2008 MERCURY MARINER Complaints

TRAVELING DOWN THE INTERSTATE, LEFT LANE @ 70 MPH. I HAD 1 VEHICLE BEHIND ME AND A SEMI TRUCK / TRAILER TO THE RIGHT AND ONE BEHIND HIM. WITHOUT WARNING THE ENGINE DIED AND I BEGAN COASTING IN TRAFFIC. I HIT MY FLASHERS AND THANKFULLY THE VEHICLE BEHIND ME WAS ALERT AND NOTICED MY INSTANT LOSS OF SPEED AND FLASHERS. THEY SLOWED LONG ENOUGH FOR BOTH BIG TRUCKS TO PASS ON MY RIGHT AND FOR ME TO GET OVER TO THE SHOULDER ON I-70. QUICK RESEARCH TURNS UP POSSIBLE ISSUES WITH A MECHANICAL / ELECTRICAL PUMP OR MAYBE THE THROTTLE BODY. I CALLED THE FORD DEALERSHIP AND TALKED TO THE SERVICE MANAGER WHO DIDN'T HAVE A CLUE WHAT WOULD CAUSE THE ISSUE AND WAS SURPRISED THAT I FOUND SEVERAL POSTINGS ON THE INTERNET WHERE PEOPLE HAD THE SAME ISSUE IN THE SAME MODEL VEHICLE. I VISITED THE FORD DEALERSHIP AND SPOKE WITH THE PARTS DEPARTMENT (2 INDIVIDUALS) WHO COULDN'T DECIDE WHICH WAS THE CORRECT PART NUMBER FOR THE MECHANICAL / ELECTRICAL PUMP. IT IS JUST A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE SOMEONE EXPERIENCES THIS ISSUE AND CAN'T GET OUT OF TRAFFIC AND IS INVOLVED IN A SERIOUS OR FATAL ACCIDENT AS A RESULT. IT IS A KNOWN ISSUE AND I ALSO NOTICED THERE IS A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT FILING BECAUSE SO MANY HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS SAME ISSUE. I'D BE INTERESTED TO KNOW WHAT CRITERIA NEEDS TO BE MET BEFORE THE NHTSA TAKES ACTION AGAINST FORD / MERCURY. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MERCURY MARINER HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY STALLED. THE CONTACT INDICATED THAT AFTER THE INCIDENT THE HIGH TEMPERATURE SENSOR LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE DEFECT. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 41,000. UPDATED 08/27/14*LJ THE CONSUMER STATED THE COOLANT PUMP WAS THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. UPDATED 09/5/2014 *JS

FOR THE PAST 3 YEARS I HAVE BEEN DEALING WITH MY 2008 MERCURY MARINER HYBRID SHUTTING DOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC AND GIVING ME THE PULL OVER IMMEDIATELY WARNING. I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE HYBRID COOLING SYSTEM DOOR ACTUATOR AND THE ELECTRIC WATER PUMP (MEC UNIT), ALL WITHIN THE PAST YEAR AND HALF. ON JUNE 11, 2014 THE VEHICLE SHUT DOWN AGAIN AND GAVE MY WIFE THE PULL OVER WARNING. I TOOK IT TO THE FORD DEALERSHIP THIS MORNING AND THEY SAID THAT THE THROTTLE BODY NOW NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AND THEY GAVE ME THE ERROR CODE P1A0C. THE FUNNY THING IS, THIS IS THE SAME ERROR CODE THEY GAVE ME WHEN THEY SAID THE ELECTRIC WATER PUMP (MEC UNIT) HAD TO BE REPLACED. I CHECKED THIS UNIT THE OTHER DAY WHEN THE CAR DIED AND IT WAS FUNCTIONING PROPERLY. THERE IS A MAJOR ISSUE WITH THE FORD HYBRID PRODUCTS AND FORD REFUSES TO FIX THEM. THEY SOLD LEMONS TO THOUSANDS OF HYBRID OWNERS WHO HAVE MADE COMPLAINTS AND FORD JUST BRUSHES US OFF. THEY JUST KEEP TELLING OWNERS TO SUCK IT UP AND PAY TO REPLACE DIFFERENT PARTS. PLEASE MAKE FORD TAKE CARE OF THESE VEHICLES BEFORE SOMONE GETS KILLED BECAUSE THEY DO SHUT DOWN WITHOUT WARNING, HAS HAPPENED TO ME NUMEROUS OF TIMES IN HEAVY HIGH SPEED TRAFFIC AND IT IS NOT A GOOD FEELING. *JS

SEAT BELT WAS ABLE TO SAVE ME IN THE ACCIDENT BUT AIR BAGS NEVER DEPLOYED AFTER HITTING CONCRETE ALMOST HEAD ON. AIR BAG SENSOR MALFUNCTIONED AND LIGHT TURNED IN BUT DID NOT DEPLOY. *TR

WITHOUT WARNING THE STEERING BECAME EXTREMELY LOOSE. THE CHANGE WAS NOT PROGRESSIVE, ABRUPT. THE STEERING WHEEL MAKES NOISE WHEN TURNING RIGHT TO LEFT, LEFT TO RIGHT. THIS IS THE SECOND 2008 MARINER HYBRID I HAVE OWNED AND THAT ONE DID THE SAME THING. IN RESEARCHING ON LINE THIS PROBLEM IS WELL KNOWN AND ARREARS TO BE WIDE SPREAD. THE SERVICE MANAGER WAS WELL AWARE OF THE ISSUE AND SAID THERE HAD NOT BEEN A RECALL ISSUED BUT "HOLD ON TO YOUR RECEIPTS" AS THOUGH HE EXPECTED ONE IN THE FUTURE. HONEST, THE CAR WAS HARD TO POINT STRAIGHT AFTER THE PROBLEM OCCURRED. HOW CAN THIS NOT BE A SAFETY ISSUE? *TR

LARGE RUSTING AREAS IN BACK SEAT DOORS, REAR WHEEL WHEELS AND TAILGATE. CONCERN LIES WITH RUST THAT CANT BE SEEN WEAKENING STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY OF DOORS AND/OR WHEEL WELLS AND/OR TAILGATE. FIRST NOTICED BLISTERING PAINT IN 2011 AND THE PROBLEM HAS GROWN SINCE. WARRANTY WAS OF NO HELP. HAVE NOTICED SIMILAR PATTERNS ON NUMEROUS MARINERS OF SIMILAR MODEL YEARS, SO THIS HAS TO BE A MANUFACTURER DEFECT OF SOME KIND. AGAIN CONCERN LIES MOSTLY WITH RUST THAT CAN'T BE SEEN. *TR

I WAS DRIVING ON HIGHWAY ROUTE 22 AT APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, WHEN SUDDENLY THE THROTTLE STOPPED RESPONDING AND THE TACHOMETER STARTED DROPPING. IN A MATTER OF SECONDS THE TACHOMETER REACHED ZERO AND THE VEHICLE STALLED, WHILE I WAS IN TRAFFIC ON THE HIGHWAY. I COASTED OFF TO THE SHOULDER AND PUT THE VEHICLE IN PARK. WHEN I TRIED TO RESTART THE VEHICLE, THE ENGINE WOULD TURN OVER AND START UP, HOWEVER, IMMEDIATELY AFTER I LET GO OF THE KEY, THE TACHOMETER WOULD DRIFT BACK DOWN TO ZERO AND THE VEHICLE WOULD STALL. AFTER A FEW MORE FAILED ATTEMPTS, I CALLED FOR A TOW. SINCE THIS OCCURRED AFTER HOURS, NO ONE WAS AVAILABLE TO WORK ON THE VEHICLE UNTIL THE NEXT MORNING. IN THE MORNING WHEN I ATTEMPTED TO SHOW THE TECHNICIAN THE FAILURE, THE VEHICLE STARTED UP AS IT DID THE EVENING BEFORE, THEN THE TACHOMETER STARTED DIPPING BACK DOWN, THEN JUST BEFORE IT STALLED, THE TACHOMETER FLUTTERED A LITTLE, THEN THE ENGINE REVVED BACK UP AND BEGAN IDLING NORMALLY. THE TECHNICIAN INDICATED THAT THERE WERE NO EVENTS LOGGED IN THE VEHICLES COMPUTER TO GIVE HIM AN IDEA OF WHAT CAUSED THE SUDDEN STALLING, AND HE COULD NOT FIND ANY OBVIOUS ISSUES WITH THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS RETURNED TO ME WITHOUT REPAIR AND THE TECHNICIAN WARNED ME THAT IT IS LIKELY THAT THIS WOULD HAPPEN AGAIN AND THAT THEY CANNOT DIAGNOSE IT UNLESS THEY SEE IT WHEN IT IS NOT WORKING. NOW I AM CONCERNED THAT THIS WILL HAPPEN AGAIN WHILE DRIVING AND THAT IT WILL CAUSE AN ACCIDENT, OR WORSE. I READ AN ARTICLE FROM THE NORTH CAROLINA CONSUMERS COUNCIL STATING THAT THERE IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH THE THROTTLE BODY OF THIS VEHICLE THAT CAUSES SUDDEN ENGINE STALL WHILE DRIVING. FORD ISSUED AN EXTENDED WARRANTY ON CERTAIN VEHICLES FOR THIS PIECE, HOWEVER WHEN I CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP AND MENTIONED CONSUMER SATISFACTION PROGRAM 13N03, THEY INFORMED ME THAT MY VEHICLE DID NOT QUALIFY. I'M NOT SURE WHAT TO DO NEXT. *TR

I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD GOING 55 MPH AND ALL OF A SUDDEN MY VEHICLE JERKED. I SAW A RED EXCLAMATION POINT ON DASH AND WHERE THE CAR MILEAGE IS LOCATED, IT SAID STOP SAFELY NOW. SO I PULLED OVER AND SHUT DOWN THE VEHICLE, RESTARTED AND IT HAPPENED AGAIN ONE MILE AWAY. IT CONTINUED DOING THIS. IT TOOK OVER AN HOUR TO GET 10 MILES DOWN THE ROAD TO MY DESTINATION. IT HAS BEEN DOING THIS OFF AND ON FOR THE PAST MONTH. I FINALLY TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID IT IS THE THROTTLE BODY. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MERCURY MARINER. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, A POPPING NOISE EMITTED FROM THE STEERING COLUMN AND THEN THERE WAS AN IMMEDIATE LOSS OF POWER STEERING. THE STEERING WHEEL REQUIRED FORCE IN ORDER TO MANEUVER. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHO STATED THAT THE ELECTRONIC STEERING ASSIST WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE 159,000. UPDATED 6/24/14*CN UPDATED 06/26/2014 *JS

GOING DOWN HIGHWAY AND THE STEERING WENT OUT WHICH COULD OF RESULTED IN A VERY BAD ACCIDENT ON A SLIPPERY ROAD CONDITION , CAUSING A ACCIDENT BECAUSE OF UNCONTROLLED STEERING OR HARD TO STEER VEHICLE. DOING 55 MPH. I KNOW THAT THERE HAS BEEN MANY PROBLEMS WITH STEERING IN THIS PARTICULAR VEHICLE, WHEN I HAVE TRIED TO GET THE MODULE OR WHOLE LOWER STEERING FROM A USED AUTO PARTS BUSINESS THEY CLAIM THAT THEY CAN NOT KEEP THEM THAT THERE HAS BEEN A GREAT DEMAND FOR THAT PARTICULAR PART. STILL DRIVING WITH OUT SAFE STEERING, HAVE NO OTHER CHOICE IN THE MATTER UNLESS I PAY OVER 1000.00 TO THE FORD DEALER SHIP TO HAVE IT REPLACED AND I CAN NOT AFFORD TO DO THAT ON DISABILITY AND NEED MY CAR TO GET BACK AND FOURTH TO DOCTORS. ARE THERE ANY RECALLS ON THIS VEHICLE CONCERNING STEERING? *TR