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2008 Mercury Mountaineer

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2008 Mercury Mountaineer do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 117.

About this comparison →

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

81 reports with mileage · 15 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Seats. Review the 54 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 39 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 9 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

3 crash reports0 fire reports0 injury reports

What owners actually said

96 reports
105,868 miles · Mar 11, 2016
Seats

THE DRIVER SEAT MOVES BACK WHEN DRIVING. NO SET PATTERN. SOMETIMES AS MANY AS 10 TIMES WHEN DRIVING AND OTHER TIMES 1 TIME. NO SET PATTERN. JUST HAPPENS

NHTSA ODI #10846218

80,000 miles · Feb 29, 2016
Electrical SystemSeats

DEFECTIVE IGNITION. WHEN DRIVING, IF YOU BUMP THE KEY (OR ATTACHED KEYCHAIN), ALL INTERIOR LIGHTS WILL COME ON, AND THE DRIVERS SEAT WILL RETRACT ALL THE WAY BACK INTO THE "EASY ENTRY/EXIT" POSITION, MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR A SHORTER PERSON TO REACH THE BRAKE OR GAS PEDAL. SOMETIMES DURING THIS EVENT, THE CAR WILL STALL. T…

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DEFECTIVE IGNITION. WHEN DRIVING, IF YOU BUMP THE KEY (OR ATTACHED KEYCHAIN), ALL INTERIOR LIGHTS WILL COME ON, AND THE DRIVERS SEAT WILL RETRACT ALL THE WAY BACK INTO THE "EASY ENTRY/EXIT" POSITION, MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR A SHORTER PERSON TO REACH THE BRAKE OR GAS PEDAL. SOMETIMES DURING THIS EVENT, THE CAR WILL STALL. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS, AND THE INTERNET IS FULL OF PEOPLE HAVING THIS IDENTICAL ISSUE. WHY HASN'T THIS BEEN RECALLED YET?!? PEOPLE ARE PAYING FOR A NEW IGNITION TUMBLER, BUT BEFORE LONG IT STARTS HAPPENING TO THE REPLACEMENT TUMBLER AS WELL. HTTP://WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM/MERCURY/MOUNTAINEER/2008/ACCESSORIES-INTERIOR/SEATS.SHTML

NHTSA ODI #10838908

40 miles · Feb 8, 2016
Seats

WHILE DRIVING, DRIVER SEAT MOVES FORWARDS OR BACKWARDS. NOT THE FIRST TIME. WHEN VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED IT HAPPENED AND WE BROUGHT VEHICLE TO SHOP AND MODULE WAS REPLACED, NOW THIS ISSUE IS HAPPENING AGAIN CAUSING ME NOT ABLE TO REACH BRAKE OR ACCELERATOR PEDALS.

NHTSA ODI #10824854

150,000 miles · Jan 26, 2016
Seats

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE DRIVER SEAT MOVED INDEPENDENTLY. THE FAILURE RECURRED FOUR TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 150,000.

NHTSA ODI #10822350

Mileage unknown · Oct 15, 2015
Unknown Or Other

WHENEVER I DRIVE IN TOWN OR HIGHWAY, I HAVE BEEN HAVING ISSUES WITH THE POWER TRAIN/TRANSMISSION. IT IS CONSTANTLY SLIPPING AND SHIFT HARD. I FOUND OUT THERE WAS A RECALL ON MY EXACT YEAR, MAKE, AND MODEL. I CALLED FORD ABOUT THE SAME EXACT ISSUE I HAVE AS DESCRIBED BY THEIR SITE. BUT MY VIN# DOESN'T SHOW UP AS ONE OF THEIR RECA…

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WHENEVER I DRIVE IN TOWN OR HIGHWAY, I HAVE BEEN HAVING ISSUES WITH THE POWER TRAIN/TRANSMISSION. IT IS CONSTANTLY SLIPPING AND SHIFT HARD. I FOUND OUT THERE WAS A RECALL ON MY EXACT YEAR, MAKE, AND MODEL. I CALLED FORD ABOUT THE SAME EXACT ISSUE I HAVE AS DESCRIBED BY THEIR SITE. BUT MY VIN# DOESN'T SHOW UP AS ONE OF THEIR RECALLS. WHICH DOESN'T MAKE SENSE. SO NOW I HAVE TO PAY THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS OUT OF POCKET SINCE THEY DON'T WANT TO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THAT MY VEHICLE IS HAVING THE SAME EXACT ISSUES AS THE OTHER SUV.

NHTSA ODI #10782369

65,000 miles · Oct 6, 2015
Seats

WHEN I HIT A BUMP THE DRIVER SEAT MOVED IN AND OUT OF POSITION THAT I HAD SET IN THE MEMORY SEATING

NHTSA ODI #10780182

91,000 miles · Sep 24, 2015
Seats

THE SEAT WHILE DRIVING AUTOMATICALLY MOVES BACK FROM THE BRAKE PEDAL WHICH CAUSES PROBLEMS STOPPING THE VEHICLE. THE SEAT THEN MOVES YOU FORWARD PRESSING YOUR FOOT AGAINST THE GAS PEDAL CAUSING YOU TO SPEED UP. IT IS A RANDOM ISSUE AND YOU ARE UNAWARE WHILE DRIVING WHEN IT WILL OCCUR. THIS CAN CAUSE A SERIOUS ACCIDENT TO SOMEONE…

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THE SEAT WHILE DRIVING AUTOMATICALLY MOVES BACK FROM THE BRAKE PEDAL WHICH CAUSES PROBLEMS STOPPING THE VEHICLE. THE SEAT THEN MOVES YOU FORWARD PRESSING YOUR FOOT AGAINST THE GAS PEDAL CAUSING YOU TO SPEED UP. IT IS A RANDOM ISSUE AND YOU ARE UNAWARE WHILE DRIVING WHEN IT WILL OCCUR. THIS CAN CAUSE A SERIOUS ACCIDENT TO SOMEONE OR SOMEONE'S PROPERTY AND INJURY TO THE VEHICLE OCCUPANTS.

NHTSA ODI #10776480

81,000 miles · Apr 28, 2015
Seats

DRIVER SEAT AUTOMATICALLY RETRACTS WHILE DRIVING. THIS HAPPENS AT SPEEDS FROM SLOW TO FAST AND HAS BEEN HAPPENING REGULARLY SINCE I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE USED IN 2010. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10713270

24,000 miles · Feb 17, 2015
EngineUnknown Or Other

**************************ENGINE WILL SHUTOFF WITHOUT WARNING********************** IT HAS HAPPENED WITH VARIOUS LEVELS OF GAS, VARIOUS WEATHER CONDITIONS, AND BOTH WHILE STOPPED AND MOVING. THE "CHECK FUEL FILLER INLET" LIGHT WILL COME ON. SOMETIMES, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WILL REMAIN ON, BUT WILL CLEAR WITHIN THE NEXT START…

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**************************ENGINE WILL SHUTOFF WITHOUT WARNING********************** IT HAS HAPPENED WITH VARIOUS LEVELS OF GAS, VARIOUS WEATHER CONDITIONS, AND BOTH WHILE STOPPED AND MOVING. THE "CHECK FUEL FILLER INLET" LIGHT WILL COME ON. SOMETIMES, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WILL REMAIN ON, BUT WILL CLEAR WITHIN THE NEXT STARTUP OR TWO. CAR HAS BEEN AT DEALERS AT LEAST 4 TIMES FOR ISSUE. ENGINE THROTTLE BODY AND CRANKSHAFT SENSORS HAVE BEEN REPLACED. IN THE BEGINNING, THE VEHICLE WOULD DO THIS ONCE OR TWICE, THEN RUN PERFECTLY FOR MONTHS AT A TIME. EACH TIME IT IS "FIXED" BY DEALER, WHO CLAIMS THEY CANNOT REPLICATE THE PROBLEM. LATELY IT WILL STALL 4-6 TIMES WITHIN A 30 MINUTE PERIOD. LAST MONTH, I WAS ABLE TO READ CODE 2107. TODAY, IT STALLED AGAIN 6 TIMES, NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT REMAINS, NO CODE TO BE READ. WHEN CAR IS RUNNING NORMALLY, IT SOMETIMES HICCUPS AND SEEMS TO RUN ROUGH. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10683911

58,000 miles · Dec 31, 2014
Seats

WHILE DRIVING IF ON BUMPY ROADS THE SEATS WILL RETURN TO THE OPEN DOOR POSITION AND INTER LIGHTS COME ON. MAKING IT HARD TO REACH PEDALS. *JS

NHTSA ODI #10669249

Official recalls

1

07V453000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission:cooling Unit And Lines

Sep 26, 2007

ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE 4.6L ENGINE AND 6R TRANSMISSION, THE BOLT SECURING THE TRANSMISSION OIL COOLER LINE FITTINGS AT THE TRANSMISSION MAY NOT HAVE BEEN SUFFICIENTLY TORQUED DURING VEHICLE ASSEMBLY. AS A RESULT, THE BOLT MAY LOOSEN AND THE TRANSMISSION OIL COOLER LINES MAY DISENGAGE FROM THE TRANSMISSION, CAUSING A TRANSMISSION FLUID LEAK.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: IF LEAKING TRANSMISSION FLUID CONTACTS THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER, IT MAY POSE A RISK OF FIRE.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND HAVE THE TRANSMISSION COOLER LINE ATTACHMENT BOLT TIGHTENED FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 30, 2007. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FORD AT 1-800-392-3673.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

1

PE08060 · Tire Valve Cracking

Opened Oct 14, 2008 · Closed Apr 9, 2009

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Tires:valve

ON OCTOBER 14, 2008, ODI OPENED PE08-060 TO INVESTIGATE ALLEGATIONS OF CRACKED AND LEAKING SNAP-IN TIRE VALVES IN MODEL YEAR (MY) 2007 VEHICLES MANUFACTURED BY FORD MOTOR COMPANY.THE VALVES WERE SUPPLIED TO FORD BY TOPSEAL AUTO-PARTS, A SUBSIDIARY OF THE SHANGHAI BAOLONG AUTOMOTIVE CORPORATION IN CHINA.VALVES MADE BY TOPSEAL FOR AFTERMARKET SALE WERE THE SUBJECT OF TWO RECENT SAFETY RECALLS BY TECH INTERNATIONAL (08T-018) AND DILL AIR CONTROLS (08T-028), THE LATTER OF WHICH WAS INVESTIGATED BY ODI IN PE08-036 AND EA08-022.THE DEFECT CONDITIONS ADDRESSED BY THE AFTERMARKET TIRE VALVE RECALLS BOTH INVOLVED INADEQUATE RESISTANCE TO OZONE CRACKING DUE TO ISSUES WITH THE SUPPLY OF ANTI-OZONANT CHEMICALS TO TOPSEAL FOR A PERIOD FROM JULY TO MID-NOVEMBER 2006.THE AFTERMARKET VALVES WERE COMPOUNDED WITH A BLEND OF EPDM AND NATURAL RUBBER, USING A RELATIVELY LOW PERCENTAGE OF EPDM (EPDM PROVIDES INHERENT RESISTANCE TO OZONE CRACKING).HENCE, THE NEED FOR ANTI-OZONANT CHEMICALS AND THE PROBLEMS WITH CRACKING WHEN THOSE CHEMICALS WERE MISSING OR OUT OF SPECIFICATION IN SOME LOTS OF VALVES.BOTH RECALL CAMPAIGNS INVOLVED INSPECTION PROGRAMS TO IDENTIFY AND REPLACE VALVES WITH VISIBLE SURFACE CRACKING.ALTHOUGH THE TOPSEAL VALVES SUPPLIED TO FORD ALSO APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN AFFECTED BY THE ANTI-OZONANT SUPPLY ISSUES IN MID TO LATE-2006, FORD INDICATED THAT ITS VALVES WERE MADE AT A DIFFERENT TOPSEAL PRODUCTION LINE AND WERE COMPOUNDED WITH A HIGHER PERCENTAGE OF EPDM RUBBER TO MEET MORE STRINGENT SPECIFICATIONS FROM FORD.ODI'S ANALYSIS OF COMPLAINT AND WARRANTY DATA PROVIDED BY FORD SHOWED THAT PROBLEMS WITH CRACKED TIRE VALVES WERE SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER FOR MY 2007 VEHICLES PRODUCED FROM DECEMBER 2006 THROUGH MARCH 2007.FORD RESPONDED BY IMPLEMENTING CHANGES IN ITS MATERIAL SPECIFICATIONS FOR SNAP-IN RUBBER TIRE VALVES AND ALSO INCREASING THE QUALITY AND ACCEPTANCE STANDARDS FOR VALVES IMPORTED FOR USE IN ITS VEHICLES.WHILE THE COMPLAINT AND WARRANTY CLAIM RATES ARE ELEVATED FOR SUBJECT VEHICLES PRODUCED FROM DECEMBER 2006 THROUGH MARCH 2007, THE RATES OF LEAKING VALVES ARE WELL BELOW ONE PERCENT OF PRODUCTION FOR EACH OF THE PEAK MONTHS FOR ALL OF THE AFFECTED MODELS.A SUBSTANTIAL MAJORITY OF THE SUBJECT VEHICLES ARE EQUIPPED WITH TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEMS (TPMS) WHICH WARN THE DRIVER WHEN ANY TIRE PRESSURES DROPS BELOW 25 PERCENT OF RECOMMENDED INFLATION PRESSURE. AS OUTLINED IN A LETTER TO ODI DATED APRIL 6, 2009, FORD HAS AGREED TO SEND LETTERS TO OWNERS OF CERTAIN MY 2007 AND 2008 FORD, LINCOLN AND MERCURY VEHICLES TO PROVIDE INFORMATION ABOUT THE CRACKING CONCERN. LETTERS WILL BE SENT TO OWNERS OF VEHICLES BUILT FROM NOVEMBER 2006 THROUGH MAY 2007.OWNERS CAN OPT FOR A FREE DEALER INSPECTION.VALVES EXHIBITING SURFACE CRACKS OR AIR LEAKAGE RELATED TO OZONE ATTACK WILL BE REPLACED BY FORD UNDER ITS NORMAL WARRANTY TERMS.FORD EXPECTS TO SEND THE LETTER BY APPROXIMATELY MID-MAY 2009. BASED ON THE USE OF TPMS IN THE MAJORITY OF SUBJECT VEHICLES AND THE RELATIVELY LOW RATES OF REPAIRS ASSOCIATED WITH LEAKING VALVES AND RESULTANT TIRE DAMAGE, ODI BELIEVES THAT THE ACTIONS FORD HAS AGREED TO TAKE WILL PROVIDE EFFECTIVE AND EXPEDITIOUS RESOLUTION FOR VEHICLES THAT WERE BUILT DURING THE PERIOD WHEN VALVES WITH INADEQUATE RESISTANCE TO OZONE CRACKING WERE MOST LIKELY TO HAVE BEEN USED IN VEHICLE PRODUCTION.FURTHER INVESTIGATION OF THIS MATTER WOULD NOT BE AN EFFICIENT ALLOCATION OF AGENCY RESOURCES.ACCORDINGLY, THIS INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED.THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY NHTSA THAT A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT DOES NOT EXIST.THE AGENCY WILL CONTINUE TO