1997 Mercury Villager: problems, recalls and reliability
3 recalls and 125 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is fuel system, gasoline (20% of complaints).
Data updated weekly · latest recall Jan 2001
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 125 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“I was driving along after shopping and I started to hear this dragging or bottoming out sound so I pulled over to see what was happening and to my surprise the front frame on the passenger side that holds up the engine was broken I then opened the hood and saw that the engine was sitting sideways toward the passenger side. I limped the van home and had my mechanic look at it and he said that it was on fixable and then I called five body shops to see if they could fix it and they said no and that mercury villagers was known to do this and that they were recalled for this before. *tr”Owner report · Structure · Dec 2014
“My 7 year old daughter thought it would be fun to see how many times she could wrap the shoulder belt around her neck. I was unaware as I was getting my other children buckled in. Before we were about to leave, I turned to see if she too was buckled in and found her using her fingers between her neck and the belt to try to free herself as the slack had been pulled back in. We immediately got some scissors to cut the belt to let her free. The potential for some other kid doing this and not having anyone or anything around to help makes me nervous. Bizarre, I know, but kids come up with ridiculous stuff all the time. *tr”Owner report · Seat Belts · Mar 2013
“Tl* the contact owns a 1997 mercury villager. The contact stated that the engine was started in cold weather, the vehicle would exhibit an abnormally strong gasoline odor. The vehicle was taken to a mechanic who advised that there were no visible fuel leakages but the canister and the connected hoses were faulty. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised that there were no recalls for the problem. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 155,000.”Owner report · Fuel System, Gasoline · Nov 2011
Show 7 more owner reports
“Headrest guides are no longer available from manufacturer (ford or nissan). The guide itself is a cheaply built plastic sleeve which breaks easily (I've been through several in my nine years of ownership). Unfortunately, the headrest cannot be secured to the seat without them!! *tr”Owner report · Seats · Jul 2010
“Tl*the contact owns a 1997 mercury villager. The contact smells gasoline after the vehicle has been driven or while it is idling. No fuel has been found on the ground after the vehicle was moved. NHTSA campaign id numbers 96v203000 (fuel system, gasoline:storage:tank assembly: mounting) and 00v419002 (fuel system, gasoline:storage: tank assembly) were referenced; however, the contact was informed that there was no longer a safety recall. The current mileage was 69,000 and failure mileage was 68,000.”Owner report · Fuel System, Gasoline · May 2008
“Tl*the contact owns a 1997 mercury villager. The contact stated that every time he fills up his gas tank and parks the vehicle, fuel leaks out from underneath. He took the vehicle to the dealer and they replaced the vent hose for a service charge because it was not included in NHTSA campaign id number 00v419002 (fuel system, gasoline:storage:tank assembly). The current and failure mileages were 106,108. Recall# 00v419002 updated 11/26/07. *jb”Owner report · Fuel System, Gasoline · Aug 2007
“Driving my '97 mercury villager into a commercial driveway at about 3 mph, both air bags deployed upon going over a slight bump. *nm”Owner report · Air Bags · Jan 2007
“Our customers 1997 mercury villager van caught fire while driving in the city. Wonder if this could be related to the nissan maxima recall for alternator fires? I have seen 3 maxima alternators burn and we are not even a nissan dealer. *jb”Owner report · Electrical System · Mar 2006
“I had noticed that when I filled gas tank there was a strong odor of gasoline inside vehicle for several days. I had the vehicle checked by the shop that does my oil changes and they stated that it was the filler hose and it should be covered under a recall. The local dealership states that since the repair was made under the recall in 2002 that it was not covered again. Repair part was apparently defective. The repair cost will be $150.00.*ak”Owner report · Fuel System, Gasoline · Mar 2005
“The vehicle had a flat tire. The consumer discovered that a valve stem device, called a tire minder, designed to indicate the proper inflation of the tire had failed. *nm *sc *jb”Owner report · Tires · Oct 2004
When filing, owners marked a crash in 5 of these complaints and injuries in 2 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 3 campaigns
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.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THESE BATTERIES. UNTIL A NEW BATTERY IS OBTAINED, OWNERS SHOULD NOT ATTEMPT TO "JUMP START" THESE BATTERIES.
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.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE FUEL TANK ASSEMBLY FOR THE SUSPECT DATE CODES AND REPLACE THE FOUR RUBBER FUEL CONNECTOR HOSES IF NECESSARY.
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 DISTANCE AFTER REFUELING AND, (3) THERE IS SUBSEQUENTLY SIGNIFICANT HEATING OF THE FUEL TANK, THE FUEL IN THE TANK CAN EXPAND INTO THE VENT HOSE AND LEAK FUEL.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE VENT HOSE.
Specifications
Factory options offered for the 1997 model year, decoded from the NHTSA vPIC database. Individual vehicles have one of each.
How other years compare
Check your exact Villager by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 1997 Mercury Villager reliable?
NHTSA has 125 owner complaints and 3 recall campaigns on record for the 1997 Mercury Villager. The most complained-about area is fuel system, gasoline (20% of complaints).
At what mileage do 1997 Mercury Villager problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 106,108 miles or less.
Does the 1997 Mercury Villager have open recalls?
3 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning electrical system:12v/24v/48v battery. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.