Total Complaints
4 filings
MERCURY MERCURY · model year
4 NHTSA complaints. A VIN lookup is required to determine whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1997MERCURYMERCURY carries 4 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
The most frequently selected component label in reports for the 1997 MERCURY is visibility:defroster/defogger/hvac system with 1 filings, followed by latches/locks/linkages:hatchback/liftgate:lock (1) and engine and engine cooling:exhaust system:manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe (1). Complaint categories reflect owner reports and intake categorization; they do not establish a defect pattern or cause.
NHTSA currently has 11 investigation files overlapping the 1997 MERCURY. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should read the complaint-by-year trend as report volume, not a causal diagnosis. Use the related-complaint feed and the official recall lookup when researching a specific vehicle.
Total Complaints
4 filings
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM | 1 |
| LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE:LOCK | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP | 1 |
THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE WHEN THE BRAKE WAS APPLIED. *JB
I WOULD LIKE YOU TO NOTIFY THE MANUFACTURER AND THE RESPONSIBLE GARAGE (OSMAN) ABOUT THIS PROBLEM, I MAY HAVE CHECKED THE WRONG BLOCK. I WAS TRAVELING TO TAMPA,FL. ON I-4 TO A WEDDING WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN A WHITE STEAM APPEARED TO BE COMING FROM THE REAR OF MY CAR, LUCKILY I HAD JUST COME UPON A REST AREA AND PULLED INTO THE AREA AND SHUT THE ENGINE OFF. CHECKED TO SEE WHAT MIGHT BE WRONG AND I REALLY COULDN'T TELL FROM ALL OF THE STEAM AND THE ENGINE TEMPERATURE GAUGE WAS UP ALL THE WAY. I CONTACTED MY INSURANCE CARRIER AND REQUESTED ROAD SIDE SERVICE WHICH THEY IMMEDIATELY PROVIDED FOR MY. MY CAR WAS TOWED TO A GARAGE IN KISSIMMEE, FLORIDA AND INSPECTED AND THE MECHANIC TOLD ME MY EXHAUST MANIFOLD WAS CRACKED AND IT WAS THE 6TH ONE HE HAD REPLACED IN THE LAST YEAR, HE CALLED THE MERCURY GARAGE AND TOLD ME THE PART WOULD BE $ 576.00 AND OTHER GASKETS NOT INCLUDED AND ANTI-FREEZE, AND TOWING AND WOULD BE AROUND $ 650.00. CAR IS STILL IN THE GARAGE, SO I AM NOT SURE WHETHER IT WAS L
NO WAY TO OPEN HATCH BACK, EXCEPT FROM OUTSIDE
NO WAY TO OPEN HATCH BACK, EXCEPT FROM OUTSIDE
Data vintage: August 2026. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Every figure on PlainCars is rendered directly from NHTSA complaint and safety data, no number is typed in by an editor. This year-specific record is rendered from NHTSA ODI, recall, and NCAP rows for the 1997 MERCURY MERCURY; no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.