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#BS-2002-MERMOU-37B9

2002 Mercury Mountaineer

Based on reports from 504 owners and 4 recalls for this exact model.

Complaints
504
Crashes
19
Fires
8
Recalls
4
TSBs
247
🛑

Preliminary Verdict

Red Flag

Based on 504 complaints, 19 crashes, 8 fires, and 4 recalls. This is the worst model year for this vehicle.

See full verdict with buy/skip conditions

Top reported problems

1

transmission failure

41 complaints • Severity 9/10

$X,XXX
2

cracked panel below the rear window

22 complaints • Severity 7.6/10

$X,XXX
3

broken gear shift

8 complaints • Severity 7.2/10

$X,XXX

Preview: What's in your full report

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Mechanic Inspection Checklist

!Check the Power Train:automatic TransmissionHIGH

89 owners reported power train:automatic transmission issues — failures commonly reported around 75K miles.

!Inspect the DrivetrainMED
Look for symptoms of wear and premature failure
+ 6 more items in full checklistUnlock

Failure Timeline by Mileage

38
0–30K
89
30–60K
94
60–90K
69
90–120K
29
120–150K
33
150K+

Peak failure range: 60–90K miles (94 reports) • Median: 75K miles

Full report: which components fail at each mileageUnlock

30,000-Mile Cost Projection

Best Case

$X,XXX

Most Likely

$X,XXX

Worst Case

$X,XXX

Top cost driver: Power Train:automatic Transmission (89 reports).

Includes fuel costs, common repairs, and recall riskUnlock

Also in your report

Owner Intelligence

AI-synthesized themes from real complaints

Buyer Lot Checklist

Questions, test drive checks, walk-away triggers

Negotiation Talking Points

Data-backed dollar deductions

Buy / Skip Verdict

Final recommendation with conditions

10 sections total in the full reportUnlock all

Where the complaints fall

Power Train:automatic Transmission89 (18%)
Drivetrain38 (8%)
Structure:body:hatchback/liftgate:hinge And Attachments23 (5%)
Engine17 (3%)
Steering15 (3%)
Suspension:rear15 (3%)
Structure:body15 (3%)
Other13 (3%)

2002 Mercury Mountaineer: Known Issues & Problem Areas

Power Train:automatic Transmission Issues

Power Train:automatic Transmission complaints account for 18% of all reports filed for the 2002 Mercury Mountaineer, with 89 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. The median mileage at time of complaint is 75,000 miles, suggesting issues tend to surface around the 75K-mile mark.

Drivetrain Issues

Drivetrain complaints account for 8% of all reports filed for the 2002 Mercury Mountaineer, with 38 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to drivetrain-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.

Structure:body:hatchback/liftgate:hinge And Attachments Issues

Structure:body:hatchback/liftgate:hinge And Attachments complaints account for 5% of all reports filed for the 2002 Mercury Mountaineer, with 23 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to structure:body:hatchback/liftgate:hinge and attachments-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.

Engine Issues

Engine complaints account for 3% of all reports filed for the 2002 Mercury Mountaineer, with 17 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to engine-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.

Data sourced from NHTSA owner complaints and community reports. The full report analyzes severity, repair costs, and failure patterns for each category.

Complaint trend by year

22
01
24
02
30
03
43
04
58
05
42
06
36
07
46
08
58
09
56
10
18
11
17
12
4
13
18
14
10
15
5
16
9
17
1
19
2
20
4
22
1
23

Complaints filed with NHTSA by year for the 2002 Mercury Mountaineer. Recent trend: decreasing.

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Repair costs • Negotiation scripts • Mechanic checklist • Buy/skip verdict

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Recall History (4 recalls)

01I010000

VISIBILITY:GLASS, SIDE/REAR

THIS IS NOT A SAFETY RECALL IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE SAFETY ACT. HOWEVER, IT IS DEEMED A SAFETY IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN BY THE AGENCY. VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: 2002 FORD EXPLORER AND MERCURY MONTAINEER SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES. THE BRACKETS CONNECTING THE LEFT CYLINDERS TO EACH SIDE OF THE LIFTGATE GLASS COULD ROTATE OUT OF POSITION IF EITHER THE URETHANE BOND OR TORQUE ARE NOT SUFFICIENT.

01V171000Jun 2001

TIRES:SIDEWALL

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES. THE RIGHT SIDE TIRES MAY HAVE HORIZONTAL CUTS ON THE EDGE OF THE TREAD THAT COULD HAVE OCCURRED DURING VEHICLE ASSEMBLY.

07E104000Jan 2008

VISIBILITY:GLASS, SIDE/REAR

CERTAIN CURVED TEMPERED REPLACEMENT GLASS MANUFACTURED BY HANGZHOU SAFETY GLASS LTD AND SUPPLIED TO SAFELITE BY AUTO TEMP INC., IDENTIFIED AS DOT-430, AND SOLD FOR USE ON CERTAIN DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN VEHICLES MAY NOT BREAK INTO SMALL PIECES AS EXPECTED OF TEMPERED GLASS AND FAILS TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 205, "GLAZING MATERIALS."

09V399000Oct 2009

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

FORD IS RECALLING MODEL YEARS 1995-2003 WINDSTAR, 2000-2003 EXCURSION DIESEL, 1993-1997 AND 1999-2003 F-250 SD THROUGH F-550 SD DIESEL, 1992-2003 E-150 THROUGH E-550, 1995-2002 EXPLORER, 1997 AND 2002 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER, 1995-1997 AND 2001-2003 RANGER, AND 1994 F53 VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE TEXAS INSTRUMENTS SPEED CONTROL DEACTIVATION SWITCH (SCDS). THE SCDS MAY LEAK INTERNALLY AND THEN OVERHEAT, SMOKE, OR BURN.

Recall severity analysis & seller scripts

The full report rates each recall's severity and gives you scripts for asking the seller about recall completion.

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This is the worst model year for the Mercury Mountaineer according to owner complaint data. The biggest problem area is body / paint.

2002 Mercury Mountaineer vs. Class Average (Sport Utility Vehicle - 2WD)

This vehicle

504

Class avg

442

Complaint volume is roughly in line with other sport utility vehicle - 2wd vehicles from 2002.

Complaint counts correlate with sales volume — popular vehicles naturally generate more reports. The full report normalizes for this.

About this data

NHTSA Complaints

Federal database of owner-filed safety complaints. 504 records for this vehicle.

NHTSA Recalls

Manufacturer-issued safety recalls. 4 recalls found for this vehicle.

Repair Cost Data

Real-world repair costs from owner reports and independent databases.

Other Mercury Mountaineer Model Years

201020092008200720062005200420032002200120001999199819971996
View all Mercury Mountaineer years →

2002 Mercury Mountaineer: Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most common problem with the 2002 Mercury Mountaineer?
The most commonly reported issue with the 2002 Mercury Mountaineer is related to the power train:automatic transmission, with 89 complaints filed with NHTSA.
Is the 2002 Mercury Mountaineer reliable?
The 2002 Mercury Mountaineer has 504 complaints, 19 crash reports, and 8 fire reports filed with NHTSA. The full report analyzes whether these numbers indicate real risk or are proportional to the vehicle’s popularity.
How much does it cost to fix 2002 Mercury Mountaineer problems?
Repair costs vary by issue. The full BumperScan report includes detailed repair cost estimates (low/median/high) for every major issue, plus a 30,000-mile total cost of ownership projection.
Does the 2002 Mercury Mountaineer have any recalls?
Yes, the 2002 Mercury Mountaineer has 4 recalls on record. The full report includes recall severity analysis and scripts for asking the seller about recall completion.
What mileage do Mercury Mountaineer problems start?
Based on 352 complaints with mileage data, the median mileage at time of complaint is 75,000 miles. The highest concentration of reported issues occurs in the 60–90K mile range. The full report breaks down exactly which components fail at each mileage bracket.
What’s in the full report?
10 sections of AI analysis: severity-ranked issues, component scores (0-100), 30K-mile cost projection, failure timeline by mileage, recall details with seller scripts, owner sentiment analysis, mechanic checklist, buyer lot checklist, negotiation ammo with dollar figures, and a buy/skip verdict.
How is this different from free NHTSA data?
NHTSA gives you raw complaint text. BumperScan cross-references 2.1M+ complaints with community repair cost data, EPA fuel data, and recall records — then uses AI to synthesize it into actionable advice with dollar figures.
How is this different from Carfax?
Carfax is VIN-specific history ($45/report). BumperScan is model-level reliability intelligence — what problems this car is known for, what they cost, and whether you should buy it. Complementary, not competing.
What if the report isn’t useful?
100% money-back guarantee. If the report doesn’t help you make a more informed decision, we’ll refund you — no questions asked.
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