2005 Mercury Montego

VEHICLE WAS STARTED FIRST THING IN MORNING AND DRIVEN APPROXIMATELY 25' WHEN THE TRANSMISSION SEEMED TO DISENGAGE AND WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON. CAR REMAINED PARKED FOR ABOUT 30 MINUTES AND A SECOND ATTEMPT WAS MADE. THE CAR WAS DRIVEN APPROXIMATELY 2 MILES WHEN ONCE AGAIN THE TRANSMISSION FAILED TO ENGAGE AND A LOSS OF POWER WAS EXPERIENCED. FOLLOWING THESE TWO INCIDENTS WITH THE VEHICLE I ARRANGED TO HAVE THE VEHICLE FLAT BEDDED TO THE LOCAL FORD DEALERSHIP WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS A DEFECTIVE THROTTLE BODY ASSEMBLY THE VEHICLE HAS 68,250 ORIGINAL MILES ON ODOMETER. *TR

INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTS ALL LIGHT UP AND ALL THE DIALS DROP TO ZERO, TRACTION CONTROL GOES OUT WHICH CAUSES A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE IN WINTER DRIVING. SPEEDOMETER, TACK, FUEL GAUGE, AND ENGINE TEMP ALL SET TO ZERO. AUTOMATIC DOOR LOCKS INOP, LIGHTS ON INTERIOR GEAR SHIFT GO OUT. AT FIRST THIS WOULD HAPPEN INTERMITTENTLY - APPROXIMATELY 2 TO 3 TIMES A MONTH FOR A FEW SECONDS AND THEN PROGRESSIVELY GOT WORSE WITH TIME TO TOTAL FAILURE. EVERY TIME I TRIED TO BRING IT INTO THE DEALER I WAS TOLD THEY COULDN'T FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS HAPPENING BECAUSE THE VEHICLE WOULD "ACT FINE" FOR THEM. AFTER SEVERAL TRIPS TO THE DEALERSHIP AND A LOT OF RESEARCH ON THE ISSUE I FIND OUT FORD KNOWS ITS A PROBLEM AND ISSUED A TSB 06-17-9 ON IT BUT IS FAILING TO STAND BEHIND THEIR PRODUCT AND ISSUE A RECALL. WHAT IS IT GOING TO TAKE A FEW DEATHS? I WOULD NEVER BUY ANOTHER FORD PRODUCT DUE TO THEIR LACK OF CUSTOMER SERVICE AND CONCERNS WITH THE SAFETY OF THEIR PRODUCT. *TR

MERCURY MONTEGO 2005 INSTRUMENT PANEL HAS BEEN GOING ON AND OFF FOR TWO YEARS. GETTING LONGER DURATION BEFORE PANEL COMES BACK ON. THE INTERIOR IS PITCH BLACK, I DON'T KNOW HOW FAST I AM GOING, HOW MUCH GAS I HAVE. MY BACK UP LIGHTS REMAIN ON WHEN PANEL GOES . DRIVERS BEHIND ME STAY CLEAR, THINKING I AM BACKING UP. I HAVE NO AIR CONDITIONER. I HAVE RADIO , HEAD LIGHTS , BRAKE LIGHTS . I DID NOT TRY THE CRUISE CONTROL BECAUSE I AM SCARED TO DEATH. .IT IS OVER A 600.00 REPAIR..I GOOGLED AND OTHERS HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. IT IS D A N G ER OUS. *TR

THE CAR WAS PURCHASED IN MAY OF 2011. AUGUST 2011, THE TRANSMISSION STARTED TO VIOLENTLY JERK AND ACT AS IF IT WERE IN NEUTRAL. WHEN GRADUALLY APPLYING THE BREAKS, THE CAR WOULD BEGIN TO SHUDDER. THIS WOULD HAPPEN ONLY IF THE ENGINE WAS WARM. BY MARCH 2012, THE SHUDDERING TRANSMISSION AND JERK WAS CONSTANT. I TOOK IT IN TO BE LOOKED AT IN APRIL OF 2012. THE ALTERNATOR WAS REPLACED, DUE TO WHAT WE THOUGHT WAS A BAD BATTERY. THE MECHANIC BELIEVED THIS CAUSED THE TRANSMISSION TO JERK. THE PROBLEM WAS NOT SOLVED. JUNE 2012 THE TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED BY A FORD DEALERSHIP FOR 5,000. JULY 2012 THE CAR WENT INTO FAIL ENGINE SAFE MODE, THE CODES POINTING TO THE THROTTLE BODY. A MECHANIC CLEANED THE THROTTLE BODY SAYING IT MIGHT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. 2 DAYS LATER THE CAR WENT INTO FAIL ENGINE SAFE MODE AGAIN WITH THE SAME CODES WITH AN ESTIMATE OF $900. THE CAR HAS 72000K ON IT AND HAS HAD THREE MAJOR PROBLEMS IN THE PAST COUPLE OF MONTHS. *TR

THE INSTRUMENT GAUGE ON MY 2005 MERCURY MONTEGO JUST WENT "DEAD". NOTHING REGISTERED, SO THERE WAS NO READING ON MY SPEED, ENGINE HEAT GAUGE, FUEL LEVEL, OR TACHOMETER. THIS HAPPENED ONCE IN EARLY SPRING OF THIS YEAR (2012), BUT DID NOT REPEAT UNTIL RECENTLY. IT IS NOW JUNE AND THE SAME THING HAS RE-OCCURRED ABOUT 10 TIMES IN THE PAST TWO WEEKS. AFTER TURNING THE CAR OFF AND RESTARTING, THIS SOMETIMES (BUT NOT ALWAYS), "FIXES" THE PROBLEM. MOST RECENTLY, IF THE GAUGES DO WORK, THE "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT TURNS ON. THE AIRBAG LIGHT STAYS ON, AND THE AWD MALFUNCTION MESSAGE DISPLAYS IN THE INFORMATION PANEL UNTIL I HIT THE RESET BUTTON. FROM A SAFETY PERSPECTIVE, IS THIS A SHORT IN THE SYSTEM OR IS MY AIRBAG REALLY MALFUNCTIONING? AND HOW DO I KNOW MY SPEED OTHER THAN TO GUESS? *JS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MERCURY MONTEGO. THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT ALL OF THE INSTRUMENT PANEL GAUGE READINGS DECREASED TO ZERO AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT HEARD A CLANKING SOUND BEFORE THE FAILURE OCCURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS SHUT OFF AND RESTARTED AND THE GAUGES RESET TO THE ACCURATE READINGS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE TECHNICIANS WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 45,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MERCURY MONTEGO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE ENTIRE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED AND CAUSED THE REAR BRAKES AND INSTRUMENT CLUSTER TO FAIL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER, WHERE A DIAGNOSTIC TEST INDICATED THAT THE THROTTLE BODY AND ALTERNATOR WERE FAULTY. THE DEALER REPLACED THE THROTTLE BODY, BUT NOT THE ALTERNATOR. THE FAILURE CONTINUED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE AUTHORIZED DEALER, WHERE THEY WERE UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 95,275.

ENGINE REVS UP, AND CAR LURCHES, TYPICALLY WHEN: - SHIFTING INTO DRIVE OR REVERSE AND/OR MOVING AWAY FROM IDLE; - ALMOST ALWAYS WHEN THE WHEELS ARE CRANKED ALL THE WAY TO THE LEFT OR RIGHT AND THE CAR IS MOVING AWAY FROM IDLE. THE LURCHING IS SUDDEN AND "VIOLENT" ENOUGH THAT IT CAN CATCH A DRIVER UNPREPARED - MY WIFE AND I ARE USED TO IT AND ABLE TO COMPENSATE, BUT WE AREN'T LETTING OUR 17 YEAR-OLD DRIVE THE CAR FOR NOW UNLESS ONE OF US IS WITH HER. ONGOING PROBLEM SINCE CAR WAS PURCHASED NEW. THIS HAS BEEN AN OCCASIONAL PROBLEM FOR YEARS - COMPLAINT WAS EVEN MADE WHILE CAR WAS STILL UNDER ITS 3 YEAR/36,000 MILE WARRANTY (NOTHING FOUND). PROBLEM HAS BEEN GETTING MORE FREQUENT OVER THE PAST YEAR OR SO.