Consumer Complaint Detail
MERCURY / MOUNTAINEER / 1998
0 Injured
0 Death
No Fire
| Components - Details | |
|---|---|
| NHTSA Complaint Number: 998097052 | Incident Date: Oct, 31 1998 |
| Consumer's City: BLOOMINGDALE | Consumer's State: IL |
| Vehicle Transmission Type: AUTO | Manufacturers Name: Ford Motor Company |
| Model Name: MOUNTAINEER | Model Year: 1998 |
| Vehicle Involved in a Crash: No | Component's Description: Power train:axle assembly |
| Vehicle Involved in a Fire: No | Persons Injured: 0 |
| Vehicle's VIN#: 4M2ZU54E6WU | Date added to File: May, 23 2021 |
| Date Complaint Received: Dec, 29 1999 | Complaint Type: IVOQ |
| Incident Reported To Police: No | Purchase Date: May, 31 1998 |
| Was Original Owner: Yes | Anti-lock Brakes: Yes |
| Number of Cylinders: 0 | Date of Manufacturer: - |
| Was Vehicle Towed: - | Description of the Complaints: This report is about an ongoing problem with my mercury mountaineer that first occurred in november, 1998, and continues intermittently to this day. usually in temperatues under 55 degrees, a high pitched whistle/squeal sound can be heard from the body front, both right and left. ford is aware of this problem, and has addressed it in their tsb 5506, nhtsa item #sb605189. the cause is apparently the front axle seal(s), and ford's solution is temporary, to lubricate the affected area. they supposedly are working on a permanent solution, although it has been nearly a year since they identified the problem, over a year since i reported it to my dealership. upon writing to ford about my problem, they assured me the problem was non-degenerative, i.e. not a safety issue, and they were working on a solution. in the meantime, i should have the temp. solution applied. however, i have had the temp. solution applied 4 seperate times, and each time, the noise comes back after just a little while. each time the temp. lube is applied, it quells the problem for a shorter and shorter period of time. given the fact that the temp. solution is less and less effective over time, as well as the fact that the whistling/squeling noise sounds as if it is a metal-on-metal type of sound, i challenge ford's claim that the problem is not a saftey issue, and feel it may be only a matter of time until the tires break off or the axle seal collapses. i have no confidence ford is pursuing a permanent solution-developing new seals i assume (given that they have supposedly been working on it for a year). my dealership has been 100% understanding and helpful, but cannot provide a solution that does not exist, although they continue to assure me a permanent solution is in the works per ford. i feel i have exhausted my options in pursuing information and a solution to this problem, and am very worried that my safety is at risk from a defective, poorly designed front axle-tire assembly. *ak |