Steering Tie Rod Assembly Problems of Mercury Mountaineer

The contact owns a 1998 Mercury Mountaineer. The contact stated that while driving at 45 mph, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. The failure occurred on several occasions. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the tire rods, wheel bearings, and the tires needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 210,000.

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The contact owns a 2009 Mercury Mountaineer. The contact stated that when he rocked the steering wheel back and forth it made a popping noise. The contact stated that the rack and pinion caused the failure to occur. The dealer stated that all of the Ford and Mercury vehicles for that year and model were designed the same way. The driver side tire on the inside also began to exhibit abnormal wear, which the owner stated could also be the rack and pinion or the tie rod. The VIN was not available. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were 22,000.

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The contact owns a 2003 Mercury Mountaineer. The contact stated that the rear driver's side wheel bearing was replaced 3 times within 16 months. On October 1, 2008, while driving out of the driveway at an unknown speed, she heard a loud noise. The vehicle was towed to the repair shop and the mechanic stated that the rear driver's side wheel bearing failed. The contact stated that the vehicle was not driven on dirt roads, only in the city. She feels that either the wheel bearing is defective or the Ford dealer did not properly correct the previous failures. The Ford dealer stated that the vehicle is out of warranty and the wheel bearing is only good for 12,000 miles. The manufacturer took a report and stated that they will forward her information to the dealer. From there, the dealer will determine if the vehicle will be repaired. The failure mileage was 74,494 and current mileage was 104,000. Updated 11/14/08 the driver side visor was hanging down, the vehicle stalled on several occasions. The lower ball joints and outer tie rod ends were replaced. The rear hatch window cracked. The vehicle would crank, but it would not start. Updated 11/18/08.

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The passenger side tie rod of my 1999 Mercury Mountaineer, 75,000 miles, fell apart (at the ball joint) while driving. I was very lucky to not crash the car (I was on a quite road and going slowly). My car has been well kept and had a full Ford service ($800) in February. I went online and noticed that many other drivers had experienced the same problem. I kept the ball joint and found it completely worn out (you could pull it out of the socket). The car had to be towed to a repair shop and the tie bolt was replaced. The repair shop said that I should contact Ford as this was a problem with the way the ball joint was manufactured (with no way to apply new llubrication during servicing). This is potentially a very serious issue that it should be investiagated.

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My son was making a turn in boulder when the car slid into the curbing. This was on a icy road and the car was traveling at less than 5 mph. After stricking the curbing, the car would not track so he took it to the dealer for evaluation. It was identified that the rear tie rod end had broken off and that a new assembly must be installed. My son called me and I requested the part be sent to my attention. I am an automotive engineer and I know that this is not an normal failure mode for this part. I also need to point out that there were no marks on the tire and that the wheel was not damaged in the event. Upon receipt of the failed part it became very apparent that a manufacturing problem exists. The tie rod is threaded on the rod and then swedged to hold it in place. In order to swedge the part the wall thickness has been reduced to less that 1/8" and in the swedging process, the material is streched over the shoulder between the solid mass of the tie rod and the drilled out (reduced wall thickness)section of the tie rod that is then threaded and swedged in-place. The part also has rust present on the inside of the break which is an indication that a crack was present that was most likely created by the high mechanical stresses in the swedging process. I am concerned that this problem is present on all the new 2002 Ford explorers/mountaineers. This is a new suspension system for 2002. A large bump in the road at any speed above 30 mph could be catastrophic! I have not made contact with Ford and still have the part in my possession. Please advise what the next steps should be.

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