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2000 Mercury Villager Problems and Recalls

Owners filed 71 complaints with NHTSA about the 2000 Mercury Villager, most often about the speed control (55% of complaints, typically around 40,000 miles). It is the most complained-about Villager model year since 2000 and has 2 recalls.

Most common 2000 Mercury Villager problems

1. Speed control

   39 complaints · 55%

   Half of these problems showed up before 40,000 miles. Parts named most often: accelerator pedal.

   The accelerator pedal sticks badly. When you finally manage to press hard enough to make it move, it causes the van to violently lurch forward which can lead to loss of control of the vehicle and/or an accident.

   Intermittent sticking gas pedal forcing driver to apply excessive force to gas pedal to un-stick. When pedal is forced to move, vehicle will rapidly accelerate. Most common occurrence is when vehicle has been stopped. Has happened while on the highway at high speeds. Talked to other Mercury Villager owners and have…

2. Brakes

   7 complaints · 10%

   Parts named most often: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip, foundation components.

   Have had repeated front brake wear out and noise (squaek/groan) on my 2000 Mercury Villager since new. Have had 4 sets of front brake pads and a set of rotors replaced in only 28,000 miles. Dealer says there is nothing wrong. The other two Mercury villagers that I've owned (1996 and 1998 models) did not have this…

3. Seat belts

   6 complaints · 9%

   Parts named most often: front, rear/other.

   Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6) event- every time the front seat belts are used. Failure- seat belts do not proberly retract after each use. Subsuquent drivers and passengers who use the vehicle then use the seat belts think they are safely buckled into their…

   Seat belts on 2000 Mercury Villager estate have locked up and will not release. Called ford customer relations regarding issue and they are stating they have no know issue or recall with seat belts locking up. Rear seat belts are the ones affected. Ford customer relations is stating it is out of warranty so I will be…

4. Body and structure

   5 complaints · 7%

   Parts named most often: body, frame and members.

   The consumer has experienced the following: rear wiper hangs-won't clear the glass(to open rear hatch glass)-motor inoperative, accelerator sticks-has to keep tapping it to loosen, the rear bench seat recliner will let go and seat will collapse, the left handle is loose, and the rear seat latch is binding/collapsing.

5. Air bags

   5 complaints · 7%

   Parts named most often: frontal.

   I was involved in an accident while traveling at about 45 MPH. I hit another vehicle that pulled out in front of me. No air bags deployed.

6. Suspension

   4 complaints · 6%

   Parts named most often: front, rear.

7. Seats

   4 complaints · 6%

   Parts named most often: front assembly, mid/rear assembly.

   The consumer has experienced the following: rear wiper hangs-won't clear the glass(to open rear hatch glass)-motor inoperative, accelerator sticks-has to keep tapping it to loosen, the rear bench seat recliner will let go and seat will collapse, the left handle is loose, and the rear seat latch is binding/collapsing.

   I purchased a 2000 Mercury Villager bran new. At around 8,000 miles I would get a sickly sweet smell with the air conditioner on. I complained but neither ford nor the dealer could tell me anything or find anything. Later it gor so bad the smell was on my breath and it triggered a bronchial infection that lasted for…

8. Electrical

   3 complaints · 4%

   Parts named most often: wiring, ignition, instrument cluster/panel.

   2000 Mercury Villager has common problem of gas pedal sticking and speedometer outage. Both of these are safety issues and need to be corrected.

   Left a friends house drove 1/3 of a mile van was on fire pulled over to side of rode was smoking/ totaling engulfed in flames after about 10-15 minutes the van was a total loss. It was a 2000 Villager could this be the same as the windstar.? The car had been sitting idle in drive way for app. 3hrs before this…

Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.

2000 Mercury Villager recalls

1. Steering: rack and pinion

   NHTSA 00V292001 · October 10, 2000 · 67,200 vehicles

   Risk: There could be a looseness in the steering, which may be accompanied by noise or vibration.

   Fix: Dealers will inspect the vehicles and, if the bolts are missing, will replace the steering gear mounting bolts. All bolts will be tightened to the specified torque. Owner notification began november 28, 2000. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact ford at 1-800-392-3673.

   Full defect 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.

2. Seat belts

   NHTSA 00V228001 · August 18, 2000 · 144,435 vehicles

   Risk: In the event of a vehicle crash, the occupant may not be properly restrained.

   Fix: Dealers will inspect the date code on certain seat belt buckles of your vehicle and replace all seat belt buckles that fall within the suspect date code range. Owner notification began october 26, 2000. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact ford at 1-800-392-3673.

   Full defect 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 vehicle safety standard no. 209, "seat belt assemblies."

Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.

NHTSA defect investigations

• Failing headlights

  PE04020 · opened February 26, 2004 · closed June 24, 2004
  Summary

  Nissan and ford found that the original equipment headlight stainless steel bulb terminals may over time cause elevated contact resistance and overheat the electrical connector housing.this can result in a headlight flickering, bulb outage and heat deformation to the headlight connector.in april 1999, the supplier of the headlight for nissan and ford changed to a bulb using the stainless steel terminals that did not meet original specifications.on july 17, 2000, the supplier began using a bulb meeting the vehicle manufacturer's specifications.this problem can affect independently either headlight but does not cause simultaneous failure of both headlights. The problem also does not affect fro

Questions about the 2000 Mercury Villager

What are the most common problems with the 2000 Mercury Villager?

By NHTSA owner complaints: speed control (39 complaints, typically around 40,000 miles); brakes (7 complaints); seat belts (6 complaints).

How many recalls does the 2000 Mercury Villager have?

2 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from October 10, 2000 (steering). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.

Is the 2000 a bad year for the Mercury Villager?

It is the most complained-about Villager model year since 2000, with 71 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.

Other Mercury Villager years

• 2000

Mercury Villager problems by year