1998 Mercury Villager problems
Owners have filed 100 complaints about the 1998 Mercury Villager with NHTSA. Vehicle speed control accounts for 14% of them — narrowly the most common, ahead of structure at 13%.
Complaints100
Crashes14
Fires0
Injuries4
Deaths0
What owners report breaking
Vehicle speed control 14.0% · 14
Structure 13.0% · 13
Suspension 10.0% · 10
Service brakes, hydraulic 10.0% · 10
Power train 8.0% · 8
Latches/locks/linkages 7.0% · 7
Visibility 6.0% · 6
Fuel system, gasoline 5.0% · 5
Severity
Of those complaints, 14 describe a crash and 4 report an injury.
Reading the numbers
Across the 7 model years of the Mercury Villager in this data, 1998 draws comparatively few complaints; 1993 is the outlier year.
Filings have fallen off, 3 in the last three years against 8 in the three before. That is normal as a generation leaves the road.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 82,000 miles.
In owners' own words
Consumer was sitting in vehicle when she put vehicle in drive with foot on brakes, and suddenly vehicle was moving full throttle ahead. Vehicle crashed into the garage, exiting the garage on the other side, then went through a 4 1/2 ft. Drop to the lower yard and then 25 feet before stopping. Vehicle is at jeffery buick, nissan, in roseville---810-285-3166 (JEF), claim # 7570. Vehicle speed control
My 1998 Mercury Villager mini van has a problem with the accelerator. The pedal can be hard to push sometimes causing to push down too far. Several times the accelerator became stuck causing the vehicle to lunge out of control. I felt very unsafe and I am concerned about the condition. Vehicle speed control
Engine ran away in full high speed. Consumer pulled over to shut engine off, and it restarted with no problem. Vehicle was taken to dealer, but problem couldn't be duplicated. On may 26, 2001 , vehicle was in reverse and engine went up to 5500 rpms. Vehicle speed control
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…
Other Mercury Villager years
1993 516 complaints · 29.5% engine and engine cooling 1994 323 complaints · 31.0% engine and engine cooling 1995 477 complaints · 21.2% engine and engine cooling 1996 253 complaints · 16.2% engine and engine cooling 1997 152 complaints · 17.8% fuel system, gasoline 1999 252 complaints · 36.5% vehicle speed control