2003 Mercury Mountaineer Recalls, Complaints & Specs
No safety recalls list the 2003 Mercury Mountaineer, and owners have filed 152 complaints with NHTSA. Check your own VIN below.
No safety recalls on record
NHTSA's recall database lists no safety campaigns that include the 2003 Mercury Mountaineer. That is good news, with two caveats: recalls can be issued at any time (this page refreshes daily), and a recall filed under a related model name may not appear here. The VIN check above queries NHTSA directly for your exact vehicle.
152 owner complaints filed with NHTSA
Owners of the 2003 Mercury Mountaineer have filed 152 complaints with NHTSA; 6 describe a crash and 5 describe a fire. Reports cite 9 injuries and 0 deaths. The average mileage at failure in those reports is 77,958 miles. Complaints peaked in 2009 with 20 filed that year.
Most-reported components
What owners are reporting
“After disconnecting the battery for battery replacement original equipment 6 cd in dash player only shows CD Error. no error number. When investigating on the internet I found over 100 complaints with”
Owner complaint to NHTSA, April 3, 2022 · Unknown or other
“Big o techs conned wife into buying 2 tires and we own AWD SUV that requires 4 at the same intervals .i immediately notify them that this is not safe and will damage my car they continued for over 2 m”
Owner complaint to NHTSA, August 16, 2020 · Power train
Fuel economy and specs
EPA ratings for the 2003 Mercury Mountaineer (Mountaineer 2WD, Mountaineer 2WD FFV, Mountaineer 4WD, Mountaineer 4WD FFV). Ranges cover every tested configuration.
| Combined | 15–16 mpg |
|---|---|
| City / Highway | 13–14 / 18–19 |
| Fuel | Gasoline or E85, Regular |
| EPA class | Sport Utility Vehicle - 2WD, Sport Utility Vehicle - 4WD |
| Engine | 6/8 cyl, 4/4.6 L |
| Transmission | Automatic 5-spd |
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 2003 Mercury Mountaineer
How do I know if my 2003 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.
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.
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.