US vehicle recalls and complaint patterns, explained
Mercury Villager recall history
Comprehensive recall and complaint data for the Mercury Villager,
sourced from official National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) records.
Stats focus on model years from 1960 onwards.
Earlier years appear in the detailed table below where data exists.
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Get plain-language explanations of recalls and complaints for the
Mercury Villager. Powered by AI, backed by NHTSA data.
AI Assistant
Important: This assistant provides context from aggregated NHTSA data.
Always check your specific VIN on
NHTSA.gov
for vehicle-specific recall information.
Key Takeaways
A quick scan of where recalls and complaints concentrate for the Mercury Villager,
based on aggregated NHTSA counts and campaign metadata.
Coverage spans model years 1992–2002 with 25 recall campaigns and 2205 complaints in NHTSA data.
Years with the most recall activity: 1993 (5), 1999 (4), and 1997 (3).
Years with the most complaint volume: 1993 (516), 1995 (477), and 1994 (323).
Top recall themes: Seats and restraints, Visibility and lighting, and Fuel and emissions.
Most reported complaint areas (across all years): Engine and engine cooling:exhaust system:manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe, Vehicle speed control:accelerator pedal, Engine and engine cooling:engine.
Complaints are not proof of a defect, but repeated themes can be useful signals when researching a used vehicle.
Always check your specific VIN for open recalls (open recalls are VIN-specific and can change over time).
Recall Themes
Instead of listing long campaign narratives, this groups recall campaigns into a few recurring areas.
Each theme links back to official notices as evidence.
Seats and restraints
5 campaigns · Years: 1993, 1995, 1999–2001
These campaigns relate to seats, belts, airbags restraint integration, or child restraint anchoring components.
Across all model years, the most frequently reported areas for the
Mercury Villager in NHTSA complaint data are
Engine and engine cooling:exhaust system:manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe, Vehicle speed control:accelerator pedal, Engine and engine cooling:engine.
Jump to Model Year
Year-by-Year Overview
Each row shows how often this model appears in NHTSA recalls and consumer
complaints for a given model year. These are counts of campaigns and
complaints, not risk predictions.
Model Year
Recalls
Complaints
Details
2002
0
20
Complaints recorded; no recall campaigns issued.
Top complaint areas: Tires, Suspension, Air bags.
2001
1
21
Both recalls and complaints recorded.
Top complaint areas: Suspension, Air bags:frontal, Tires.
2000
2
90
Both recalls and complaints recorded.
Top complaint areas: Vehicle speed control:accelerator pedal, Vehicle speed control, Service brakes, hydraulic:antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip.
1999
4
252
Both recalls and complaints recorded.
Top complaint areas: Vehicle speed control:accelerator pedal, Vehicle speed control, Power train:automatic transmission.
1998
2
100
Both recalls and complaints recorded.
Top complaint areas: Vehicle speed control:accelerator pedal, Structure:body:door, Power train:automatic transmission.
1997
3
152
Both recalls and complaints recorded.
Top complaint areas: Structure:body:door, Latches/locks/linkages:doors:latch, Fuel system, gasoline:storage:tank assembly.
1996
2
253
Both recalls and complaints recorded.
Top complaint areas: Latches/locks/linkages:doors:latch, Engine and engine cooling:engine:gasoline, Structure:body:door.
1995
3
477
Both recalls and complaints recorded.
Top complaint areas: Engine and engine cooling:engine, Fuel system, gasoline:storage:tank assembly, Service brakes, hydraulic:antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip.
1994
3
323
Both recalls and complaints recorded.
Top complaint areas: Engine and engine cooling:engine, Engine and engine cooling:exhaust system:manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe, Fuel system, gasoline:storage:tank assembly.
1993
5
516
Both recalls and complaints recorded.
Top complaint areas: Engine and engine cooling:exhaust system:manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe, Visibility:defroster/defogger/hvac system, Equipment:appliance:air conditioner.
1992
0
1
Complaints recorded; no recall campaigns issued.
Top complaint areas: Structure:body:door.
What to Do Next
Check open recalls by VIN on the official NHTSA site (open recalls are VIN-specific).
If buying used, ask for proof of recall remedy completion (dealer paperwork helps).
If symptoms match common complaint themes, consider a mechanic inspection before purchase or long trips.
A compact evidence view of recall campaigns that include this model.
The default text is an original summary line, with official notice text available on demand.
Most common areas involved:
Fuel system
, Seat belts
and Exterior lighting
Show recall evidence by year
2001
Seat belts: Buckle assembly:
Safety recall involving the seat belts area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: Vehicle description: mini vans. These vehicles may have the plastic trim cover around the base of the front seat safety belt buckle trapped between the shoulder of the restraint anchorage bolt and the seat pedestal. This could eventually allow the seat belt buckle bolt to loosen.
2000
Seat belts:
Safety recall involving the seat belts area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: Vehicle description: passenger vehicles, light duty trucks, sport utility vehicles, and mini vans equipped with trw seat belt buckle assemblies. The buckle base of these seat belt assemblies were not properly heat treated and therefore do not pass the load bearing requirement of federal motor veh
Steering: Rack and pinion:
Safety recall involving the steering area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: Vehicle description: mini vans. One or more of the five bolts that mount the rack and pinion steering gear to the vehicle may have been incorrectly tightened.
1999
Steering: Rack and pinion:
Safety recall involving the steering area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: Vehicle description: mini vans. One or more of the five bolts that mount the rack and pinion steering gear to the vehicle may have been incorrectly tightened.
Seats:
Safety recall involving the seats area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: Vehicle description: mini vans. The affected vehicles may have a second row right hand side captain chair that has inadequate lubrication of the easy entry and exit latch system. In some cases, the actuator spring in the latch could deform after repeated use, causing the latch to remain in the un
Fuel system, gasoline: Mounting:
Safety recall involving the fuel system area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: Vehicle description: mini vans. The fuel tank retention strap (two straps per vehicle) can break at the spot welds causing an underbody rattle.
Exterior lighting: Tail lights:
Safety recall involving the exterior lighting area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: Vehicle description: minivans. The tail light socket may have been improperly molded, resulting in the locking tab having insufficient force to retain the bulb.
1998
Fuel system, gasoline: Tank assembly:
Safety recall involving the fuel system area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: Vehicle description: minivans. The fuel tank vent hose allows air to vent from the fuel tank during refueling. Cracks have developed in the vent hose. If (1) the fuel tank is overfilled, not allowing excess fuel in the vent hose to flow back into the tank, (2) the vehicle is driven only a short d
Electrical system: 12V/24v/48v battery:
Safety recall involving the electrical system area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: Vehicle description: passenger mini vans equipped with automotive batteries supplied by gnb technologies. These batteries have a defective negative post that can cause acid leakage and related corrosion damage.
1997
Fuel system, gasoline: Tank assembly:
Safety recall involving the fuel system area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: Vehicle description: minivans. The fuel tank vent hose allows air to vent from the fuel tank during refueling. Cracks have developed in the vent hose. If (1) the fuel tank is overfilled, not allowing excess fuel in the vent hose to flow back into the tank, (2) the vehicle is driven only a short d
Fuel system, gasoline: Mounting:
Safety recall involving the fuel system area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: The four rubber fuel line connector hoses that are supplied to ford with the fuel tank assembly were improperly manufactured. These hoses can develop cracks or splits resulting in fuel leakage.
Electrical system: 12V/24v/48v battery:
Safety recall involving the electrical system area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: Vehicle description: passenger mini vans equipped with automotive batteries supplied by gnb technologies. These batteries have a defective negative post that can cause acid leakage and related corrosion damage.
1996
Fuel system, gasoline: Tank assembly:
Safety recall involving the fuel system area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: Vehicle description: minivans. The fuel tank vent hose allows air to vent from the fuel tank during refueling. Cracks have developed in the vent hose. If (1) the fuel tank is overfilled, not allowing excess fuel in the vent hose to flow back into the tank, (2) the vehicle is driven only a short d
Visibility: Power window devices and controls:
Safety recall involving the visibility area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: Vehicle description: mini vans. These vehicles were produced with power windows that can be closed after the ignition key is turned to the "off" position and the right front (passenger) door is opened. This does not meet the requirements of fmvss 118, "power-operated window systems."
1995
Fuel system, gasoline: Tank assembly:
Safety recall involving the fuel system area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: Vehicle description: minivans. The fuel tank vent hose allows air to vent from the fuel tank during refueling. Cracks have developed in the vent hose. If (1) the fuel tank is overfilled, not allowing excess fuel in the vent hose to flow back into the tank, (2) the vehicle is driven only a short d
Seats:
Safety recall involving the seats area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: An out-of-specification condition in the seat cable roller pulley assembly can allow the cable that connects the seat adjust lever to the latch to be pinched in the roller assembly.
Exterior lighting: Tail lights:
Safety recall involving the exterior lighting area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: The rear lamp socket may not illuminate because the metal can in the lamp socket moves or separates from the plastic socket housing.
1994
Fuel system, gasoline: Tank assembly:
Safety recall involving the fuel system area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: Vehicle description: minivans. The fuel tank vent hose allows air to vent from the fuel tank during refueling. Cracks have developed in the vent hose. If (1) the fuel tank is overfilled, not allowing excess fuel in the vent hose to flow back into the tank, (2) the vehicle is driven only a short d
Visibility: Windshield:
Safety recall involving the visibility area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: The windshields were marked with a "prototype" designation and not marked as required by fmvss no. 205, "Glazing materials."
Exterior lighting: Tail lights:
Safety recall involving the exterior lighting area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: The rear lamp socket may not illuminate because the metal can in the lamp socket moves or separates from the plastic socket housing.
1993
Fuel system, gasoline: Tank assembly:
Safety recall involving the fuel system area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: Vehicle description: minivans. The fuel tank vent hose allows air to vent from the fuel tank during refueling. Cracks have developed in the vent hose. If (1) the fuel tank is overfilled, not allowing excess fuel in the vent hose to flow back into the tank, (2) the vehicle is driven only a short d
Service brakes, hydraulic: Master cylinder:
Safety recall involving the service brakes area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: The service brake master cylinder was not properly assembled or could have been damaged by the evacuation and filling of the brake system at the assembly plant.
Seat belts:
Safety recall involving the seat belts area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: One or both of the bolts securing the automatic seat belt restraint system tracks to the b-pillars were not adequately tightened.
Fuel system, gasoline: Hoses, lines/piping, and fittings:
Safety recall involving the fuel system area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: Fuel filler hoses may have been cut prior to installation by a utility knife used to open the shipping box.
Visibility: Defroster/defogger/hvac system:
Safety recall involving the visibility area. See the official notice for the exact defect, risk, and remedy details.
Summary: Leaves and other foreign material can enter through the cowl panel air intake during operation of the front heater and/or air conditioning system resulting in a build-up of material in the plenum. This can lead to noise, odors, or in some cases, ignition of these materials.
Other Mercury Models
Explore recall and complaint data for other Mercury models.
Recall Explained provides independent analysis of official NHTSA data.
This site does not replace the official NHTSA VIN lookup and should not be
treated as legal or safety advice for your specific vehicle.
For any safety concerns: Always check your VIN on the official
NHTSA site and contact an authorized dealer.
