The 1997 Mercury Villager has 3 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 401,300 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 152 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the structure. Last updated July 5, 2026.
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…
FUEL LEAKAGE IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE CAN RESULT IN A FIRE.
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE VENT HOSE.
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.
THIS CONDITION CAN CAUSE A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF THE BATTERY WHICH COULD LEAD TO AN ENGINE FIRE OR BATTERY EXPLOSION.
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.
FUEL LEAKAGE IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE CAN RESULT IN A FIRE.
DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE FUEL TANK ASSEMBLY FOR THE SUSPECT DATE CODES AND REPLACE THE FOUR RUBBER FUEL CONNECTOR HOSES IF NECESSARY.
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“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…”
“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…”
“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…”
“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…”
“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…”
“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…”
“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…”
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…
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…
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Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1997 Mercury Villager as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.