Your vehicle report
2005 Mercury Montego
The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.
Your vehicle at a glance
Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.
- Owner complaints
- 135
- Received Apr 2005 to Jan 2025
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips13 complaints · 9.6% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Rear door latch fails to open or close10 complaints · 7.4% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Front brake rotors warp and wear early9 complaints · 6.7% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #06V383000On certain passenger vehicles currently registered in the following states: alaska, colorado, connecticut, delaware, idaho, illinois, indiana, iowa, kansas, kentucky, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, montana, nebraska, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, north dakota, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, south dakota, utah, vermont, west virginia, wisconsin, and wyoming. The side door latch mechanisms may experience water intrusion allowing the latch mechanism to freeze in cold weather.
- Recall #05V515000On certain passenger vehicles, the straps that secure the fuel tank to the vehicle body may break, causing the fuel tank and fuel tank heat shield to drop on the driveshaft (all wheel drive vehicles) or exhaust system (front wheel drive vehicles).
BrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
No problems currently meet BrakeNews’s flagging criteria. This is not a safety rating.
How flags are identifiedComplaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 10 crashes, 2 fires, 6 people injured, 0 deaths.
Explore by system
Where do owners report problems?
Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.
Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.
Showing all 12 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
Brakes
Electrical & lights
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Body, doors & glass
Driver assistance
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Other
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Complaint history
When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.
Show as a table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2005 | 5 |
| 2006 | 4 |
| 2007 | 9 |
| 2008 | 7 |
| 2009 | 11 |
| 2010 | 16 |
| 2011 | 22 |
| 2012 | 10 |
| 2013 | 11 |
| 2014 | 7 |
| 2015 | 8 |
| 2016 | 11 |
| 2017 | 3 |
| 2018 | 4 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 4 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 1 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 0 |
| Total | 135 |
Problems owners report
Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.
| Problem | Complaints | Share | Share ratio | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips | 13 | 9.6% | – | |
| Rear door latch fails to open or close | 10 | 7.4% | – | NHTSA recall #06V383000 |
| Front brake rotors warp and wear early | 9 | 6.7% | – | |
| Electronic throttle body fails and cuts power | 9 | 6.7% | – | |
| Engine stalls and loses power while driving | 8 | 5.9% | – | |
| Unintended acceleration despite braking | 7 | 5.2% | – | |
| Instrument cluster or speedometer fails | 7 | 5.2% | – | |
| Transmission fails or loses power while driving | 7 | 5.2% | – | |
| Headlights dim or fail at night | 5 | 3.7% | – | |
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 4 | 3.0% | – | |
| Ignition key sticks or will not turn | 3 | 2.2% | – | |
| CVT transmission fails or loses power | 3 | 2.2% | – |
AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.
Recalls
NHTSA recall #06V383000October 5, 2006139,537 vehicles affected
latches/locks/linkages: doors: latch
On certain passenger vehicles currently registered in the following states: alaska, colorado, connecticut, delaware, idaho, illinois, indiana, iowa, kansas, kentucky, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, montana, nebraska, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, north dakota, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, south dakota, utah, vermont, west virginia, wisconsin, and wyoming. The side door latch mechanisms may experience water intrusion allowing the latch mechanism to freeze in cold weather.
As a result, the door latch pawl may not return to the latch position when the door is closed, and the door could open while the vehicle is moving.
Remedy
Dealers will install a shield over the front latches; seal a drain hole in the rear window trim molding on the freestyle rear side doors; and apply grease to all front and rear side-door latch mechanisms free of charge. The recall began on november 8, 2006. Owners may contact Ford at 1-800-392-3673.
NHTSA recall #05V515000November 9, 2005123,206 vehicles affected
fuel system, gasoline: storage: tank assembly: mounting
On certain passenger vehicles, the straps that secure the fuel tank to the vehicle body may break, causing the fuel tank and fuel tank heat shield to drop on the driveshaft (all wheel drive vehicles) or exhaust system (front wheel drive vehicles).
If this happens, drivers may notice a noise or a fuel leak. A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source could result in a fire.
Remedy
Dealers will replace both fuel tank straps. The recall began on december 1, 2005. Owners may contact Ford at 1-800-392-3673.
Other model years
About this data
NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 2005 Mercury Montego.
Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.
Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN