Automatic Transmission problems of the 2002 Mercury Mountaineer - part 1

Transmission would not shift into third gear. 70000 miles no towing just street driving. Had to have the transmission rebuilt. Seems to be common issue for Ford on 2002 Mercury Mountaineers and Ford explorers.

The contact owns a 2002 Mercury Mountaineer. While the vehicle was parked, a 19 month old toddler sitting in the driver's seat moved the gear shifter into reverse without the keys being in the ignition. The rear door was open and the vehicle crashed into a gate and rolled into the middle of the street. The rear door and the gate were damaged. There were no injuries. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were 120,929.

Wife driving to work when car stopped moving. Pulled off street (near a car shop), paid $100 for them to do a diagnostic check and they said that gears and belt blew out and that he used to work with Ford and that this is a common problem in earlier 2000's suvs (explorer and Mountaineers). ~$3000 to fix by them. Researched on line and saw all of the problems people are having. Something needs to be done before someone gets killed.

I own a 2002 Mercury Mountaineer. The tailgate developed a crack between the emblem and the rear glass lift. It was fixed once already and has since cracked again. Since this crack has developed, the door ajar light has come on. I have noticed the same crack in almost every Ford explorer and Mountaineer that I see. I contacted the dealer to have it repaired again and was told that they only cover the repair once. I don't feel I should have to pay out of pocket for an obvious manufacturing defect. I then contacted Ford and was told there is nothing they can do for me. Keep in mind, I have also had numerous visits for my transmission having issues from the beginning and I have also had issues with the cruise control where it suddenly "takes off" and goes really fast. Ford needs to stand by it's vehicles and fix them when there are obvious manufacturer defects!.

The transmission on the early model 2002's go bad early. Research on the internet revealed many many complaints. I found a few that said that Ford was aware of the problem. Redesigned the transmission in the middle of the year, but will not correct the problem.

2002 Mercury Mountaineer, transmission is bucking, over drive light flashing, check transmission light on. Also rotated tires, changed brakes, and had rotors cut yet there still is a pulsating felling in front end when stopping.

Od light starting flashing, then check transmission light starting flashing, then 3 and 5th gear started snatching, transmission went out. I heard alot of these suvs are having problems just like mine.

The transmission in this vehicle is defective. Their should be a recall on this model which is a 2002 Mercury Mountaineer. The problem is costing all of fords customers alot of money average cost is 2600 dollars. They know about this problem and will not help even with some of the repair cost. This is not acceptable for any company to get away with. Please do something about this. Thank you.

Transmission has been repaired 3 times. The last was Jan 2009 when it was completely rebuilt.

Transmission problem. Less than 80,000 miles on vehicle. Maintenance kept up to date. I started the car and began to drive away when suddenly it would not pick up speed and it kept jerking. It was not driveable at especially on a highway. Everywhere I went told me it was the transmission. It cost me over $2,000. 00 for another transmission. I am shocked to see so many others with transmission problems. I had no problems at all with this vehicle until this happened. I find it strange that I never had any other maintenance problems with this car and suddenly I lose a transmission. It sounds like a recall was due to myself as well as thousands of others with this same make and model. I was ready to make Mercury my main choice of vehicle but after this, I don't think so. I would love to be included in a class action suit.

Major safety concern: 2002 Mercury Mountaineer awd, purchased with around 79000 miles, in 2007. A few days after purchase started shifting really hard into 3rd gear, called dealer and he said to have transmission fluid changed, changed that cost 100. 00. Seemed to help some, now at 100,000 miles or so car will not go over 30mph. Driving vehicle in busy traffic and car only going up to 30 in a serious hazard. Ford needs to be held accountable for this. Too many 2002 are having exact same problem. Car jerks into reverse, o/d flashes, check transmission light comes on , hard jerks and shudders into 3rd gear. . . . Come on how many more people have to give up hard earned money to fix fords mistakes??? in process of trying to find a transmission shop to take this heap of junk to.

I went to shift my car into reverse and the stick shift located next to steering wheel came off in my hand, went to dealer and the part was $800. 00 for the whole steering column, the part that broke was a small piece holding the stick, but dealer said it had to replace all of it. Since I could not afford that amount I searched for a used part and everyone said it was very common on these cars and I finally found one for $200. 00 but have not had it installed due to costs. And to add to my problems I was driving on the freeway and the od light starts to flicker and after numerous calls and researching the problem was told that it is the transmission and would probably need to repair/replace and that it is a common problem with these cars.

2002 Mercury Mountaineer. The transmission went out at 66000 mile and 1 month after extended warranty. Called Ford costumer assistance center and the person said she has never heard of this problem. Went on-line (edmunds. Com, carsurvey. Org, etc. And saw one after another complaints about exact same problem. The check transmission warning light first went on at 59000 mile (still under warranty). But I read the manual first before taking it to dealer. The manual stated SUV was up for flashing the transmission fluid at 60000 miles. Flushed the fluid and warning light went away. Six months later transmission warning light is back (warranty has just expired). Found out there is a recall on the same transmission on the explorer but the Mountaineer (which is same truck with different branding) does not. So why is this the case? luckily for me I was not in the freeway went the transmission went out.

I have an 2002 Mercury Mountaineer had the transmission rebuilt 6 months ago been back to the transmission shop 7 times . . . Three times for a synlan pack??or so that's what he (the mechanic) has told me .

Complaint in detail for, Mercury Mountaineer : July 24, 2007 I purchased a as is warranty 2002 Mercury Mountaineer from Toyota of scion in concord, nc. This car was advertised on their website for $11,995 and reported mileage of 51,972. Subsequent to my purchase below is an outline of my experience with the vehicle: I reviewed the car-facts very meticulously, and arrived at the findings noted below with regard to the reported mileage: 1. 11/20/2004 source: nc motor vehicle dept. Indian trail nc title # 771444062507118 mileage was reported at 48,000. 2. 12/15/2005 source: new york motor vehicle dept. , hicksville, NY mileage was reported at 39,412 which signify a decrease of -8,588. 3. 9/7/2006 source: nc motor vehicle dept. Indian trail, nc, mileage was reported at 45,200 which signify an increase of +5,788. 4. As mentioned above on 7/24/08 I purchased the vehicle with reported mileage of 51, 972 which signify an increase of +6772.

The contact owns a 2002 Mercury Mountaineer. While driving (mph unknown) the vehicle would not accelerate. The mechanic stated that the transmission band broke and was the cause of the failure. In addition, they informed him of a TSB regarding his year, make and model. The manufacturer advised the contact to take the vehicle to a Ford dealer for further assistance. The failure and current mileages were 60,482.

Our Mountaineer has 84,257 miles on it and the transmission already has to be rebuilt. The transmission shop told me there was nothing that I did wrong or I could of done to prevent it, that this is a common problem with this transmission. The dealership and Ford won't help us because the warranty is up.

Serious transmission trouble.

The transmission on my car went.

I have a 2002 Mercury Mountaineer with 58,000 miles. I bought this car, so my wife would have something safe to drive. So far, I believe that this car is unsafe. The transmission doesn't shift right. If she were to try to cross a busy intersection or to attempt to merge and this were to occur, it could be a tragedy. I looked through your service bulletins. I believe what I refer to is documented. 10014089. This car is almost new. Ford should pay for it to be fixed. Please force a recall! thanks.

I own a 2002 Mercury Mountaineer mileage 72465. At this time it started to shuddering during up shifts from 1st to 2nd gear. I took it to pitcock auto repair in richardson, TX. They did a diagnostic test and found no codes they flashed the computer to reset all settings and I drove the vehicle for about 10 days and returned it to them who then took it to a eagle transmission in plano TX. They also did a diagnostic check but the transmission had no codes! it was then removed and over hauled it was then found out that the #1,2 clutches were almost gone and the # 3 was completely worn out. The transmission was over hauled and test driven when a over drive light came"on" the transmission was again removed and all items were checked again reinstalled during the test drive again the over drive light came "on". They removed and replaced the valve body test driven and the same problem the transmission was again removed and the following items were changed(# of time changed) valve body (2),converter(2),flashed computer (2), replaced the seals/gaskets (3) and many test drives with same problem! eagle transmission was on the net with other transmission repair people and all of them could not help them trouble shoot this problem as none of them had ever seen this happen! the vehicle was then taken to a local Ford dealer who after doing a diagnostic test told eagle they would have to replace all items again! the manger of eagle had just received the gears , September 2006 and in it they had the correction for this problem with a kit from sonnax with the part number of 56947j-15k, they order the kit and it corrected the problem! all this happened just after the warranty expired. To have a Ford dealer who had no idea or what to do to fix the problem was some thing that I or eagle didn't expect! I was lucky that I had taken it to eagle and pitcock as I could have paid twice what I agreed to which was $2500. 00.

Of the many problems I've had since purchasing this vehicle, the latest takes the cake. Here's the skinny of all my problems, with the latest motivating me to report a complaint to the NHTSA. Hopefully, something can be done. . Read more...

While reversing in low speed, the vehicle inadvertently accelerated into a pole. The dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. The consumer experienced sudden acceleration. The consumer believed that the pedal stuck. The transmission pan was removed and then re-sealed. The main control valve body was removed and repaired.

2002 Mercury Mountaineer drive train slips, causing sudden jumps and jerks from; starts, slow down / acceleration, reverse to drive. Bought car for wife for safe awd system for snow and slick roads, wife does not feel safe as lurching from stops almost caused her to cause a rear end accident. Car has 65,000 miles had trans and front rear diff oil changed helped for about a week. Is it possible to replace 2002 trans with 2005 trans as they seem to be rated better?.

While taking off from a complete stop after heavy or moderate braking the vehicle's engine will rev for about 2 seconds when the gas pedal is applied, then the vehicle will harshly jolt forward and start accelerating.

About two years ago owner purchased the vehicle 2002 Mercury Mountaineer. Right away owner complained of acceleration problem. While driving on the road vehicle felt like it was shifting when it accelerated. Vehicle usually did this about 25-30 mph or even higher speeds. The rpms would raise and increase speed. It felt like a transmission problem because it would accelerate, and raise the rpms without warning. There were no lights to indicate a problem. The first time the vehicle was taken to the dealer they didn't know what the problem was. The dealership was cooperative. The dealer replaced about half the transmission because they were thinking that it was a transmission problem. The problem has remained about the same and was still going on. When it accelerated by itself it sped up about 5-10 mph. The rpms went up by about 1000. Owner would like to make the office of defect investigation investigators aware that he would like to have someone come and check out the vehicle, and even take the vehicle away for further analysis if they would like to. He another vehicle to drive, and insisted about getting the problem with the accelerator repaired.

2002 Mercury Mountaineer- automatic transmission needed a total rebuild at 40,000 miles.

The caller said vehicle stalled without warning several times. She stated that it did start back up. She took the vehicle to the dealer three times. Dealer said they fixed it each time. She sent manufacturer a letter on the problem and other problems. Also, the caller stated that she had the ignition switch replaced, and now when she takes it out of park something pops. Dealer will not do anything else to help her with the ignition switch. The day time running lights did not stay on, the consumer heard wind noise coming from the vehicle, the cigarette lighter did not work, there was a popping noise when the consumer placed the vehicle into gear.

1. ) would feel vibrations during shifts, car would not not shift 2. ) truck rendered undrivable on first incident 8/02, second incident 8/03 caught early. 3. ) tork converter replaced both times.

The vehicle quickly shifts whenever you accelerate, it's rather jerky and startling. It seems as though the gears are changing incorrectly thus causing a jerky motion. I have notified the dealer and was told that this was a normal reaction, which I disagree. I most recently contacted the Mercury home office, who suggested that I take it to the dealer for a diagnostics check. I saw similar complaints on this issue and thought that I should report my problem.

I bought a 2002 Mercury Mountaineer may 16th 2003 with approx 45,000 miles. About a week later we noticed that the shifting seemed to be jerky going from 2-3 gears. Took it back into the person I bought it from and he called our local Ford dealer who he purchased it from 2 days prior for me. They stated there were not bulletins out on the transmission. We had the transmission fluid checked and it appeared to be ok. A couple of months went by and then a soft shudder started when going to the next gears. I took it to a local transmission place and the tech stated that he had seen 2 of these incidents in the last 6 months. Recommended I get rid of the vehicle as there was a flaw in the transmission design. In November of 2003 we had the transmission serviced (approx $250). Cleared up the problem for a couple of months but reappeared and then went into a hard shift going to each gear. Feb 2004 took it back to local Ford dealer and they will charge me $2700 to replace my transmission with a rebuilt Ford transmission. The real kicker is I bought this vehicle because my 2001 Ford windstar's transmission went out and there was a service bulletin out on it too. I guess shame on me for continuing to buy Ford.

The first time the transmission problem happened while I was driving on I-275 going to jury duty. It was rush hour, stop & go traffic. I was excellerating and at approximately 60 miles per hour, the truck like "slammed" into gear. It started me & I thought I had been rear-ended. I contacted the dealer on my cell phone and asked to bring it in. I was told since I was in jury duty, I would have to wait until my service ended and then bring it in. I asked if the transmission or drivetrain could further damage & was told no. I was afraid to keep driving it but did not have a choice at the time. I kept track of the times the truck "slammed" into gear which up until the time I took the vehicle in, was when the vehicle was warm & it was on excellerations at different speeds & times. The service people said it did not do it while they test drove it but Ford's knew there was a problem with it & the repair was to reprogram the computer chip & that would fix the problem it did not. I had to re-schedule an appointment for another attempt to fix it. This time the dealer placed a recording device on the truck & were able to capture it acting up. The service person told me I needed a new transmission & that's what he'd like to do to repair it but I'd have to wait until Ford's retrieved the data. I was concerned about driving the vehicle and it only had 800 miles on it! while waiting for a determination, I had driven the vehicle about 6 or 7 miles and an awful odor filled the cab. It smelled like something burning under the vehicle. I pulled over & checked under the truck for a fire. I did not see anything that looked like it was burning. I called the dealer & complained again about it slamming into gear & now the awful smell. I wondered if the transmission was burning. I was told it was another complaint others made as well. It was coming from the exhaust (valve?) for the 3rd try, these 2 issues & others are now being repaired. Dt.

About once a year we have had a problem with our transmission. After this happening so many times I decided to check online for anyone else with the same problem. Can not believe how many have the same problem but still no recalls. My husband knew the first time they tried to fix the problem they were just putting a "band-aide" on the problem and not truly fixing it. Metal shavings were found the first time and the transmission shifts rough and slips. Also the vehicle accelerates without putting foot on gas pedal. Problem is extremely bad when going into reverse.

I have a 2002 Mercury Mountaineer that the transmission needs to be relaced. There was nothing wrong with the transmission operationaly. The dashboard light o/d check transmission. The dealer which we purchased said the trans needed to be replaceed at $3200. I sent a letter to Ford motor company asking for assistance. They contacted me and sated the could not help.

Ford has bought back car - hopefully, tomorrow will be the transition day. For the transmission, car had been in 3x - transmission kicked at various speeds. Starting in 12/01, 4x (including once in the dealership), the car would not start. Feel that this is a major problem w/ car. Receivng new car, but I thought this info. Should be part of NHTSA file.