2008 MERCURY MARINER Complaints

ABOUT 2 MONTHS AGO, THE ACCELERATOR ON MY 2008 MERCURY MARINER STARTED STICKING. TODAY IT STUCK AND REMAINED STUCK FOR ABOUT 2 MINUTES. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM, BUT COULD PUT A 347.00 PART IN IT JUST IN CASE IT IS THE PROBLEM. I WAS CHARGE $70.00 FOR THE DIAGNOSIS. *TR

I HAVE A 2008 MERCURY MARINER HYBRID 4 WHEEL DRIVE. ON OCCASION THE STEERING WILL LOOSE POWER ASSIST WHILE TURNING. THE LOSS OF POWER LASTS FOR A FEW SECONDS BEFORE THE POWER ASSIST RETURNS. THIS PROBLEM IS DANGEROUS AS I HAVE TO COMPENSATE FOR THE LOSS OF STEERING ASSIST BY TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL HARDER, THEN WHEN THE POWER ASSIST RETURNS THE VEHICLE TURNS MORE THAN I WANT BECAUSE THE WHEEL IS EASY TO TURN AS I AM APPLYING A LOT OF PRESSURE TO THE STEERING WHEEL. THE DEALER AND FORD HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO DETERMINE THE PROBLEM OR SUGGEST A FIX. *TR

I HAVE BEEN HAVING PROBLEMS WITH MY 2008 MERCURY MARINER TRANSMISSION. WHEN THE ENGINE IS COLD THE TRANSMISSION SLIPS. WHEN I ACCELERATE THE ENGINE REVS AND THEN SLAMS INTO GEAR. FORD REFUSES TO REPAIR THE PROBLEM UNDER MY 5YR/60,000 MILE WARRANTY. ALTHOUGH MY CAR HAS LEAKED TRANSMISSION FLUID AND I HAVE BEEN TOLD MY "TRANSMISSION" COOLER NEEDS TO BE REPLACED, IT IS CONSIDERED AN "AIR CONDITIONING PROBLEM" SINCE MY COMPRESSOR WILL HAVE TO BE REPLACED WITH IT, EVEN THOUGH MY AIR CONDITIONER WORKS FINE. I KNOW THAT A RECALL WAS MADE ON THE TRANSMISSION COOLER PART IN MARCH 2008, BUT FORD CUSTOMER SERVICE TOLD ME THAT MY VIN NUMBER DID NOT MATCH RECALLED CARS DESPITE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. APPARENTLY FORD HAS CHANGED THE PART NUMBER ON THE TRANS COOLER AND ORDERS IT FROM A DIFFERENT COMPANY, SO THE PART WOULD NOT BE LISTED UNDER THE WARRANTY. COULD YOU PLEASE EXPLAIN EXACTLY WHY MY MARINER WAS NOT PART OF THE ORIGINAL RECALL? NOBODY AT FORD CUSTOMER SERVICE OR THE DEALER SERVICE MANAGER CAN EXPLAIN WHY MY CAR WAS NOT PART OF THE RECALL OR WHY THIS DEFECTIVE PART IS NOT CONSIDERED TO BE AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE TRANSMISSION. I AM SHUFFLED BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN THESE DEPARTMENTS. *TR

2008 MERCURY MARINER WITH 40,000 MILES ON IT HAS TRANSMISSION LEAK CAUSED BY A FAULTY COOLING CONDENSER. I HAVE HEARD OF HUNDREDS IF NOT THOUSANDS OF COMPLAINTS SUCH AS THIS ONE IN THE MARINER AND THE SISTER CAR FORD ESCAPE. THIS REPAIR IS AROUND 800 DOLLARS AND APPARENTLY THERE IS NO SIGN OF A RECALL. I BELIEVE THE PART WAS MODIFIED IN THE 2009 MODELS BUT THIS DOES LITTLE FOR ME AND THOSE LIKE ME. NEW PART CAN EASILY BE DEFECTIVE DOWN THE ROAD AS WELL. NOT REPAIRED YET BUT IF DRIVEN CONTINUALLY CAN ME DANGEROUS TO CAR NOT TO MENTION PERSONS IN VEHICLE. *TR

2008 MARINER JUST SERVICED FOR OIL CHANGE, SAFETY, AND NEW AIR FILTER. NOT MORE THAN TWELVE MILES, VEHICLE LOST POWER ON FREEWAY. WAS ABLE TO COAST OFF HIGHWAY ONTO OFF RAMP. VEHICLE WOULD START, BUT FAILED TO STAY RUNNING. VEHICLE HAS GAS AND TOWED TO SOUTH POINTE LINCOLN MERCURY. *TR

UNINTENDED ACCELERATION. ASCENDING A WINDING GRADE ON OREGON 140 AT 50 MPH THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL SUDDENLY SHOT UNAIDED TO THE FLOOR PUTTING THE CAR IN PASSING GEAR. WHEN I HIT THE BRAKE PEDAL IT INSTANTLY DISENGAGED THE ACCELERATOR. THE CAR WAS NOT IN CRUISE CONTROL MODE ALTHOUGH IT HAD BEEN EARLIER. I HAD DISENGAGED THE OVERDRIVE FUNCTION THROUGH THE BUTTON ON THE GEAR SHIFT LEVER AND WAS IN STRAIGHT DRIVE GEAR. WE BOUGHT THE CAR IN JANUARY 2009. THIS WAS THE 3RD TIME WE HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS SAME PROBLEM. THIS TIME WAS THE MOST PRONOUNCED AND SERIOUS SINCE THE ACCELERATOR WAS FLOORED. WE WERE PASSING OVER THE CASCADES BETWEEN MEDFORD AND KLAMATH FALLS. TWO OR THREE MILES FURTHER UP THE HIGHWAY WE ENTERED THE SNOW ZONE AND THERE WAS ICE ON THE HIGHWAY. HAD WE BEEN THERE AT THE TIME OF THE SUDDEN ACCELERATION THE CAR COULD HAVE SPUN OUT OF CONTROL. *TR

ON 09-24-2009 WHILE TRAVELING ON I-95 TOWARDS MAINE NEAR PORTSMOUTH, NEW HAMPSHIRE, OUR VEHICLE A 2008 MERCURY MARINER, WITH 15,682 MILES ON THE ODOMETER, LOST ALL BRAKING CAPABILITY AT 65 MPH. BEING A RETIRED POLICE OFFICER I WAS ABLE TO TALK MY WIFE, WHO WAS DRIVING, OVER INTO A BREAKDOWN LANE IN AN EFFORT TO AVOID COLLISION WITH TRACTOR TRAILERS, MOTOR VEHICLES AND FIXED OBJECTS. ULTIMATELY THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED ONTO AN OFF RAMP AND ONTO A SIDEWALK AND GRASS AREA TO INCREASE FRICTION TO REDUCE SPEED. THIS WAS SEVERAL MILES IN THE MAKING AND WHEN THE VEHICLE SLOWED TO UNDER 40 MPH WE PLACED IT IN NEUTRAL AND WERE ABLE TO STOP THE CAR. WE NOTED THAT THE RPMS WERE IN THE 4,000 TO 5,000 RANGE AS THE THROTTLE APPEARED STUCK. AFTER TOWING TO PORTSMOUTH FORD, IN PORTSMOUTH, NEW HAMPSHIRE; TECHNICIANS THERE DETERMINED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS A STRETCHED THROTTLE CONTROL & CABLE ASSEMBLY (PART #7L8Z*9!758*C CABLE ASS-THROTTLE CONTRO AND PART # 8L*Z*9725*A SHAFT MT79758A-ACCELERATOR CABLE). TECHICIANS STATED THAT THE STRETCH ACCELERATOR CABLE (WHICH THEY SAID WAS POORLY DESIGNED) CAUSED THE THROTTLE AND CRUISE CONTROL TO LOCK, WHICH OVER RODE THE BRAKING SYSTEM. WARRANTY REPAIRS WERE MADE INVOICE 497086 TAG CUSTOMER #8023451243. WE NARROWLY AVOIDED WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN A CATASTROPHIC ACCIDENT AND FEEL THIS SHOULD BE BROUGHT TO YOUR ATTENTION AS A DEFECT MAY EXIST IN OTHER SIMLLAR 2008 MERCURY MARINERS. *TR

2008 MERCURY MARINER. COMBINED CONDENSER/TRANSMISSION COOLING UNIT (BELIEVE IS MANUFACTURED BY VISTEON) LEAKED AT 48,200 MILES. SAME UNIT IS USED IN THE 2008 FORD ESCAPE. HAPPENED TO NOTICE FLUID ON GARAGE FLOOR. OTHERWISE COULD HAVE EASILY LED TO FAILURE OF TRANSMISSION WITH RESULTING VEHICLE ACCIDENT. THIS DEFECT IS THE SUBJECT OF NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS (SEE FOR EXAMPLE AUTOMOBILE.COM) AND WAS THE SUBJECT OF A NHTSA INVESTIGATION # 10024826 AND IS DESCRIBE IN MERCURY'S TSB# 08-5-7. HOW MANY MORE TIMES WILL THIS WIDELY REPORTED DEFECT OCCUR BEFORE YOU MAKE FORD/MERCURY RECALL? OBVIOUSLY THE COMBINED CONDENSER, TRANS FLUID COOLER IS DEFECTIVE. ARE YOU WAITING FOR DEATHS OR SERIOUS INJURIES BEFORE YOU REQUIRE THE RECALL? *TR

ON JULY 5, 2009 WHILE DRIVING MY MERCURY MARINER THE PASSENGER SIDE REAR TIRE WENT FLAT. CAUSE WAS A BAD VALVE STEM; ON SEPTEMBER 4, 2009 I HAD THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THE DRIVER SIDE REAR TIRE. THE AUTO TECH AT WALL MART SHOWED ME THE VALVE STEM WAS DRY ROTTED AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. I ALSO HAD HIM REPLACE BOTH VALVE STEMS ON THE FRONT TIRES, WHICH ALSO SHOWED SIGNS OF DRY ROT. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MERCURY MARINER. THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED WHEN THE CONTACT OBSERVED THAT THERE WAS FLUID LEAKING UNDER THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR INSPECTION WHO STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS CONTRIBUTED TO THE AIR CONDITIONER TRANSMISSION COOLER ASSEMBLY UNIT. THE ESTIMATED REPAIR COST WAS $800.00 . THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE CONTACT HAD CONCERNS OF THE SAFETY RISK. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 42,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 43,000. THE SYSTEM DID NOT RECOGNIZE THE VIN.