2008 MERCURY MARINER Complaints

WE PURCHASED A FORD CERTIFIED 2008 MERCURY MARINER HYBRID LESS THAN TWO YEARS AGO. ACCORDING TO FORD, A FORD CERTIFIED' VEHICLE HAS BEEN PASSED A 172 POINT INSPECTION. WE HAVE BEEN DRIVING THIS VEHICLE ON THE HIGHWAY AND HAVE EXPERIENCE A STOP SAFELY NOW' WARNING ON THE DASH, ACCOMPANIED BY THE ENGINE SHUTTING OFF, AND THIS SEEMS TO HAPPEN AT SPEEDS OF 50+ MPH. I WAS DRIVING 70 MPH IN THE MIDDLE OF A CONGESTED 4 LANE HIGHWAY TRAFFIC WHILE THIS HAPPENED TO ME RECENTLY. MY CAR CEASED TO ACCELERATE, AND I HAD TO WEAVE OUT OF THE CENTER LANES, SWERVING TO AN EXIT, GOING UP ON AN EXIT RAMP, WITHOUT THE ABILITY TO ACCELERATE. WE HAVE CONTACTED FORD THROUGH THEIR WEBSITE CUSTOMER SERVICE NUMBER, AND THE REPRESENTATIVES JUST TELL US TO TAKE IT TO A FORD DEALERSHIP. AFTER FIXING THE PROBLEM THAT THEIR TECHNICIAN AT OUR LOCAL DEALERSHIP TOLD US TO FIX, OUR VEHICLE DID THE VERY SAME THING A MONTH LATER. WE WERE TOLD THAT WE NEEDED TO REPLACE THE FUEL THROTTLE BODY. WE'VE ALSO REPLACED THE HYBRID BATTERY FILTER' AS PER THE COMPANY'S RECOMMENDATION. WE WANT SOME ATTENTION BROUGHT TO THIS MATTER. I FEEL I NO LONGER TRUST THAT THE TECHNICIANS AT THE FORD HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE TO DEAL WITH THIS ISSUE. AFTER SOME SEARCHES ONLINE, I'VE FOUND WE'RE NOT THE ONLY ONES WITH THIS PROBLEM. I DON'T KNOW HOW FORD CAN JUST PRETEND THIS ISN'T A SERIOUS ISSUE. WHAT WILL IT TAKE TO GET THEIR ATTENTION? THE FACT THAT THEY'RE ENDANGERING THE LIVES OF PEOPLE BY NOT RECALLING THIS VEHICLE, AND THE LACK OF ACCOUNTABILITY IS SHOCKING. HOW CAN FORD CAN GET AWAY WITH RELEASING THESE UNSAFE VEHICLES AND EXPOSING MANY LIVES WHICH COULD RESULT IN DEATHS. AFTER MANY CALLS TO FORD CUSTOMER SERVICE, AND SPEAKING WITH THE LOCAL FORD TECHS, MY FRUSTRATION LIES AT NOT HAVING A CLEAR ANSWER AND NO DIRECTION. THIS IS CLEARLY UNSAFE FOR ANYONE TO DRIVE AND SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE. *TR

THE TRANSMISSION SLIPPED WHILE DRIVING SO I CHECKED THE FLUID LEVEL. FLUID WAS LOW SO MORE FLUID WAS ADDED. TWO WEEKS LATER THE FLUID WAS LOW AGAIN. AFTER CHECKING I NOTICED THE FLUID LEAKING FROM THE LINES WHERE THE LINES RUN INTO THE FLUID COOLER. CONTACTED DEALER AND NO RECALL HAS BEEN ISSUED. *TR

VEHICLE STEERING BEGAN TO GRIND AND MAKE NOISES DURING TURNING OF STEERING WHEEL. VERY LOOSE STEERING AS IF STEERING IS COMING APART. HAVE REPORTED TO FORD, BUT STATED THERE IS NO RECALL ON THIS, EVEN THOUGH NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ON HERE AND OVER 550 ON EDMUNDS.COM. VEHICLE SEEMS UNSAFE AND ONLY 68000 MILES. *TR

IN FEBRUARY OF 2009 (AT 41,214 MILES), MY 2008 MERCURY MARINER STARTED JERKING WHEN I WAS DRIVING AND WOULD NOT ACCELERATE WHEN I GASED. I TOOK THE CAR TO A FORD DEALER AND THEY DIAGNOSED IT WITH TRANSMISSION FAILURE. SINCE THE CAR WAS UNDER WARRANTY THEY PERFORMED A "TRANSMISSION OVERHAUL". THREE YEARS LATER, FEBRUARY 2012, MY CAR STARTED HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM AGAIN, TRANSMISSION ISSUES. ACCORDING TO THE PAPERWORK, IT WAS NOTED "TRANSMISSION/CONVERTER SLIPS AND TRANSMISSION FLUID LEAKED". I WAS RELUCTANTLY TOLD BY A SUPERVISOR AT FORD HEADQUARTERS THAT SOME 2008 MARINERS DID INDEED HAVE TRANSMISSIONS DEFECTS BUT MY VIN NUMBER WAS NOT KNOWN TO BE AFFECTED AND BECAUSE IT IS OUT OF WARRANTY THEY WILL NOT ADDRESSED IT WITHOUT ME PAYING $4062. I HAVE CALLED FORD HEADQUARTERS AND THEY WOULD NOT PROVIDE ME WITH ANY DETAILS ON THE ISSUES WITH SOME OF THE MARINERS THAT WERE RECALLED. A CAR THAT HAS TRANSMISSION ISSUES TWICE WITHIN FOUR YEARS SOUND LIKE THERE IS INDEED A MAJOR DEFECT ISSUE WITH THE TRANSMISSION PARTS BUT FORD IS NOT WILLING TO ADMIT IT. I AM SURE MY CAR (VIN) SHOULD HAVE BEEN INCLUDED. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A SAFETY HAZARD FOR MY FAMILY AND I. THIS CAR IS A LEMON AND FORD WAS WELL AWARE OF IT BUT REFUSE TO CORRECT THE MATTER. FORD SHOULD DO THE RIGHT THING AND RESOLVE THE ISSUE THAT THEY WERE WELL AWARE OF INSTEAD OF MAKING THERE CUSTOMERS BELIEVE THAT IT IS NORMAL FOR A CAR TO HAVE TRANSMISSION FAILURE NOT ONLY ONCE BUT TWICE WITHIN FOUR YEARS. I WILL PURSUE THIS MATTER UNTIL I AM SATISFIED WITH THE RESULTS. UPDATED IVOQ 03/28/12 *TR

ACCELERATOR GAS PEDAL DIFFICULT TO DEPRESS WHEN WEATHER GETS COLD (BELOW 50F). IT REQUIRES A HARDER PRESS TO ENGAGE AND HAVE THE CAR MOVE. IT IS DANGEROUS WHEN CROSSING AN INTERSECTION AFTER A STOP. FOR THE FAILURE TO WORK RIGHT KEEPS US IN THE INTERSECTION AS WE TRY TO MOVE OUT OF THE WAY OF ONCOMING TRAFFIC. HAVING TO PRESS HARDER RESULTS IN LOSS OF CONTROL AS WE MANEUVER THE CAR WHEN TURNING AT AN INTERSECTION. WE TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER AND THEY ADDED A LUBRICANT . IT HELPED A LITTLE , BUT IT WAS AGAIN DIFFICULT THE NEXT COLD FRONT THAT WE HAD (TEMPERATURES BELOW 50F). THIS CONDITION GRADUATED FROM THE FIRST WINTER WE OWNED IT IN 2008 TO THIS WINTER STARTING IN 2011. IT APPEARS THAT THE PEDAL WORKS BETTER AFTER THE CAR HAS BEEN OPERATING FOR A WHILE, LIKE 20 MINUTES OR SO. *TR

MY CAR HAS BEEN LEAKING TRANSMISSION FLUID FOR ABOUT A MONTH. I TOOK IT TO MY LOCAL MECHANIC AND HE STATED THAT THE A/C CONDENSER WAS FAULTY AND THAT IT WAS CAUSING THE TRANSMISSION FLUID TO LEAK. I CONTACTED A SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE AT MY LOCAL LINCOLN MERCURY DEALERSHIP IN HOUSTON WHO STATED THAT THEY HAVE HAD A MULTITUDE OF COMPLAINTS REGARDING THE SAME ISSUE BUT NO RECALL NOTICE EXISTED TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM. THIS SERVICE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT FOR SOME REASON FORD/LINCOLN MERCURY HAD MADE SOME CHANGE TO THE TRANSMISSION FLUID LINE IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE A/C CONDENSER AND THAT THIS CHANGE HAS CAUSED A LOT OF PROBLEMS. I FEEL THAT THIS ISSUE NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED IMMEDIATELY SINCE THIS IS HAPPENING TO SO MANY CARS WITH SO FEW MILES. I AM QUITE SURE THAT I AM NOT THE ONLY SINGLE MOTHER FACING FINANCIAL DIFFICULTIES FACED WITH THIS SITUATION. YOUR HELP IN THIS MATTER WOULD BE MOST APPRECIATED. *KB

ON FOUR DIFFERENT OCCASIONS WHILE DRIVING MY 2008 MERCURY MARINER, THE STEERING WHEEL HAS LOCKED UP. EACH TIME IT HAS HAPPENED I HAVE BEEN TURNING AT AN APPROXIMANT SPEED OF 25 MPH AND I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO MANEUVER THE STEERING WHEEL ENOUGH TO PULL OVER ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. *TR

TRAVELING AT 35 MPH AND UP , SOMETIMES THE VEHICLE WOULD SHUTTER AND SHAKE. FOUND A BROKEN RING ON THE AXLE CAUSED THIS PROBLEM. TOOK A FEW VISITS TO THE DEALER TO FIND IT. IT IS VERY SCARY WHEN IT HAPPENS AND YOU MUST PULL OVER AND SHUT THE CAR OFF. SOMETIMES IT WOULD BE WEEKS BEFORE IT HAPPENED . ALSO, HAPPENED ON THE HIGHWAY. THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN COVERED UNDER A SAFETY RECALL. I HAD TO PAY FOR THIS REPAIR. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MERCURY MARINER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE POWER STEERING FAILED AS SOON AS THE ENGINE WAS STARTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED OFF AND ON SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE THE STEERING CORRECTED INDEPENDENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL MECHANIC WHO INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE STEERING TORQUE INDICATOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE STEERING TORQUE INDICATOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE DEALER ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THERE WERE NO RECALLS FOR THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE WHO OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 150,000. UPDATED 01/18/12*LJ UPDATED 03/13/12

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MERCURY MARINER HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH, THE STOP SAFELY NOW WARNING LIGHT AND THE TEMPERATURE LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE THEN SUDDENLY STALLED. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY AND ONLY WHEN DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR A DIAGNOSTIC TEST. THE TECHNICIANS STATED THAT THERE MAY BE A FAILURE WITH THE COOLING PUMP, BUT WOULD INSPECT THE VEHICLE TO VERIFY THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 66,000.