MY CAR HAS HAD A CONTINUING PROBLEM WITH THE TRANSMISSION. IT SHIFTS ROUGHLY AND LURCHES WHEN BEGINNING TO MOVE. FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN STOPPED AT A STOPLIGHT, AND THEN BEGINNING TO DRIVE, IT WILL LURCH, JOLTING THE PASSENGERS. OUR DRIVEWAY IS SLOPED TOWARD THE STREET. WHEN I PARK THE CAR, I ALWAYS SET THE EMERGENCY BRAKE AS WELL. THE CAR ALWAYS ROLLS A FEW INCHES BEFORE THE BRAKES LOCK, EVEN THOUGH IT IS STOPPED AND IN PARK. ON SEP. 4, 2009, MY MOTHER BORROWED MY CAR TO GO TO LUNCH. SHE COULDN'T FIND THE EMERGENCY BRAKE RELEASE. SHE PUT THE CAR IN PARK AND GOT OUT TO LOCATE THE EMERGENCY BRAKE. SHE FOUND IT AND RELEASED IT. THE CAR POPPED INTO REVERSE AND ROLLED BACKWARDS TO THE STREET. THE DOOR KNOCKED MY MOTHER DOWN AND SHE HIT HER HEAD HARD ENOUGH TO SUSTAIN A CLOSED HEAD INJURY WITH MINOR BLEEDING IN HER BRAIN. THE CAR ROLLED ACROSS THE STREET, OVER THE CURB AND HIT A NEIGHBOR'S POPLAR TREE. THE ENTIRE TAILGATE WAS DESTROYED, THERE WAS SOME INTERIOR DAMAGE AND THE FRAME WAS WARPED. THE TAILGATE HAD TO BE REPLACED, THE BUMPER AND TRAILER HITCH HAD TO BE REPAIRED AND THE FRAME STRAIGHTENED. MY MOTHER WAS IN HOSPITAL OVERNIGHT AND HAD TO HAVE TWO CT-SCANS. SHE STILL HAS HEADACHES AND TRANSIENT DIZZINESS. WE ARE JUST FORTUNATE THE CAR DIDN'T RUN HER OVER, HIT A PEDESTRIAN (THERE ARE A LOT OF WALKERS IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD), HIT A CAR OR A NEIGHBOR'S HOUSE. *TR
2009
STEERING
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN HE ROCKED THE STEERING WHEEL BACK AND FORTH IT MADE A POPPING NOISE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE RACK AND PINION CAUSED THE FAILURE TO OCCUR. THE DEALER STATED THAT ALL OF THE FORD AND MERCURY VEHICLES FOR THAT YEAR AND MODEL WERE DESIGNED THE SAME WAY. THE DRIVER SIDE TIRE ON THE INSIDE ALSO BEGAN TO EXHIBIT ABNORMAL WEAR, WHICH THE OWNER STATED COULD ALSO BE THE RACK AND PINION OR THE TIE ROD. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 22,000.