Five problems related to brake pedal and linkage have been reported for the 1997 Mercury Mountaineer. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
Brake and gas pedals are too close together. Sometimes when pressing brakes foot is actually on gas pedal, once consumer ran right into garage.
Please be advised, I am a police officer operating this leased vehicle and I feel this is a very dangerous condition. On several occasions, I've indicated at least six times to me in the past month, this vehicle will begin to exccerate any time you deeply depress the brake pedal. This generally happens at a complete stop when you may inadvertently just hold down the brake pedal. It also would become extremely dangerous if you were forced to slam on the brakes, as you would generally panic and try to depress the pedal all the way to the floor. The brake pedal is not overly close to the excelerator pedal, but apparently the normal foot movement from one pedal to another is not far enough to avoid depressing both. I can't express how serious this situation can be, it has caused sudden bursts of exceleration from complete stops, and can only imagine what it would do at higher speed panic stops. I wouldn't doubt that this has already been the subject or cause of many minor as well as high speed accidents, as the driver would actually be accelerating at the same time he or she is trying to brake.
As consumer depressed the brake pedal to come to a stop, consumer's foot also rested on the accelerator pedal causing consumer to rear end another vehicle. Consumer feels the design of the brake pedal and the accelerator pedal are too close. If consumer has wide feet it could cause misapplication on the pedal, resulting in an accident.
The gas and brake pedals are so close together that when brakes are applied in an panic stop driver steps on the accelerator also. The dealer has not been notified.
Brake pedal too close to accelerator pedal, causing them to be depressed simultaneously.