2006 MERCURY MARINER HYBRID Complaints

I WAS GOING DOWN THE EXPRESSWAY WHEN I GOT A WARNING AND A MESSAGE TELLING ME TO SAFELY STOP THE VEHICLE, AND I LOST POWER DOWN TO A CRAWL. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY SAID THIS WASN'T COVERED BY THE EXTENDED WARRANTY I PURCHASED EVEN THOUGH THEY SAID IT WAS PART OF THE POWER TRAIN .I EVEN CALLED FORD CUSTOMER SERVICE WARRANTY DIVISION AND THEY SAID IT WASN'T COVERED BUT IF IT WAS RECALLED THEY WOULD REFUND REPAIRS WITH RECEIPT.. I LOOKED ONLINE AND THERE ARE LOTS OF COMPLAINTS OF THIS PART GOING BAD AND REPLACED BY A UPDATED VERSION THAT WILL HOLD UP BETTER FOR THIS GAS/ELE. MOTOR. I BELIEVE THEY SHOULD RECALL THIS PART AND COVER IT UPON REPLACEMENT. THE COST ESTIMATE WAS $670! *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 MERCURY MARINA HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE BRAKING SYSTEM FAILED WITH THE ILLUMINATION OF THE ABS AND BRAKE WARNING LIGHTS. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO A STOP SIGN. THE WERE NO INJURIES. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 267,000. *TR

TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY, REACHED A SPEED OF 65, " STOP SAFELY NOW " WARNING SHOWED UP ON THE ELECTRONIC DASH. SAW THOUSANDS OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE SAME. SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

CAR WOULD NOT MOVE AT ALL AFTER COMING TO A STOP WHEN MAKING A LEFT TURN IN THE MIDDLE OF AN BUSY INTERSECTION. WITH THE CAR IDLING AT 1000 RPMS, IT WOULD NOT MOVE WHEN I PRESSED THE ACCELERATOR. I HAD TO SHUT THE VEHICLE DOWN COMPLETELY, RESTART IT, AND THEN IT WOULD MOVE FORWARD ONLY IF I PRESSED THE ACCELERATOR IMMEDIATELY AFTER RESTARTING. IF TRAFFIC DID NOT ALLOW IMMEDIATE TRAVEL, THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE FORWARD AS PREVIOUSLY DESCRIBED. IF YOU COULD NOT PROCEED IMMEDIATELY THIS CYCLE WOULD CONTINUE MULTIPLE TIMES. THIS HAS HAPPENED ON OVER 30 SEPARATE OCCASIONS WITH THIS VEHICLE. THIS PROBLEM CAUSED MULTIPLE SAFETY RISKS FROM SIDE OR REAR END COLLISIONS. *TR

I HAVE A MERCURY MARINER HYBRID 2006. COMING UP TO RED LIGHT AND VEHICLE SUDDENLY HAD NO BRAKES, THE PEDAL WOULD NOT PUSH IN EITHER. NO LIGHTS HAD EVER COME ON AND NO WARNING SIGNS WERE EVER RECEIVED. THE CAR WAS IN GREAT CONDITION AND WAS REGULARLY TAKEN CARE OF AND HAD PREVENTABLE MAINTENANCE. UPON FAILURE TO BRAKE I HAD TO MANEUVER THE VEHICLE IN DANGEROUS CONDITIONS JUST TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT. LUCKY FOR ME THIS TIME DID NOT RESULT IN AN ACCIDENT OR INJURY. AFTER REPLACING THE MASTER BRAKE CYLINDER (AS PER FORD RECOMMENDATIONS) I AGAIN HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. THIS TIME, NARROWLY AVOIDING CRASHING INTO MY OTHER VEHICLE WHICH WAS IN MY DRIVEWAY. THIS WAS AGAIN, WITHOUT ANY NOTICE OR WARNINGS. NOW, BY RESEARCHING ONLINE I FIND THAT THIS PROBLEM IS EXISTING AND MERCURY / FORD WILL DO NOTHING ABOUT IT BECAUSE NO SERIOUS INJURY HAS OCCURRED YET? I CAN'T AFFORD TO REPLACE THE HCU, SO I WILL BE TRADING IN FOR ANOTHER TYPE OF VEHICLE...SAD TO SAY. I WOULD HAVE STAYED A LOYAL CUSTOMER, IF NOT FOR THE SOUR TASTE IN MY MOUTH. *TR

DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, VEHICLE SUDDENLY SHUT DOWN AND DISPLAYED A "STOP SAFELY NOW" MESSAGE ON THE LCD AND A WARNING LIGHT ON THE DASH. THE ENGINE JUST SHUT OFF COMPLETELY, NO ELECTRIC DRIVE EITHER. EXTREMELY DANGEROUS CONDITION. THIS HAPPENED TWICE. VEHICLE RESTARTED WITHIN A MINUTE AND OPERATED NORMALLY FOR ABOUT 30 MINUTES. THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE MERCURY MARINER AND FORD ESCAPE VERSIONS OF THIS VEHICLE. THERE IS EXTENSIVE DOCUMENTATION OF THIS ISSUE HERE: HTTP://WWW.GREENHYBRID.COM/DISCUSS/F26/STOP-SAFELY-NOW-11900/ APPARENTLY, MOST OF THESE CASES ARE CAUSED BY FAILING COOLING PUMPS. I JUST DON'T SEE HOW FORD COULD THINK TO PROGRAM A VEHICLE TO JUST SHUT DOWN BECAUSE A COMPONENT WAS OVERHEATING? HOW ABOUT A WARNING LIGHT AND TONE? *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 MERCURY MARINER HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH THE VEHICLE STALLED WITH THE ILLUMINATION OF THE STOP ENGINE WARNING LIGHT. THE VEHICLE WAS UNABLE TO BE RESTARTED AND WAS TOWED TO A MECHANIC. AFTER PERFORMING A DIAGNOSTIC, THEY COULD NOT FIND A FAILURE WITH THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT PICKED UP THE VEHICLE FROM THE MECHANIC AND ON HER WAY HOME THE VEHICLE STALLED AGAIN. THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO BE RESTARTED AND TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE CONTACT WAS AWAITING FURTHER DIAGNOSIS OF THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED O THE ISSUE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 108,850 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 108,890.

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

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

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