Complaints by model year
Each bar is one model year. The most recent years are still collecting complaints.
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026
New York safety inspections
Share of first inspections failed on safety, by model year. Older cars fail more as miles build up, so compare each year with the average car of the same year. Best against its own year: 2005.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections, initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
Year by year
| Model year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 Montego | 36 | 1 |
| 2006 Montego | 85 | 0 |
| 2005 Montego | 135 | 2 |
| 2004 | 3 | 0 |
A model year gets its own page when it has enough data for at least three sections
Most common problems
- Power train87
- Vehicle speed control51
- Electrical system40
- Engine30
- Service brakes, hydraulic23
- Structure16
- Engine and engine cooling14
- Fuel system, gasoline12
NHTSA ODI complaints, all model years
Fatal crashes in the US
From 2020 to 2023, 32 Montego vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died, and 25 people died inside them. These are counts, not crash rates: a model with more cars on the road shows up more often, and people killed outside the vehicle are not counted here.
| Model year | Vehicles in fatal crashes | Deaths in the vehicle |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 3 | 4 |
| 2006 | 17 | 11 |
| 2005 | 11 | 9 |
| 1975 | 1 | 1 |
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), crash years 2020–2023 (public domain) · how we count
In New Zealand
6 Montego cars are on the New Zealand register; 33% arrived as used imports.
| Model year | Registered | Sold new in NZ | Used imports |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| 1968 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1966 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Motor Vehicle Register (March 2026) · CC BY 4.0
Recalls
3 campaigns cover the Montego.
FORD IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2007 FORD FIVE HUNDRED AND MERCURY MONTEGO VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM SEPTEMBER 5, 2006, THROUGH SEPTEMBER 11, 2006. THE FUEL TANKS MAY NOT HAVE CONSISTENT WELDS BETWEEN THE FUEL TANK AND FUEL FILLER NECK SPUD WHICH CAN AFFECT THE STRENGTH OF THE JOINT. SOME FUEL TANK SPUD WELDS MAY NOT PROVIDE THE EXPECTED STRENGTH IN THE EVENT OF A SEVERE REAR IMPACT TO THE VEHICLE. AN IMPROPER WELD CAN RESULT IN A CRACK IN THE JOINT WHICH COULD ILLUMINATE THE EMISSIONS MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LIGHT, CAUSE A FUEL ODOR, OR ALLOW FUEL TO LEAK OUT.
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN THE FOLLOWING STATES: ALASKA, COLORADO, CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, IDAHO, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, KANSAS, KENTUCKY, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI, MONTANA, NEBRASKA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, NORTH DAKOTA, OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA, RHODE ISLAND, SOUTH DAKOTA, UTAH, VERMONT, WEST VIRGINIA, WISCONSIN, AND WYOMING. THE SIDE DOOR LATCH MECHANISMS MAY EXPERIENCE WATER INTRUSION ALLOWING THE LATCH MECHANISM TO FREEZE IN COLD WEATHER.
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE STRAPS THAT SECURE THE FUEL TANK TO THE VEHICLE BODY MAY BREAK, CAUSING THE FUEL TANK AND FUEL TANK HEAT SHIELD TO DROP ON THE DRIVESHAFT (ALL WHEEL DRIVE VEHICLES) OR EXHAUST SYSTEM (FRONT WHEEL DRIVE VEHICLES).
NHTSA recalls