1999 Mercury Villager Transmission and drivetrain Problems

“Vehicle was being drive when automatic transmission failed and reverted back to first gear. After stopping, turning off engine, and restarting, vehicle would not come out of first gear when being driven. Vehicle was subsequently towed to dealership , carman ford in new castle de), but was unable to diagnose problem. Dealership reported that they could not duplicate. Vehicle was picked up by owner and began to drive it home when problem re-occurred. …”

“I reported to the dealer that the auto trans makes a chirp noise betwteen 2nd & 3rd gear. They initially denied a problem. I recently confronted the dealer with sb613610 and they claim that operation and durability are unaffected by this noise. Yet their own internal documents reveal that vehicles made after 5/19/00 will not have this problem. What did they do to correct the problem in newer vehicles? Why are they unwilling to correct the problem in existing vehicles? Your assistance in investigating this problem is greatly appreciated.”

“Mercury dealer informed us that there is a problem with the transmission slipping between 2nd and 3rd, however ford is not fixing the problem because it is still under investigation. In the meantime, they say the van is safe to drive...however when pulling out into traffic their is a significant risk as to whether or not the vehicle will decide to go into gear...causing a potential accident. Can you please look into this problem? We feel as though the manufacturer is giving us the brush off and we would like to get some results. Thank you.”

“Dt: the consumer states that approximately a year ago the accelerator pedal began to stick in the up position. When he tried to go slow from the stop position it would not work, causing him to place more pressure on the pedal causing the vehicle to lurch. The consumer took the vehicle to the service dealer, and they suggested that he place a fuel injection cleaner in the air filter, which helped, but the problem recurred.”

“Steering wheel will move to the left and right during slow speeds on smooth roads. The movment is visual and can be felt when hands are on the steering wheel. Excessive delay when shifting from reverse to drive and noise can be heard when trans is shifting from 2nd to third.”