The contact owns a 1998 Mercury Mountaineer. Early in the morning, the contact smelled something burning and noticed that her vehicle was on fire. As a result, the garage and part of the house were burned. The fire department extinguished the fire and stated that it originated from the engine of the vehicle. The contact feels that this is a safety issue because severe injuries could have occurred. The mileages were unknown.

- Gambrills, MD, USA

Timing chains/timing chain guides failure.

- Fargo, ND, USA

The contact owns a 1998 Mercury Mountaineer. The contact stated that there is a crack in the center of the egr valve. The vehicle is making an unfamiliar noise and gas fumes are entering the vehicle. There were no warning indicators. The vehicle has not been diagnosed. The purchase date, engine size, and a valid VIN were unknown. The current mileage is 72,000 and failure mileage was 69,000.

- Chagin Falls, OH, USA

: the contact stated a fire erupted from the vehicle. It was parked for over thirty minutes. No previous problems were reported with the vehicle. The fire department was called to the scene to extinguish the fire. The fire investigator's written report stated the fire started in the engine compartment. There was additional property damage to surrounding vehicles. The insurance company inspected the vehicle and deemed it totaled.

- Kansas City, MO, USA

When the 1998 Mercury Mountaineer was running on hwy 121 South merging into hwy 114 West in grapevine, tx, the 1998 Mercury suddenly became out of control at a speed less than speed limit. The car was being accelerated even if the accelerator pedal was off. The driver applied break to stop the car but the break did not work. Then the driver had to steer the car into the bush off road to avoid collision to other cars. The driver changed the at to P (parking) to stop the car. The engine surged and started fire underneath of the car. Then the driver removed the key and evacuated from the car. The fire was extinguished by the fireman.

- Euless, TX, USA

Ford Motor Company Mr. Mike mcmullin district manager August 29,2005 dear sir, I purchased a 1998 Mercury 5.0L Mountaineer in July 1999 and it currently has some 85,000 miles on it. Long before the 36-month/36K miles warranty ran out, I complained to my Ford dealer that I heard an engine noise that sounds something like a hydraulic valve lifter sticking. In taking my car into an independent service center lately for some non-warranty minor service work, the mechanic there asked me how long I had been experiencing the engine noise that his trained ear was hearing. I informed him that it had been clicking like that for a good long time. Just for curiosity he checked the NHTSA web site for technical service bulletins (tsbs). He found to my amazement and disgust that the NHTSA showed tsb #14489, issued November 01,2000, contained the following: "?some 1998-1999 Explorer/Mountaineer vehicles built through 01/1999 and equipped with a 5.0L engine may exhibit a cold start or hot engine deceleration noise coming from the #5 cylinder. One possible cause has been identified as the left A/C compressor bracket coming in contact with the engine block. The bracket can apply pressure onto the cylinder wall and overtime cause the cylinder wall to distort resulting a noise described as piston or lifter noise. The noise will be worse on cold starts and hot deceleration, but will be less severe at operating temperatures. If the vehicle has over 12,000 miles please replace the bracket with F87Z-3C511-ca and install a far engine replacement (F77Z-6006?"arm for 1998 M/Y vehicles, xl2Z-6006-aarm for 1999 M/Y vehicles) from your local supplier. The bracket and the engine must be installed at the same time.?? I conclude that the repairs for this problem which has been estimated at $4,828, should not be born by me. I feel that equal cost sharing in this matter would be a fair and equitable treatment. Sincerely, paul G. barboza.

- Oak Hill , VA, USA

Ford refuses to honor extended warranty, program # 01M01 on 1998 Mountaineer; VIN [xxx], " any other engine damage clearly resulting from a worn or broken front cam chain guide is also covered"! rear cassette bad, engine needed to be replaced at my cost. Updated 07/30/2012 information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Cranford, NJ, USA

Mercury claims a recall was mailed on two occasions, a year apart. Other recalls were received and work completed. Other Mercury owners reporting same problem and they have never received this recall. NHTSA website has no information about such a recall or warranty on the timing chain of this vehicle.

- Greensboro, NC, USA

Was driving up a ramp when the vehicle stopped dead after entering intersection. Had no prior warning. Turned vehicle off & shifted into park to restart. Had it towed to dealer & mechanic could not locate cause of stalling.

- Des Moines, WA, USA