MERCURY Complaints

THIS HAPPENED ONCE SEVERAL WEEKS AGO WITH MY WIFE OPERATING THE CAR AND NEWBORN IN THE BACK. I WASN'T IN THE CAR SO I DID NOT WITNESS THE PROBLEM. OVER THE PAST TWO DAYS I HAVE EXPERIENCED THE PROBLEM FIRST HAND SEVERAL TIMES. CAR STOPS ACCELERATING DURING NORMAL OPERATION. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON, THE ACCELERATOR STOPS WORKING AND CAR BEGINS TO IDLE ERRATICALLY. THE ENGINE DOES NOT SHUT OFF. ONCE YOU COAST IN HEAVY TRAFFIC TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, YOU MAY TURN THE CAR OFF THEN RESTART AND DRIVE WITHOUT ISSUE FOR AN INDETERMINATE AMOUNT OF TIME (ONCE IT WAS SEVERAL WEEKS, ONCE IT WAS TEN MINUTES). THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WILL BE OFF AND NO CODE WILL BE LOGGED INTO THE COMPUTER. I TOOK THE CAR TO A MECHANIC TEN MINUTE AFTER AN INCIDENT AND THE COMPUTER PICKED UP NOTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR. WITH ALL THESE COMPLAINTS AND ANECDOTAL EVIDENCE, BY THIS TIME FORD AND THE NHTSA MUST BE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. WHERE IS THE RECALL? *TR

REAR GLASS TAIL GATE HATCH HINGE - THE HINGE PIN WAS COMING OUT THROUGH THE POT METAL CASTING. EVERY TIME I OPENED IT WORE A BIT MORE. HINGE WAS TWISTED - GLASS HUNG DOWN OUT OF POSITION. I WAS AFRAID IT WOULD FAIL ON THE ROAD AND INJURE A CAR BEHIND ME. I BOUGHT A NEW DEALER HINGE AND INSTALLED IT MYSELF. PARTS AND SERVICE PEOPLE AT DEALER NEGLECTED TO TELL ME TO DISCONNECT THE GAS CYLINDERS. WITH TAILGATE CLOSED GAS CYLINDERS ARE NOT VISIBLE. I REMOVED THE BAD HINGE IN PREPARATION TO INSTALL NEW. IT WAS A WRESTLING MATCH AS THE CYLINDER WAS TRYING TO FORCE THE GLASS OUT AND DOWN WHICH TWISTED THE OTHER HINGE. NOW THAT OTHER HINGES PIN IS BREAKING THROUGH THE POT METAL. IT TOOK TWO OF US TO WRESTLE THE CYLINDER AND GET THE NEW HINGE IN PLACE. TO BE SAFE I'M JUST NOT GOING TO USE THE HATCH. *TR

2009 MERCURY MARINER WITH ABOUT 90,000 MILES. WAS ON THE FREEWAY DRIVING ABOUT 65-70 MPH WHEN SUDDENLY THE POWER TO CAR CUT OFF - WAS NOT ABLE TO ACCELERATE VEHICLE; DROVE TO RIGHT SIDE OF THE ROAD. CAR WAS STILL ON, BUT GAS PEDAL WOULD NOT WORK, WRENCH LIGHT WAS ON, CAR IDLING VERY ROUGHLY. TURNED CAR OFF. TURNED CAR BACK ON, WRENCH LIGHT WAS OFF, DROVE ANOTHER 30 MINUTES TO DESTINATION WITHOUT INCIDENT. IN THE TWO HOUR DRIVE HOME, THE CAR CUT OFF FIVE MORE TIMES. I HEARD A BELL ALERT AUDIO SOUND A FEW TIMES, BUT THE ONLY LIGHT THAT CAME ON WAS THE WRENCH JUST AS THE POWER CUT OFF. THE VERY LAST TIME IT HAPPENED, THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, AND STAYED ON EVEN AFTER RESTARTING THE CAR. I FEEL VERY THANKFUL TO HAVE GOT HOME ALIVE AND WITHOUT GETTING INTO AN ACCIDENT. DEALER RECOMMENDS A 90M SERVICE PACKAGE ($547), A DIAGNOSTIC TEST ($104), AND POSSIBLY A THROTTLE BODY AND/OR SENSOR ($300-ISH). *TR

DRIVING A STEADY 70 MPH ON THE INTERSTATE. CAR SPEED STARTED TO DROP AND THERE WAS NO RESPONSE FROM THE ACCELERATOR. COASTED THE CAR TO THE SHOULDER. ENGINE REMAINED RUNNING BETWEEN 800 TO 1500 RPM AND SURGING. NO RESPONSE TO ACCELERATOR INPUT. CAR WOULD LURCH FORWARD. WRENCH LIGHT CAME ON. EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION. SHUT ENGINE OFF AND RESTARTED. CONDITION DID NOT IMPROVE. WAS ABLE TO MOVE THE CAR OFF THE INTERSTATE AT LESS THAN 5 MPH. CAR WAS SURGING AND LURCHING THE ENTIRE TIME. STOPPED THE ENGINE AGAIN. WAITED ABOUT 10 MINUTES AND RESTARTED THE ENGINE. CAR APPEARS TO HAVE RETURNED TO NORMAL OPERATION. THERE ARE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS VERY DANGEROUS CONDITION. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE HEADLIGHTS FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 161,000.

WHEN REVERSING OUT OF DRIVEWAY CAR ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN. PRESSED BRAKES BUT CAR STILL MOVED BACKWARDS. HAVE SKID MARKS IN DRIVEWAY TO SHOW FOR IT. THREW CAR INTO NEUTRAL AND TURNED OFF ENGINE. RESTARTED AND EVERYTHING SEEMED NORMAL. DROVE CAR ON TRIP AND WHEN REDUCING SPEED TO SLOW DOWN BY PUSHING ON BRAKE CAR AGAIN ACCELERATED AND NEARLY HIT ANOTHER CAR. AGAIN THREW CAR INTO NEUTRAL AND TURNED OFF ENGINE. AND AGAIN WHEN RESTARTING CAR EVERYTHING SEEMED NORMAL AGAIN. WIFE IS EXTREMELY AFRAID OF DRIVING CAR. TOOK CAR TO DEALER WHERE IT WAS PURCHASED AND WAS TOLD THAT IT MAY HAVE BEEN THAT I PUSHED THE BRAKE AND GAS PEDAL AT THE SAME TIME, THIS HOWEVER, I BELIEVE IS NOT THE CASE. DEALERSHIP HOWEVER KEPT THE CAR FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION AS TO WHAT THE PROBLEM MAY BE. WILL HEAR IN A DAY OR TWO. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 MERCURY MARINER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE WOULD SHAKE VIOLENTLY. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE MOST RECENT TIME THE FAILURE OCCURRED, THE VEHICLE DECELERATED INDEPENDENTLY AND WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE THROTTLE BODY WAS DEFECTIVE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 20,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 58,000.

WHILE DRIVING ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS THE VEHICLE UNEXPECTEDLY STALLS WITH NO PRIOR WARNING. THE THIRD TIME I WAS TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH ON THE PARKWAY. I HAVE A SECOND 2010 MARINER WHICH HAD EXACTLY THE SAME PROBLEM IN AUGUST 2013. BOTH WERE REPAIRED BY THE DEALER BY REPLACING A DEFECTIVE THROTTLE BODY. *TR

WHILE DRIVING ON THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS THE VEHICLE UNEXPECTEDLY STALLS WITH NO PRIOR WARNING. THE THIRD TIME I WAS TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH ON THE PARKWAY. A DANGEROUS CONDITION TO SAY THE LEAST. I HAVE A SECOND 2010 MARINER WHICH HAD EXACTLY THE SAME PROBLEM IN JANUARY 2013. BOTH WERE REPAIRED BY THE DEALER BY REPLACING A DEFECTIVE THROTTLE BODY. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 MERCURY MILAN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY LOST ACCELERATION POWER. THE VEHICLE WAS MOVED TO THE SHOULDER WHERE IT WAS SHUT DOWN AND RESTARTED. THE VEHICLE RESUMED NORMAL FUNCTION. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE FAILURE RECURRED ONE WEEK LATER. THE VEHICLE WAS NEITHER REPAIRED NOR DIAGNOSED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED ABOUT THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 89,000.