1998 Mercury Mountaineer Tires Problems

NHTSA component category: TIRES · data through 07/14/2026

53Tires complaints

22.5%Of all 236 complaints

#1Most-reported category

Source: U.S. NHTSA complaint data. Complaints are unverified reports from vehicle owners — a complaint is not a confirmed defect.

How tires ranks on this vehicle

TIRES53 · 22.5%

TIRES:TREAD/BELT48 · 20.3%

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL18 · 7.6%

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL13 · 5.5%

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM10 · 4.2%

Share of the 236 complaints citing each category; one complaint can cite several. Full breakdown on the 1998 Mercury Mountaineer overview page.

What owners report

“FIRESTONE WILDERNESS AT TIRES ON MERCURY, MOUNTAINEER 1998 ARE EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS. THREE OF TIRES ON THE VEHICLE ARE CRACKING. *SLC”NHTSA complaint 882382 — filed 03/07/2001

“ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT, FIRESTONE WILDERNESS TIRE P235/75R15 SIZE, DOT#: W2HL. WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS OF 65 MPH, LEFT REAR TIRE BLEWOUT. FIRESTONE HAS BEEN NOTIFIED…”NHTSA complaint 880067 — filed 02/08/2001

“STEEL BELT SHOWING THROUGH TIRES, CONSUMER TOOK TIRES TO FIRESTONE DEALER BUT WAS TOLD THEY WERE NOT COVERED UNDER RECALL BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T HAVE THE…”NHTSA complaint 558354 — filed 12/28/2000

Excerpts are shortened and scrubbed of personal details; they are individual, unverified reports.

Tires complaints by year filed

Frequently asked questions

Does the 1998 Mercury Mountaineer have tires problems?

Tires is the most-reported problem area on the 1998 Mercury Mountaineer: 53 of 236 complaints on file (22.5%). Complaints are unverified owner reports, not confirmed defects.

How many complaints does the 1998 Mercury Mountaineer have in total?

236 complaints were on file with NHTSA as of 07/14/2026. Across all categories, 22 involved a crash, 23 involved a fire, 29 reported injuries, and 1 reported deaths.

What does NHTSA's tires category include?

NHTSA assigns each complaint to standard component categories; this page reports the TIRES category exactly as NHTSA defines and records it.

About this data — Complaint figures on this page are consumer reports submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a U.S. government agency. NHTSA does not verify individual complaints; a complaint is not proof that a defect exists, and counts reflect what owners chose to report, not confirmed failure rates. Recall information comes from official NHTSA safety recall campaigns; recall repairs are free at authorized dealers. Always check your specific vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. CarModelProblems.com is an independent site and is not affiliated with NHTSA or any vehicle manufacturer. Data through 07/14/2026.