Mercury

January 2001

Dear Consumer:

Thank you for contacting the Center for Auto Safety (CAS) about your Mercury Villager or its twin, the Nissan Quest. Engineered by Nissan and built by Ford in Avon Lakes, Ohio since its introduction in 1992, the Villager and Quest are among the more reliable minivans sold. The Villager is certainly far more reliable than the defect prone Ford Aerostar and Windstar.

January 2001

Dear Tempo/Topaz Owner:

Thank you for contacting the Center for Auto Safety (CAS) about your Tempo or Topaz. Introduced as one of Ford's first front wheel drive vehicles in 1984, Ford replaced it in 1995 with the Contour. CAS has received numerous complaints from consumers on fires, chronic stalling, unintended acceleration, paint peel, and tie rod failure.

January 2001

Dear Contour/Mystique Owner:

Thank you for contacting the Center for Auto Safety (CAS) about your Contour or Mystique. CAS has received complaints from consumers on faulty gauges, air conditioning leaks and mold, difficulty shifting out of Park, water leaks, lurching while in first gear, inoperative gas cap levers, stalling, hard starts and other driveability problems..

Dear Ford Owner:

Thank you for contacting the Center for Auto Safety (CAS) about your 1985-97 Ford Thunderbird, Mercury Cougar or Lincoln Mark which are built on the same platform and share common features. After 1997 Ford killed off the T-bird/Mark and replaced the Cougar with a car built on the same platform as the Ford Contour and Mercury Mystique. The T-bird in its dying days little resembled the legendary '55 T-bird and may come back in 2001.