1999 Mercury Villager Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 1999 Mercury Villager most often describe an accelerator pedal that sticks or resists the first push, then makes the van lunge forward from a stop. Complaints about this appear across a wide mileage range, from very low miles to well past 100,000, and many owners say cleaning or replacing the throttle body only helped for a while. Other recurring reports involve melted headlight sockets, brake problems, and a handful of other systems.

1. 1
   Vehicle speed control

   Accelerator pedal sticks, then van lunges forward

   • 66 complaints (36%)
   • median 53,000 mi at 5.9 yrs old (30 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $505 (median of 8 quotes)
   • filed 2000–2015

   Owners describe the gas pedal sticking in the up position or requiring much harder pressure than normal, especially when pulling away from a stop light, stop sign or while coasting. Once the pedal finally moves, the van surges or lunges forward, and some complaints mention near misses with the vehicle ahead. Dealers typically cleaned the throttle body, and in some cases replaced it, but owners often report the stiffness returning after a short time. Reported from as little as a few thousand miles up to over 150,000 miles, at stops and low-speed acceleration in everyday traffic.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Ask whether the throttle body was cleaned or replaced and when, then test the pedal repeatedly from a standstill. A service bulletin for this model year describes cleaning the throttle body for this symptom.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The accelerator pedal sticks when at a stop sign / traffic light or coasting in traffic. I must push very hard on the pedal for the accelerator to move. This happens several times a day. I feel this is a safety issue. I feel like I could possibly rear end another vehicle or possibly be rear ended myself. This problem makes the vehicle hard to drive.”

   NHTSA complaint #10095655, filed 2004-10, 55,000 miles

   “In the newspaper today I read about sticking accelerator pedal, which I have experienced after about 1 year of ownership. I may have received a recall, but I don't remember. However, the problem continues and creates a dangerous situation because the pedal will not always go down when needed. His is an intermittent problem. Is there any information where Mercury will fix this problem?”

   NHTSA complaint #10088251, filed 2004-08, 12,000 miles
2. 2
   Exterior lighting

   Headlight and tail light sockets overheat or melt

   • 10 complaints (5%)
   • median 43,000 mi at 5.3 yrs old (5 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2000–2009

   Owners report headlights going out suddenly, sometimes one side and then the other, and in some cases both at once. According to complaints, the dealer attributed this to an overheated or melted socket and weak solder where the wire meets it, and replaced the socket, bulb or harness. Some owners also describe tail light bulbs falling out of the socket because the locking tab does not hold them. Mostly reported between roughly 20,000 and 60,000 miles, often noticed as an intermittent light failure before total loss.

   Recall 99V347001

   What to check: Check both headlight and tail light sockets for browning, melted plastic or loose bulbs, and ask whether any sockets or harnesses have been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Our van also experienced melted headlight sockets failure due to a weak soldering from the wire to the socket. Unbelievable that this is not a recall. The dealer's parts department person told me when I ordered the replacement sockets that they sell lots of these sockets. We had intermittent lighting problem on one side, then the other, then total failure of bopth headlights. Please report your experience. This must become a recall. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10051158, filed 2003-12, 20,000 miles

   “Headlights fail frequently on my 1999 Mercury Villager. The dealer informs me that this is due to overheating of the socket which provides power to the headlight bulb. Both headlight sockets have failed multiple times on this vehicle, yet the dealer indicates that no TSB or recall has been issued to resolve this issue. I believe that this is a gross safety issue as there is the possibility that illumination could be lost during night driving. To my knowledge, this has not been addressed by nissan or Mercury.”

   NHTSA complaint #10056503, filed 2004-02, 48,060 miles
3. 3
   Brakes

   Brake pedal sinking and repeated brake repairs

   Mentioned in 4 of 60 sampled complaints

   Complaints describe the brake pedal going down toward the floor with longer stopping distances, and in some cases brake components were replaced several times without the problem going away. One owner reported the master cylinder failing again after an earlier replacement. Reported from around 35,000 to 85,000 miles, during ordinary driving and braking.

   What to check: Press and hold the brake pedal with the engine running to see whether it sinks, and ask for service records showing what brake parts were replaced and when.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I sent this letter to the ford motor company. No reply yet. I also have copies of the work that was done to the van. I hope you can help. Thank you very much. On thursday may 3, 2007 we were driving, with my wife being the driver, north on u.s. 441 in florida. As we passed a truck we heard a growling noise. It was our van. I-75 the traffic was stopped up from an accident so we took a parallel road to the north. The van was still growling. When we got to u.s. 27 I told her we had better find a Mercury dealer and see what the problem was. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10194055, filed 2007-06, 84,079 miles

   “While driving at various speeds the consumer would hear a loud noise coming from the brakes. When brake pedal was depressed it would go to the floor and there would be extended stopping distance. Different brake components have been replaced several times but the brakes continue to fail. The windshield molding flapped while driving. The driver's front door rattled while driving. The dealer lubed the window tracks.”

   NHTSA complaint #10043928, filed 2003-11, 42,000 miles
4. 4
   Fuel system

   Fuel smell and fuel tank strap concerns

   • 9 complaints (5%)
   • median 105,000 mi at 7.5 yrs old (5 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2001–2009

   Complaints describe a strong gasoline odor, fuel leaking around the filler neck while refueling, and in one case a technician reporting that the fuel tank retention straps had failed and the tank mounts had separated. Another owner reported rough running and a check engine light traced to a fuel injector, with injectors replaced more than once. Mostly reported from about 55,000 miles upward, including at higher mileage near 110,000 to 167,000.

   Recall 99V205001

   What to check: Look under the van at the fuel tank straps for rust or separation, check for a fuel smell after refueling, and ask whether the tank straps or injectors have been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Check engine soon light came on and I took the vehicle to the dealer as instructed in owners manual. The vehicle had been chugging when idling at a stop. For the second time in 6 months when the vehicle was presented to the dealer for service - a fuel injector had to be replaced. Fortunately I had purchased an extended warranty so the vehicle was covered except for the $50 deductable. …”

   NHTSA complaint #755064, filed 2001-11

   “When the gas pedal was pressed, there was a delay in acceleration. The consumer had to pump the gas pedal to get the vehicle to move. The dealer stated new injectors were needed. . Also the blower motor failed.”

   NHTSA complaint #10012465, filed 2003-03, 55,015 miles

Buying note. If you are considering this model year, drive it from several standstills and check how the accelerator pedal feels, then inspect the light sockets and fuel tank straps. Ask for records of throttle body cleaning or replacement, brake work and any recall repairs already completed.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.