What breaks most · 1990 to 2002 model years
Mercury Mercury problems by year
Owners have filed 56 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Mercury Mercury across model years 1990 to 2002. Three years stand out: 2002 for powertrain and transmission complaints, 1999 for visibility complaints and 1992 for body and structure complaints. The quietest years are 1990, 1991 and 1997.
- Years to check closely: 2002, 1999, 1992
- Fewest complaints: 1990, 1991, 1997
- Complaints on file
- 561990 to 2002, all trims
- Worst year
- 200217 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 50 fires · 10 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 58kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 0Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 0 | Air bags (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Tires (1) | |
| 5 | 0 | 0 | Unknown or other (1) | |
| 4 | 0 | 0 | Engine and cooling (3) | |
| 4 | 0 | 0 | Engine and cooling (2) | |
| 5 | 0 | 0 | Air bags (2) | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | Engine and cooling (1) | |
| 5 | 0 | 0 | Electrical system (3) | |
| 9 | 3 | 0 | Visibility (3) | |
| 2 | 1 | 0 | Visibility (2) | |
| 17 | 0 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (5) |
What fails on the 2002 Mercury Mercury
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 29% |
5 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Tires | 18% |
3 | 0 | — |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 18% |
3 | 0 | Shop all suspension parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| VisibilityMirrors and glass | 12% |
2 | 0 | Shop all visibility parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 12% |
2 | 0 | Shop all engine and cooling parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Latches and locksDoor latches and actuators | 6% |
1 | 0 | Shop all latches and locks parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 6% |
1 | 0 | Shop all body and structure parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 6% |
1 | 0 | Shop all electrical system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
My transmission keeps sticking on the 1st gear, especially when down shifting such as when passing a vehicle. This is a major issue, in that it can cause injury accidents when passing.
-
My instument panel began wrapping about 2 years ago after the customer statisfaction had expired why should i have to pay for a defect in my car that FORD or mercury made i plan on filing a class action suit against this company if not resolved because they were paid for this car and it is defective
-
Vehicle recall repair completed (97v-159) on the tubing around the fuel lines, however the fuel sending unit failed after work completed due to disintegration resulting in leakage. Mjs
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Mercury Mercury years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2002, 1999, 1992 carry the most filings on the Mercury Mercury. The 2002 alone has 17 complaints, led by powertrain and transmission.
What is the most common Mercury Mercury problem?
On the 2002 model year, the most-reported component is powertrain and transmission with 5 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Mercury Mercury problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Mercury Mercury complaints that include mileage is about 58,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.