The Lemon Index
Mercury Monterey reliability: problems and recalls.
Owners filed 453 complaints about the 2004 to 2007 Mercury Monterey with the government, most about transmission & drivetrain.
No Lemon Index score yet: too few were sold in the U.S. for a fair per-car score, so here's what YouTube owners say, next to the raw complaint counts.
YouTube rank and complaints, by model year
YouTube rank: we read 199 YouTube videos about the Mercury Monterey and ranked each year with 10 or more videos by how much they praise it vs. how much they talk about problems. It measures tone, not failure rates. Complaints are the raw number owners filed with NHTSA: popular years draw more partly because more were sold, and without usable sales figures we can't turn them into a per-car score.
What owners say on YouTube
2004–2007 Monterey · 200 most-watched videos
Owners praise
Owners complain about
Nothing stands out.
Before you buy, watch
Praise and complaints: the share of each generation's most-watched videos that mention a topic with a praise or trouble word next to it, in the title or what's said. YouTube rank: how positive owners and reviewers sound, compared with every car of the same model year. It measures tone, not failure rates. Videos belong to their creators; we link to them.
Complaints and recalls by model year
| Model year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 283 | 5 |
| 2005 | 119 | 4 |
| 2006 | 44 | 3 |
| 2007 | 7 | 2 |
Popular years draw more complaints partly because more were sold. We don't have usable sales for this model, so these are counts, not a score.
What owners complain about
| System | Share of complaints |
|---|---|
| Transmission & drivetrain | 65% |
| Body structure | 5% |
| Electrical | 4% |
| Seats | 4% |
| Speed control | 3% |
| Engine | 3% |
When problems show up
Half of the owners who gave a mileage reported the problem between 58,000 and 105,300 miles. The middle report was at 78,000 miles, from 428 complaints.
How serious
| Crashes | Fires | Injury reports | Death reports |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 6 | 6 | 0 |
As reported by owners to NHTSA. Not verified.
In owners' words
2004 Mercury Monterey with multiple problems. Consumer states that there were problems with the windows not functioning and brake problems.
2004 Mercury Monterey owner · NHTSA complaint 10212807
With no warning, the transmission will go out leaving the vehicle unable to drive. I had to have the transmission replaced. This is a known issue with these minivans.
2005 Mercury Monterey owner · NHTSA complaint 10233716
Recalls 6
13V081000 Mar 2013 Seats
Ford is recalling certain model year 2004-2007 Freestar and Mercury Monterey vehicles manufactured from March 24, 2003, through November 7, 2006, equipped with a third row seat and originally sold in, or currently registered in, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. The third row stowable seat can experience corrosion and structural degradation at the seat anchor mechanism mounted to the
Fix. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will install new third row seat latch striker mounting brackets, free of charge. The recall began on March 28, 2013. Owners may contact Ford Motor Company Customer Relationship Center at 1-866-436-7332.
12V006000 Jan 2012 Power Train / Automatic Transmission
FORD IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2004 AND 2005 FORD FREESTAR AND MERCURY MONTEREY VEHICLES. THE TORQUE CONVERTER OUTPUT SHAFT MAY FAIL.
Fix. FORD WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE TORQUE CONVERTER FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 9, 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT THE FORD MOTOR COMPANY CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP CENTER AT 1-866-436-7332.
06E056000 Jun 2006 Fuel System, Gasoline
CERTAIN AFTERMARKET FUEL FILTERS SOLD UNDER THE PUROLATOR BRAND NAME, P/N F65277, SHIPPED FROM JANUARY 16 THROUGH JUNE 2, 2006, FOR USE ON THE ABOVE LISTED PASSENGER VEHICLES. DUE TO INCORRECT DESIGN, THE QUICK CONNECTORS MAY NOT FULLY SEAT WITH THE TUBE INTERFACE, EVEN THOUGH THE PERSON MAKING THE CONNECTION MAY BELIEVE THAT THE QUICK CONNECTOR IS FULLY ATTACHED.
Fix. UFI WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE FILTERS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 4, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT UFI FILTERS USA AT 800-230-5876.
06V069000 Mar 2006 Structure / Body / Hatchback/Liftgate
ON CERTAIN VANS EQUIPPED WITH THE POWER LIFTGATE OPTION, THE POWER LIFTGATE MOTOR AUTOMATICALLY DISENGAGES AFTER THE LIFTGATE IS POWERED OPEN.
Fix. DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE POWER LIFTGATE MODULE TO REDUCE THE LIKELIHOOD THAT THE LIFTGATE COULD FALL FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MARCH 15, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FORD AT 1-800-392-3673.
04V446000 Sep 2004 Wheels / Hub
CERTAIN MINIVANS MAY HAVE BEEN PRODUCED WITH FRONT WHEEL HUB ASSEMBLIES THAT WERE NOT HEAT TREATED CORRECTLY. THIS CONDITION MAY LEAD TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF SMALL CRACKS IN THE HUB.
Fix. DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FRONT HUB, ROTORS, AND WHEEL BEARINGS. THE RECALL BEGAN SEPTEMBER 20, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT FORD AT 1-800-392-3673.
03V457000 Nov 2003 Steering / Hydraulic Power Assist / Hose, Piping, And Connections
ON CERTAIN MINIVANS, THE POWER STEERING LOW-PRESSURE LINE MAY NOT BE FULLY SEATED AT THE RACK AND PINION STEERING GEAR.
Fix. DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE POWER STEERING LOW-PRESSURE LINE TO ENSURE THAT IT IS SEATED PROPERLY AT THE RACK AND PINION STEERING GEAR. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN NOVEMBER 10, 2003. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT FORD AT 1-800-392-3673.
Recall repairs are free at any dealer. Check the exact car's VIN for open recalls.
Quick answers
What are the most common Mercury Monterey problems?
In owner complaints to the government, the top areas are transmission & drivetrain, body structure, electrical.
How many recalls does the Mercury Monterey have?
6 safety recalls on record for the 2004 to 2007 models.
Source: NHTSA owner complaints and recalls, YouTube videos (titles and channels link to them). We don't give this model a Lemon Index: too few were sold in the U.S. for a fair per-car score (5 of the 5 years we have sales for were under 20,000, sales source). Complaints are owner reports, not proof of a defect.
Updated · Free to use with credit: Source: The Lemon Index (lemonindex.com)
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