1998 Mercury Villager
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
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Vehicles › Mercury › Villager › 1998
These records cover every 1998 Mercury Villager. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
Recalls
2 recalls name the 1998 Mercury Villager. Newest first.
Vehicle description: minivans. the fuel tank vent hose allows air to vent from the fuel tank during refueling. cracks have developed in the vent hose. if (1) the fuel tank IS overfilled, not allowing excess fuel in the vent hose to flow back into the tank, (2) the vehicle IS driven only a short distance after refueling and, (3) there IS subsequently…
Risk and remedy
Risk
Fuel leakage in the presence of an ignition source can result in a fire.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the vent hose.
Vehicle description: passenger MINI vans equipped with automotive batteries supplied by gnb technologies. these batteries have a defective negative post that can cause acid leakage and related corrosion damage.
Risk and remedy
Risk
This condition can cause a catastrophic failure of the battery which could lead to an engine fire or battery explosion.
Remedy
Dealers will replace these batteries. until a new battery IS obtained, owners should not attempt to "jump start" these batteries.
Owner complaints
83 complaints11 involved a crash4 injuries
What owners report most
Latest complaints
- Fuel/propulsion system
Fuel leak under the hood
- Fuel/propulsion system
TL* the contact owns a 1998 mercury villager. The contact stated that the vehicle emitted a strong fuel odor in the cabin. The odor was primarily observed near the front end of the vehicle at all times. When the heat in the vehicle was activated, the odor intensified. The contact stated that a…
TL* the contact owns a 1998 mercury villager. The contact stated that the vehicle emitted a strong fuel odor in the cabin. The odor was primarily observed near the front end of the vehicle at all times. When the heat in the vehicle was activated, the odor intensified. The contact stated that a certified mechanic concluded that the failure of the vehicle directly related to nhtsa campaign number: 00v419002 (fuel system, gasoline). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the vin was not included in the recall. The approximate failure mileage was 202,000.
- Exterior lighting
TL* the contact owns a 1998 mercury villager. the contact stated that the rear brake lights illuminated and failed to turn off although the brake pedal was not depressed. After inspecting the vehicle and cruise control switch the contact discovered that the plastic bushings located on the brake…
TL* the contact owns a 1998 mercury villager. the contact stated that the rear brake lights illuminated and failed to turn off although the brake pedal was not depressed. After inspecting the vehicle and cruise control switch the contact discovered that the plastic bushings located on the brake pedal against the stop light switch were cracked into pieces causing the rear brake light to remain illuminated. The plastic bushings were replaced by the contact. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 116,000...updated 09/30/14 *bf updated 2/27/2015 *js
- Equipment › Recreational vehicle/trailer · Suspension
I parked my van, 1998 mercury villager on the street in front of my home. Two days later, I noticed the front right tire was flat. I had four new tires since jan 2011. when I lifted up the front right and tried to remove the fr tire, it would not come off. After a while, I noticed the strut…
I parked my van, 1998 mercury villager on the street in front of my home. Two days later, I noticed the front right tire was flat. I had four new tires since jan 2011. when I lifted up the front right and tried to remove the fr tire, it would not come off. After a while, I noticed the strut coil spring got broke, and the shape end of broken coil spring pierced thru. The inside side wall of the tire. I am the original owner of this van,and bought new. It has `150,000 miles on it. This incident could have been turned out be a very serious accident if it happened while I was driving at 70mpg. I do a lot of highway driving. both front right and left complete strut assemblies were replaced and the flat tire was replaced with new one. I took some pictures and have the sharp end of broken coil spring. *tr
- Power train
1998 villager-4 rapid acceleration situations-starting to brake the engine starts revving up to the point you cannot hold the car with the brake, only by shifting to neutral. sept.2005,10/2006, 8/2010 & 12/09/10. caused accident on 12/09 and totaled vehicle. fortunate no injuries but a very…
1998 villager-4 rapid acceleration situations-starting to brake the engine starts revving up to the point you cannot hold the car with the brake, only by shifting to neutral. sept.2005,10/2006, 8/2010 & 12/09/10. caused accident on 12/09 and totaled vehicle. fortunate no injuries but a very shook up driver trying to get it stopped. it dragged her across the intersection up onto a sidewalk and took her several feet down the sidewalk barely missing houses & trees. All the time she was pushing on the brake & the engine was racing & the tires were digging up the dirt dragging the vehicle. ran over a two foot stump & the van finally came to a stop. the driver was very shook and this all happened through no fault of hers. this problem was reported to nhtsa when the 9/2005 incident happened. there have been at least 4 or 5 other reports of the same problem with the 98 villager. the power trains in the villager are built by nissan. very fortunate the driver was not injured or that no one was on the sidewalk at the time. something definitely needs to be checked about this problem before someone gets injured or killed. I have several pictures of this last incident if someone would be interested in seeing what happened. *tr
- Engine and engine cooling
My husband uses our mercury villager van for his work. He was going to a job and was traveling when he stated the van lost power, the engine actually turned itself off. He was able to get off the road before he was involved in an accident. He proceeded to try restarting the van. It did not work, so…
My husband uses our mercury villager van for his work. He was going to a job and was traveling when he stated the van lost power, the engine actually turned itself off. He was able to get off the road before he was involved in an accident. He proceeded to try restarting the van. It did not work, so we had the van towed to our home. He check to see if the motor was tied up but it was fine.he changed batteries, because during the event, the battery was drained. After about 3 hours, the van miraculously started. We have spoken to a couple that had this happen to them. They stated that if the oil gets close to 1 quart below level, the sensors automatically shut off the engine. This IS dangerous. my husband could of been in a serious accident when the engine turned itself off. There were no engine lights signifying low oil. please check and advise. thank you. *Tr
- Power train › Automatic transmission
Sometimes when I go from a stop position or slow down and you want to accelerate, you put your foot down and get nothing, when tap harder on it, it will lurch forward, and whip back your passengers (children). it seems to occur when humidity IS higher, regardless of season. *Tr
- Fuel system, gasoline › Delivery › Hoses, lines/piping, and fittings · Structure › Frame and members
Tl*the contact owns a 1998 mercury villager which was purchased in 2007. She stated that the fuel filler hose had several cracks in it. The cracks in the hose caused major gasoline fumes to enter the interior of the vehicle. Although there was a recall for the failure, nhtsa campaign ID number…
Tl*the contact owns a 1998 mercury villager which was purchased in 2007. She stated that the fuel filler hose had several cracks in it. The cracks in the hose caused major gasoline fumes to enter the interior of the vehicle. Although there was a recall for the failure, nhtsa campaign ID number, 00v419002, fuel system, gasoline storage tank assembly her vin was not included. On a separate occasion, the vehicle would not accelerate. The vehicle was towed to her home where an independent mechanic stated that the sub-frame on the vehicle was cracked. No repairs had been made to date. The failure and current mileages were under 189,732.
- Fuel system, gasoline
Tl*the contact owns a 1998 mercury villager. the contact smells a strong odor of fuel, which can be noticed both inside and outside of the vehicle. through research, the contact discovered nhtsa campaign ID number 00v419002 and nhtsa action number ea00015 (fuel system, gasoline:storage:tank…
Tl*the contact owns a 1998 mercury villager. the contact smells a strong odor of fuel, which can be noticed both inside and outside of the vehicle. through research, the contact discovered nhtsa campaign ID number 00v419002 and nhtsa action number ea00015 (fuel system, gasoline:storage:tank assembly). he took the vehicle to the dealer and provided them with the information he found online. the contact left the vehicle at the dealer for the day. he retrieved the vehicle the following day and noticed that the repair was not performed. the dealer stated that the vin was excluded from the 19 year recall range. the manufacturer agreed with the dealer. the vehicle has not yet been repaired, but the contact believes that his vin should be included. the failure mileage was 80,000 and current mileage was 130,000.
- Fuel system, gasoline › Carburetor system · Vehicle speed control
1998 mercury villager purchased used in 2003. Idle throttle body failed in 2006, mercury dealer took two weeks to find the part and replaced at my expense. Idle throttle body failed again in early 2007. dealer took two weeks again to find part and did not charge me but I had to rent a car at my…
1998 mercury villager purchased used in 2003. Idle throttle body failed in 2006, mercury dealer took two weeks to find the part and replaced at my expense. Idle throttle body failed again in early 2007. dealer took two weeks again to find part and did not charge me but I had to rent a car at my expense. Today 9/30/07 the same symptom of the car accelerating to 1500 rpm intermittently while sitting stopped at a light has begun again instead of constant 800 rpm when this part IS working correctly. I will have to wait on the dealer to find a part and repair it again at my inconvenience and expense. Have other owners of this vehicle engine experienced the same repeated safety and waste of fuel issue? *tr
- Structure › Frame and members › Underbody shields
The strut tower IS rusting bad and IS about to break off. it IS every time my wife and kids go some where it could break throw and cause massive damage and put their lives in danger. just hope it does not break on the highway. *jb
- Wheels › Lugs/nuts/bolts/studs
1998 mercury villager's front left wheel came off of the vehicle. *Kb the wheel bounced over the center wall and the vehicle drove off the right side of the road to a controlled stop. the front left fender was dented and scraped as well as the lower portion of the driver's door. the left front wheel lug nuts sheared off, one was still partially intact. *nm
- Suspension › Front › Springs › Coil springs
1998 mercury villager parked. When family returned to van and got into it, the front left (drivers) side coil spring snapped. Able to slowly drive vehicle to garage to replace both springs. *nm
- Power train › Automatic transmission
Dt: contact put the vehicle in park and exited the vehicle and it rolled backwards. The door pulled the contact under the vehicle, and both sets of tires ran her over. She sustained a broken pelvic bone, a broken hip, a broken femur, a broken knee, a broken ankle, and a broken back from L1-5. As a result, she spent the summer in a nursing home. The vehicle has not been to a mechanic for this problem.*ak
- Latches/locks/linkages › Doors › Latch · Vehicle speed control › Accelerator pedal · Visibility › Glass, side/rear
The vehicle automatic door locks automatically lock the doors this has happened innumerable occasions. this began shortly after purchase of the vehicle in 1998, and continues today. the doors ar not to lock if the keys are in the ignition, and they do. this has occurred while driving the…
The vehicle automatic door locks automatically lock the doors this has happened innumerable occasions. this began shortly after purchase of the vehicle in 1998, and continues today. the doors ar not to lock if the keys are in the ignition, and they do. this has occurred while driving the vehicle, while it IS parked, when entering, and exiting the vehicle. the interior doors do not override the locks, and in an emergency, one would be unable to exit the vehicle if they were to lock. usually this occurs most often when the doors are being closed; and if the battery IS unhooked, and reconnected, it may remedy the situation for several days. the rear automatic windows go out when you press the buttons to make them go in, and the rear wiper stays down as if the window IS unlocked. that can be remedied by unlocking the window, and relatching it, it usually stays up for 2-3 days. when you attempt to retract the rear windows, they will not go in automatically. I have contacted putnam lincoln mercury in fort smith, arkansas, and I do not have the money to complete these repairs which could possibly cause injury or death if the doors locked someone in. in other news, the gas pedal IS sticking also, this happens when you take off in the vehicle, and happens every time. this has also been reported to the dealership. *nm
- Latches/locks/linkages
Dt: 1998 mercury villager. the consumer states all of the doors are locking on their own. this has happened a couple of times. the vehicle has not been inspected by the dealership to see why this was occurring. he has not yet contacted mercury. this started on august 15, 2005. this almost locked the consumer's child in the car. this wa sa keyless entry locking system.*ak
- Latches/locks/linkages › Doors › Latch
A defect in the keyless entry system of 1998 model year mercury villager minivans causes uncontrolled locking and unlocking of the vehicle doors. company IS aware of the defect and a technical memorandum exists regarding this problem but the company refuses to take responsibility for repair of the defect.*ak
- Power train › Driveline › Constant velocity joint
I have owned a 1996 and 1998 mercury villager. Both vehicles had a failure of the driver's side cv boot with the eventual failure of the trans axle cv joint. each time the transaxle had to be replaced.*ak
- Steering
Consumer's 4 year old child was able to shift the lever out of the park gear while vehicle was parked on an incline. vehicle rolled across several streets before crashing into a neighbor's truck parked in driveway. Dealership indicated that the steering pin broke. *Ak
- Service brakes, air › Antilock
Consumer took vehicle to dealership because of a noise that was being heard when applying the brakes. dealer maintained that the brakes were fine, yet the noise continued. It could be heard when vehicle was going at 35 mph. *ak
- Vehicle speed control › Accelerator pedal
Bought used 1998 mercury villager in june, 2004. from june through present date, we have had accelerator pedal sticking in upright position causing lurching from a stopped position due to having to press down unusually hard to accelerate. due to this "failure", I do not want to crash into someone…
Bought used 1998 mercury villager in june, 2004. from june through present date, we have had accelerator pedal sticking in upright position causing lurching from a stopped position due to having to press down unusually hard to accelerate. due to this "failure", I do not want to crash into someone in front of me in traffic to move forward into traffic from a stopped or slowed position. I have sprayed WD40 on the pedal from inside the vehicle that relieved the problem for a little while, but it has started sticking again.*ak
- Vehicle speed control › Accelerator pedal
The accelerator pedal some times sticks were you can not give it gas. this has been happening for about 3 yrs. it causes fear, because you if you had to speed up some time it will not let you.*ak
- Vehicle speed control › Accelerator pedal
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. *jb
- Suspension › Front › Springs › Coil springs
Passenger side coil spring rusted in half and broke. Spring came down onto tire. I had to buy new spring,coil,and strut.*ak
- Power train › Automatic transmission
The vehicle was in park when a small child mistakenly knocked gear shifter to reverse. the vehicle rolled backwards onto the grass which helped it come to a stop. *nlm
Defect investigations
NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened these reviews into vehicles including this one.
- Fuel tank vent hose leakage
Periodic exposure to liquid gasoline may result in extraction of antidegradants from the subject fuel tank vent hose.hoses which have suffered loss of antidegradants can develop cracks in areas of high strain.fuel may spray or drip from cracked vent hoses following tank fill.starting at JOB#1 1998 my (california…
Periodic exposure to liquid gasoline may result in extraction of antidegradants from the subject fuel tank vent hose.hoses which have suffered loss of antidegradants can develop cracks in areas of high strain.fuel may spray or drip from cracked vent hoses following tank fill.starting at JOB#1 1998 my (california emissions vehicles) and JOB#1 1999 my (federal emissions vehicles), the subject vent hose composition changed from nitrile rubber hoses with chloroprene rubber covers (nbr/cr) to fluorocarbon rubber hoses with an outer layer blend of nbr/pvc.the changes were made to improve hydracarbon resistance for complaince with new evaporative emissions regulations.the modified hoses are also significantly more resistant to degradation and cracking.in a letter dated january 2, 2001, ford notified nhtsa that it will conduct a safety recall campaign to replace the subject vent hose in affacted vehicles.ford will begin notifying customers of the affected vehicles on or about the week of february 12, 2001 to return their vehicles to dealers for replacement of the fuel tank vent hose with the latest design lever part.
Service bulletins
Technical service bulletins and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about this vehicle. Ask a dealer for the full document by its number.
- 10014086General (pcm) power train control module programming procedures.
- 10013369General power train control module (pcm) programming procedures.
- 10013060Climate control a/c service tech tips.
- 10008580Lamp-brake-invadvertent disabling of brake shift interlock.
- 10003748New transmission cooler flusher - service tips. 2003 escort and super duty f series included.
- 6090862Whining noise from transaxle on light acceleration, tip-in acceleration between 40-64 km/h (25-40 mph)
- 6090860Exhibiting an intermittent condition where the speed control will not set or may disengage while driving.
- 6090536Information regarding srs system diagnosis, air bag warning indication. *Mjs
- 6090307Subject regarding a flashing air bag warning lamp indicating a fault in the system.
- 6090087Information on identifying non-approved / alternate refrigerants which could cause safety, and performance concerns if installed in ford a/c systems.
- 6090085Service information for musty and mildew type odors coming from the air conditioning / heating system.
- 6090082Information for servicing and diagnosing brake vibration, brake inspection, and brake friction material replacement.
- 6089681Subject on a wire harness terminal repair kit available for repairing electrical wiring harnesses.
- 636065Information regarding discharged battery charging service tips and guidelines.
- 630515Engine oil system priming procedures, service tips for reports of premature engine failure.
- 630001Some engine assemblies with aluminum cylinder heads repaired in-vehile have been found to leak coolant and/or oil from the cylinder head gasket area.
- 627747This aritlce IS to provide information on replacement of old style hood lamp switch to the rvised mechanical hood lamp switch.
- 625715Brake shift interlock.*jb
- 623988Information regarding transmission fluid usage charts. *Slc
- 623944Some vehicles may exhibit heater core leaks. *Slc
- 619460Information on servicing the forward clutch.
- 615278Some vehicles with analog instrument clusters may exhibit a concern of a fluctuating or jumping tachometer indicator needle.
- 615197Some vehicles with analog instrument clusters may exhibit a concern of a fluctuating or jumping tachometer indicator needle.
- 613278Some vehicles may exhibit a noise concern(s) from the rear suspension when driving on rough roads or during a left turn.
- 613226Some vehicles may display diagnostic trouble code 34, or p0325 (mil dtc 0304) when testing the electronic engine control system.
- 613185Repeat message regarding power door locks self-locking / erratic operation.
- 613142Some vehicles may exhibit a noise concern (s) from the rear suspension when driving on rough roads or during a left turn. *Mjs
- 613060Some vehicles may display diagnostic trouble code (dtc) 34, or po325 (mil dtc 0304) when testing the electronic engine control system, indicating a fault with the engine knock sensor circuit. *Mjs
- 612788Information regarding the servicing of the forward clutch, which has been replaced by three individual parts. *Mjs
- 612739Some vehicles equipped with compact disc changer may exhibit a 6 disc cd changer that IS not ejecting the magazine or IS not responding to command from the radio.
- 612203Information regarding the new transmission cooler flusher- service tip. *Mjs
- 609654Addressing an intermittent condition where the speed control will not set or may disengage while driving.
- 609534Rear brakes are binding or overheating after having been serviced. Yd
- 607496Some vehicles may exhibit an illuminated anti-lock brake system (ABS) warning lamp and trouble codes 41/45/55/63.
- 607474Some vehicles may exhibit a creaking noise or low tone rattle noise coming from the rear suspension area.
- 607449Some vehicles with california emissions may exhibit a fuel gage that drops from full to 3/4 very quickly or the gage reads 3/4 when full.
- 607410This bulletin mentions the two different cylinders available for replacement liftgate support cylinders.
- 607367Some vehicles may exhibit an intermittent ABS warning lamp concern and trouble codes 41/ 45/ 55/ 63 may be retrieved during a quick test.
- 607227Concerns with egr flow malfunction.
- 607226Some 1996-1998 villagers exhibit intermittent self-activation of power door locks.
Every Mercury Villager model year
Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.