Transmission failure in 2004 Mercury Monterey van. No warning of the impending failure. No response from the transmission in any gear. It occurred while on an entrance ramp to a major highway. Towed to Ford dealer where it was determined that "transmission failure" had occurred. Ford rebuilt transmission installed at a cost of $3,455. I am concerned that this transmission can fail again when five kids are being transported to school in this van on that same highway during rush hour.

- Shirley, MA, USA

Was driving my 2004 Mercury Monterey and all the sudden my transmission quite letting the car go forward or in reverse. Took it to a repair shop and it was the torque converter which cost me $2300 to repair.

- Dayton, OH, USA

I am the owner of a 2004 Mercury Monterey minivan which I purchased new. About a month ago and literally without any sign of problems, I came out of work and discovered that my van would start up fine but would not go into gear (forward, reverse etc.) I had the van towed to the nearest Ford dealership and was told that the torque converter had went out and that it would cost me $1600 to repair. After threatening to tow the vehicle to another shop I eventually got them to agree to drop the cost to $1000. I was shocked that the transmission would have such a major break down with less than 50,000 miles. After researching the internet I discovered that there are many complaints about the same problem and that it always seems to occur around the 50K mileage mark. In fact, I discovered that a class action lawsuit has been filed in NY for this very issue. Please investigate and if appropriate force Ford to issue a recall. I would like to be reimbursed for these repairs if it is discovered that faulty or cheap parts are to blame for this problem. Thanks.

- Monroe, MI, USA

While driving in traffic with my sister & my young son, without any warning signs, our Mercury Monterey just quit. By the good grace of god, divine intervention, angels or whatever else may have intervened, it so happened that we had missed the exit to enter interstate 695 so the incident occurred on a busy city street instead of the highway. That being said, we easily could have lost our lives in either place, however it would have been a sure bet at 60 mph on the highway! the vehicle was towed to a garage and the problem was diagnosed as a failed transmission, more specifically, the automatic transmission torque converter. The transmission had to be replaced.

- Baltimore, MD, USA

My wife was driving my 2004 Mercury Monterey around the perimeter of our local mall. Suddenly the van slowed, and she noticed the tachometer showed the rpms increasing as the pressed the accelerator. The van stopped dead. She had to call me to push the van into a parking space until we could have it towed the following day. The could have been extremely dangerous in traffic. I have a handicapped 19 year old daughter, and rely on this van for her transportation, so on top of the safety issue, this is a tremendous inconvenience for us.

- Albany, GA, USA

I have a 2004 Mercury Monterey was driving and all the sudden transmission went out without warning. No warning lights or other shifting problems. Very hazardous. They want 4 to $6000 to repair this is definitely a Ford problem and should be repaired by them. I could have been killed and my passengers only by the grace of god we weren't.

- Edwardsburg, MI, USA

I was on my way home after picking up my 2 granddaughters and my car just lost all movement. The motor was running but when I tried to accelerate it would not move forward. I was able to coast to the bottom of the hill, where luckily there was turnoff lane. I called for assistance and then had to be towed. The girls were scared to death, I guess just knowing that we weren't able to go, it was dark and we were on a busy highway. The mechanic has informed me that it is the transmission. My car is a 2004 Mercury Monterey, only 77,000 miles. It has never given me any trouble. This has been quite an inconvenience, especially since I work everyday and it is going to be quite an expense to replace, last quote was $2600, which is not easy to come by given the economy. After reading over 100 complaints from others sharing the same experience, I feel this is definitely something that needs to be investigated. I guess we were lucky that an accident did not occur, given the circumstances under which this happened.

- Bealeton, VA, USA

I have a 2004 Mercury Monterey with approximately 70,000 miles. The torque converter was replaced under an extended warranty at approximately 37,000 miles. I just took the van back to the dealership because of a noise from the engine, and I am told by the Mercury tech the torque converter is going bad again, and they want $1700 to replace it again. In researching this problem I found a large number of complaints also filed for the same problem, this needs to be addressed.

- Dearborn, MI, USA

The van is a 2004 Mercury Monterey. I was driving home from dropping a friend off to get his SUV from the shop. I was driving home, and had to slow down to make a left turn at the light. I turned and went to step on the gas and there was nothing. I thought at first I had somehow bumped it into neutral. When I looked down it was in drive. I just made it over the train tracks when it came to a stop. I tried everything I could think of. I turned the van off then on went through all of the gears, and nothing happened. My wife called aaa, and had the van towed to a repair shop where we were told it would cost between $2,500 to $3,000 to replace the transmission because the torque converter sent metal shavings through the transmission. The most frustrating thing is we don't have the money to have it fixed, and with a family of 5 it is really hard to get around.

- Three Rivers, MI, USA

I own a 2004 Mercury Monterey that apparently has a transmission/torque converter issue with it. On the 5th of December me and my family were driving home from the base that we are stationed at overseas when all of a sudden I lost power in the vehicle. The RPM's shot up but never accelerated. Luckily I was able to pull off the rd safely. I shut off the vehicle, restarted it put it into gear and nothing... we had it towed to a local garage out here and the mechanic said that my transmission is junk... we have not had any other problems with this vehicle except for this... no warning lights or anything came on to warn us of a possible problem with the vehicle.. we do not have the money to get this fixed and still owe about $9000 on this vehicle. What is Ford gonna do about this"??"

- Apo, AE, USA

Transmission failure - caused by faulty torque converter.

- Hermansville, MI, USA

My family and I were traveling down a rural road when our 2004 Mercury Monterey just lost its power to move. The engine was still running but when I pushed on the gas we didn't have any response and we coasted to the side of the road out in the country away from everything and everyone. Our cell phone had no signal so I had to walk three miles to get my signal on the cell phone to be able to call for help while my wife and grandson waited in the van until I returned. I had to get the van pulled 35 miles back home and it is still setting because no one knows why it quit moving and what to do about it. I tried all gears and none of them work.

- Terre Haute, IN, USA

I own a 1994 Mercury Monterey minivan and the transmission went out with no warning while driving on a narrow road with no shoulder. I had nowhere to go except the ditch. My van has under 73000 miles on it and this is the second major repair to the transmission in less than 5 months. Something is very wrong with the Mercury Monterey transmissions as evidenced by the large number of reports of failure and the fact that a class action lawsuit was approved against Ford for this exact problem>

- Leslie, MO, USA

Sudden (and silent) automatic transmission failure on 2004 Mercury Monterey with 59876 miles. Stopped at a signal light, proceeded on green light and accelerated to 30 mph, no problems, normal acceleration. Proceeded 500 feet and stopped at rail road crossing. Van lost motive power and stopped. The engine revved but van did not move. No warning, no lights, no sound, van will not move. Blocked railroad crossing, pushed van to the side of the road and then got vehicle towed home. All maintenance performed at Mercury recommended mileage and time. Lost two transmissions on 2002 Chevy Venture, and bought the van based on Ford/Mercury reputation.

- Fishers, IN, USA

2004 Mercury Monterey 59,700 miles and the torque converter went out. Thankfully the vehicle broke down in front of the house. After reviewing a bunch of websites, there should be a recall on this vehicle for this problem. This is a family vehicle sold to the consumers as safe. Hardly, the case!

- Port Saint Lucie, FL, USA

Without any warning our 2004 Mercury Monterey had drivetrain issues. We were at a red light and when we went to accelerate the van did not move. We turned it off and waited a few minutes the started it back up. We were then able to park it along the road before the transmission started to not work again. We now are not sure as what to do about it. We can not afford to put money not it to have it repaired. After reading here and on line this seems to be a issue with Ford. We called Ford and they said to take it to a dealer and have it looked at. I first went to the dealership and they said it would be $75 per hour to look at it with a window of 1 to 3 hour cost. And 1 hour minimum fee.

- Dover, OH, USA

Had transaxle repaired in 2009 for $2,500. Transaxel was replaced. Driving home from nashville to knoxville last night transaxel went out at 70 mph. Had to coast to a stop. Was smoking when pulled over.

- Knoxville, TN, USA

On June 27, 2010 the vehicle lost power to the drive wheels without any warning noises or other physical indicators and without any dashboard indicator lights. Approximate mileage - 105,000. Qualified mechanic advised to replace transmission. A used transmission was obtained and installed by qualified mechanic with the same results on October 8, 2010.

- Fuquay Varina, NC, USA

Driving on the highway in our 2004 Mercury Monterey, the car acted like it went into neutral and had to be coasted onto the shoulder. There was no warning light or indication of any mechanical problem beforehand. After taking it to the dealership, they declared it was a problem with the transmission. All required maintenance had been done on the vehicle. The vehicle is currently at the dealership.

- Southfield, MI, USA

2004 Mercury Monterey with 120,000, wouldn't move in the middle of long trip. Torque converter stripped out. Started jumping in and out overdrive when finally did move, but blew out seal.

- Ninety Six, SC, USA