Automatic Transmission Floor Shift Problems of Mercury Mountaineer

I attempted to put my vehicle in reverse so I could pull out of a parking space. When I did this, the transmission level broke right off. The vehicle, since it is full-time awd, cannot be moved or towed since all the wheels are engaged in park. The metal holding the transmission lever to the steering column sheared off which I can only consider to be a grave safety risk if the vehicle was in motion and this happened.

See all problems of the 2003 Mercury Mountaineer 🔎.

Transmission lever binds when attempting to shift into park, slipping into reverse instead. Problem has occurred sporadically from 2007 to date. Usually the miss-shift is noticed because it just doesn't feel right, but not always. It can be most dangerous if you don't turn off the engine immediately (after attempting to shift into park) and take your foot off the brake. That has happened to me about 5 times over 5 years. It happened twice at a gas station, once at a car wash, once in a shopping center, and once in front of my house as a child walked behind the car. In each case the car only moved 1 or 2 feet before I realized it, and was able to step on the brake. These days I don't need to worry about it as much because (at 52,000 miles) the transmission takes 5 - 10 seconds to engage the reverse gear and then it bangs into gear, loudly alerting me that it didn't go into park. . The transmission is defective, and Ford knows it.

See all problems of the 2005 Mercury Mountaineer 🔎.

The transmission in my 2006 Mercury Mountaineer has "popped" into reverse twice once it was placed into park, causing it to roll backwards. It also rolls forward and backwards when placed in park until it "catches" and finally locks in place. When climbing hills or steep grades, the transmission will surge, and when coming to a stop, the transmission will shift hard and jerk.

See all problems of the 2006 Mercury Mountaineer 🔎.