Ford Explorer Mercury Mountaineer 2005 and earlier

nvbanker · December 2003

I have an 03 MM, that was one of the very first to roll off the track in the spring of 02. For a first production model, it has performed very well, and I'm frankly surprised. It's my wife's daily driver, and although some people have had some nightmares with theirs, we are really happy with ours. 30,000 miles so far, only problem has been the water pump pulley, had to be replaced for squeaking twice. It's the 3rd MM we've owned, and sometime soon, we'll be getting the 4th, I'm sure. My wife won't consider anything else.

kdshapiro · December 2003

If all you want to do is not get stuck in many feet of snow the MM AWD system works quite well. Coming from a QuadraDrive, which can deliver 100% torque to any one wheel, I was pleasantly surprised during last years monstrous snow storms in the NE.

I had complete confidence in the vehicle to get me through whatever road conditions were in front of me.

Unless you are looking to do some serious off-roading the MM AWD system will fill the bill.

BTW - have 23K miles on the vehicle after a year and a half. Total problems that require a dealer trip - 0. This vehicle puts Lexus reliablity to shame.

aug1 · December 2003

Test drove MM v8. Engine noise was loud and powerful.Has anybody driven v6. Was wondering about noise and difference in gas milage.

kdshapiro · December 2003

aug1- look at the epa mileage estimates. With these big barges, gas mileage is a factor of the gearing, engine and how hard the vehicle is driven. A "granny" driven V8 can have better mileage than a flogged V6. Get whatever you feel most comfortable with as the mileage difference will probably not be that significant, but take your own driving style into consideration.

nvbanker · December 2003

We have a V-6. Engine is smooth and adequate. Mileage is pretty good for this car, 17 in town, 21 on highway. But I prefer the 8. Much more fun to drive. YMMV.

gpz1 · December 2003

aug1 - We have a 2003 V6 Premier and absolutely love it. We chose it over the V8 because it was more quiet, smoother and overall just plain seamless in it's operation. We had a 99' MM with the 302 V8 and that motor was real raucous and loud compared to this V6 and the new 4.6 V8. The new V8 is a huge improvement over the old 302 V8. But we still felt the shifts more and heard the V8 rumble in the new V8 in 2 separate test drives of the V8. I wanted the V8, but I am very happy with the V6 for our use. I will never tow anything, so the V6 worked for us. I am a little disappointed with the V6 mileage though. We're getting 13.5 - 15 in pure city and 20-21 on the highway. The highway is where it should be, I had hoped for better city mileage with the V6. I hope the mileage improves with some more miles on the odometer. I noticed that the 2004 MM V8's in PA. have a $895 credit off the sticker for an essentially free V8 upgrade. That may be too hard to pass up - a free proven 4.6 V8 vs. 4.0 V6. Good Luck !!!

twinturbotim · December 2003

Hey Im new to the edmunds forum, and had a couple of questions about the explorer. I havent had the oppurtunity to test drive one due to the inclement weather. But first, how does the explorer handle? How does it handle in inclement whether and what is your opinion about the reliablity of fords and their resale value?

nvbanker · December 2003

You can see from my profile, I like Ford SUVs. I think the Explorer is the best design in the class. They drive flat like a car and have a folding rear seat, both thanks to the independent rear suspension, which only Fords have at this time in SUVs. I think the Explorer is the Gold Standard of SUVs, and have had no reliability problems with any of mine. I still have my 94 Eddie Bauer, with 120,000 on the clock. Runs great. No engine or transmission repairs. In fact, only a pulley has been replaced on the engine, and a shift motor is currently out in the 4WD and needs replacement. Not bad for 120,000 miles.

swschrad · December 2003

I waited for my exploder test drive until we had three inches of slush and a little freezing drizzle on the interstate ramps, because that's as close to worst-case driving as we got that winter of 99/00. one little tail-twitch going onto a ramp that hadn't seen any attention since the weather started, and that told me how far I could go. I like to find a nice quiet lonely spot in sour weather and see what's underneath before going far, and that was convenient.

and that was with the awful >= KILLER TIRES! <= tm that came on it standard at the time. I've kept the memory as my "limit" point, and with the General 660s I got in the Customer Satisfaction tire swap, I have better control.

the AWD in the 2000 has been stable and consistent. I only feel it going into action on dry loose roadbed like gravel. the 2003 and up top system, offering AWD with on-demand locked gearboxes for 4WD, is what I would really have liked to have on my truck, just in case I had to crawl out through a flooded road with a forest fire behind me.

get over there before all the parking lots get bladed and sanded and test it. you'll like it.

ANT14 · December 2003

Ford has publically announce their release of Roll Stability Control.

Available in the following vehicles...
    * 2004 Lincoln Aviator
    * 2004 Lincoln Navigator
    * 2005 Ford Explorer
    * 2005 Ford Expedition
    * 2005 Mercury Mountaineer

http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=17044&ma- ke_id=trust

swschrad · December 2003

them weasels are trying to make me trade before it makes sense again....

nvbanker · December 2003

between the Earlybird Lease Renewal certificate, and the options, I'm likely to be signing another lease here in a month or so.

pulleydog · December 2003

gpz1 indicated that they found their V-6 more smooth & quiet over the 4.6L V8. We have the V6 in our '02 MM and I find it to be pretty noisy (especially during acceleration and on the highway) and the transmission shifted very hard at times until they finally replaced the torque converter (after the 5th service visit). But we will be purchasing an '04 MM before the end of the year - it has the 4.6L V8 which we thought was much quieter than our V6.
For those that have driven both engines, what do you think about the noise from the 2 engines??

ANT14 · December 2003

The 4.6L V8 is the quieter one, and because it's larger and more powerful, it requires less intrusive downshifting for effortless passing.

gregb5 · December 2003

The 4.6 is the right choice. Rest easy.

pulleydog · December 2003

Thanks for your feedback. I was starting to wonder whether we just happened to have a noisy V6 and tried an unusually quiet V8. Phew!
Not that the V6 is a bad setup. It did a very respectable job of pulling our boat/trailer this summer which weighs about 5500 lbs (dry) - yes, we were pushing the limit a bit. But the engine noise drove me nuts! Looking forward to the V8!!

ANT14 · December 2003

I'm a noise freak myself, so many times I'll just ride in friends cars (they force me) to diagnose the issue they might have and such. I'm quite familiar with noises of both V6 and V8. The V6's noise issue mainly stems from the manifold itself... it COULD be made quieter and I could recommend some ideas (Dynamat for one, which I've used on some vehicles) that I've heard other noise freaks use on their vehicles (not just the Explorer, but other noisy engined vehicles).

The V6 does very well overall. The computer does a good job of keeping the transmission at the heart of the powerband (3000 RPM), for most situations. And it's usually around that level (and above) that you might hear the enginer working harder. It's a raspy voice, but NOT as bad as the Freestars raspiness which sounds like farm machinery on power demand.

But during cruising, you should be under 2000RPM and at that point it's quieter and non-intrusive overall. The only issue that dissapoints me about this engine is the gas milage could be just as equal as that of the V8 version, mainly because it needs to work THAT much harder, to attain the speed you require, that a V8 will effortly give you without the drama. SO personally, I always recommend the V8 version because of that.

Sidenote: There are times that maybe the smaller engine might be quieter, depending upon the vehicle, and it's needs/requirements. One example would be the Mustang, whereas the GT V8 is tuned for it's sports car nature, and the V6 is tuned for much quieter refined (to a certain degree) sound. And this is something that happens in other vehicles as well.

And another thought.... I don't know about you, but even on my friends Saturn (and you know they are somewhat noisy) I never really hear the engine since the A/C is blasting (I'm in FL) and the radio is on. So I guess this is a reason why to some, it's not that much of an issue since they have other noisier that drown it out.

explorerx4 · December 2003

v8 sounds are good sounds! don't mind listening to them at all. 4.6 is very smooth too.

gmowner · December 2003

I have a 2002 MM, I bought it used and was wondering if it's normal that the headlights won't flash when unlock/locking it using the remote?

pulleydog · December 2003

We have the '02 MM as well. The headlights do not blink in conjunction with locking & unlocking. Unfortunately, you have to be near the vehicle to hear the locks engage - if you're paranoid like me - and want to be sure the vehicle locked...or lock it twice which sounds the horn (annoying). However, when you Unlock the MM, the puddle lamps on the mirrors should come on - to light the way in the dark, and indicate that the door(s) have been unlocked.

twinturbotim · December 2003

I am looking at a Black Clearcoat with Graphite Interior Explorer XLT 4x4 V8. With options the MSRP comes to 36. After rebates, do you think it is anyway possible to bargain them down to 27?

explorerx4 · December 2003

just checked out my '02 explorer. i figure it's the same. one click on the remote blinks the turn signal lights in the front and the rear lights.
hit it again and the horn beeps. i just did it from the kitchen; at least 15-20 feet away and through a metal door. that short beep on the second push, is nothing compared to a saab. it chirps like a flock of birds.

ls8sport · December 2003

I just purchased a 2003 Mercury Mountaineer (same as Ford Explorer) I have power leather seats, tilt steering column and adjustable pedals. During the test drive, the truck was great and I am happy with it. BUT, I cannot get comfortable. Specifically my Achille's tendon. Because of the driving position, my foot is angle too far back when stepping on the gas or brake and causing constant pain at this point. I am quite tall (almost 6'5") and have tried every seat position. The best seems to be with the seat all the way back, pedals all the way forward, the front of the seat bottom all the way up and the back of the seat bottom all the way down with the seat back reclined. Quite the odd position and it is still painful. I think either the pedals need to me modified or I might need to have the seat tracks extended. Anyone else have this problem? Any solutions? Help! Thank you.

actor45 · December 2003

I hope someone can help me. I am currently leasing a 2002 ford explorer xlt. It is on a 36 month lease that expires in may 2004.
I got an earlybird offer from the dealership that originally leased the vehicle to me. I went in and have negotiated a fair offer which includes them picking up the remainder of my lease payments in return for leasing another explorer xlt.
They are telling me that ford no longer leases vehicles under the old program which was called a red carpet lease. now they are using the term red carpet option. They say that the terminology is changed because of insurance reasons. This way they are not on the insurance as a primary owner of the vehicle for liability purposes. I understand this. what I want to know is that it sounds like i am buying the vehicle, not leasing it. they say that this is technically true. that i am paying 38months of a low payment and a large balloon payment at the end. They say that if i dont want to pay the balloon that they will take back the car and i can walk away with no penalty. is this true. do you know about this program. can you explain it to me. they say that this is actually a better program for me than a lease because i can trade the vehicle in to any dealer instead of being locked into a ford.
please respond asap as this offer is only good through friday, december 19th, 2003.

brast69 · December 2003

You are correct in your statements about the RCO. I have an RCO on my 03 MM Premier. Basically they figure out what the dealer trade in value will be in 36 months (balloon payment), leaving them room to mark it up and resell it. You can trade it in to any dealer because you actually own it and any dealer will be glad to give you the "balloon payment" value for the vehicle.
Hope this helped

nvbanker · December 2003

I also second what ANT said - the V-8 would be my choice. Where I live, most of the noise you get from the 6 is the cooling fan in the summer, but the 8 makes the truck much more fun to drive, and sounds great!

ls8: Funny you should mention being uncomfortable. I found all of my 3 Mountaineers to be extremely comfy, and when I bought my current Navigator, I couldn't get comfortable in it either! But my Mountaineer was still extremely comfortable in the position the memory seat was set for. Finally, in an effort to duplicate the seating position of the Mountaineer, I took a tape measure, and measured the distance from the headrest to the top of the wheel, the seat back to the bottom of the wheel, and the seat front to the bottom of the wheel, then replicated those dimiensions exactly on the Navigator, and set the seat memory there. Voila! Comfort was installed, not been a problem since. I don't know if that would help you in your case, but I do know what you mean. I think there were just too many variables for me to find my "sweet spot".

Kirstie_H · December 2003

A reporter is hoping to interview someone who is planning to buy a new vehicle in the next three months. If you are interested, please respond to jfallon@edmunds.com by January 1, 2003 with your name and daytime contact information.
Thanks,
Jeannine Fallon
PR Director
Edmunds.com

kdshapiro · December 2003

So what you are saying is, why bother to ever invent anything new or move forward with any type technology as it will only break anyway and someone, somewhere will be inconvenienced, hurt or even worse by the technological failure.

Might as well stop living.

nvbanker · December 2003

Must be a response to the "just something else to go wrong" crowd. I don't like that rationale either. I love conveniences and gadgets, and if one or two of them break, well so did my crank windows in the 60's!

tjf2000 · December 2003

My 2003 V-8 MM is closing in on 35k miles. I was talking to my service rep (who is great)and noted that I was hearing a whining noise coming from the front end and that I did not think it was tire noise as the tone/pitch did not change on different types of road surfaces. The result was the front wheel bearings were replaced. This seem to solve the problem for a few weeks but now the whining noise is back. I will going in for 35k in a few weeks, but wanted to know if anyone else was experiencing the same issue. Thanks.

nvbanker · December 2003

AWD, I presume, tjf?

look6phd · December 2003

At 42,000 miles my 2002 Explorer has a "worn out drive shaft" according to the service department at my local Ford dealer. This seems premature. At 29500 miles I asked them to check for a clunking noise while going approximately 30 mph - almost like downshifting and upshifting quickly and for no reason. The dealer could not find a problem at that time. Now that the warranty period is over and the problem is clearly manifest they say they can fix it. Any similar experience or recommendations? The dealer wants to replace the drive shaft (parts $400, plus labor).

explorerx4 · December 2003

did you point out that you reported this previously? you could ask them (nicely) if they could consdier it an awa (after warranty adjustment). it kind of splits the cost of the repair.

nvbanker · December 2003

Yes, at least they should split it with you. Drive Shafts don't wear out.

tjf2000 · December 2003

Yes it is a V-8 AWD. It also has the standard 3:55 rear end. (no towing package)I do alot of driving about 40k/year and the whining on the highway is getting tough on the ears. I just want to be prepared when I bring it in for service in a couple of weeks.

pulleydog · December 2003

Our '02 Mercury Mountaineer had to have the driveshaft replaced at close to 20K miles. Out of all the vehicles I have ever owned (and we're talking 16 vehicles and over 900K miles), I had never had a drive shaft problem until the MM last Fall. Of course, 2002 was the first year after a major re-design for the Explorer/Mountaineer sisters - although I don't know if the driveline was part of the redesign. I'd be surprised if that wasn't a common problem with these vehicles. We didn't have any other early signs of a problem, my wife was driving home one day and it started making a horrendous screeching noise - so bad she was afraid to drive it any further and had it towed.
"look6phd" - see if you can find a dealer willing to go to bat for you for an after warranty claim. Good luck!

nvbanker · December 2003

Hmmmm. No problems with mine at all. My 2002 has been trouble free, except for a water pump pulley squeaking. That's it, 30,000 miles so far.

brianbm · January 2004

Just a post to inquire if I'm missing something ...
I am sniffing out a replacement for a 1993 4x4 Explorer (160K) that has gone offroad steadily since purchase. I am very, very happy with the old girl; less space then I'd like, so the replacement will be bigger, but no catastrophic failures that got me stuck below the high tide mark, or elsewhere on the beach. (I surfcast, that's the off-road stuff for me.) I got to 130K before needing to spend significant money, on the front locking hubs, and that's fine. ALAS: when I look at the lower control arms on the Explorer and Expedition, I cringe. I can just see one of those arms snapping after one rock too many at Montauk Point, or some other beach decorated with protruding rocks. So, the question: What happens when you snap a control arm? Is the vehicle still drivable? My local Ford guy has a great service department (Ramp Ford, Long Island NY) but the only thing he sells that looks good right now is an F-150 (it's on the short list, but it's a lot more money and gas then I need to spend.) Are we agreed that the IFS-fitted versions are not really competent once you're off road?

brast69 · January 2004

Well,
I have a 03 MM Premier, before that a 98 MM. I am familiar with the "Outerbeach" I live on Long Island as well. In the summer I was on the outer beach... Smith Pt beach to as far as the inlet, "Great Gun". I drive fast and rough on the beach!! Never had a problem what-so-ever. I was on the beach EVERY weekend. I drove from the surfline up to the dunes,bouncing, airborn etc...I also went up to Rocky PT. and Middle Island and did some real off-roading. As far as the lower control arms...I cant say whether I hit a rock or not, But all is still just like the day I drove it from the showroom

brianbm · January 2004

You're a more aggressive driver on the beach then I am, I guess. Sand beaches would be o.k., and most of Smith Point is sand, but the rocks at the Inlet are going to whack those control arms good. If one breaks - and it'd be a catastrophic failure, not a degredation of function - can you still drive? .....
need to get Ant14 in here.

brianbm · January 2004

The one that worries me, in terms of mishap, is Montauk. Narrow beach, just barely enough to drive in places; steep slope into the water on some corners; snaggletoothed rocks are going to ding components no matter what you do. You snap a control arm there, you're going to really be praying for that flatbed truck. I don't know if one could get to you, depending on the tide.

twinturbotim · January 2004

Say with the 3k rebate right now, is it possible for someone (if they're extremely good) to bargain down so with rebates you could get a 36k explorer for 27?

akangl · January 2004

I bought a 2004 Ford Explorer XLS Sport V-6 4X4 last night, MSRP was $30,655, Invoice was $28k, with the $3k rebate that put me at $25k + fees.

Figure invoice on a $36k truck is going to be approx $33k or so, you might be able to hit $30k, but $27k, nah, I really doubt it.

stever · January 2004

Mountaineer ok, Explorer not?

U-Haul rejects Explorers (USA Today)

Steve, Host

akangl · January 2004

"It's a perfectly capable tow vehicle," said Stuart Bourdon, automotive editor of the California-based publication.

"The bottom line is, if you don't overload the vehicle and you've got the proper tires with the appropriate ratings and they are properly inflated and you drive with common sense, you really shouldn't have any problems."

I guess I just don't get it, I've owned 1 of each generation of Explorer, I found all to be very wonderful vehicles (had a 1994 and 1997). The 2004 I just bought is wonderful, so much improved, Ford did a darn good job addressing a lot of the problems that the prev generations had. I'm impressed and glad I stuck with Ford.

swschrad · January 2004

that has been in payment trouble several times in the last 20 or so years. their type of business requires slavish devotion to minimizing risk (aka, low-margin but necessary, and if they do it right, they make a living.) I suspect it is a cheap gut reaction to schools of lawyers sniffing about for blood in the water, and not necessarily related to the suitability of their trailers to the road.

a lower, wider, longer tow vehicle will generically improve the survivability of any towing mishap, because you would expect the tow to break off before flipping the tow vehicle in case of a major issue.

that said, I don't expect anybody who maintains their vehicle and uses it within range to have any trouble, even with the high-hat trailers U-Haul used to provide until the early 1980s (and the first chapter-11 I was aware of.) present stuff is lower and less likely to provide an issue than some of the rigs I used to pull moving from one city to another on a just-out-of-college type budget.

no, I think they're on an atomic-powered risk-avoidance kick. if you rent, as always, do your own vehicle or trailer check before hooking up and signing the acceptance sheet. if you've got creaky tires, dinged or dark lights, or silly-looking running gear, talk gently but firmly with the representative. that's the best way to insure you have a solid experience, not a sordid one.

for most people in many places, U-Haul is about the only choice they have in rent here, leave there. if any of this concerns you, investigate other options.

personally, just because they've got their nose in the air, my response this morning is of the "yo' MOMMA" variety. but make your own evaluation, I have used their trailers behind several vehicles (not on my exploder or the previous ranger,) and nobody died and nobody tried in those experiences. they just have too many lawyers on staff right now.

akangl · January 2004

A 1970 Shoop 2-horse trailer with my 94 2-dr, it was a huge trailer, very tall and very wide. It did fine, I also pulled that trailer with my 1994 Mazda B4000 (Ford ranger), the truck weighed 3000 lbs, the trailer weighed 3500 empty, pulled it with 1 horse in there. No problems at all. Probably not the smartest thing I've ever done, but nobody died.

swschrad · January 2004

which is about par for the course when people start spouting off without testing things out first. if they added up the miles traveled on explorer/mountie tows of their trailers and compared it to other vehicle types, they'd almost certainly find no difference.

as I understand the case in question from the news report I have seen, it's another case of suing everybody in sight because a couple renters had => KILLER TIRES! <= tm peel apart on 'em, and one carful flipped over. U-Haul is caught up in the sewer backwash of those crummy tires.

the CEO who presided over the cleanup for the tiremaker has announced his retirement, BTW, at 59. I expect the superhuman effort he put forth pretty well wore him out, and he needs some time to smell the roses and do fun things. I will remain charitable this early in the new year and not name the company yet again, as they have not created any new scandal since he started "kickin' and takin' " around the company. the guy retiring took over after the homeboys from across the sea denied in the face of their own engineer testifying before congress that they had inconsistent manufacturing and insufficient material in the tire lines sold for explorers for the design load.

anybody who stuck their chest out and said, "I am too good to have trouble," and kept those lousy things instead of getting them replaced, put a gaff in the sidewalls and call for a flatbed tow to the tire store now. meanwhile, if you need a trailer to get the furniture or projection TV home from the mall, call the locally-owned rental joints first.

tjf2000 · January 2004

I have an 03 MM, V-8, AWD, 17 inch BF Goodrich with plenty of tread left which has 35k mile on it. At my 30k service I brought this matter the service managers attention and the front wheel bearings where replaced however it did not solve the drone/whine problem. I know it is not tire noise as the noise does not change over/on different road surfaces. Has anyone had a similar problem? The noise is very noticeable in the 40-50 mph range. I will be bringing it on on Monday for the 35k miles service and would like to be prepared if anyone has any information. I have owned many other 4wd and awd which have never had this problem. Thanks in advance.

swschrad · January 2004

have the front differential and transfer case fluid checked. I didn't have the issue in my 2k exploder, but I did have ugly dirty fluid at 24,000 which I promptly had changed out on both diffs and the transfer case. no untoward issues at 49,000 miles as a result. a dry or contaminated power drive case could be the issue.

I would expect that the noise level would be proportional to the RPMs if it was the transfer case, and proportional to the highway speed if it was the front diff.

any sort of a U-joint could also be a villain. this means the half-shafts to the front wheels could also be at issue. if there is a torn or leaking boot on either wheel, the chances become very good indeed that this is the issue. there should be a change in the noise characteristics on turning towards the bad half-shaft to aid diagnosis.

you are right to suspect tire wear as causing a difference in noise, and also right to suspect it will change characteristics on different roads. since you didn't get that, tires are less likely. internal inconsistencies could still cause tire noise, and doing a front-to-back rotation would be the last chance to pin it on tires, if you are so inclined.

Ford Explorer Mercury Mountaineer 2005 and earlier

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