1996 Mercury Mountaineer Recalls, Complaints & Specs
1 safety recall lists the 1996 Mercury Mountaineer, and owners have filed 3 complaints with NHTSA. Check your own VIN below.
1 safety recall for the 1996 Mercury Mountaineer
Most recent first. Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. Click a recall for the full defect, consequence and remedy text.
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Vehicle speed control
Vehicle description: multi-purpose passenger vehicles equipped with 5.0l engines originally sold or currently registered in the states of alaska, idaho, iowa, maine, michigan (upper peninsula only), minnesota, montana, nebraska, new hampshire, new york, north dakota, south dakota, vermont, wisconsin, and wyoming. These vehicles, when…
Remedy: Dealers will install a revised pcv system with water heated vacuum source.
3 owner complaints filed with NHTSA
Owners of the 1996 Mercury Mountaineer have filed 3 complaints with NHTSA. Complaints peaked in 2000 with 3 filed that year.
Most-reported components
What owners are reporting
“I had tire blowout while driving at aprox.55-60 MPH. Vehicle veered from the road . Tire shows signs of tread separation in an area about 8 inches long that runs along the sidewall and raps about 1/3”
Owner complaint to NHTSA, November 8, 2000 · Tires
“My wife purchased a 1996 mercury mountaineer in hawaii in february 1998. The vehicle came equipped with wilderness at tires (vnhl ipy 336 235/75 r15). In december 1999, tread on one of the new tires s”
Owner complaint to NHTSA, August 18, 2000 · Tires
Compare Mercury Mountaineer model years
Recall and complaint counts for every Mercury Mountaineer model year in NHTSA's database.
| Model year | Recalls | Complaints |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 Mercury Mountaineer | 1 | 3 |
| 1997 Mercury Mountaineer | 6 | 328 |
| 1998 Mercury Mountaineer | 5 | 236 |
| 1999 Mercury Mountaineer | 7 | 151 |
| 2000 Mercury Mountaineer | 6 | 123 |
| 2001 Mercury Mountaineer | 3 | 22 |
| 2002 Mercury Mountaineer | 2 | 372 |
| 2003 Mercury Mountaineer | 0 | 152 |
| 2004 Mercury Mountaineer | 0 | 210 |
| 2005 Mercury Mountaineer | 0 | 82 |
| 2006 Mercury Mountaineer | 1 | 117 |
| 2007 Mercury Mountaineer | 0 | 81 |
| 2008 Mercury Mountaineer | 1 | 96 |
| 2009 Mercury Mountaineer | 0 | 6 |
| 2010 Mercury Mountaineer | 1 | 13 |
Checking a specific 1996 Mercury Mountaineer
How do I know if my 1996 Mercury Mountaineer has an open recall?
Enter your 17-character VIN above. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard (visible through the windshield), the driver's door jamb sticker, and your registration or insurance card. The check runs against NHTSA's live database and tells you which campaigns list your vehicle. 1 campaign currently lists the 1996 Mercury Mountaineer; your car may already have been repaired under it.
Is the recall repair free?
Yes. Under federal law, manufacturers must fix safety recalls at no charge for vehicles up to 15 years old from the date of sale to the first owner. Contact any authorised Mercury dealer with your VIN and the NHTSA campaign number (for example 97V074000).
What is the difference between a recall and a complaint?
A recall is a safety campaign filed by the manufacturer or ordered by NHTSA, with a defined defect and remedy. A complaint is a report an owner sent to NHTSA; it is not verified, but patterns of complaints are what trigger NHTSA investigations and, eventually, recalls.
Other Mercury models
- Sable5,381 complaints
- Grand Marquis3,951 complaints
- Milan2,519 complaints
- Cougar1,893 complaints
- Villager1,725 complaints
- Mariner1,296 complaints
- Mystique1,019 complaints
- Tracer567 complaints
Source: NHTSA recall and complaint databases and EPA fuel economy data, October 2026. Complaint counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. Recall counts are safety campaigns that list this model year; whether a particular car was already repaired depends on its VIN. How this data is compiled.