How many miles will a 2004 Mercury Monterey last?
Half of the 272 NHTSA owner complaints on the 2004 Mercury Monterey that list mileage came after 77,000 miles, and 1 in 10 after 127,000 miles. NHTSA's complaints file of November 11, 2026 holds 283 complaints on this model year; each mileage is the odometer when an owner reported a safety problem, not how long the vehicle lasted.
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See what the paid report includes →Of the 272 complaints on the 2004 Mercury Monterey that list mileage, the middle half came between 58,000 and 110,000 miles; 84 (31%) came after 100,000 miles, 16 (6%) after 150,000 and 4 (1%) after 200,000.
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How many miles will a 2004 Monterey last?
The 272 mileages owners gave run from 100 to 390,014 miles. A quarter are at or under 58,000 miles, half at or under 78,000, three quarters at or under 110,000 and nine in ten at or under 128,000; 84 (31%) came after 100,000 miles, 16 (6%) after 150,000 and 4 (1%) after 200,000.
These mileages say when owners reported a problem, not when a 2004 Monterey wears out. NHTSA's file holds only vehicles whose owners complained; one that ran without a problem never appears in it, so it gives no lifespan and no cutoff, and how a vehicle was maintained matters more than any one odometer reading.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Lowest mileage listed | 100 miles |
| 25th percentile | 58,000 miles |
| Median (50th percentile) | 78,000 miles |
| 75th percentile | 110,000 miles |
| 90th percentile | 128,000 miles |
| Highest mileage listed | 390,014 miles |
| Complaints after 100,000 miles | 84 (31%) |
| Complaints after 150,000 miles | 16 (6%) |
| Complaints after 200,000 miles | 4 (1%) |
Every model year together: Half of the 421 NHTSA owner complaints on the Mercury Monterey that list mileage came after 77,000 miles (NHTSA complaints file of November 11, 2026). How many miles will a Mercury Monterey last? →
Common problems with the 2004 Monterey
NHTSA's file holds 283 owner complaints on the 2004 Mercury Monterey. Owners named the powertrain most often: 203 complaints, and half of the 199 that list a mileage came after 77,000 miles. A complaint can name more than one component.
| Component (NHTSA category) | Complaints | Listing mileage | Median mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Power Train | 203 | 199 | 77,450 |
| Structure | 19 | 18 | 123,880 |
| Seats | 16 | 15 | 120,000 |
| Electrical System | 11 | 11 | 118,000 |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 11 | 11 | 63,000 |
Of the 283 complaints, 2 report a crash, 6 report a fire and 1 reports an injury (1 person reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.
Is the 2004 Monterey a good year?
Complaint counts cannot say whether the 2004 is a good or a bad Monterey: they rise with how many were sold and how long they have been on the road. They show how the 2004 compares with the other model years in NHTSA's file.
With 283 complaints, the 2004 drew the most of the 3 Mercury Monterey model years from 2004 to 2006 with 10 or more complaints. The fewest: the 2006 (44).
Recent model years have had less time to collect complaints, so their counts are still growing. No year is ranked by mileage here, because a year's median mileage mostly follows its age.
| Model year | Owner complaints | Listing mileage | Median mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 (this page) | 283 | 272 | 78,000 |
| 2005 Monterey | 119 | 106 | 72,000 |
| 2006 Monterey | 44 | 43 | 81,000 |
2004 Mercury Monterey recalls
NHTSA's recall files of November 11, 2026 list 5 recall campaigns that name the 2004 Mercury Monterey (4 vehicle campaigns and 1 equipment or tire campaign that names this model year, often for aftermarket parts). A campaign covers a production range, not every vehicle of the model year: check the VIN with NHTSA's free recall lookup.
| Campaign | Report received | Component |
|---|---|---|
| 13V081000 | Mar 7, 2013 | SEATS |
| 12V006000 | Jan 9, 2012 | POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:TORQUE CONVERTER |
| 06E056000 | Jun 13, 2006 | FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE |
| 04V446000 | Sep 13, 2004 | WHEELS:HUB |
| 03V457000 | Nov 6, 2003 | STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST:HOSE, PIPING, AND CONNECTIONS |
What these figures can and cannot tell you
- Complaints are owners’ reports to NHTSA. NHTSA publishes them without verifying them: a complaint is an allegation, not a defect finding.
- The mileage is what the owner wrote on the complaint; NHTSA does not check it against the odometer.
- The make, model and model year are the ones on the complaint. NHTSA records them as filed, so a few complaints sit under a model year the name was not sold in.
- They are not a lifespan study. The file holds only vehicles whose owners reported a problem, so these figures do not say how long a typical 2004 Monterey lasts.
- A complaint count rises with how many vehicles were sold and how long they have been on the road, so it is not a rating of the 2004 Monterey.
- Nothing here describes one vehicle: its title brands, odometer readings, accidents and open recalls are in the records for its own VIN.
- 11 of the 283 complaints on the 2004 Mercury Monterey give no usable mileage (blank, zero, a filler such as 999999, or over 500,000) and are left out of every mileage figure.
- NHTSA name counted: MONTEREY. NHTSA files some vehicles under several names (a series name and a trim name, for example); this page counts only this one.
- Recall-file name matched: MONTEREY.
Primary sources behind this page
Open the underlying public source and verify that its scope matches the question you are asking.
- NHTSA complaints flat file (FLAT_CMPL.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Complaints file field layout (CMPL.txt)National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recalls flat file (FLAT_RCL_PRE_2010.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recalls flat file (FLAT_RCL_POST_2010.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Recalls file field layout (RCL.txt)National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recall and complaint datasets: scope and documentationNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Recalls Lookup by VINNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
NHTSA’s complaints file was downloaded on November 11, 2026 (FLAT_CMPL.txt, dated 2026-11-11 10:15, 2,265,416 rows), with its recall files (FLAT_RCL_PRE_2010.txt and FLAT_RCL_POST_2010.txt, dated 2026-11-11 08:02). Each complaint is counted once, by its NHTSA number, with the model year and mileage of its first row; a model year has a page only with 10 or more complaints. The collection script and its rules are in scripts/collect-nhtsa-model-year-longtail.mjs.
2004 Mercury Monterey questions
How many miles will a 2004 Mercury Monterey last?
Half of the 272 NHTSA owner complaints on the 2004 Mercury Monterey that list mileage came after 77,000 miles, and 1 in 10 after 127,000 miles. Of the 272 complaints on the 2004 Mercury Monterey that list mileage, the middle half came between 58,000 and 110,000 miles; 84 (31%) came after 100,000 miles, 16 (6%) after 150,000 and 4 (1%) after 200,000. These are mileages at a reported problem, not a lifespan: the file holds no 2004 Monterey that never had one.
What are the most common 2004 Mercury Monterey problems?
NHTSA's file holds 283 owner complaints on the 2004 Mercury Monterey. Owners named the powertrain most often: 203 complaints, and half of the 199 that list a mileage came after 77,000 miles. A complaint can name more than one component. Of the 283 complaints, 2 report a crash, 6 report a fire and 1 reports an injury (1 person reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.
Is the 2004 Mercury Monterey a good year?
Complaint counts cannot say whether the 2004 is a good or a bad Monterey: they rise with how many were sold and how long they have been on the road. They show how the 2004 compares with the other model years in NHTSA's file. With 283 complaints, the 2004 drew the most of the 3 Mercury Monterey model years from 2004 to 2006 with 10 or more complaints. The fewest: the 2006 (44).
How many recalls does the 2004 Mercury Monterey have?
NHTSA's recall files of November 11, 2026 list 5 recall campaigns that name the 2004 Mercury Monterey (4 vehicle campaigns and 1 equipment or tire campaign that names this model year, often for aftermarket parts). A campaign covers a production range, not every vehicle of the model year: check the VIN with NHTSA's free recall lookup.
How do I check a used 2004 Mercury Monterey before buying?
Take the 17-character VIN from the vehicle and compare the odometer with the readings on file for it: title transfers, inspections and auction sales record the mileage on the day. VIN Lookup (free-vin-lookup.com) sells the original ClearVIN PDF for $14.99 (3 reports for $29.99, 5 for $44.99): odometer readings, title brands and auction records on file for the VIN. Check the VIN before buying a used 2004 Mercury Monterey.