2008 MERCURY MARINER Complaints

WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE SHUTS OFF WITH A RED TRIANGLE AND THE DISPLAY SAYS TO PULL OFF SAFELY. THIS HAS HAPPENED ABOUT 6 TIMES ALREADY. I HAVE TAKEN IT BACK TO THE FORD DEALER AND THEY REPLACED THE THROTTLE BODY BECAUSE THERE IS A SENSOR THAT FAILS IN THE UNIT AND THEY EXPLAINED THE FACTORY CALIBRATES THE WHOLE UNIT WITH A STEEP PRICE TAG. LUCKY I STILL HAVE 5000 MILES TILL WARRANTY EXPIRES. I GUESS A NUMBER OF TIMES IT WAS NOT A BIG DEAL TO PULL OVER ON THE SHOULDER AND RESTART THE VEHICLE AND CARRY ON. THIS LAST TIME WE HAD SERVICE DONE TO THE VEHICLE I INFORMED THE FORD SERVICE AGENT THAT WE WERE GOING ON A LONG TRIP AND IF WE SHOULD GET A RENTAL. HE WAS CONFIDENT THE WORK THEY PERFORMED WOULD RESOLVE THE SHUT DOWN ISSUE. WE LEFT LA AND WENT ON OUR WAY TO BISHOP FOR A GROUP HIKING TRIP. THE MARINER RAN FINE FOR 3/4 OF THE WAY AND AGAIN WHILE DRIVING ON A 2 LANE ROAD THE MARINER SHUTS OFF. I NEGOTIATED TO THE RIGHT AS MY SPEED WAS DECLINING AND A 18 WHEELER WAS PASSING ME UP ON THE RIGHT AND THE CAR BEHIND ME WAS GAINING ON MY REAR. IT WAS A BIT SCARY BUT WE MANAGED TO PULL OVER SAFELY. UPON TURNING OFF THE MARINER IGNITION AND RESTARTING WE CARRIED ON TO THE DESTINATION. IT WAS RAINING AND A ROAD CONDITIONS WERE NOT THE BEST BUT WE DID NOT WANT TO BE STRANDED ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. ONCE AGAIN AFTER DRIVING FOR 10 MINUTES THE MARINER SHUT OFF AND WITH THE LOSS OF POWER. NOT A SAFE SITUATION TO HAVE YOUR ENGINE SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING IN A FREEWAY AT SPEED OF 65 AND TO SUDDENLY LOSS YOUR ENGINE WITH NO ABILITY TO ACCELERATE OUT OF A UNSAFE SITUATION. IT COULD BE VERY DANGEROUS IF WE WERE TRAVELING ON A WINDY SINGLE LANE ROAD WITHOUT A SHOULDER AS THERE ARE A BUNCH IN THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS WHERE WE HIKE. IT WOULD NOT BE SAFE TO STOP AND DEAL WITH THIS SITUATION AS CARS ARE COMING UP A HILL AND YOUR TRYING TO RESET THE IGNITION COMPUTER SYSTEM. *TR

I AM CONCERNED THAT THE PROBLEMS WITH THE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING SYSTEM ARE NOT LIMITED TO A FAULTY TORQUE SENSOR BUT TO THE OVERALL POWER STEERING SYSTEM WHICH MAY CREATE THE POTENTIAL FOR OTHER STEERING EMERGENCIES. AS A RESULT, I AM PROVIDING THE FOLLOWING REPORT SHOULD YOU RECEIVE SIMILAR COMPLAINTS FROM OTHER DRIVERS OF FORD VEHICLES ABOUT WORN PARTS OF THE POWER STEERING COLUMN WHICH AFFECTED DRIVING. WHILE STATIONARY IN A PARKING LOT, AFTER TURNING ON THE IGNITION A SOUND LIKE A QUICK POP OCCURRED. AFTER STARTING TO DRIVE AND TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL TO THE RIGHT, A KNOCKING SOUND SUCH AS THAT OF A SMALL HAMMER HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES. TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL TO THE LEFT PRODUCED A RUBBING SOUND AND MINOR RESISTANCE. THERE ALSO WAS A CONSTANT SQUEAKING IN THE ROTATION OF THE LEFT FRONT WHEEL WHICH EXISTED PRIOR TO THE ABOVE OCCURRENCE. THESE CONDITIONS CONTINUED TO OCCUR. ON JULY 9, 2014 THE DEALER REPLACED THE 8L8Z-38676-E STEERING SHAFT JOINT CONNECTOR. (I WAS UNAWARE OF RECALL 14S055 AT THE TIME.) ON THE TRIP HOME, THE STEERING WHEEL CONSTANTLY SQUEAKED WHILE TURNING TO THE LEFT. RESPONDING TO THE ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING RECALL 14S055 ON 2008-2011 FORD VEHICLES AND A REMEDY FOR THE SQUEAKING, RETURNED TO THE DEALER ON AUGUST 1, 2014. ELECTRIC STEERING UPGRADE PERFORMED. SQUEAKING SEEMS TO BE REMEDIED BY REPLACING SWAY BARS AND 1 TIE ROD. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MERCURY MARINER HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL LEFT OR RIGHT, THERE WAS AN ABNORMAL NOISE ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE POWER STEERING WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE THE FAILURE WAS UNABLE TO BE REPLICATED. THE TECHNICIAN REPLACED THE STEERING KNUCKLE, UPDATE THE PSCM AND THE IC SOFTWARE BUT THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VIN WAS INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 14V284000 (STEERING). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 40,000. UPDATED 9/18/14*CN UPDATED 2/4/2015 *JS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 MERCURY MARINER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE POWER STEERING FAILED CAUSING HER TO LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED UNKNOWN INJURIES. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A COLLISION CENTER. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,000.

ON THE FREEWAY WITH CRUISE CONTROL ON AT 70 MPH IN THE FAST LANE THE MOTOR UNEXPECTEDLY STOPS AND THE "PULL OVER SAFELY LIGHT" CAME ON. THIS CAUSED A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION CAUSING ME TO MOVE OVER FOUR LANES TO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD. AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS COMPLETELY STOPPED AND PUT IN PARK THE MOTOR RESTARTED. OVER THE LAST THREE MONTHS THIS HAS HAPPENED THREE TIMES. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MERCURY MARINER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN RAINING, WATER ENTERED THE VEHICLE THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD. AS A RESULT, THE FRONT DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE WOULD GET WET AND CAUSED THE INSTRUMENT PANEL TO FAIL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE THE FAILURE WAS UNABLE TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,400. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

PCM, "STOP SAFELY NOW" & SHUT-DOWN PROBLEM AND I HAVE A RED TRIANGLE ILLUMINATED ON THE CLUSTER ACCOMPANIED BY AN AUDIBLE CHIME. IN ADDITION, THE MESSAGE CENTER WILL INDICATE "STOP SAFELY NOW" AND THE POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE WILL COMMAND THE VEHICLE TO SHUT DOWN. THIS IS WHERE EVER YOU ARE AND IT HAPPENS REALLY QUICKLY IT IS FOR SURE A SAFETY HAZARD.... I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY THIS HAS NOT BEEN RECALLED, SINCE SO MANY HAVE REPORTED THE SAME PROBLEMS THROUGHOUT THE YEARS. *TR

THE CAR SHUTS OFF WITHOUT WARNING ON THE HIGHWAY AT SPEED CAUSING FEAR, DANGER AND A POTENTIAL FOR DISASTER. STILL DOING THIS MOST RECENT INCIDENT WAS JUNE 25, 2014. FORD REFUSES TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT THIS RECURRING PROBLEM I HAVE, AS DO MAY OTHER OWNERS OF FORD HYBRID VEHICLES. *TR

DECEMBER, 2013, I WAS EXITING PARKING LOT ONTO A MAIN STREET THAT HAD 2 LANES OF ONCOMING TRAFFIC. HALFWAY INTO THE STREET, LOST POWER STEERING BUT WAS ABLE TO DRIFT TO SIDE OF ROAD. JANUARY, 2014 CAR WOULD NOT GO OVER 25 MILES PER HOUR, LOST POWER STEERING. FORTUNATELY I WAS NEAR THE GARAGE THAT DOES MY REPAIRS, OIL CHANGES, ETC.. MARCH, 2014, STEERING WHEEL LOCKED, NO POWER STEERING, HAD TO WAIT ABOUT A HALF HOUR UNTIL POWER STEERING RETURNED...KEPT TURNING CAR OFF AND ON EVERY 10 MINUTES. CONTACTED FORD CUSTOMER SERVICE 3 TIMES BY EMAIL (JAN-MAR). MY LAST 3 CARS HAVE BEEN FORD PRODUCTS BUT APPARENTLY BRAND LOYALTY IS NOT VALUED. REPLIES WERE--SORRY YOU ARE HAVING ISSUES-NO FOLLOW UP FROM FORD EVEN WHEN HEY KNEW THEY WERE ISSUING A POWER STEERING RECALL AS OF APRIL-MAY, 2014. I PAID $2,500 IN REPAIRS FROM DEC'13-MAR'14. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MERCURY MARINER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE STARTED TO MAKE A LOUD POPPING SOUND FROM THE STEERING WHEEL WHICH BECAME VERY HARD TO MANEUVER. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE STEERING COLUMN NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 97,410 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 97,443.