Your vehicle report
2004 Mercury Monterey
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
- 283
- Received Jun 2004 to Feb 2026
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Transmission fails or loses power while driving37 complaints · 13% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips18 complaints · 6.4% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Unintended acceleration despite braking13 complaints · 4.6% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #13V081000Ford is recalling certain model year 2004-2007 Freestar and Mercury Monterey vehicles manufactured from March 24, 2003, through November 7, 2006, equipped with a third row seat and originally sold in, or currently registered in, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. The third row stowable seat can experience corrosion and structural degradation at the seat anchor mechanism mounted to the rear wheel wells. As a result of the corrosion, the third row seat may not fully latch into its seating position.
- Recall #12V006000Ford is recalling certain model year 2004 and 2005 ford freestar and mercury monterey vehicles. The torque converter output shaft may fail.
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: 2 crashes, 6 fires, 1 person 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 19 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
Brakes
Electrical & lights
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
Body, doors & glass
- Frame rusts and corrodes through
- Water leaks into cabin during rain
- Glass shatters or cracks without impact
1 more problem
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 |
|---|---|
| 2004 | 1 |
| 2005 | 1 |
| 2006 | 2 |
| 2007 | 7 |
| 2008 | 18 |
| 2009 | 42 |
| 2010 | 67 |
| 2011 | 40 |
| 2012 | 35 |
| 2013 | 20 |
| 2014 | 14 |
| 2015 | 8 |
| 2016 | 5 |
| 2017 | 9 |
| 2018 | 5 |
| 2019 | 3 |
| 2020 | 2 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 2 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 1 |
| Total | 283 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transmission fails or loses power while driving | 37 | 13% | – | NHTSA recall #12V006000 |
| Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips | 18 | 6.4% | – | |
| Unintended acceleration despite braking | 13 | 4.6% | – | |
| Seat belt fails to latch or retract | 12 | 4.2% | – | |
| Transmission will not engage reverse gear | 11 | 3.9% | – | |
| Frame rusts and corrodes through | 9 | 3.2% | – | |
| Ignition key sticks or will not turn | 5 | 1.8% | – | |
| Steering wheel seizes or locks suddenly | 5 | 1.8% | – | |
| Vehicle suddenly loses engine power at speed | 5 | 1.8% | – | |
| Tires blow out or tread separates | 4 | 1.4% | – | |
| Vehicle catches fire from wiring | 4 | 1.4% | – | |
| Engine suddenly shuts off while driving | 4 | 1.4% | – | |
| Automatic emergency braking applies without reason | 4 | 1.4% | – | |
| Water leaks into cabin during rain | 3 | 1.1% | – | |
| Glass shatters or cracks without impact | 3 | 1.1% | – | |
| Rear door latch fails to open or close | 3 | 1.1% | – | |
| Check engine light comes on repeatedly | 3 | 1.1% | – | |
| Wheel bearings fail prematurely | 3 | 1.1% | – | |
| Front brake rotors warp and wear early | 3 | 1.1% | – |
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 #13V081000March 7, 2013196,667 vehicles affected
seats
Ford is recalling certain model year 2004-2007 Freestar and Mercury Monterey vehicles manufactured from March 24, 2003, through November 7, 2006, equipped with a third row seat and originally sold in, or currently registered in, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. The third row stowable seat can experience corrosion and structural degradation at the seat anchor mechanism mounted to the rear wheel wells. As a result of the corrosion, the third row seat may not fully latch into its seating position.
In the event that the vehicle is crashed into from the rear, an unlatched seat may increase the risk of personal injury.
Remedy
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will install new third row seat latch striker mounting brackets, free of charge. The recall began on March 28, 2013. Owners may contact Ford Motor Company Customer Relationship Center at 1-866-436-7332.
NHTSA recall #12V006000January 9, 2012206,452 vehicles affected
power train: automatic transmission; power train: automatic transmission: torque converter
Ford is recalling certain model year 2004 and 2005 Ford freestar and Mercury Monterey vehicles. The torque converter output shaft may fail.
This condition results in a sudden loss of motive power with no warning, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the torque converter free of charge. The safety recall began on august 9, 2012. Owners may contact the Ford motor company customer relationship center at 1-866-436-7332.
NHTSA recall #04V446000September 13, 200434,013 vehicles affected
wheels: hub
Certain minivans may have been produced with front wheel hub assemblies that were not heat treated correctly. This condition may lead to the development of small cracks in the hub.
If the cracks were to progress, this could eventually result in wheel separation. Wheel separation may lead to loss of vehicle control, and potentially result in a vehicle crash.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the front hub, rotors, and wheel bearings. The recall began september 20, 2004. Owners should contact Ford at 1-800-392-3673.
NHTSA recall #03V457000November 6, 200323,996 vehicles affected
steering: hydraulic power assist: hose, piping, and connections
On certain minivans, the power steering low-pressure line may not be fully seated at the rack and pinion steering gear.
If this line becomes disconnected, it may create the potential for fluid to come into contact with the exhaust system, which could result in smoke or fire.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect the power steering low-pressure line to ensure that it is seated properly at the rack and pinion steering gear. Owner notification began november 10, 2003. Owners should 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 2004 Mercury Monterey.
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