What breaks most · 2004 to 2007 model years
Mercury Monterey problems by year
Owners have filed 453 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Mercury Monterey across model years 2004 to 2007. Two years stand out: 2004 for powertrain and transmission complaints and 2005 for powertrain and transmission complaints.
- Years to check closely: 2004, 2005
- Complaints on file
- 4532004 to 2007, all trims
- Worst year
- 2004283 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 46 fires · 9 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 78kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 14Across 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 283 | 2 | 5 | Powertrain and transmission (203) | |
| 119 | 2 | 4 | Powertrain and transmission (97) | |
| 44 | 0 | 3 | Powertrain and transmission (34) | |
| 7 | 0 | 2 | Powertrain and transmission (4) |
What fails on the 2004 Mercury Monterey
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 72% |
203 | 1 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 7% |
19 | 0 | Shop all body and structure parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Seats | 6% |
16 | 0 | — |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 4% |
11 | 0 | Shop all electrical system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 4% |
11 | 1 | Shop all speed control and throttle parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 3% |
8 | 0 | Shop all steering parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Wheels | 2% |
7 | 0 | — |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 2% |
7 | 0 | Shop all engine 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.
-
I was driving on the highway when the vehicle started slowing down and the gas pedal did nothing but rev, w/out any acceleration. I towed it to my house and now the transmission will not engage in any of the gears. My problem is a FORD recall and they told me it has already been done on my vehicle, what can i do?
-
My 2005 mercury monterey shut down while i was traveling at 65 in heavy traffic. After getting off the highway and restarting it, the transmission shifted hard and the engine missed.
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 Monterey years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2004, 2005 carry the most filings on the Mercury Monterey. The 2004 alone has 283 complaints, led by powertrain and transmission.
What is the most common Mercury Monterey problem?
On the 2004 model year, the most-reported component is powertrain and transmission with 203 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Mercury Monterey problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Mercury Monterey complaints that include mileage is about 78,000 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.