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2008 Mercury MilanProblems, recalls & complaints

NHTSA has logged 451 owner complaints about the 2008 Mercury Milan, most often about the air bags. It is covered by 4 safety recalls, and for recall 17V-024 the manufacturer reports only 22% of affected cars repaired.

2008 Mercury Milan
42
CarFlaw IndexSolid year1.4× the Milan median · #2 of 6 years by complaints
Safety recalls4Lowest repair rate 22%Owner complaints45130 with a crash, fire or injuryTypical failure mileage100kAir bags, median miles

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through April 16, 2025. Updated daily. Photo: MercuryLover2008 at English Wikipedia, Public domain.

Complaints by system

Where the 2008 Mercury Milan has problems

451 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.

Box size = number of complaints naming that system. Darker = larger share. One complaint can name more than one system.
Complaints by system
SystemComplaintsCrash, fire or injury
Air bags2118
Service brakes17816
Vehicle speed control193
Service brakes, hydraulic181
Power train170
Engine120
Structure113
Electrical system60
Wheels52
11 other systems340

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Complaints are submitted by the public and are not verified by NHTSA.

4 recalls

2008 Mercury Milan recalls and how many were fixed

Each ring shows the share of affected cars repaired, from the manufacturer’s latest quarterly report to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.

27%repaired · 2023 Q1

Driver side: inflator module

Recall 21V-158 · Mar 10, 2021 · 2,602,668 vehicles · 699,731 repaired

Risk. An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

28%repaired · 2023 Q1

Antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip: control unit/module

Recall 19V-904 · Dec 18, 2019 · 600,166 vehicles · 166,504 repaired

Risk. If the valves do not properly close, additional brake pedal travel may be required to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

22%repaired · 2019 Q2

Passenger side: inflator module

Do not drive

Recall 17V-024 · Jan 10, 2017 · 654,695 vehicles · 144,579 repaired

Risk. An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

24%repaired · 2019 Q2

Passenger side: inflator module

Do not drive

Recall 16V-384 · May 31, 2016 · 1,892,343 vehicles · 462,303 repaired

Risk. An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

Recalls apply to specific cars. To see whether a recall is still open on yours, enter the 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with Mercury.

Mileage at failure

When do air bags problems start?

100kmiles, median

Based on the odometer reading in 49 air bags complaints. 49% were reported before 100,000 miles.

median0k50k100k150k200k+
5under 30k miles24under 100k miles25100k miles or more
Owner-reported costs

What owners say repairs cost

Dollar amounts owners wrote in their complaints when describing a repair or a quote. These are not price estimates; a system is shown only when at least 8 owners mentioned a cost.

Service brakes

13 owners mentioned a cost

$1,000median

Middle half: $800 – $1,200

If a problem is covered by a recall, the dealer fixes it for free. Some manufacturers also reimburse owners who paid for a repair before a recall was announced.

Best & worst years

2008 vs. every other Milan year

Bars show complaints per model year. Colors show the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the Milan median. How we score

'06'07'08'09'10'11
  • Avoid
  • Caution
  • Solid
  • Best
  • Not rated
NHTSA crash tests

2008 Mercury Milan safety ratings

2008 Mercury Milan 4-DR. w/SAB (Later Release) in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program. Photos are from NHTSA's crash tests.

  • Rollover: 5 stars (9.2% risk)
  • Stability control: No
  • Forward collision warning: No
  • Lane departure warning: No
5 investigations

NHTSA defect investigations

Federal investigations that included the 2008 Mercury Milan, and the recalls they led to.

  1. Floor mat interference with acceleratorEA12009 · closed Jun 12, 2014
    Led to recall 14E-028
  2. Extended Braking DistanceEA18002 · closed Jan 15, 2021
    Led to recall 19V-904
  3. TIRE VALVE CRACKINGPE08060 · closed Apr 9, 2009
    No recall
  4. Accel Pedal Interference - Acc FloormatPE10019 · closed Jan 11, 2013
    No recall
  5. Extended Braking DistancePE16017 · closed May 4, 2018
    No recall
In owners' words

What Milan owners report

Recent air bags complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. Personal details are removed.

In March 2021 I received important safety recall from Ford advising me that the Airbag inflator might explode in the event of a crash and may cause injury or death to the driver or passengers. My daughter still drives this car, why have they not followed up and replaced this part?
Complaint 11476335 · Jul 28, 2022
The contact owns a 2008 Mercury Milan. The contact stated that he had initially received a recall notice for NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V024000 (Air Bags) and had the vehicle serviced at a dealer. Despite the recall repair, the passenger’s and driver’s side air bag warning lights illuminated. The…
Complaint 11448065 · Jan 19, 2022 · 139,000 miles
I have been notified by Ford Motor Company several times about the recalls on my vehicle. One recall is for airbags. I went to the closest dealership new my small town and thought they issued the fix, only to learn later that they just disconnect the airbag light. The second recall is for the…
Complaint 11417451 · May 17, 2021

Own a 2008 Milan?

Decode your VIN to see the recalls for your exact car, then confirm open recalls with NHTSA.