2008 MERCURY MARINER HYBRID Complaints

FAILURE OF ABS BRAKES ON 2008 MERCURY MARINER HYBRID. THIS HAS HAPPENED TO MY CAR TWICE. SUMMER OF 2009 AND THE SUMMER OF 2010. BOTH TIMES I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE MASTER BRAKE CYLINDER. SYMPTOMS INCLUDE INCONSISTENT BRAKING RESPONSE AND LOSS OF BRAKE FLUID. DRIVER EXPERIENCES OVERLY SHARP BRAKING AND A "GRABBING" SENSATION AS WELL AS VERY SOFT BRAKING AND "COASTING" SENSATION ALMOST AS IF THERE ARE NO BRAKES OR VERY LITTLE BRAKING. IT IS VERY HARD TO DRIVE SAFELY IN THIS CONDITION. BOTH TIMES, REPAIR INCLUDED REPLACING THE MASTER CYLINDER WITH A $1500 BILL. THIS RESULTED IN $3000 IN REPAIR COSTS TO AVOID CONTINUING TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE IN AN UNSAFE CONDITION. THE MASTER BRAKE CYLINDER SHOULD NOT HAVE FAILED ONCE ON A 2008 CAR MUCH LESS TWICE AND THE DEALERSHIP HAS AS MUCH TOLD ME THEY FEEL THIS MAY BE A SYSTEM DESIGN FLAW THAT NEEDS CORRECTING THROUGH RECALL. *TR

IN A HARD-BRAKING SITUATION, BRAKES FAILED - NO DISCERNIBLE DECELERATION AT ALL, PUSHING HARDER THAN I'VE EVER HAD TO BEFORE. THIS MADE FOR REAR-ENDING THE GUY AHEAD OF ME. FORENSICS INVESTIGATOR W/ MECH FOUND ODB DTCS SHOWED ONLY P0A8D AND B1318 - ONE OF WHICH SHOWS A LOW VOLTAGE TO ABS SYSTEM. MULTIPLE REPORTS OF THIS WITH ESCAPE HYBRID OWNERS. I WONDER IF IT IS RELATED TO THE FORD FUSION HYBRID FAILURES? THIS OCCURRED AT 10-15 MPH. WHAT HAPPENS AT 60? LOCAL DEALERSHIP DECLARES "YOUR BRAKES CHECK OUT FINE AND THERE'S NO EVIDENCE OF BRAKE FAILURE." REALLY? HOW ABOUT THAT RADIATOR AND GRILL THAT NEED REPAIR AND THAT QUARTERPANEL STICKING OUT OF THE RIGHT SIDE? EVIDENCE ENOUGH? I'D LIKE TO SEE THIS ISSUE ROOT-CAUSED BEFORE SOMEBODY GETS SERIOUSLY HURT. *TR

2008 MARINER HYBRID / 67000MILES. ENGINE FAILURE. WAS ABLE TO LIMP OFF HIGHWAY. AFTER WAITING SEVERAL MINUTES CAR RESTARTED AND WAS ABLE TO DRIVE APPROX. 5 MILES BEFORE IT SHUT OFF AGAIN. DROVE TO DEALER WITH SEVERAL SHUTDOWNS. DEALER STATES CAR NEEDS ELECTRONIC COOLING PUMP AND CHT SENSOR AT A COST OF $1275.00. CAR IS STILL SITTING IN DEALERSHIP WAITING FOR MY DECISION TO REPAIR OR NOT. CAR WAS NOT ABUSED. MOSTLY ONLY ONE PASSENGER. CAR WAS SERVICED REGULARLY AS PER SPECS AT DEALERSHIP. *TR

SECOND UNWARNED TOTAL SHUT-DOWN OF ALL POWER ON ROADWAY - THIS ONE JUST 17 DAYS AFTER REPAIRS AND REPROGRAMMING BY FORD DEALERSHIP FOLLOWING FIRST INSTANCE, WHICH CUT GAS ENGINE AND ELECTRIC MOTOR POWER WHILE TRAVELING ON LOS ANGELES FREEWAY. THIS POWER SHUT-DOWN OCCURRED WHILE TRYING TO PULL FROM PARALLEL PARK SPOT ONTO BUSY BLVD - LOST ALL POWER 2 FEET INTO TRAFFIC, ABLE TO ROLL BACK INTO CURB BEFORE TRAFFIC REACHED ME AROUND SEMI-BLIND CURVE. AFTER THE FIRST IN-USE FAILURE ON 5-17-10, I SIMULTANEOUSLY REPORTED THE MALFUNCTION TO FORD CUSTOMER RELATIONS (CASE# 1432331380), AND PRESENTED THE VEHICLE FOR REPAIR TO CERRITOS [THE FOLLOWING QUOTES FROM TEXT OF SERVICE RECORD]; TECH PERFORMED `EEC TEST, REVEALING FAULT-CODES: B1239, P1A0C AND P0562. THE TECH ALSO "FOUND TSB (TECH SERVICE BULLETIN) 07-25-12 WITH CONCERN RESOLUTION" & HE "CONTACT[ED] FORD TECHNICAL SERVICE HOTLINE WITH CONCERN." THE TECH "REPLACED THE AUXILIARY AIRFLOW MODE DOOR ACTUATOR AND REPROGRAMMED THE TRACTION BATTERY CONTROL MODULE TO LATEST CALIBRATION 8M64-10B687-AG. FINAL EEC TEST PASSED." I WAS ALSO INFORMED THAT THE PART NUMBER FOR THE REPLACEMENT `AIRFLOW MODE DOOR ACTUATOR' DIFFERED FROM ORIGINAL, SO THE COMPONENT HAS APPARENTLY BEEN RE-DESIGNED - BUT NEITHER MY WIFE NOR I HAVE RECEIVED WARNINGS FROM FORD THAT UPDATES/REPAIRS WERE RECOMMENDED ON EITHER OF OUR 2008 MARINER HYBRIDS. THIS ORIGINALLY SMELLED LIKE A `SILENT RECALL' TO ME...BUT THIS DOESN'T EVEN RATE AS A `RECALL', BECAUSE THE WORK PERFORMED DID NOT PREVENT THE SECOND OCCURRENCE OF THE EQUIVALENT MALFUNCTION JUST 17 DAYS LATER. THIS IS A TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE FAILURE MODE FOR ANY CONSUMER TRANSPORTATION VEHICLE, BECAUSE IT OCCURS WITHOUT WARNING, AND LEAVES THE DRIVER COMPLETELY DEFENSELESS, AND WITH SEVERELY-REDUCED RESPONSE OPTIONS. *TR

ON-FREEWAY GAS ENGINE/ELECTRIC MOTOR SHUT-DOWN. DRIVING IN MORNING RUSH-HOUR TRAFFIC APPROXIMATELY 15 MINUTES AFTER COLD START IN 60-DEGREE WEATHER, BOTH THE GASOLINE ENGINE AND THE ELECTRIC MOTOR PROPULSION SYSTEMS SHUT-DOWN TOGETHER WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION - "STOP SAFELY NOW" WAS THE `TOO-LITTLE-TOO-LATE' INFO ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. NEITHER POWER MODE WOULD RESTART WITH TRANS IN NEUTRAL (I REFUSED TO TRY CYCLING IGNITION KEY TO OFF, AND RISK STEERING LOCK). FORTUNATE TO COAST ONTO SHOULDER, WHERE I HAD TO MOVE GEAR SELECTOR TO PARK, TURN IGNITION KEY FULL-OFF AND THEN BACK TO START, AT WHICH TIME NORMAL OPERATION RESUMED. TOTAL LOSS OF BOTH POWER SOURCES WHILE IN-USE ON A FREEWAY ' AND UNABLE TO RE-ACTIVATE WITHOUT SHIFTING TRANSMISSION INTO PARK IS ABSOLUTELY INEXCUSABLE AND UNACCEPTABLE! *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