Ownership Cost for 2003 Mercury Mountaineer Premier
Estimated: $37678 over the next 5 years
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Depreciation | $1055 | $507 | $443 | $401 | $359 | $2765 |
| Insurance | $1451 | $1502 | $1554 | $1609 | $1665 | $7781 |
| Fuel | $2229 | $2295 | $2376 | $2471 | $2582 | $11953 |
| Maintenance | $2763 | $1810 | $888 | $468 | $2291 | $8220 |
| Repairs | $977 | $1138 | $1298 | $1417 | $1627 | $6457 |
| Taxes & Fees | $339 | $339 | $339 | $339 | $339 | $503 |
| Total Ownership Costs | $8814 | $7291 | $6608 | $6397 | $8568 | $37678 |
| Model year | COMPONENT | Complaint |
| 1998 | TIRES:TREAD/BELT | VEHICLE PARKED WHEN NEWS WAS HEARD ON TV ABOUT TIRES. CHECKED TIRES AND LEFT FRONT TIRES SHOWED TREAD SEPARATION AND STEEL BELT STICKING OUT. TOOK VEHICLE TO FORD & MECHANIC REPLACED TIRE WITH THE SPARE. LATER, TOOK VEHICLE TO FIRESTONE & WAS INFORMED TIRES WERE NOT ON RECALL DUE TO NOT BEING FROM DECATUR PLANT. FIRESTONE TIRES ON 1998, MERCURY MOUNTAINEER, 38,000 MILES. FIRESTONE WILDERNESS AT P235/75R15 WITH 34,000 MILES.*AK |
| 2003 | STRUCTURE:BODY:HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE | DT*: THE CONTACT STATED "ON 8/23/04, THE REAR LIFTGATE WINDOW OF MY 2003 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER VIOLENTLY EXPLODED WHILE PARKED. THE FORCE OF THE EXPLOSION SENT GLASS FLYING INTO THE REAR OF MY VEHICLE AND INTO THE PARKING LOT. THE DEALER HAD MY CAR FOR 9 DAYS BEFORE FORD SENT A REPRESENTATIVE TO VIEW THE DAMAGE. AGAINST SEVERAL OPINIONS, FORD DENIED RESPONSIBILITY BECAUSE THERE WERE DOG CRATES IN THE BACK. THESE CRATES HAD BEEN IN MY MOUNTAINEERS FOR YEARS & DIDN'T EVEN COME CLOSE TO THE WINDOW. I FOUND DOZENS OF IDIOPATHIC EXPLODING LIFTGATE INCIDENTS ON THE NHTSA SITE FOR THE FORD EXPLORER AND MERCURY MOUNTAINEER - AT THE TIME, NHTSA ADVISED THAT FORD WAS ABOUT TO ISSUE A VOLUNTARY RECALL. I DID GET THE RECALL WEEKS AFTER THE INCIDENT, BUT MY ATTEMPTS TO OBTAIN REIMBURSEMENT FROM FORD FOR REPAIR OF THIS DEFECTIVE LIFTGATE GLASS FOR MYSELF AND MY INSURER WERE UNSUCCESSFUL. MY COMPLAINT MADE IT TO THE EXECUTIVE OFFICES OF FORD, BUT THEY WOULD NOT EVEN TALK TO ME BECAUSE MY INSURANCE COMPANY WAS NOT SUBROGATING - THE CLAIM WAS JUST TOO SMALL FOR MY INSURER TO PURSUE. HOWEVER, THERE IS A PRINCIPLE INVOLVED, AND I AM COMPLETELY DISGUSTED WITH FORD MOTOR COMPANY. I HAD THE CAR REPAIRED BY INSURANCE AFTER I PAID THE DEDUCTIBLE, AND THEN A COUPLE MONTHS LATER, THE RECALL WORK FOR THE LIFTGATE WAS DONE BY MY DEALER. RECENTLY, I NOTICED THAT THE NEW LIFTGATE HAS AN EVER ENLARGING CRACK DOWN THE CENTER OF THE LIFTGATE GLASS FRAME - MY DEALER SAYS IT IS NOT STRUCTURAL AND NOT TO WORRY, BUT DUE TO THE HISTORY OF THIS VEHICLE, I FEAR THAT ANOTHER EXPLOSION IS IMMINENT. I WAS IN THE CAR AT THE TIME OF THE FIRST EXPLOSION, AND IT WAS SCARY. I HAVE HAD A WARNING MAGNETIC SIGN PLACED ON THE REAR OF MY VEHICLE TO WARN PEOPLE TO STAY AWAY FROM THE REAR OF MY VEHICLE IN CASE OF ANOTHER EXPLOSION, AND MY DOG CRATES ARE NOW SHIELDED WITH A SUN BLANKET TO PROTECT FROM FLYING GLASS. FORD HAS CREATED SUCH BAD WILL WITH ME THAT THIS LIKELY WILL BE THE LAST FORD PRODUCT I OWN." |
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