Mercury Mountaineer

Manufacturer	Ford Motor Company
Production	1997–2010
Assembly	Louisville, Kentucky St. Louis, Missouri
Class	Mid-size sport utility vehicle
Body style	5-door SUV
Layout	Front engine, rear-wheel drive / Four-wheel drive

The Mercury Mountaineer is a mid-size sport utility vehicle (SUV) that was sold by the Mercury division of Ford Motor Company from 1997 until 2010. Sharing many of its features with the Ford Explorer, the vehicles are virtually identical, in terms of hardware.^[1] Externally, they are styled somewhat differently, and the Mountaineer is positioned with a more upscale interior, with the Mountaineer's MSRP coming in at $1,000–$6,000 more than the Explorer.^[2] It was last redesigned for the 2006 model year with a new frame, looking very similar to its previous model.

Some controversy resulted after the media highlighted a number of rollovers involving Explorers and Mountaineers fitted with Firestone tires. The Mountaineer has been praised for its excellent handling and stability.^[3] The Mountaineer was never sold in Canada.^{[citation needed]} As part of the discontinuation of the Mercury brand, production of the Mountaineer ended in late 2010.^[4]

First generation (1997–2001)

First generation

Production	1997–2001
Engine	4.0 L Cologne V6 4.9 L 5.0L Windsor V8
Transmission	4-speed automatic 5-speed automatic
Wheelbase	1997: 111.5 in (2,832 mm) 1998–2001: 111.6 in (2,835 mm)
Length	1997: 188.5 in (4,788 mm) 1998–99: 190.1 in (4,829 mm) 2000–01: 190.7 in (4,844 mm)
Width	70.2 in (1,783 mm)
Height	1997 2WD: 66.8 in (1,697 mm) 1997 4WD: 66.7 in (1,694 mm) 1998–2001 2WD: 70.5 in (1,791 mm) 1998–2001 4WD: 70.3 in (1,786 mm)
Related	Ford Explorer Ford Ranger/Mazda B-Series

1998–2001 Mercury Mountaineer

Although the redesigned Explorer had already been out for two years, Mercury introduced an Explorer twin called the Mountaineer. The Mountaineer was only slightly different from the Explorer, although it did offer a few extra luxury features that the Explorer lacked, such as a standard 302 cu in (4.9 L) 215 hp (160 kW) Windsor V8. First year sales for the Mountaineer did not meet Mercury's expectations. For 1998, so customers could differentiate the Mountaineer from the Explorer, the front fascia was flipped upside down, and the headlights were made smaller, while it got a new rear hatch and unique wheels. The new overhead-cam 4.0 L 205 hp (153 kW) Cologne V6 with a 5-speed 5R55E automatic was now the standard powerplant. Mountaineer sales sped up because of this, though they still lagged behind the Explorer.

Firestone Tire and Rollover Controversy

In 2000 the Firestone vs Ford Motor Company controversy arose after a large number of rollover accidents began to occur involving Explorers and Mountaineers. Ford blamed Firestone's faulty tires, which had tread separation problems, while Firestone blamed Ford, claiming that the Explorer and Mountaineer were inherently unsafe. The case was settled.

Car and Driver proved that a large amount of the rollovers were caused by poor techniques of drivers overreacting to the tire blow out.[1] Their test driver deemed the vehicle so inherently stable that he drove "no hands" during one of their 70 mph tread separation simulations.[2]

Second generation (2002–2005)

Second generation

Production	2002–2005
Engine	4.0 L Cologne V6 4.6 L Modular V8
Transmission	5-speed automatic
Wheelbase	2002–03: 113.7 in (2,888 mm) 2004–05: 113.8 in (2,891 mm)
Length	2002–03: 190.7 in (4,844 mm) 2004–05: 190.9 in (4,849 mm)
Width	2002–03: 72.1 in (1,831 mm) 2004–05: 72.3 in (1,836 mm)
Height	2002–03 2WD: 69.6 in (1,768 mm) 2002–03 AWD: 71.5 in (1,816 mm) 2004–05: 72.5 in (1,842 mm)
Related	Ford Explorer Lincoln Aviator Ford Explorer Sport Trac

For 2002, Ford redesigned the Explorer and Mountaineer. This Mountaineer was new from the ground up, offering even more luxury features than the last generation. This Mountaineer offered features like woodgrain trim, rear radio deck, and a rear-seat TV/DVD player. Sales sped up drastically with the introduction of this generation, and it was a look ahead at the entire revamp of the Mercury line, to offer more luxurious looks and features. Some design cues found on this Mountaineer, like the waterfall grille and barred taillights, would go on to form Mercury's new signature look, which would appear on all its models. Mercury Mountaineer has enjoyed one of the highest owner loyalty ratings of any SUV^{[citation needed]}.

Third generation (2006–2010)

Third generation

Production	2006–2010
Engine	4.0 L Cologne V6 4.6 L Modular V8
Transmission	5-speed 5R55E automatic 6-speed 6R automatic
Wheelbase	113.7 in (2,888 mm)
Length	2006–07: 193.4 in (4,912 mm) 2008–2010: 193.5 in (4,915 mm)
Width	2006–07: 73.5 in (1,867 mm) 2008–2010: 73.7 in (1,872 mm)
Height	72.8 in (1,849 mm)
Related	Ford Explorer Ford Explorer Sport Trac

For 2006, the Mountaineer was redesigned on a heavily revised frame. The exterior remained largely the same; this generation is distinguished primarily by its all-white taillamps, larger wheels, chrome sideview mirrors, and larger Mercury logos on the grille and tailgate. To bridge the gap between the Explorer and the discontinued Lincoln Aviator, the Mountaineer offered an upscale interior with a DVD based navigation system with voice control, a feature not found on previous Mountaineers.

In 2008, side curtain airbags were added, while the "MOUNTAINEER" badging was officially dropped from the front doors. In 2009, trailer sway control became standard; the navigation system got traffic flow monitoring including gas prices updates from nearby stations.^[5] In 2010, it added Ford's MyKey as a standard feature on all trims.

This was the final generation of the Mountaineer. Production ended on October 1, 2010, as it was discontinued with the rest of the Mercury brand.^[6] Unlike the rest of the Mercury lineup, no 2011 Mountaineers were produced.

Firestone tire controversy

In May 2000, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) contacted Ford and Firestone about the high incidence of tire failure on Mercury Mountaineers, Ford Explorers, and Mazda Navajos fitted with Firestone tires. Ford investigated and found that several models of 15-inch (381 mm) Firestone tires (ATX, ATX II, and Wilderness AT) had very high failure rates, especially those made at Firestone's Decatur, Illinois plant.

Awards

• Class Exclusive Roll Stability Control (RSC) System.
• Consumers Digest Best Buy for 2006 and 2007.

Sales

References

1. ^ Edmunds, 2006 Mountaineer review
2. ^ Forbes, 2000 Mountaineer review
3. ^ http://www.edmunds.com/mercury/mountaineer/2007/review.html
4. ^ "Mercury production to cease in late September?" from Autoblog (July 12, 2010)
5. ^ http://www.edmunds.com/mercury/mountaineer/2009/review.html
6. ^ http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=32749
7. ^ "Ford Motor Company Sets New Full Year U.S. Sales Record". Theautochannel.com. http://www.theautochannel.com/news/press/date/20010103/press033466.html. Retrieved 2009-04-28. 
8. ^ "Ford Motor Company's December U.S. Sales Climb 8.2 Percent". Ford Motor Company. http://media.ford.com/pdf/Dec2002sales.pdf. 
9. ^ "Ford's F-Series Truck Caps 22nd Year in a Row as America's Best-Selling Vehicle With a December Sales Record". Theautochannel.com. 2004-11-17. http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2004/01/05/175829.html. Retrieved 2009-04-28. 
10. ^ "Ford Achieves First Car Sales Increase Since 1999". Theautochannel.com. 2004-11-17. http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2006/01/04/204860.html. Retrieved 2009-04-28. 
11. ^ "Ford Motor Company 2007 sales". January 3, 2008. http://media.ford.com/article_download.cfm?article_id=27379. 
12. ^ "F-Series drives ford to higher market share for third consecutive month" (PDF). Ford Motor Company. January 5, 2009. http://media.ford.com/images/10031/dec08sales.pdf. Retrieved 2009-05-14. 
13. ^ "FORD CAPS 2009 WITH 33 PERCENT SALES INCREASE, FIRST FULL-YEAR MARKET SHARE GAIN SINCE 1995 | Ford Motor Company Newsroom". Media.ford.com. 2010-01-05. http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=31604. Retrieved 2010-09-30. 
14. ^ http://media.ford.com/images/10031/Dec10sales.pdf

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Mercury Mountaineer

• Mercury Mountaineer official page