2008 MERCURY MARINER Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MERCURY MARINER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD SHAKE VIGOROUSLY UNTIL THE WHEEL WAS TURNED. THE FAILURE WOULD RECUR ONCE THE WHEEL RETURNED TO THE STRAIGHT POSITION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, WHO COULD NOT DIAGNOSE THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 85,000.

I TOO, HAVE EXPERIENCED A LOSS OF POWER STEERING AND AN INCREASINGLY SEVERE "SHAKING" OF MY STEERING WHEEL WHEN IT IS WORKING. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE MECHANIC AND WAS TOLD THAT I NEED TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE STEERING COLUMN DUE TO A FAILURE OF THE ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING. THE GARAGE TOLD ME AFTER CALLING FORD DEALER THAT IT WOULD COST ME $1500 - $2000 WITH LABOR. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH ONLINE IT APPEARS AS THOUGH THIS IS QUITE A COMMON ISSUE FOR '08 ESCAPES AND MARINERS (HTTP://WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM/FORD/ESCAPE/2008/STEERING/POWER_STEERING_FAILURE.SHTML). IT IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS BECAUSE I CANNOT TURN THE WHEEL AT ALL WHEN THE POWER STEERING GOES OUT. WHEN I TURN THE VEHICLE ON, THERE WILL BE NO POWER STEERING AND I HAVE TO TURN THE IGNITION OFF AND BACK ON SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE THE POWER STEERING WILL WORK. SOMETIMES THE STEERING WHEEL WILL SHAKE VIOLENTLY AND MAKE A LOUD VIBRATING NOISE WHILE STANDING STILL. THIS ALSO OCCURS WHILE DRIVING AT NORMAL SPEEDS. HAVING READ THE VAST AMOUNT OF COMPLAINTS ADDRESSING THIS STEERING PROBLEM AND THE FACT THAT THE NHTSA IS AWARE OF THE DEFECTIVE ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING PROBLEM. I AM SURPRISED THAT THERE HAS NOT BEEN A RECALL FOR THIS VERY UNSAFE PROBLEM. I CANNOT AFFORD TO REPAIR, WHAT SHOULD BE FORDS RESPONSIBILITY!!!!!!! YIKES...... *TR

WHILE PULLING AWAY FROM A STOP LIGHT ,AN ATTEMPT TO MAKE A RIGHT TURN WAS MADE. IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TURN, THE POWER STEERING ASSIST QUIT. THE TURN WAS NEAR IMPOSSIBLE TO COMPLETE AND I ALMOST RAN OVER A GAS STATION SIGN. AFTER WRESTLING THE CAR TO A STOP IN A GAS STATION I TURNED OFF THE IGNITION AND CALLED MY HUSBAND. HE SUGGESTED I HAVE THE CAR TOWED TO A REPAIR SHOP. WHILE ON THE PHONE I RESTARTED THE TRUCK AND THE POWER ASSIST RESUMED WORKING. I RETURNED HOME WITHOUT INCIDENT. SOMEONE IS GOING TO BE KILLED IF THEY ARE NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO CONTROL A TRUCK LIKE THIS WITHOUT POWER ASSIST. THE POWER ASSIST HAS QUIT THREE TIMES SINCE AND ONLY MY HUSBAND DRIVES THE VEHICLE NOW. *TR

WHILE TRAVELING DOWN THE INTERSTATE AT APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH ON A FRIDAY EVENING A RED TRIANGLE SHAPED WARNING LIGHT CAME ON SAYING "STOP SAFELY NOW", AS THE LIGHT CAME ON THE VEHICLE STARTED LOOSING POWER GOING SLOWER AND SLOWER, EVENTUALLY SLOWING TO 20 OR 30 MILES AN HOUR, THERE WAS NO SAFE PLACE TO PULL OVER OFF THE INTERSTATE. THIS WAS NOT SAFE AT ALL. AFTER PULLING OVER, THEN PRESSING SYSTEM RESET BUTTONS, TURNING OFF THE VEHICLE AND WAITING A FEW MINUTES THEN RESTARTING THE VEHICLE IT RAN FINE FOR THE REST OF THE DAY AND THE FOLLOWING DAY. THEN ON SUNDAY (A DAY AND A HALF LATER) I WAS TRAVELING DOWN THE INTERSTATE AND IT DID THE SAME THING, THE LIGHT CAME ON AND I LOST POWER. I REPEATED WHAT I DID THE PREVIOUS TIME, BUT IT DID IT AGAIN WHILE ON THE INTERSTATE, IT DID IT SEVERAL TIMES. WHEN I GOT BACK ON THE INTERSTATE THE LAST TIME I KEPT MY SPEED AROUND 60 MPH AND WAS ABLE TO MAKE IT HOME. THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME THE VEHICLE DID THIS THE SAME THING OCCURRED ABOUT 6 MONTHS AGO SEVERAL TIMES ON THE INTERSTATE. I ASSUMED WHAT EVER THE PROBLEM WAS IT WAS IT WORKED ITSELF OUT BECAUSE IT HAD BEEN SO LONG SINCE IT OCCURRED. I DO NOT KNOW WHAT THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM IS AND FROM WHAT I HAVE READ I AM LEERY OF BRINGING IT IN FOR REPAIR BECAUSE FORD DOESN'T EVEN SEEM TO KNOW THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM FROM EVERYTHING I HAVE READ, AND THE OWNER ENDS UP PAYING A LOT OF MONEY FOR REPAIRS THAT MAY OR MAY NOT BE THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM. *TR

LOANED THE CAR TO PARENTS TO TAKE TWO 3 YEAR OLDS TO DISNEY WORLD. WHILE ON THE INTERSTATE AT CRUISING SPEED, CAR STARTED TO RAPIDLY DECELERATE. TOTAL TRANSMISSION FAILURE WITH NO WARNING OR PREVIOUS INCIDENTS. HAD TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED TO THE FORD DEALERSHIP IN PADUCAH, KY. FORD CONFIRMED FAILURE. INCIDENT LEFT MY SON, NIECE, AND PARENTS STRANDED ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. NOT SAFE! *TR

DRIVING AND MY WHEEL SHAKES AND MAKES A HORRIFYING NOISE. IT'S ALMOST SCARY. SCARED MY WHEELS GOING TO SEIZE WHILE I'M DRIVING. TURN THE CAR ON SOMETIMES AND THE POWER STEERING HAS FAILED. HAVE TO RESTART THE CAR TO GET IT TO WORK. HAVE READ MULTIPLE OTHER PEOPLE WHO HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. $2000 TO GET IT FIXED. THIS IS RIDICULOUS. NEED A RECALL. *TR

YESTERDAY, MY WRENCH LIGHT CAME ON WITH MY 2008 MERCURY MARINER. I DID SOME RESEARCH THIS MORNING AND FOUND OUT THAT THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE PARTS. I CALLED A LOCAL FORD DEALERSHIP AND I WAS ADVISED THAT DUE TO THE 5 YEAR WARRANTY EXPIRING ALONG WITH BEING ABOVE 60,000.00, I WOULD HAVE TO COME OUT OF POCKET TO PAY FOR A DEFECTED PART ON MY TRUCK. I AM FILING A COMPLAINT DUE TO I SHOULD HAVE BEEN ADVISED THAT THERE WAS AN ISSUE WITH THE POWER TRAIN OR I SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED TO BRING MY TRUCK IN IMMEDIATELY TO GET THIS ISSUE RESOLVED. IN WHICH I WAS NOT NOTIFIED AT ALL. I SHOULD NOT BE FORCED TO PAY TO GET MY CAR FIXED ON A DEFECTED PART THAT WAS SOLD WITH MY CAR.(THE POWER TRAIN). *TR

WITHOUT WARNING THE GAS PEDAL STICKS, WILL NOT FUNCTION. THIS HAPPENS INTERMITTENTLY AND SEEMS TO DISAPPEAR WHEN THE CAR WARMS UP, BUT ALSO HAS HAPPENED WHEN THE CAR IS WARM. VERY DANGEROUS WHEN TRYING TO ACCELERATE OR JUST DRIVE NORMALLY. THIS SEEMS TO BE A WIDESPREAD PROBLEM WITH BOTH THE FORD ESCAPE AND THE MERCURY MARINER. WE HAVE BEEN STRANDED SEVERAL TIMES. THIS NEEDS TO BE FIXED BY THE MANUFACTURER. *TR

DRIVING IN FAST LANE OF FREEWAY WHEN "STOP SAFELY NOW" MESSAGE WITH RED ALERT CAME ON. THE ENGINE STOPPED RUNNING. NO WARNING, NO ABILITY TO DRIVE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THIS IS A KNOWN FAULT IN THIS VEHICLE. I CANNOT CONCEIVE OF A PROBLEM THAT WOULD REQUIRE THE ENGINE TO STOP IMMEDIATELY. IT IS JUST LUCK THAT WE GOT TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WITHOUT INCIDENT AS THERE WAS A LOT OF TRAFFIC, AND WITHOUT POWER, IT WAS JUST PLAIN LUCK THAT WE MANAGED TO GET TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. DOING INTERNET RESEARCH: THIS IS A KNOWN FAULT, BUT WITHOUT A SOLUTION OR A FIX. WHAT EVER THE PROBLEM, IT SEEMS RIDICULOUS THAT FORD HAS A MAJOR PROBLEM LIKE THIS THAT HAS THE ENGINE SIMPLY STOP. WE GOT TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. I SIMPLY TURNED OFF THE IGNITION AND RE-STARTED THE ENGINE, WITHOUT FURTHER PROBLEM. THERE MUST BE SOME WAY TO AT LEAST HAVE SOME WARNING TIME, OR A MEANS OF PROPULSION SUFFICIENT TO GET SAFELY TO THE ROADSIDE. EVEN FIVE MINUTES WORTH OF POWER WOULD BE SUFFICIENT. *TR

I WAS ATTEMPTING TO EXIT A PARKING LOT AND VEHICLE STALLED AND WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. I COASTED BACK INTO A PARKING SPACE, SHUT OFF ENGINE AND MADE A FEW MORE ATTEMPTS WITH THE SAME RESULT EACH TIME. I SHUT VEHICLE OFF AND WAITED FOR ROUGHLY TWENTY MINUTES AND TRIED AGAIN. VEHICLE DID ENGAGE AND I WAS ABLE TO EXIT PARKING STRUCTURE HOWEVER, VEHICLE STALLED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. FORTUNATELY, THERE WAS LIGHT TRAFFIC AND I WAS ABLE TO COAST BACK INTO PARKING LOT. PROBLEM WAS SUBSEQUENTLY DIAGNOSED AS BAD BINDING THROTTLE CABLE. THE CABLE WAS REPLACED AT MY EXPENSE. FEBRUARY 24 AND 25 OF 2014, VEHICLE STALLED WHILE IN TRAFFIC, LOST POWER AND AGAIN PEDAL STUCK AND VEHICLE WOULD NOT ENGAGE. SUBSEQUENT DIAGNOSIS IS REPLACEMENT OF THROTTLE BODY AT MY EXPENSE. THIS IS EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE AND POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS.