1.7

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
94,342 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2004 Mercury Monterey:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #50

Apr 082013

Monterey

  • 123,880 miles
The front end of the car was welded improperly and the weather stripping was faulty allowing water to pour down into the car and onto the powertrain control module (PCM) at any time after it rains causing the car to lose power and the transmission to fail. This is a known and common problem among '04 Monterey and Ford freestars. When the PCM is wet it shorts out all transmission shifting and engine regulation. The first time this happened the car would not start or run properly, had irregular engine power, and the transmission would not shift. The engine was trying accelerate even in park. The car had been parked overnight and ran fine the day before, but caused trouble the next day. It had rained during the night. When the PCM dried out the car ran normally again. The second time however, the PCM completely shorted out and is irreparable. The engine runs sporadically and the transmission will not shift out of first gear creating a driving hazard. The car seemed alright until I was on the road test driving and the car would not accelerate, causing me to be stuck going a max of 15 mph in traffic. The car then lost power, forcing me to pull of to the side.

- Orange, MA, USA

problem #49

Mar 082014

Monterey

  • 75,000 miles
TL-the contact owns a 2004 Mercury Monterey. The contact stated that NHTSA campaign number 12V006000 (power train) was performed however the failure was not corrected while the contact drove up hill the RPM raved the vehicle lose acceleration and transmission fluid leaked. The vehicle was towed to the dealer whom performed and inspection and advised that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure and current mileage was 75,000.

- East Stroudsburd, PA, USA

problem #48

Feb 052014

Monterey 6-cyl

  • 78,038 miles
While driving the vehicle at approximately 50 mph, the van simply turned off. Lost power steering and the brakes barely responded when compressed. Had to use the emergency brake to stop the vehicle. Found the following P codes (P-0715 and P-0340). Took the car to the dealership and they had to replace the turbine speed and cam sensors. Drove the vehicle for 1 week and the same event happened again. I lost power steering, breaks and required the emergency brake to stop the car. The P codes were P-0715 and P-0340. Also, during the second event I needed to put the car in reverse but was unable to do so.

- Farifax, VA, USA

problem #47

Dec 172013

Monterey

  • 110,000 miles
Vehicle lost power forward and reverse. This vehicle is on the second torque converter due to torque converter malfunction. The first replacement occurred April 2009 and the second occur December 2013. Both times the Mercury/Ford replaced the torque converter, first time under recall the second time the owner paid for repair. In addition to the danger and cost this defect caused me, I am unsure if the replacement transmission torque converter is any better than the original transmission torque converter, since Ford states in the safety recall notice that the replacement parts are not currently available and the first replacement April 2009 was completed many years before parts were available with the recall notice of January 4,2012. As a result these converters have experienced worn pump drive splines causing the vehicle to lose power. See Ford recall # 11S25 or NHTSA #EA09016.

- Tallahassee, FL, USA

problem #46

Nov 052013

Monterey 6-cyl

  • 100,500 miles
10 months ago, in December or 2012, we received a recall notice (11S25) for the torque converter to be replaced on our 2004 Mercury Monterey. We were torn as to whether we should have the recall performed, as we had never had a problem with it in 88,000 miles. But the recall notice made it sound like it was a safety issue and with my wife driving our 3 kids around we reluctantly decided to have the recall performed. So after 10 months, last week she went to back out of the driveway and clank clank - no power, forward or reverse. I had it towed to our dealership and they confirmed the problem was the torque converter - the same one they replaced under this recall 10 months ago. However the car had surpassed the 12,000 "warranty" of the recalled/replaced part by 889 miles! I spoke with the dealership and with Ford Motor Company, I escalated it to management at Ford motors and all are basically telling us that too bad, the repair cost is $1800 and they will offer nothing. If we had never had the recall done, we would not be in this situation. We had no problems prior to the recall and I feel Ford has simply replaced a faulty part (or non-faulty as was with our case prior to the recall) with a faulty part. A torque converter should last 100,000+ miles. Not 12,889 miles. Even if we could afford it, we don't want to spend $1800 to have something "fixed" again that will just leave us stranded with another $1800 bill in a year with another faulty torque converter.

- Milford, OH, USA

problem #45

Jan 012010

Monterey 6-cyl

  • 90,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Mercury Monterey. The contact stated that while driving 70 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact was unable to restart the engine and the rpms increased. The vehicle was towed to the dealer to have a diagnostic performed. The contact also stated that the transmission was replaced twice however, the failure was not corrected. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 90,000 and the current mileage was 100,000. Updated 9/4/13 the consumer stated the transmission failed four times.

- Green Springs , OH, USA

problem #44

May 172013

Monterey 6-cyl

  • 30,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Mercury Monterey. The contact stated that while stopped at a stop light, the vehicle was hesitant upon acceleration. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnosis. The mechanic stated that the torque converter would have to be replaced. There was a recall under NHTSA campaign number: 12V006000 (power train) that could have been related to the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated the VIN was not included. The vehicle was repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 30,000.

- Baltimore , MD, USA

problem #43

Mar 092013

Monterey

  • 59,500 miles
The vehicle was going at 35mph, all of a sudden there was loss of motive power without warning, engine would rev up but car would not speed-up instead started slowing down. Heavy traffic, but other drivers were very considerate when they noticed the emergency light turned on and that my vehicle not moving with the traffic. Pulled into left lane to pass traffic & tachometer spun but there was no power - vehicle was coasting with what appeared to be no connection between the engine & the transmission. I was able to steer the vehicle to outer lane with the momentum already built up and made it to the parking at gas station. Tried after 10 min.. gears would shift fine, engine would accelerate fine but the vehicle would not move. Vehicle had to be towed to home 10 miles away. Upon investigation I discovered there was already a recall issued for in Nov. 2012 for Mercury Monterey 2004 transmission and torque converter issues resulting in sudden loss of motive power. I did not receive any notification from Ford company about this recall.

- Orlando, FL, USA

problem #42

Feb 242013

Monterey

  • Automatic transmission
  • 99,265 miles
My 2004 Mercury Monterey had a recall job done on the transmission replacing the torque converter approximately two months ago. I was driving home from church today, and the transmission stopped working. My family ended up stranded. It was lucky for us that the street wasn't busy so that we didn't have an accident. The consumer was informed the problem was completely unrelated from the previous transmission repair. Updated 04/01/13

- Rochester, NY, USA

problem #41

Mar 012011

Monterey 6-cyl

  • 122,817 miles
This vehicle was included in a safety recall by NHTSA (12V006). The part involved (torque converter output shaft) in the recall failed in March 2011, long before the recalled was initiated. At the time, I was told by a Ford service center that the transmission failed, even though it was only the torque converter that had failed. The whole transmission had to be replaced and this was done. When the recall notice was received in the mail and I went to Ford service center, they gave us a refund for the amount that was authorized to replace just the torque converter, not the whole repair. Since the torque converter was replaced before the recall, the unsafe part is still in my vehicle. Ford now refuses to replace the unsafe part because they said that NHTSA agreed to only authorize one fix per vehicle. I would have to pay to get the vehicle made safe. I would like to know how this can be the case for a safety recall? the older, unsafe part can fail at any time, just like it did the first time when it failed on the entrance ramp to a congested interstate highway at rush hour with school carpool children in the vehicle. NHTSA should authorized an amendment to the recall to replace all defective parts.

- Shirley, MA, USA

problem #40

Jan 122013

Monterey 6-cyl

  • 112,360 miles
2004 Monterey was serviced by Ford/Mercury dealer per recall 12V-006 as safety prevention repairs at 110677 mileage between 08/14/12 and 08/17/12. Invoice states "11S25 torque converter replacement" was completed. Vehicle was returned to customer. Less than five months, on 01/12/13, at 112360 mileage, upon arriving home, the vehicle lost forward and reverse power while attemping to turn it around. It is difficult to understand because the "safety recall notice 11S25 / NHTSA recall 12V-006" states that "it may be possible for your vehicle to lose forward and reverse power while driving due to worn splines in the transmission torque converter". however it would seem unlikely that anything would be "worn" within the short time period and low mileage indicated as follows: Note that the "11S25 torque converter replacement" was completed less than five months before, (08/17/12 until 01/12/13). Also note that the mileage difference between the dealer repair invoice (110677) and the point of forward and reverse power loss (112360) is only 1683 miles.

- Taylor, MI, USA

problem #39

Sep 162012

Monterey 6-cyl

  • 71,000 miles
I was driving at 35 mph and all of a sudden my engine started revving and it was like I was in neutral. I coasted to the side of the road. The engine was running fine, I just had no drive or reverse. I only have 70,000 miles on it. It seems like this is a recurring item with the Mercury Monterey minivans. It's a good thing I wasn't on the highway. My car was towed to a shop where they told me the transmission is shot. I then towed it to a Ford dealer and am waiting for the damage.....

- Delmar, NY, USA

problem #38

Jun 132012

Monterey 6-cyl

  • 119,691 miles
My vehicle lost engine power while in drive and came to a complete stop in the middle of lanes during rush-hour traffic. Also lost reverse had to be towed. Since the incident, I discovered there was a recall for this exact issue and attempted to resolve directly through Ford. I've submitted receipts for services performed and Ford is non-responsive to my requests for reimbursement.

- Garden Grove, CA, USA

problem #37

May 152012

Monterey 6-cyl

  • 86,200 miles
I have 2004 Mercury Monterey. About 2 years ago my transmission failed at 67K and had to replace out of my pocket. Now there started another big issue in this car. Lately I park the van outside in the driveway. This happened several occasions since it started (especially in rainy days). I could start the car, but can not shift the vehicle into either forward or reverse. All kind of warning lights popup in this situation. Sometimes vehicle move few yards and then stall. Sometimes radio does not work. Then all of sudden when the day is sunny, van drives perfectly normal with no issues. This is extremely frustrated, I thought I purchased a good vehicle from the Ford, but not anymore!! I consulted my local mechanic and he thinks somehow computer get wet and that cause the problem. Some days it drives 10-20 miles in highway and the problem start again with a sudden power loss. This is extremely dangerous in driving with South Florida traffic. How come rain water seep into the computer? this is no doubt that this issue must be due to poor design by the car manufacturer. NHTSA should investigate this seriously since vehicle owners do not have any resolution due to bad design issue.

- Boca Raton, FL, USA

problem #36

Mar 012012

Monterey

  • 155,575 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Mercury Monterey. While driving approximately 25 mph, the transmission failed to operate. The vehicle was coasted to a stop and then towed to the contact's residence. Four months later, the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer for a recall repair under NHTSA campaign id number:12V006000 (power train:automatic transmission:torque converter); however after the repair was performed the failure recurred within five hundred miles. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer who refused to repair the vehicle a second time. Currently the vehicle remained at the dealer without being repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the defect. The approximate failure mileage was 155,575.

- Tamaqua, PA, USA

problem #35

Aug 102012

Monterey 6-cyl

  • 115,180 miles
About 5 or 6 months ago we started to notice that my car is jerking when it drives - especially when accelerating and going up hill, but will do it at other times as well. It seems as if maybe the transmission is slipping or something is not 'catching' as it's trying to accelerate. We received a recall notice about the power train so we assume that this may have to do with the recall, but are still waiting for word of a fix for this issue.

- Etters, PA, USA

problem #34

Nov 162011

Monterey

  • 85,000 miles
Vehicle is stuttering, does not accelerate properly. Stalls. Received recall notice torque converter recall notice 3 months ago called Ford the parts are not in for repair. Parts still not available. Check engine light came -took it to 3 shops including local Ford dealership $1500 later not fixed."??" help!!!! unemployed in Ohio.

- Hamilton, OH, USA

problem #33

Oct 092009

Monterey 6-cyl

  • 98,000 miles
Traveling on cruise control @ 70 mph in left lane of 4 lane divided hwy....vehicle started to slow down and RPM increased. Coasted to a stop to the shoulder across heavy traffic. Engine ran normally but vehicle would not move forward or aft on its own power. Dealership ideed problem as sheared shaft in transmission. Tranny was replaced at my cost with a Ford rebuilt (has same shaft part that sheared in the original). Have received initial recall notification but nothing else. Bottomline: No luck to date on recall.

- Seaford, VA, USA

problem #32

Nov 122011

Monterey 6-cyl

  • 87,083 miles
Lost power while driving, had to have the transmission replaced at a cost of $2,784.40. Received letter from Ford regarding recall notice 11S25/NHTSA recall 12V-006. Letter stated that I would receive a second letter during second quarter of 2012 with details on refund process. It is now the 3rd quarter of 2012 and haven't received any additional information. When I enter the VIN # on Ford's website, it states that my vehicle isn't under the recall.

- Canton, OH, USA

problem #31

Jul 172012

Monterey

  • miles
The contact owns a 2004 Mercury Monterey. The contact stated that she received notification of NHTSA campaign id number: 12V006000 (power train:automatic transmission:torque converter) and took the vehicle to the dealer for repairs. The dealer did not have all the necessary parts in order to perform the recall repairs. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the issue and advised the contact to go to a different dealer to have the recall repairs performed. The contact had not experienced a failure. The current mileage was unknown.

- Islip, NY, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »