2008 MERCURY MARINER Complaints

TL-THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MERCURY MARINER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED AS THE STOP SAFELY NOW WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE WATER PUMP FOR THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND INFORMED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V526000 (HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM).THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNAVAILABLE. DJR

THIS IS REFERENCE TO NHTSA ID NUMBER: 10653141. I DISCOVERED THE JULY 1, 2014 FORD'S SAFETY RECALL 14S05 NOTICE TO ALL US FORD DEALERS. ON PAGE 6 A QUESTION AND ANSWER FOR THE FORD DEALERS FROM FORD'S SERVICE ENGINEERING OPERATIONS, REVEALS FORD NEVER ATTENDED THE REPROGRAMMING THE MODULES TO FIX THE SAFETY RECALL FOR ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING FOR ESCAPES AND MARINERS 2008-2011 MODELS. THIS IS THE EXCERPTS FROM THIS DOCUMENT TILTED JULY 1, 2014 TO: ALL US FORD AND LINCOLN DEALERS SUBJECT SAFETY RECALL 14S05. Q3. WHAT DOES THE SOFTWARE UPDATES DO? A. THE SOFTWARE UPDATES MAY EXTEND THE TIME STEERING ASSIST IS MAINTAINED. IN ADDITION, THE UPDATE PROVIDES INCREASED DRIVER AWARENESS BY SOUNDING A CHIME AND DISPLAYING THE WRENCH LIGHT OR WARNING IN THE MESSAGE CENTER WHEN A FAULT IS DETECTED. Q4. WHAT IF A CUSTOMER EXPERIENCES LOSS OF STEERING ASSIST AFTER THE MODULES HAVE BEEN REPROGRAMMED? A. THE MODULES WERE REPROGRAMMED TO PREVENT SUDDEN LOSS OF STEERING ASSIST WHILE DRIVING. ADDITIONALLY, THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER SOFTWARE UPDATE WILL PROVIDE AUDIBLE AND VISUAL INDICATIONS TO THE DRIVER IN THE UNLIKELY EVENT OF A TORQUE SENSOR FAULT. ANY SUBSEQUENT LOSS OF ASSIST REPAIRS EXPERIENCED AFTER COMPLETION OF MODULE REPROGRAMMING ARE NOT COVERED BY THIS RECALL. Q5. WHAT SHOULD I TELL A CUSTOMER WHO EXPERIENCES LOSS OF STEERING ASSIST AFTER THE RECALL HAS BEEN PERFORMED? A. THE MODULES WERE REPROGRAMMED TO PREVENT SUDDEN LOSS OF STEERING ASSIST WHILE DRIVING IN THE EVENT OF A TORQUE SENSOR FAULT. CUSTOMERS SHOULD BE ADVISED THAT THE REPLACEMENT OF THE STEERING COLUMN OR TORQUE SENSOR IS AT THEIR EXPENSE. *TR

DRIVING AT 50+ MPH ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS AND VEHICLE GIVES STOP SAFELY NOW MESSAGE AND SUDDENLY REDUCES GREATLY IN SPEED. IT RANDOMLY HAS OCCUED AND WHEN IT HAS, I HAD TO TRY TO NAVIGATE OUT OF 50+MPH TRAFFIC AFTER THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY REDUCES SPEED TO ABOUT 20 MPH TO A SHOULDER OR OTHER SAFE AREA. HAD THE COOLANT PUMP REPLACED BUT STILL OCCURS. FORD SAID THE TWIN VEHICLE THE 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID HAS RECALLS FOR THE THROTTLE BODY ASSEMBLY AND BLEND DOOR ACTUATOR FOR HYBRID BATTERY COOLING SYSTEM THAT HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED AS CAUSING THE STOP SAFELY NOW MESSAGE WHICH BECAUSE THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY DROPS FROM HIGHWAY SPEEDS TO ABOUT 20MPH COULD CAUSE SERIOUS ACCIDENTS. SINCE THE 08 MARINER HYBRID IS THE 08 ESCAPE HYBRIDS TWIN, THE THROTTLE BODY ASSEMBLY AND HYBRID BATTERY SYSTEM BLEND DOOR ACTUATOR SHOULD BE RECALLED ON THE MARINER HYBRID ALSO AND REPLACES TO PROTECT LIVES BY PREVENTING ACCIDENTS BECAUSE OF THE DEFECTIVE PARTS. *JS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MERCURY MARINER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE APPROACHING A STOP SIGN, THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED. THE FAILURE OCCURRED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE TORQUE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS PREVIOUSLY REPAIRED UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V284000 (STEERING). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 110,000.

JUST AFTER STARTING MY CAR AND DRIVING DOWN MY STREET AT ~5MPH, THERE WAS A WARNING SYMBOL (RED TRIANGLE) AND THEN MESSAGE SAYING "STOP SAFELY NOW." THE VEHICLE THEN LOST POWER STEERING, AND POWER TO THE ENGINE. I RESTARTED THE CAR AND MADE IT ~100FT AND THE SAME THING HAPPENED AGAIN. THIS ALSO HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES PREVIOUSLY ON THE HIGHWAY TRAVELING ~65MPH AND WITH THE SAME MESSAGE "STOP SAFELY NOW" MESSAGE APPEARED AND IMMEDIATELY LOST ALL POWER TO STEERING AND THE ENGINE. I WENT TO THE FORD DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD TO REPLACE THE HYBRID COOLANT PUMP AND BLEND DOORS AND THIS FIXED THE PROBLEM FOR SEVERAL MONTHS UNTIL TODAY. I HAD ALSO JUST TAKEN THE VEHICLE INTO THE DEALERSHIP FOR A RECALL ON THE POWER STEERING. THIS LOSS OF POWER AND ABILITY TO STEER IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS! THIS NEEDS TO BE RECALLED! *TR

THE SUV LOST ALL POWER WHILE DRIVING 70MPH ON THE HIGHWAY...EVERYTHING WENT OFF INCLUDING THE ENGINE. THE DASHBOARD LED READ PULL OVER IMMEDIATELY. *TR

I STARTED LOSING POWER STEERING APPROXIMATELY ONCE A MONTH BUT COULD TURN MY CAR OFF AND IT WOULD RESTORE ITSELF. I TOOK MY CAR IN FOR THE RECALL ON JULY 29, 2014, AND EVERYTHING WAS FINE FOR A FEW MONTHS BUT THEN NOVEMBER 8, 2014, IT DID THE SAME THING AS BEFORE AND NOVEMBER 9, 2014, THE POWER STEERING WENT OUT COMPLETELY. I TOOK MY CAR TO THE FORD DEALERSHIP THAT DID THE RECALL AND THEY TOLD ME I NEEDED A NEW STEERING COLUMN. OBVIOUSLY THEIR REPROGRAMMING IN THE RECALL DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM AND HAVE SEEN THE SAME PROBLEM WITH OTHER PEOPLE. I KEEP GETTING THE RUN AROUND FROM CUSTOMER RELATIONS WHO TELLS ME THE DEALERSHIP NEEDS TO CALL THE RECALL EXEMPTION DEPARTMENT BUT WHEN I TELL THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT THEY ACT LIKE THEY DO NOT KNOW WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT AND THAT DUE TO MY VEHICLE HAVING SO MANY MILES THEY CAN'T HELP ME. IT ONLY HAS 5,000 MILES SINCE THE RECALL. THE DEALERSHIP EVEN TOLD ME THEY HAD ANOTHER MARINER DO THE SAME THING RECENTLY. FORD NEEDS TO OWN UP TO THEIR FAULTY STEERING IN THESE VEHICLES BEFORE PEOPLE GET SERIOUSLY INJURED DUE TO THIS. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MERCURY MARINER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE REMEDY FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER 14V284000 (STEERING) WAS COMPLETED ON OCTOBER 31, 2014 AND THE DEALER UPDATED THE SOFTWARE FOR THE POWER STEERING CONTROL MODULE. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE THE POWER STEERING MALFUNCTIONED MAKING THE STEERING WHEEL VERY DIFFICULT TO TURN. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE TORQUE SENSOR WAS FAULTY AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED BUT WOULD NOT REPAIR THE FAILURE AS PART OF THE RECALL. AFTER NOTIFYING THE MANUFACTURER, THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE REMEDY TO SATISFY THE RECALL HAD BEEN COMPLETED PREVIOUSLY WHEN THE DEALER UPDATED THE SOFTWARE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100.000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

POWER STEERING CUTS OUT INTERMITTENTLY WITH NO WARNING. BROUGHT TO DEALER IN SEPTEMBER 2010 AND THEY COULD NOT FIND PROBLEM. IT HAS HAPPENED MANY TIMES SINCE THEN. IN EARLY 2013 IT BECAME MORE FREQUENT AND IN FEBRUARY 2013 IT WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND DIAGNOSED WITH A PROBLEM THAT COULD ONLY BE REMEDIED BY THE COMPLETE REPLACEMENT OF THE STEERING COLUMN. THIS REPAIR WAS DONE FOR A COST OF $1087.41. NO FURTHER PROBLEMS TO DATE. IT HAS SINCE COME TO MY ATTENTION THAT FORD HAS RECENTLY ISSUED A RECALL ON VEHICLES LIKE MINE MANUFACTURED AT THE KANSAS CITY PLANT THAT ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME EXACT ISSUES THAT I HAVE EXPERIENCED. MY VEHICLE WAS MADE AT THE KANSAS CITY PLANT. I CONTACTED FORD AND THEY TOLD ME MY CAR IS NOT INVOLVED IN THE RECALL. I FIND THIS HARD TO BELIEVE AND THINK THE RECALL SHOULD INCLUDE MY VEHICLE. I ASSUME THAT BECAUSE THEIR DATA BASE SHOWS I HAVE ALREADY PAID TO HAVE THE COMPLETE STEERING COLUMN REPLACED (WHICH WAS THE ONLY AVAILABLE REMEDY AT THE TIME) IT IS NO LONGER NECESSARY TO MODIFY THIS VEHICLE. I FEEL IT IS ONLY FAIR THAT I BE REIMBURSED FOR THE REPAIR. WE AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF THE VEHICLE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MERCURY MARINER HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT LOW SPEEDS ATTEMPTING TO MAKE A TURN, THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT EXTREME FORCE WAS REQUIRED TO CONTROL THE STEERING WHEEL AND THE VEHICLE WOULD INDEPENDENTLY RESUME TO NORMAL OPERATION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE COMPUTER NEEDED TO BE REPROGRAMMED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 87,000.