general problems of the 2003 Mercury Mountaineer

I have spent thousands of dollars on the transmission repair and no matter what I do there always a problem shifting gears.

I have had a problem for a couple years when I put the car in gear it doesn't "lock" in the gear I have to adjust it twice, didn't think much of it and thank god no accident. But I just learned to deal with it until I saw this. Want updates on this issue.

2003 Mercury Mountaineer 4. 6l-when the vehicle is not under acceleration [stop sign/signal, exiting an expressway to a surface street, coasting] the engine will not hold idle, then stall. The steering & brakes are compromised when the engine stalls. To restart the engine, the headlights go dark for a moment. . . This is a very serious matter. Decelerating from an expressway to a surface street, on a curved exit ramp , at night makes for an out of control situation where the driver can not see because of engine failure! I've replaced the throttle position censor [tps] with no improvement. The dealer offers replacement of parts $1500, and no guarantee of solving the problem. The vehicle is useless to me fore it is a hazard to be on the road. . . For me and anyone else driving near me.

Powertrain.

2003 Mercury Mountaineer transmission made a clunking sound, slid backwards and forwards while shifting into reverse. A/c blower motor made a humming sound. While driving the motor would misfire. While driving the consumer noticed that the dash light went out. The consumer attempted to correct the problem by turning the lighting switch. When the switch was turned the dash light came on but the headlights went out. The consumer's indicated that they sometimes hear popping sounds while driving, which seems to be of an electrical nature.

2003 Mountaineer transaxle housing broke in half. The oil from the transaxle leaked on the exhaust causing a small fire. The driver indicated that she may have hit an object in the road.