2008 MERCURY MARINER Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MERCURY MARINER. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 5 MPH WHEN THE POWER STEERING ASSIST FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER FOR INSPECTION. THE CONTACT WAS ADVISED THAT THE STEERING COLUMN WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE INCIDENT. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 65,000.

FROM DOING RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET I FOUND THIS IS A HUGE PROBLEM WITH BOTH MERCURY MARINERS AND FORD ESCAPE HYBRIDS. I WAS IN SHOCK WHEN THE DEALER TOLD ME IT WILL COST $4,800.00 TO REPAIR THE ABS BRAKES. THIS IS A SAFETY FLAW THAT SHOULD BE A RECALL. I ONLY HAVE 65,000 MILES AND HIGH PAYMENTS ON THIS VEHICLE. I TOLD THE DEALER I WOULD NOT PAY THIS. THEY FIXED THE SUV WITHOUT MY PERMISSION SAYING IT WAS FOR MY SAFETY. IS THIS LEGAL? I DIDN'T AGREE WITH PAYING ANY COST. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MERCURY MARINER. WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH, THE POWER STEERING FAILED; HOWEVER, THE CONTACT WAS ABLE SAFELY MERGE ONTO THE EMERGENCY LANE WHERE IT WAS RESTARTED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL FUNCTIONED WITH DIFFICULTY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR INSPECTION AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THERE WAS AN ISSUE WITH THE ELECTRIC STEERING IN THE STEERING COLUMN. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE INCIDENT. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 93,000.

AS DRIVING I WENT TO TURN RIGHT WHEN THE STEERING FAILED, IT WAS LIKE AN OLD CAR WITH MANUAL STEERING. BETWEEN ABRUPTLY FORCING THE BRAKE PEDAL TO THE FLOOR AND TRYING TO FORCE THE WHEEL TO THE RIGHT, I MANAGED TO GO ACROSS THE STREET AND INTO A FARMERS FIELD ( GOOD THING I BOUGHT IT WITH AWD). WHEN I RESTARTED THE VEHICLE THE STEERING WORKED FINE. AFTER READING SIMILAR SCENARIOS ON THE INTERNET. I THEN LATER CONTACTED FORD CARE AND THE WONDERFUL PERSONNEL TRIED TO TELL ME THAT IT IS NOT A CONCERN OF FORD SINCE IT NOT AN ISSUE FOR FORD AT THIS TIME. FAILURE OF STEERING SEEMS TO BE MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN TO ANYONE WHO DRIVES A VEHICLE IN MY OPINION. THE WORST PART OF THIS ISSUE IS I DEAL DIRECTLY WITH AN AUTOMOTIVE SUPPLIER OF STEERING COLUMN ASSEMBLIES TO FORD AND OTHER MANUFACTURERS IN INDIANA. BY KNOWING WHAT IS UNDER PLASTIC AND FORD TELLING ME I NEED TO REPLACE IT, I ASK WHAT QUALITY IS IN THE REST OF THE VEHICLE. *TR

THE THROTTLE/GAS PEDAL IN MY 2008 MERCURY MARINER KEPT STICKING AND EVENTUALLY BREAKING. I HAD THE CAR TOWED AND TAKEN TO A REPAIR SHOP WHERE THEY INSPECTED THE CABLE UNHOOKED FROM THE PEDAL WHEN THE TECHNICIAN HOOKED THE CABLE THROTTLE TO THE PEDAL IT WOULD NOT MOVE WHEN PRESSING DOWN ON THE PEDAL, THE THROTTLE PLATE STUCK. THE TECHNICIAN REMOVED AND REPLACE THE THROTTLE BODY ASSEMBLY. I RESEARCHED ONLINE AND FOUND THAT MY ISSUE IS THE SAME ISSUE THAT WAS A FORD ESCAPE RECALL BACK IN JULY 2012. IS THIS SOMETHING I CAN CONTACT FORD ABOUT TO SEE IF THIS SHOULD ALSO BE PART OF THEIR THROTTLE CABLE RECALL. *TR

WHILE TRAVELING ON THE OPEN HWY @ 75MPH, I SUDDENLY GOT "PULL OVER SAFELY NOW" MESSAGE ON THE INFO CENTER OF THE DASH AND A RED TRIANGLE ALERT ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE DASH. I PULLED OVER IMMEDIATELY. STOPPED THE CAR, TURNED OFF THE IGNITION AND WAITED A MOMENT. I THEN STARTED THE CAR, ALL SEEMED FINE (NO MESSAGE) AND PROCEEDED. A SHORT TIME LATER, THE EXACT SAME THING HAPPENED AGAIN. I PULLED OFF THE HWY AND REPEATED THE STEPS ABOVE. THE CAR WAS RIDING WELL AND SMOOTHLY WITH NO APPARENT PROBLEMS. BUT, THE LONGER I DROVE, THE MORE FREQUENTLY THE PROBLEM OCCURRED. I WAS ONLY ABLE TO DRIVE FOR A FEW MINUTES BEFORE THE DASH BOARD WARNING WOULD REAPPEAR. I PULLED INTO THE NEAREST FORD DEALERSHIP TO GET THE PROBLEM RESOLVED. I HAVE BEEN TOLD IT IS THE THROTTLE BODY AND AM CURRENTLY WAITING FOR THE PROBLEM TO BE RESOLVED. *TR

WHILE TRAVELING HIGHWAY AT APPROXIMATELY 70MI/HR. THE VEHICLE STALLED AND "STOP VEHICLE SAFELY" LIGHT CAME ON. I NEEDED TO PULL OVER TURN CAR OFF WAIT AND RESTART ENGINE. THIS HAPPENED AGAIN ABOUT 25 MILES DOWN THE HIGHWAY. AFTER THE SECOND INCIDENT IT DID NOT HAPPEN UNTIL MY RETURN TRIP THE NEXT DAY REPEATING THE SAME AS ABOVE. THIS DID HAPPEN TO ME ONCE BEFORE ABOUT A YR AGO. *TR

WHILE TRAVELING ON AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY, CAR LOST POWER, SPEED DECLINED TO 25 MPH AND WENT INTO HYBRID MODE. "PULL OVER SAFELY" LIGHT WENT ON. WE PULLED OVER AND TURNED OFF ENGINE. AFTER A FEW MINUTES IT RESTARTED AND WE WERE ABLE TO DRIVE THE CAR AT NORMAL SPEED. THE OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE WAS HIGH--IN THE 90S--AND THE AIR CONDITIONING WAS ON HIGH WHEN THE POWER FAILED. WE HAD A SIMILAR INCIDENT ABOUT A MONTH EARLIER WHILE TRYING TO PARK THE CAR ON A HOT DAY WITH AIR CONDITIONING ON..SPEED WAS MINIMAL BECAUSE WE WERE PARKING BUT CAR LOST POWER AND PULL OVER SAFELY LIGHT WENT ON. AFTER SECOND INCIDENT WE TOOK CAR TO A FORD DEALER WHO SAID THE HYBRID SYSTEM COOLING PUMP HAD FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. COST TO REPLACE THE PUMP WAS $470. *TR

I WAS DRIVING ALONG THE HIGHWAY AND THE GAS PEDAL JUST WENT TO THE FLOOR. THE ENGINE WAS STILL RUNNING BUT I COULD INCREASE THE POWER. I HAD TO COAST ACROSS THREE LANES OF HIGH SPEED TRAFFIC IN ORDER TO GET MY VEHICLE SAFETY TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THIS THE SECOND TIME THE ACCELERATOR CABLE IN THIS VEHICLE HAS SNAPPED WITHOUT WARNING. MY DEALER REPLACED THE FIRST CABLE LAST YEAR AND JUST OVER ONE YEAR LATER THE SAME CABLE HAS SNAPPED. I WAS FORTUNATE NOT TO PANIC AND WAS ABLE TO BRING MY VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THIS CABLE SNAPPED TWICE WHILE I WAS TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY. I HAD NO CONTROL OVER MY VEHICLE AND COULD HAVE KILLED OR INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT. MY DEALER IS REPLACING THE CABLE UNDER MY EXTENDED WARRANTY BUT ARE CHARGING ME TO REPLACE THEIR DEFECTIVE THROTTLE BOX. FORD/MERCURY NEEDS TO RECALL ALL MARINERS AND FORD ESCAPES ASAP. *TR

WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE THE POWER STEERING SUDDENLY STOPS WORKING AND THE STEERING GETS EXTREMELY STIFF. THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING FOR A FEW MONTHS NOW. AT FIRST IT WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF WINTER AND I ATTRIBUTED IT AS A FREAK OCCURRENCE DUE TO THE COLD WEATHER. THE NEXT TIME IT HAPPENED IT WAS A WARM SPRING DAY. NOW IT DOES NOT OCCUR FREQUENTLY, BUT WITHOUT WARNING. ONE TIME I WAS MAKING A LEFT TURN AT A INTERSECTION AND THE STEERING FROZE UP, CAUSING ME TO MAKE MY TURN REALLY WIDE. I HAPPENED TO HAVE ENOUGH ROOM TO COMPLETE THE TURN WITHOUT A COLLISION, BUT UNDER OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES THIS DEFECT COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT, POSSIBLY FATAL IN THE EVENT OF A COLLISION WITH AN ONCOMING CAR OR AT GREATER SPEEDS.