One problem related to brake disc caliper has been reported for the 1997 Mercury Mountaineer. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
Brake caliper came loose due to bolts breaking/failing. Info sent to Ford/Mercury 2-22-01 and they said this was incidental and not a concern to them. I informed them that the dealer we had purchased the vehicle from was out of business. The gentleman who I talked to was named wayne. I can email letter and photos of the scored rim and failed bolts that I had mailed to Ford. We had to replace rim and tire due to damage costing us about $600. Service managers and mechanics told us this was frequent for these bolts to break with Ford brake systems. I was just driving to work. . . . I hate to think what could have happened driving on interstate highways or pulling our camper!! I requested Ford to reimburse for parts and work time lost.