Mercury Villager 1997

• Recall 7296 [USA]: Fuel leakage in the presence of an ignition source can result in a fire.
  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.
  dealers will replace the vent hose.
  owner notification began february 19, 2001.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.Also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-dash-2-dot (1-888-327-4236).

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• Recall 13888 [USA]: This condition can cause a catastrophic failure of the battery which could lead to an engine fire or battery explosion.
  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.
  dealers will replace these batteries. Until a new battery is obtained, owners should not attempt to "jump start" these batteries.
  owner notification is expected to begin december 1,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.Also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-800-424-9393.

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• Recall 14550 [USA]: Fuel leakage in the presence of an ignition source can result in a fire.
  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.
  dealers will inspect the fuel tank assembly for the suspect date codes and replace the four rubber fuel connector hoses if necessary.
  owner notification:owner notification is expected to begin october 28, 1996.Note: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. Also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-800-424-9393.

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• Recall 2001025 [Canada]: Fuel supply
  On certain vehicles, cracks could develop in the fuel 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. Fuel leakage in the presence of an ignition source can result in a fire. Correction: fuel tank vent hose will be replaced.

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• Recall 1997190 [Canada]: Electrical
  These vehicles may have been manufactured with defective batteries. The batteries may have negative terminals that could fracture causing acid leakage and related corrosion damage which could lead to an engine fire or battery explosion. Correction: defective batteries will be replaced.

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• Recall 1996166 [Canada]: Fuel supply
  The four short rubber jumper hoses attached to the fuel tank may develop cracks or splits, which could result in fuel leakage. Fuel leakage in the presence of an ignition source potentially could result in a fire. Correction: dealers will inspect, and, if necessary, replace the fuel jumper hoses on affected vehicles.

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To ensure accuracy and for your safety, it is recommended to do a free VIN recall check here or here [USA] - UK - Canada.

Bulletins are notices put out by manufacturers in conjunction with the NHTSA to notify the public of manufacturing issues or changes.

• Fuel tank vent hose leakage investigation # EA00014

  Periodic exposure to liquid gasoline may result in extraction of antidegradants from the subject fuel tank vent hose.Hoses which have suffered loss of antidegradants can develop cracks in areas of high strain.Fuel may spray or drip from cracked vent hoses following tank fill.Starting at job#1 1998 my (california emissions vehicles) and job#1 1999 my (federal emissions vehicles), the subject vent hose composition changed from nitrile rubber hoses with chloroprene rubber covers (nbr/cr) to fluorocarbon rubber hoses with an outer layer blend of nbr/pvc.The changes were made to improve hydracarbon resistance for complaince with new evaporative emissions regulations.The modified hoses are also significantly more resistant to degradation and cracking.In a letter dated january 2, 2001, ford notified nhtsa that it will conduct a safety recall campaign to replace the subject vent hose in affacted vehicles.Ford will "begin notifying customers of the affected vehicles on or about the week of february 12, 2001 to return their vehicles to dealers for replacement of the fuel tank vent hose with the latest design lever part."
  

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• Unexpected opening on sliding door investigation # SQ00008

  There is no summary currently available
  

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• Fuel rail hose fitting leakage investigation # EA99015

  The engineering analysis closing report covers 1993-1998 mercury villager and nissan quest minivans.These two minivans share a common body platform and power train.Based on the low number of reported incidents and the absence of a demonstrable failure trend, a safety-related defect trend has not been identified at this time and further use of agency resources is not warranted.The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by nhtsa that no safety-related defect exists.The agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances. See engineering closing report ea99-015 for details.
  

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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

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

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.

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

Driver reports he must have had his foot on the brake and accelerator at the same time (semi-panic brake application). Police report states "tire marks" on the (dry) pavement. One does not produce "tire marks" on dry pavement (no turning involved) without brake application. Driver had episode of microsleep: when alerted by the event taking place, he could not get the vehicle stopped in time to prevent hitting and fatally injuring a pedestrian. Upon examination of accident vehicle, inspector discovered unusual arched accelerator pedal design wherein the brake pedal was located only 1 5/8 inch from the arched accelerator pedal allowing brake application and acceleration concurrently if certain conditions prevail. Examination demonstrated that when the brake pedal was depressed, the pedal went substantially below the accelerator pedal. Furthermore, with the 4 5/8 inch wide boot the driver (and inspector) wore, it was easy to accidentally catch the edge of the accelerator pedal, consequently enabling the user to accidentally depress the accelerator and brake pedal (under certain conditions) at the same time. *tr

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.

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

Driving my '97 mercury villager into a commercial driveway at about 3 mph, both air bags deployed upon going over a slight bump. *nm

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

Common OBD-II Error Codes

• P0325 [1] Knock Sensor 1 Circuit Malfunction (Bank 1 or Single Sensor)
• P0731 [1] Gear I Incorrect ratio
• P0732 [1] Gear 2 Incorrect ratio
• P0733 [1] Gear 3 Incorrect ratio
• P0510 [1] Closed Throttle Position Switch Malfunction
• P0120 [1] Throttle Position Sensor/Switch A Circuit Malfunction
• P0400 [1] Exhaust Gas Recirculation Flow Malfunction
• P0402 [1] Exhaust Gas Recirculation Flow Excessive Detected
• P1400 [1] Glow Plug Monitor Fault (Bank #1)
• P1401 [1] Glow Plug Monitor Fault (Bank #2)
• P1402 [1] System Voltage Out Of Self Test Range
• P0705 [1] Transmission Range Sensor A Circuit malfunction (PRNDL Input)
• P0135 [1] 02 Sensor Heater Circuit Malfunction (Bank 1 Sensor 1)
• P0141 [1] 02 Sensor Heater Circuit Malfunction (Bank 1 Sensor 2)