009Ford: some vehicles may exhibit oil separation from the internal lube found in the unitized cartridge seal. Oil separation appears to be and is often misdiagnosed, as an axle…
- 10014100Jan 1, 2006Limited slip axle chatter, shudder, binding sensation, or vibration during low speed turning maneuvers.
- 10012952Jun 7, 2005Driveline 1st order vibration/boom/drone.
- 10013306May 27, 2005Improperly formulated transmission fluid that, over time, may cause delayed/harsh reverse engagements. Customer satisfaction program 04b22. 5r55s/e & 5r44e transmission fluid…
- 10017898Apr 1, 2005Delayed or harsh reverse engagements - 5r55s transmission - vehicles built prior to 09/23/2004.
- 10017892Apr 1, 2005Rear axle noise repair.
- 10014277Dec 31, 2004Increased effort during low speed sharp turns on 4x4 vehicles.
- 10014086Dec 13, 2004General (pcm) power train control module programming procedures.
- 10013398Nov 15, 2004Gear selector lever - increased effort to shift from drive to park.
- 10013369Nov 1, 2004General power train control module (pcm) programming procedures.
Transmission and drivetrain: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 2 | 15% |
| 2008 | 9 | 9% |
| 2007 | 25 | 31% |
| 2006 | 39 | 33% |
| 2005 | 19 | 23% |
| 2004 | 64 | 30% |
| 2003 | 42 | 28% |
| 2002 | 144 | 39% |
| 2001 | 1 | 5% |
| 2000 | 15 | 12% |
| 1999 | 8 | 5% |
| 1998 | 9 | 4% |
| 1997 | 8 | 2% |
Other parts of the 2004 Mercury Mountaineer
79 complaintsVehicle speed control
21 complaintsElectrical system
16 complaintsAir bags
12 complaintsEngine cooling
11 complaintsOther or unknown
9 complaintsEngine
8 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
7 complaintsSuspension
6 complaintsBrakes
5 complaintsSteering
5 complaintsLatches, locks and linkages
4 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2004 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