2008 MERCURY MARINER HYBRID Complaints

WHILE TRAVELING ON AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY, CAR LOST POWER, SPEED DECLINED TO 25 MPH AND WENT INTO HYBRID MODE. "PULL OVER SAFELY" LIGHT WENT ON. WE PULLED OVER AND TURNED OFF ENGINE. AFTER A FEW MINUTES IT RESTARTED AND WE WERE ABLE TO DRIVE THE CAR AT NORMAL SPEED. THE OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE WAS HIGH--IN THE 90S--AND THE AIR CONDITIONING WAS ON HIGH WHEN THE POWER FAILED. WE HAD A SIMILAR INCIDENT ABOUT A MONTH EARLIER WHILE TRYING TO PARK THE CAR ON A HOT DAY WITH AIR CONDITIONING ON..SPEED WAS MINIMAL BECAUSE WE WERE PARKING BUT CAR LOST POWER AND PULL OVER SAFELY LIGHT WENT ON. AFTER SECOND INCIDENT WE TOOK CAR TO A FORD DEALER WHO SAID THE HYBRID SYSTEM COOLING PUMP HAD FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. COST TO REPLACE THE PUMP WAS $470. *TR

WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE THE POWER STEERING SUDDENLY STOPS WORKING AND THE STEERING GETS EXTREMELY STIFF. THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING FOR A FEW MONTHS NOW. AT FIRST IT WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF WINTER AND I ATTRIBUTED IT AS A FREAK OCCURRENCE DUE TO THE COLD WEATHER. THE NEXT TIME IT HAPPENED IT WAS A WARM SPRING DAY. NOW IT DOES NOT OCCUR FREQUENTLY, BUT WITHOUT WARNING. ONE TIME I WAS MAKING A LEFT TURN AT A INTERSECTION AND THE STEERING FROZE UP, CAUSING ME TO MAKE MY TURN REALLY WIDE. I HAPPENED TO HAVE ENOUGH ROOM TO COMPLETE THE TURN WITHOUT A COLLISION, BUT UNDER OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES THIS DEFECT COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT, POSSIBLY FATAL IN THE EVENT OF A COLLISION WITH AN ONCOMING CAR OR AT GREATER SPEEDS.

AROUND OCT 2009. MY SENSOR WENT BAD AND HAD TO BE REPLACED THEN AGAIN IN OCTOBER 2010 OR 2011 WITH AROUND 60000 MILES GOING DOWN I-75 AROUND 70 MILES AN HOUR A RED TRIANGLE CAME ON TELLING ME TO PULL OVER SAFELY NOW. I NEED A MECS PUMP SOMETHING ABOUT A PUMP TO COOL THE BATTERY AFTER AGAIN ANOTHER COSTLY BILL ON MY WAY TO WORK THIS SPRING THE RED TRIANGLE CAME ON AGAIN. THIS TIME INSTEAD OF TAKING THIS CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP I TOOK IT TO MY MECHANIC IT SAVED ME AROUND $100.00 ON THE REPLACEMENT OF THE COOLING PUMP. I WAS DRIVING IN CONSTRUCTION AUGUST 22, 2013 AND THE RED LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN TELLING ME TO PULL OVER SAFELY I DID HAVE MY AIR ON AND I WAS STUCK IN TRAFFIC SO I PULLED OVER. IN THE HEAT I HAVE NOT HAD MY AIR ON AGAIN AND IT HAS NOT HAPPENED IN THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS BUT I DO NOT TRUST MY CAR AND I NOW NEED TO GO TO MY MECHANIC AND HAVE IT CHECKED OUT. . *TR

DURING BRAKING TO STOP OR TURN, THE BRAKES ENGAGED AND RELEASED AT LOW SPEED THEN REENGAGED, CAUSING A LURCH. THIS PROBLEM WAS ONGOING BUT INTERMITTENT. UPON RESEARCHING THE ISSUE AND AFTER SEPARATE SERVICE VISITS TO TWO DIFFERENT FORD DEALERS, WITH MY INPUT FROM ONLINE FORUMS, THE TONE RINGS ON BOTH FRONT BRAKES WERE REPLACED, RESOLVING THE PROBLEM. THESE RINGS WERE CRACKED AND ACCORDING TO THE DEALER, THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM AND I THINK THESE PARTS ARE DEFECTIVE. *TR

STALLING, TOTAL LOSS OF POWER ON FREEWAY, OR MAKING A CITY TURN, OR ACCELERATING FROM A STOP SIGN OR LIGHT, OR GOING UP EVEN A SLIGHT INCLINE, SUCH AS A DRIVEWAY TO A HOUSE. ONLY IN THE SUMMER. DO NOT DARE USE AIR CONDITIONING, WHICH MAKES IT OCCUR QUICKER AND MUCH MORE OFTEN. 95 DEGREES OUTSIDE, 113 DEGREES IN CAR - CANNOT AND DO NOT USE AIR CONDITIONER, BUT STILL HAPPENS ON TRIP OVER 15 MINUTES LONG. TOTALLY UNSAFE. LIKE OTHER CONTRIBUTORS, I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHY THERE HAS BEEN NO RECALL. JUST TODAY, JULY 10, 2013, 18-WHEELER BEHIND ME (CLOSE) ON 45 MPH CITY STREET, AND I STALLED. I STUCK MY LEFT HAND OUT OF MY WINDOW IN A "PLEASE STOP" GESTURE, AND DRIVER DID STOP, BUT I WAS TERRIFIED. MUST COME TO FULL STOP, PUT CAR IN PARK TO RE-START IT. BUT SAME THING WILL HAPPEN AT NEXT LIGHT OR SIGN OR CHANGE OF SPEED, WHETHER IN 5 MINUTES OR 30 SECONDS, CITY STREET OR FREEWAY. AT THIS POINT, I WOULD SAY THIS HAS HAPPENED APPROXIMATELY 250 TIMES. YES, THAT IS NOT A TYPO. NO QUESTION FORD KNOWS ABOUT THIS. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MERCURY MARINER HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED ON SEVERAL SEPARATE OCCASIONS WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS BUT THEY WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 74,000. *TR

TURNING RIGHT FROM A STOP, ONTO A MAJOR STREET, ACCELERATING FELT CLICK IN WHEEL AND ALL OF THE POWER ASSIST WAS GONE. I COMPLETED THE TURN AND CONTINUED SLOW ACCELERATION TO AROUND 35MPH, THE WHEEL STILL OPERATED LIKE DRIVING A PRE-SIXTIES PICKUP TRUCK BUT WHEN I SLOWED DOWN TO MAKE ANOTHER RIGHT TURN I REALLY HAD TO PUT MY SHOULDERS INTO IT TO COMPLETE. I RETURNED HOME AND GOT ON LINE TO SEE IF I NEEDED POWER STEERING FLUID AND FOUND THIS SITE. THIS JUST HAPPENED AND APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MERCURY MARINER HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE PULLING INTO A PARKING LOT AT 3 MPH, SHE ATTEMPTED TO ENGAGE THE BRAKES BUT THEY FAILED TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE ABS AND THE CHECK BRAKE WARNING LAMP ILLUMINATED. ALSO, THE CONTACT STATED THAT SHE HAD TO CRASH INTO A TREE IN ORDER TO STOP THE VEHICLE. NO INJURIES WERE REPORTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 104,000. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MERCURY MARINER HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE FAILURE HAD RECURRED PREVIOUSLY. THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED AND OPERATED AS DESIGNED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE WATER PUMP WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 62,311.

I WAS TRAVELING WEST AT ABOUT 70 MPH IN THE LEFT LANE ON I-66 OUT OF WASHINGTON, DC WITH FOUR PEOPLE IN THE CAR. SUDDENLY, THE ENGINE DIED AND WE WERE LEFT WITH ONLY THE ELECTRIC MOTOR ON THE HYBRID AND A DASH WARNING OF A RED TRIANGLE AND THE STATEMENT "STOP SAFELY SOON." THE CAR QUICKLY LOST POWER TO ABOUT 30 MPH AND WE STRUGGLED TO GET ACROSS THE FOUR LANES TO THE SHOULDER. THE ELECTRONICS IN THE CAR STILL OPERATED (RADIO, DASH LIGHTS, ETC.), BUT THE GAS ENGINE STALLED. ONCE ON THE SHOULDER, WE STOPPED. THE FORD OWNER'S MANUAL TOLD US TO TURN THE CAR OFF AND TRY TO RE-START. WE DID THIS AND THE CAR RE-STARTED. WE STARTED TO DRIVE, BUT THE CAR DID THE SAME THING AFTER ABOUT 5 MINUTES. THE CAR DID THE SAME THING ON ABOUT 5 DIFFERENT OCCASIONS UNTIL WE COULD GET TO AN EXIT THAT HAD BUSINESSES. THE FORD DEALER IN THIS AREA (AWAY FROM MY HOME) STATES THAT THE ELECTRONIC COOLING PUMP NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. ALTHOUGH I UNDERSTAND THAT PARTS FAIL, MY COMPLAINT IS THAT FORD SHOULD NOT TELL OWNERS TO RE-START THE CAR AND TRY TO PROCEED ON. IT IS DANGEROUS WHEN IT CONTINUES TO FAIL AND YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE THE NEXT FAILURE MIGHT OCCUR (ON A BRIDGE, IN A CONSTRUCTION ZONE, ON A BUSY, FAST INTERSTATE). MOREOVER, HAVING REVIEWED COMPLAINTS ON THIS SITE AND ELSEWHERE ON THE INTERNET ABOUT FORD HYBRIDS, I KNOW THAT MANY OTHERS HAVE EXPERIENCE THIS SITUATION WHERE THE CAR ENGINE STALLS AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS DUE TO VARIOUS PROBLEMS (E.G., THE ELECTRONIC COOLING PUMP, BAD SENSORS, OR A CORRUPTED PCM). *TR