2006 MERCURY MARINER Complaints

ON I-66W VEHICLE LOST ENGINE POWER AT HIGHWAY SPEED. DISPLAYED STOP SAFELY NOW AND MASTER VEHICLE ELECTRICAL HAZARD WARNING LAMP. THE INCIDENT WAS EXTREMELY HARROWING FOR THE DRIVER AS THE POWER CUTOFF WAS UNEXPECTED AND IMMEDIATE. COASTED TO SHOULDER. A RESTART, PER THE OWNER MANUAL, WAS ATTEMPTED BUT DID NOT WORK. TRANSPORTED ON FLATBED TO FORD DEALERSHIP. DEALERSHIP STATED HYBRID BATTERY HARNESS, HYBRID COOLING FANS, AND THROTTLE BODY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AND PCM REPROGRAMMED FOR $1900 TO 'FIX ISSUE. OWNER REQUESTED A NEW 12V FRONT BATTERY AND WARNING CEASED. OWNER DECIDED TO DO SOME RESEARCH AND TEST DRIVE SHORT DISTANCES. ON 5/24 THE ENGINE CUT OFF IN AN OFFICE PARKING LOT. VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO BE RESTARTED AND GO 4 MILES BACK TO RESIDENCE AFTER THE CARPET COVERING THE HYBRID BATTERY WAS PULLED UP AND THE CABIN A/C TURNED TO HIGH IN AN EFFORT TO COOL THE BATTERY AREA (IT DID NOT FEEL HOT BUT THE OWNER BELIEVED IF A TEMP READING WAS THE CAUSE A FEW DEGREES COOLER MIGHT HELP). A WEALTH OF INFO WAS FOUND INDICATING THIS WAS A KNOWN PROBLEM AND HAD MULTIPLE FORD TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETINS ISSUED (09-18-6 SEP 09 HYBRID SYSTEMS - RED TRIANGLE ON/DTC P0A27 SET'). THE OWNER COMPILED A LIST OF 88 COMPLAINT NUMBERS ON THE NHTSA SITE THAT INDICATE SUBSTANTIALLY SIMILAR EXPERIENCES FROM 2005-2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID / MERCURY MARINER HYBRID OWNERS. BELIEVE ROOT CAUSE IS A DESIGN FLAW IN THE PCM S/W THAT REMOVES ENGINE POWER WHEN A MINOR DEVIATION FROM THE NOMINAL BATTERY TEMP RANGE IS SENSED. LIKELY CONTRIBUTING ISSUE IS A POORLY DESIGNED HYBRID BATTERY COOLING SYSTEM (BATTERY HARNESS, BATTERY COOLING FANS, MEC PUMP, BLEND DOOR, RELAYS). THE NHTSA IS URGED TO OPEN AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE STOP SAFELY NOW/MASTER VEHICLE ELECTRICAL HAZARD ENGINE SHUTDOWNS. VEHICLE IS NOT REPAIRED AND CAN BE MADE AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTION. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 MERCURY MARINER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS AT A LOCAL MECHANIC FOR ROUTINE MAINTENANCE, SHE WAS INFORMED THAT THE REAR DRIVER'S WHEEL AND FRAME WERE SEVERELY CORRODED. THE CONTACT WAS ALSO INFORMED THAT THE WHEEL AND FRAME SEPARATED FROM THE BODY OF THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER DENIED ASSISTANCE WITH THE REPAIR. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 110,000.

THE TRAFFIC LIGHT TURNED YELLOW, I APPLIED THE BRAKES WHICH WORKED MOMENTARILY THEN RELEASED AS THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOORBOARD. NO WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED IN THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. USING THE EMERGENCY BRAKE I STOPPED SHORT OF BLOCKING THE INTERSECTION. UPON STOPPING IT WAS DETERMINED THAT ON LEVEL GROUND WITH THE VEHICLE IDLING IN DRIVE AND THE BRAKE PEDAL FULLY DEPRESSED THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH BRAKE FORCE TO KEEP THE VEHICLE FROM MOVING FORWARD. INSPECTION OF THE VEHICLE REVEALED THAT THE LEFT (DRIVER SIDE) FRONT FLEXIBLE BRAKE LINE HAD RUPTURED AND THAT THERE HAD BEEN A SMALL AMOUNT OF BRAKE FLUID LOST FROM THE MASTER CYLINDER. THIS LINE IS ABOUT 17 INCHES LONG WITH A METAL SLEEVE IN THE MIDDLE WHERE IT IS ATTACHED TO THE VERTICAL STRUT FOR SUPPORT. THE RUPTURE WAS AT THE TOP OF THIS SLEEVE. WHILE BLEEDING THE BRAKES AFTER THE LINE WAS REPLACED, IT WAS FOUND THAT THE LOW BRAKE FLUID SENSOR WORKED. IS THIS AN UNKNOWN "SAFETY FEATURE" OF ABS? IF IT IS, PROGRESS HAS BROUGHT US BACK TO WHERE AN INDIVIDUAL PART CAN CAUSE THE SAME CATASTROPHIC FAILURE AS BEFORE THE SPLIT SYSTEM WAS INTRODUCED IN THE 1960S. I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF THIS VEHICLE. THIS HAS BEEN REPORTED TO FORD MOTOR COMPANY. *TR

L/H TONE RING ON AXEL CRACKED AND THREW AN ABS WARNING, BRAKE SERVICE WARNING AND 4WD LIGHT BLINKING. AT APPROX 65,000 THE R/H TONE RING CRACKED AS WELL BUT WAS SMALL ENOUGH THAT IT DID NOT TRIP THE SENSOR. I NOTICED A CLICKING SOUND WHEN TURNING INTO PARKING SPACES. THIS WAS FIXED UNDER MY EXTENDED WARRANTY. FROM SEARCHES ON THE INTERNET THIS SEEMS TO BE A DESIGN FLAW OF THIS WEAK PART. DEALERS TRY TO GET YOU TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE AXEL WHICH IS NOT NEEDED AS DID THE FORD DEALER IN MARGATE. FORD SHOULD BE REPLACING THESE TONE RINGS WITH A PART WITH STRONGER TENSILE STRENGTH SO IT DOES NOT CRACK. THIS NEEDS TO BE A RECALL AS IT WILL STRAND MANY WHO SEE ALL THE LIGHTS AND WARNINGS GO OFF AND THINK THEY CANNOT CONTINUE DRIVING. THIS IS A POOR DESIGN, A POORLY MADE PART AND THROUGH IT'S DEALER NETWORK A RIP-OFF FOR CUSTOMERS WHO ARE TOLD THE ENTIRE AXEL NEEDS REPLACEMENT. *TR

SUDDEN ABRUPT STOPPAGE OF GAS MOTOR (IN HYBRID VEHICLE) WITH SLOWING TO < 30 MPH WHILE IN FREEWAY DRIVING. WITHOUT WARNING, THE MOTOR SIMPLY CUT OFF. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 MERCURY MARINER. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 50 MPH WHEN THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO GEAR AND WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER ADVISED THAT THE TRANSMISSION MALFUNCTIONED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE TRANSMISSION WAS NOT REPLACED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 68,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 MERCURY MARINER. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. AFTER RESTARTING THE VEHICLE, THE INSTRUMENT PANEL AND GAUGE FAILED TO OPERATE. THE FAILURE OCCURRED THREE TIMES. ON ONE OCCASION THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START UNTIL SEVERAL ATTEMPTS WERE MADE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER TWICE FOR THE IDENTICAL FAILURE AND THEY WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THE FAILURE PROGRESSED OVER A PERIOD OF TIME. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 95,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 35 MPH WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL BECAME STUCK. THE FAILURE WOULD OCCUR INTERMITTENTLY AND THE CONTACT WOULD HAVE TO TAP THE PEDAL SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE IT WOULD RELEASE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO STATED THAT A TUBE WOULD NEED TO BE CLEANED IN ORDER TO KEEP THE PEDAL FROM STICKING. THERE WERE NO RECALLS RELATED TO THE FAILURE AND THE REPAIRS OF $400 WERE AT THE CONTACTS EXPENSE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 103,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 MERCURY MARINER. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 5 MPH, THE SMART JUNCTION BOX THAT CONTROLLED THE EXTERIOR LIGHTS FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHO ADVISED THAT CONTACT THAT THE PARTS NEEDED TO MAKE REPAIRS TO THE VEHICLE WERE ON BACKORDER FOR THE NEXT THREE MONTHS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 50,000.

ABS AND BRAKE FAILURE LIGHT; INDICATIVE OF A KNOW PROBLEM AND SUBSEQUENT REPLACEMENT OF THE MASTER BRAKE CYLINDER. *TR