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Ford Explorer Mercury Mountaineer 2005 and earlier

3348 messages,  Last post on Oct 31, 2011 at 3:14 PM

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What is this discussion about? Ford Explorer, Mercury Mountaineer, SUV

Messages Page 159 of 336

#1574 of 3348 Post 1563, Mercury Mountaineer by fx4

Sep 30, 2003 (8:37 am)

nvbanker--with reference to the subject and other posts, we ended up buying a new red with parchment interior V-8, 4wd, XLT Explorer, with T/T and 3.73, no third row seat, safety canopy.
 
The level cargo area and additional cargo space you get without the third row seat was a must for her. The selcetion in the 2003 Mercury Mountaineer was then extremely limited due the third row being standard. With a lot of effort, I did find 4 to 5 third row seat delete models in Mountaineer , but not the exact vehicle we were looking for.
 
Even though we bought the Explorer, we were the most pleasantly surprised by the Mountaineer models. It is a shame that such very nice inventory has been on the lots in many cities for 12 months or more. Even the 4.0L V-6 that seemed weak in the 4wd Explorer seemed OK in the V-6 AWD Mountaineer. Difference?
 
There seems to be definite market resistance to the AWD in Explorer. True all over USA? I called about one V-6 XLT AWD in WV that had the safety canopy that was early "A" VIN inventory (built about July 2002 ?). D/T model that the dealer would not discount. Many of the regional dealers have too much Explorer AWD inventory in the pricey E/B and Limited models. Many of the older Ford dealers gave thumbs down to Explorer AWD, apparently due to past 5.0L AWD vibration and poor gas mileage. From my research, these two previous drawbacks seem to no longer exist and the AWD is excellent in 2003-2004 Explorer models in both V-6 and V-8. Any comments?

#1575 of 3348 lrmet2: Other problems by tjf2000

Sep 30, 2003 (8:52 am)

I had a very bad vibration problem that started on the drive home with my new 2002 Mountaineer (back in August of 2002), it was back in the shop for 2 days... it was not a great way to start new ownership. The vibration problem could not be solved (after 4 months and 17k miles)so Ford bought back the 2002 and exchanged it for a 2003 Mountaineer. My dealer in the Boston area was great help during those tough months. The 2003 has been a real joy, no problems at all. This one does not have the towing package and I miss the oomph off the line that the towing package (3:73 vs 3:55 rear end ratio) gave you.

#1576 of 3348 by kirstie_h HOST

Sep 30, 2003 (11:17 am)

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#1577 of 3348 5.0L AWD vibration problem??? by swschrad

Sep 30, 2003 (8:03 pm)

not here. the dealers don't stock a lot of AWD because it's a harder sell; "Four-by" just sounds more manly I guess.
 
AWD is a darn sight better for the 99% of buyers who want to go on snow and don't want to wallow through the mud like a hog on a mission.
 
it's many long years of selling what they had to folks who couldn't use it right that led to this. 4WD on a dry road is nasty.

#1578 of 3348 RE: Posts 1573 and 1575 by fx4

Oct 01, 2003 (1:56 pm)

Post #1573--we are on Ford suv number 10 and T/B number 3. It is hard to believe, but my daughter's 1997 T/B, 4.6L that was built in September 1996 still has the original battery, 115,000 miles. This is after a major fender bender near the battery's location. Similar very long life with the 650 and 850 CCA Ford batteries on Broncos, Expeditions, Explorers. Even the best Die-Hard, Douglas, Deka, or Exide will short out now and then for no apparent reason per my brother who is a veteran auto parts store owner and marine dealer. Ford OEM batteries have been no exception. Helps to inspect straps and other tie-downs from time to time.
 
Post # 1575-we had been looking at the 4.0L V-6 AWD and 4wd in Explorer and AWD in Mountaineer and came to the same conclusion about the 3.73 ratio versus the std. 3.55. However, most of my test drives were after arriving in the high torque 5.4L in 2003 Expedition. Thus, neither of the ratios offered much in the way of driving comfort torque in 4.0L Explorer/Mounatineer. Her 4.0L in the 2001 4wd Explorer Sport 2D always had plently of power, but not so in the heavier 4-door models.

#1579 of 3348 Problems with 2002 Mercury Mountaineer by sebring017

Oct 02, 2003 (9:00 am)

I need some help with a problem I'm having with my new 2002 Mercury Mountaineer. I had taken my car to the dealership because the cds in my 6-disc cd player was jammed and I couldn't get them out. They replaced the cd player and I had requested for them to return the cds once they got them out. That was 2 months ago. I constantly had to be calling them to get my property back, but their reply was we are working on locating your cds. Finally after 2 months they said that they could not locate them and would reimburse me for my lost cds. Problem Resolved. I took it last weekfor an oil change, an alignment, and to get the brakes checked because it was vibrating when I applied the brakes. Well I got my truck back and the service technician told me the brakes were fine and they shouldn't have anymore problems. WRONG! As soon as I drove off the lot the car was vibrating again. I took it back to the dealership for a 2nd time and I was told my brakes were rusted and had deep pits and they would replace it for free since it was under warranty. I picked it up again. Now the car vibrates at about 40-60 mph. I have called Mercury Corporation and placed a negative feedback against the dealership and am having to go to the dealership for the 3rd time in the same week. Is there any advice anyone can give me on how to get my truck repaired completely?? I love my truck, but if this is the headaches I have to deal with everytime I take it to the shop I would rather get something else. All I want is my truck fixed and driving how it was driving when I first bought it. If anyone can help me out please post something on this board or email me directly at Sebring017aol.com. Thanks

#1580 of 3348 sebring017 by wijoco

Oct 02, 2003 (9:40 am)

Well, the first thing you should do, of course, is to continue to give the dealer negative feedback. That always helps the relationship. Have you considered that the problems with your car are not the fault of the dealership, but the Ford factory that built them? The dealer is trying to repair the mistakes Ford made originally, so your real fight involves you+dealer technicians vs Ford Motor Corporation, not the other way around.
As a general rule, if a car vibrates only while braking, you have warped rotors. A vibration at any speed without braking is often an imbalanced tire, wheel, or other running gear. When you talk to the service writer about a problem like this, you need to have a long list of conditions that create the annoyance: Speed, direction of front wheels, outside temperature, amount of driving time, frequency of occurence, etc. It's not a bad idea to have everything pre-written on a note that the writer can pass along to the technician. On tough driveability problems, which vibrations can be, it's just as much your responsibility to provide information as it is the tech's responsibility to repair the problem.

#1581 of 3348 Wijico by sebring017

Oct 02, 2003 (11:00 am)

Thanks for the advice. The thinks that really gets me is how I tell them there is a problem and I have to take it back again for them to realize the brakes were rusted. This a problem they could have seen the first time and could have saved us both the headaches. Now that they did that it seems like more problems are starting to appear such as the vibration at 40-60 mph and also now a noise that seems to be coming from the right rear tire area. I have checked the door and closed the window all the way. Hopefully the problem is resolved and I won't have to contact someone concerning lemon laws on these matters. Thanks for your help and I will post and update tomorrow to let everyone know how it went.

#1582 of 3348 Wijico & Sebring by nvbanker

Oct 02, 2003 (11:36 am)

While I agree with you, that "playing nice" with the service department always is good policy, I don't know if I completely agree that it's not their fault Sebring is having trouble with his car. Frankly I have more trouble with my car AFTER service than what I bring it in for, more times than not. I'm just patient, if I think they're trying. Often, I get the "check-no problem found", which I understand means the computer found no error code. But I still have a malfunction anyway. Takes 2 more trips, often with the service writer on a ride along. That works well, sebring, by the way. Invite your service writer to go with you and show him/her what's wrong. They seem to get more invested in your problem that way, and are reluctant to give you the car back until they're convinced the mechanic has fixed it. Also, they will often refer the car to Quality Control after repair to assure it is corrected as well. I have good experience with that.
 
Sebring, is there another Ford dealer in your town? Some service departments are much better than others, you know. May wanna try someone else. Lastly, making a friend in there is helpful, because things do go wrong. I have a good friend as a service adviser after all these years. I am friends with one of the mechanics, my salesman, the head parts guy and the General Manager. I get what I need there, eventually. Including a job for my son recently. Juice works. It has taken 11 years to build up this kind of relationship there, but it helps.

#1583 of 3348 nvbanker by wijoco

Oct 02, 2003 (10:14 pm)

"Frankly I have more trouble with my car AFTER service than what I bring it in for, more times than not."
 
I'll assume that's an exagerration for effect since it's not even mathematically possible.
 
I said nothing about "playing nice." The dealer did not create the wind noise problem, the rear end whine, or the source of the brake problem. Yes, the best course of action would have been to replace the rotors the 1st time, but right now Ford technicians are not allowed to use their best judgemnt. FMC has an idiotic set of "cost-cutting" new repair procedures which were thought up by suits in a boardroom that severely limits the amount of labor time their techs will be paid for. To compensate for this, Ford revised their diagnostic procedures to essentially a shotgun approach, which of course costs the company more money in replacing multiple parts that weren't defective to begin with, but you can't teach anything to an MBA who already knows everything. The mechanic may have been following Ford procedure by simply resurfacing the rotors and wasn't allowed to replace them on the first try. I don't know for sure, but it's likely. This is why I say it's you+Ford mechanic vs FMC. If you feel the dealer isn't competent, pick up and try another dealer. Negative feedback and lemon laws won't get your car fixed.

Messages Page 159 of 336

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