2008 MERCURY MARINER Complaints

A COUPLE DAYS AGO I STARTED MY CAR AS USUAL BEFORE GOING TO WORK TO LET IT WARM DUE TO THE WEATHER. AS I STARTED BACKING OUT OF MY DRIVE I REALIZED MY STEERING WHEEL ISN'T MOVING LIKE IT'S SUPPOSED TO. I STOPPED AND TURNED THE CAR OFF AND THEN BACK ON, THEN IT WAS FINE. AS I'M DRIVING AND GETTING READY TO SWITCH LANES ON THE HIGHWAY IT DOES IT AGAIN SO I PULL ON THE SHOULDER AND GET OUT THE CAR TO CHECK UNDER THE HOOD, A MAN PULLS OVER TO HELP ME SEEING AS I'M A WOMAN ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND IN MY MILITARY UNIFORM. HE SAYS IT COULD BE BECAUSE OF THE WEATHER BUT IT SHOULD BE FINE. NOW AFTER 2 OR 3 DAYS THE STEERING WHEEL SHAKES AND VIBRATES AND A RATTLING NOISE OCCURS AT LOW SPEED AND CERTAIN POSITIONS WHEN THE WHEEL IS TURNED, OR EVEN AT A STANDSTILL POSITION. IT HAS RECURRED SEVERAL TIMES SINCE THE FIRST TIME AND ALWAYS WHEN THE CAR STARTS. IT CAN BE STOPPED BY TURNING OFF THE IGNITION AND RESTARTING THE CAR. ALSO A WRENCH SHOWS UP IN THE MESSAGE CENTER, AS I READ MY MANUAL COME TO FIND OUT THAT'S FOR THE TRANSMISSION. I'VE READ A LOT OF THE COMMENTS AND COMPLAINTS AND HAVE TO WONDER, WILL IT TAKE A DEATH BECAUSE OF THIS FOR FORD TO REALIZE WE'RE NOT MAKING THIS UP AND IT'S NOT DUE TO POOR OR LACK OF MAINTENANCE. *TR

THE STEERING WHEEL STARTED BY LOCKING UP WHEN STARTED. THEN IT STARTED SHAKING WHENEVER IT WAS IN PARK OR BRAKES WERE APPLIED AND THEN JUST STARTED TO SHAKE WHENEVER THE CAR WAS ON. AFTER A FEW DAYS OF THIS THE WHEEL WOULD START LOCKING UP WHILE DRIVING OCCASIONALLY. *TR

I PULLED INTO A GAS STATION TO TURN AROUND. WHEN I CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP AND PRESSED THE GAS PEDAL TO GO, MY GAS PEDAL WOULDN'T BUDGE IT WAS LIKE IT WAS STUCK. WHEN I PULLED ON THE HIGHWAY IT DONE IT AGAIN BUT IT TOOK LONGER TO GET MY GAS PEDAL TO PRESS DOWN. WHEN I COME TO STOP NOW I HAVE TO KEEP MY FOOT ON THE BREAK AND THE GAS PEDAL TO INSURE THAT IT WILL GO WHEN I PRESS THE GAS PEDAL. *TR

WHEN STARTING UP THE CAR, I WAS UNABLE TO TURN THE STEERING WHEEL WITHOUT SIGNIFICANT EFFORT. FELT LIKE THE WHEELS WERE FROZEN TO THE GROUND. AFTER TURNING THE CAR OFF AND ON AGAIN, IT LET GO AND STEERED AS USUAL. NOW THE STEERING WHEEL SHAKES AND VIBRATES AND A RATTLING NOISE OCCURS AT LOW SPEED AND CERTAIN POSITIONS WHEN THE WHEEL IS TURNED. IT HAS RECURRED SEVERAL TIMES SINCE THE FIRST TIME AND ALWAYS WHEN THE CAR STARTS. IT CAN BE STOPPED BY TURNING OFF THE IGNITION AND RESTARTING THE CAR. *TR

MY CAR IS WELL MAINTAINED. I DO EVERYTHING TO KEEP IT RUNNING WELL AND NOW THE POWER STEERING ONLY WORKS HALF THE TIME. IT IS NOW ALSO MAKING A CLUNKING NOISE IN THE STEERING WHEEL COLUMN AND THE WHEEL WILL SHAKE ON ITS OWN WHILE IN PARK. I HAVE READ LOTS OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS SAME PROBLEM ON MANY I THESE VEHICLES AND SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE! $1300 IS A TON OF MONEY TO PAY TO HAVE A "SENSOR" PROBABLY THE SIZE OF A FUSE REPLACED! AND IT'S VERY SCARY WHEN THE POWER STEERING GOES OUT WHILE YOUR DOING 70 DOWN THE HIGHWAY! *TR

TRUCK SHOWS"WRENCH" LIGHT SOMETIMES BUT NOT ALWAYS; TRUCKS DRIVES AS IF IT IS IN THE WRONG GEAR OR AS IF YOU ARE TRYING TO DRIVE WITH YOUR FOOT ON THE BRAKE AT THE SAME TIME. VEHICLE IS AN AUTOMATIC BUT IS DRIVING LIKE A STICK-SHIFT THAT NEEDS TO GO INTO THE NEXT GEAR BUT STRUGGLING & UNABLE TO DO SO. *TR

VEHICLE BEGAN HAVING SHIFTING ISSUES. FIRST GEAR FAILED TO CATCH WHEN TAKING OFF FROM A STOP. CHECKED TRANSMISSION FLUID AND FOUND FLUID WAS LOW. ADDED FLUID. PROBLEM RETURNED 1 TO 2 WEEKS LATER. CHECKED TRANSMISSION FLUID AND FOUND THAT FLUID WAS LOW AGAIN. ADDED FLUID. I LOOKED AROUND UNDER THE HOOD AND OBSERVED TRANSMISSION FLUID LEAKING AT THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE OF ENGINE COMPARTMENT. FLUID APPEARS TO BE LEAKING FROM THE TRANSMISSION COOLER. AFTER RESEARCH, IT SEEMS THIS PROBLEM IS QUITE COMMON WITH THIS MODEL YEAR. THIS ISSUE, LEFT UNFIXED, WILL SURELY CAUSE TRANSMISSION FAILURE AND/OR A POTENTIALLY CATASTROPHIC ACCIDENT RESULTING IN INJURY OR DEATH. *TR

I DROVE INTO A PARKING LOT AND ALL OF A SUDDEN I COULD NOT STEER THE VEHICLE. IT WAS LIKE HAVING 4 FLAT TIRES AT ONCE. NO WARNING SIGNALS FROM THE DASHBOARD. AFTER TURNING THE VEHICLE OFF AND RESTARTING LATER I COULD STEER IT HOME. ON THE FOLLOWING MONDAY THE 25TH OF NOVEMBER, I TOOK IT TO A LOCAL MECHANIC I KNOW AND HE DECODED A POWER STEERING SENSOR MALFUNCTION. THE WHOLE STEERING COLUMN HAD TO BE DISMANTLED TO PUT IN THE NEW ELECTRIC POWER STEERING PUMP. WHAT HAPPENS IF THESE UNITS GO OUT WHEN YOU ARE DOING 70 MPH ON THE INTERSTATE? MY COST WAS $1262.43 I WILL NEVER BUY A FORD PRODUCT AGAIN. *TR

I WAS DRIVING DOWN FREEWAY WHEN STEERING FAILED APPLIED BRAKES TO SLOWDOWN AND STEERING WOULD HARDLY WORK. WAS ABLE TO GET IT TO FORD GARAGE STEERING COLUMN HAD TO BE REPLACED AS A SENSOR FAILED AND A CLOCK SPRING BROKE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MERCURY MARINER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 2 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME DIFFICULT TO MANEUVER. THE FAILURE RECURRED INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE STEERING GEAR WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT WAS CONCERNED THAT THE FAILURE WOULD RECUR DUE TO THE FORMAT OF THE ELECTRICAL STEERING SYSTEM. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 40,000.