One problem related to ignition switch has been reported for the 1999 Mercury Mountaineer. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
The contact owns a 1999 Mercury Mountaineer. While driving the vehicle the contact smelled smoke and pulled off the road. As the smell intensified the contact turned off the ignition switch and exited the vehicle. The contact stated that within five minutes the smoke turned gray and black in color. The fire department was notified, and, by the time they arrived, the vehicle was in flames underneath the hood. The vehicle was towed to the insurance investigators, and a report was pending to determine the cause of the fire. The current and failure mileage were 54,717.