MERCURY Complaints

MY FAMILY AND I WERE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT 70ISH MPH, AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, IT WAS LIKE THE CAR WENT INTO NEUTRAL, HAD ZERO POWER AT ALL. WE TRIED TO COAST TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, AND ENDED UP GETTING RAN OFF THE ROAD AND INTO A DITCH DUE TO HEAVY TRAFFIC AND HEAVY RAIN AT THE TIME IT FAILED. WE ARE OK, NO ONE WAS INJURED, BUT I AM HIGHLY UPSET AT THE FORD MOTOR COMPANY. MY WIFE SAID SHE WAS SO GLAD I WAS DRIVING WHEN IT HAPPENED, BECAUSE SHE FELT SHE WOULD HAVE LOST CONTROL AND HAD A SEVERE WRECK. OUR 2 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER WAS WITH US WHEN THIS HAPPENED =-( *TR

AUGUST 2012 - DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH AND THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY JERKED AND THE SAFE MODE LIGHT AND ENGINE LIGHT TURNED ON AND I COULD NO LONGER ACCELERATE. PUT CAR IN NEUTRAL, THEN STOPPED, PUT IT IN PARK. TURNED ENGINE OFF, THEN WAITED A COUPLE OF MINUTES AND TRIED AGAIN. IT STARTED, BUT AFTER ACCELERATING PAST 10 MPH, IT DID THE SAME THING. AFTER 3 ATTEMPTS, THE VEHICLE WENT BACK TO NORMAL DRIVING CONDITION. THE ENGINE LIGHT WENT OUT ON ITS OWN. JULY 2013 - DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY WITH CRUISE CONTROL SET TO 64 MPH, SAME THING HAPPENED BUT WAS QUITE SCARY BECAUSE WE WERE ON THE HIGHWAY WHICH WAS BUSY AND WE HAD TO GET OVER TO THE SHOULDER AND THEN ONCE WE WERE ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE, WE HAD TO TRY TO MERGE WITH BUSY TRAFFIC. THE ENGINE LIGHT IS ON SO WE WERE ABLE TO HAVE THE ISSUE DIAGNOSED AND IT IS A FAULTY THROTTLE BODY THAT NEEDS REPLACED. *TR

THE CAR BEHAVES AS IF IT WAS SUDDENLY PUT INTO NEUTRAL. WHEN YOU HIT THE GAS THE ENGINE REVS, BUT THE TRANSMISSION DOES NOT ENGAGE. THE WRENCH AND ENGINE LIGHTS COME ON, AND THE CAR WILL SOMETIMES SPUTTER LIKE IT IS GOING TO SHUT OFF COMPLETELY. THE ONLY WAY TO GET THE CAR TO FUNCTION NORMALLY IS TO STOP THE CAR AND TURN IT OFF AND BACK ON. I HAVE HAD THIS HAPPEN ON MAJOR HIGHWAYS AND OTHER BUSY ROADS. THE PROBLEM IS UNPREDICTABLE. A MECHANIC HAS DETERMINED THIS TO BE A PROBLEM WITH THE THROTTLE BODY, BUT THE PART IS ON NATIONAL BACK ORDER. MY CAR IS UN-DRIVE-ABLE. *TR

I OWN A 2005 MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS. THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED ONCE THE ENGINE WAS STARTED AND REMAINED ON. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE LOCAL FORD DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENT FOR DIAGNOSIS AND I WAS INFORMED THAT THE DRIVER'S SIDE SEATBELT PRETENSIONER WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $501 IN ADDITION TO THE $103 CHARGED FOR DIAGNOSIS. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT YET BEEN REPAIRED. I WILL INFORM THE MANUFACTURER. I OBSERVE FROM OTHER WEBSITES/REPORTS WHAT I BELIEVE MAY BE A PATTERN OF PREMATURE FAILURE OF GRAND MARQUIS SEATBELT PRETENSIONERS ESPECIALLY IN THE 2005 MODEL YEAR. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 127,084 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 127,201. *TR

AS I BACKED OUT OF A PARKING SPACE, THE CAR SURGED & I HIT ANOTHER PARKED CAR BEHIND ME. EVEN THOUGH I HAD MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE, THE CAR ACCELERATED FOR A FEW SECONDS. I THEN PLACED THE OTHER FOOT ON TOP OF THE RIGHT FOOT & PUT THE GEAR INTO PARK & THE CAR STOPPED. *TR

WHILE TRAVELING AT A SPEED OF 70MPH AN HEADING SOUTH ON I69 IN MY 2010 MERCURY MILAN 2.5L PREMIER, MY VEHICLE JERKED AND STARTED SHAKING WITH MY RPM'S JUMPING FROM 800 TO 1100. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TURNED ON AND SO DID THE WRENCH LIGHT. I TURNED ON MY HAZARDS AND MADE MY WAY TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. I SHUT OFF THE VEHICLE AND RESTARTED IT AND THE WARNING LIGHTS TURNED OFF. I STARTED ON THE ROAD AGAIN AND AT ABOUT 45 MPH IT DID THE SAME THING. I GOT OFF AT THE NEXT EXIT AND WENT TO AUTOZONE TO GET THE CODE PULLED. IT WAS CODE P2111, THROTTLE CIRCUIT IN THE OPEN POSITION. I DID A GOOGLE SEARCH AND FOUND OUT THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS VEHICLE AND THE MERCURY MARINER, FORD FOCUS, AND FORD ESCAPE WITH THE SAME ENGINE. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY LITERALLY LAUGHED AT ME AND INFORMED ME THAT THE THROTTLE BODY IS ON NATIONAL BACK ORDER AND THERE ARE CURRENTLY 7,000 OF THESE ORDERS AWAITING TO BE FILLED. THE DEALERSHIP ALSO INFORMED ME THAT THE MANUFACTURER OF THE THROTTLE BODY AND FORD ARE CURRENTLY TRYING TO GIVE AN UPDATED PART NUMBER WHICH MEANS THAT THEY ARE MAKING A NEW PART TO FIX THIS PROBLEM. THIS LEAVES ME WITH A THREE YEAR OLD CAR COMPLETELY USELESS SITTING IN MY DRIVEWAY. THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL AS ANY CAR THAT JUST SHUTS OFF WHILE YOU ARE ON THE FREEWAY IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS IF YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO IN THAT SITUATION. *TR

IMMEDIATELY AFTER FILLING THE FUEL TANK, WHILE STOPPED AT AN INTERSECTION, THE FUEL TANK FELL OUT OF THE VEHICLE. INVESTIGATION HAS REVEALED THAT BOTH STRAPS HOLDING THE FUEL TANK INTO THE VEHICLE HAVE FAILED DUE TO RUST AND CORROSION. THE FAILURE IS APPROXIMATELY 3-4 INCHES FROM THE STRAPS REAR ATTACHMENT POINTS. THE ONLY THING PREVENTING THE TANK FROM COMPLETELY SEPARATING FROM THE VEHICLE IS THE FILLER TUBE WHICH IS HOLDING THE DRIVERS SIDE OF THE FUEL TANK IN RELATIVE POSITION WITH APPROXIMATELY A 3IN DROP. THE PASSENGERS SIDE HAS COMPLETELY DROPPED AND IS RESTING ON THE GROUND. I BELIEVE THE TANK STRAPS ARE DEFECTIVE BECAUSE WHILE THERE IS SOME EVIDENCE OF RUST TO OTHER COMPONENTS IN THE VICINITY OF THESE STRAPS, NONE OF THEM HAVE ANYWHERE NEAR THE DEGREE OF RUST THE STRAPS HAVE. BOTH STRAPS HAVE RUSTED THROUGH AND FAILED ALLOWING THE FUEL TANK TO SEPARATE AND FALL TO THE GROUND ON THE PASSENGER'S SIDE. FORTUNATELY THIS OCCURRED AT A STOP, HAD THIS OCCURRED AT SPEED THERE IS A HIGH POTENTIAL FOR A CATASTROPHIC FUEL FIRE WHICH COULD HAVE RESULTED IN INJURY OR DEATH. *TR

MY WIFE WAS ACCELERATING AT ABOUT 10 MPH WHEN THE VEHICLE COMPLETELY WENT OUT OF GEAR. THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING BUT THE CAR FAILED TO MOVE QUICKLY COMING TO A DEAD STOP. IT TURNS OUT IT IS THE TORQUE CONVERTER. I UNDERSTAND THAT MERCURY SABLES HAVE THIS PROBLEM. IT IS THE SAME TRANSMISSION AS IS IN A FORD WINDSTAR THAT DID HAVE A RECALL TO REPLACE THESE DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSIONS. IF THIS HAD OCCURRED ON THE INTERSTATE DURING RUSH HOUR IN OUR AREA SHE COULD HAVE BEEN HURT AND IN AN ACCIDENT. WHY NO RECALL?? *TR

WHILE OPERATING VEHICLE AT ABOUT 25 MPH, THE VEHICLE SLOWED TO A LIMP. IT DIDN'T STALL. AFTER TURNING VEHICLE OFF AND RESTARTING IT SEEMED FINE FOR A FEW MINUTES THEN SLOWED AGAIN. HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO MY MECHANIC. CODE P2112 WAS INDICATED AND A NEW THROTTLE BODY WAS INSTALLED AND RE-PROGRAMMED. *TR

I WAS DRIVING WITH MY INFANT IN THE CAR AND IT SUDDENLY SLOWED TO 20 MPH IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO GET INTO A TURN LANE AND THEN IT DIED. I WAS VERY FORTUNATE THAT THE SUV BEHIND ME DID NOT HIT ME. HE SLAMMED ON HIS BRAKES AND LAID ON HIS HORN. VERY SCARY. THE DEALERSHIP SAYS IT IS THE THROTTLE BODY, WHICH IS ON NATIONAL BACK-ORDER AND THEY DO NOT KNOW WHEN IT CAN BE FIXED. THEY HAVE 5 OTHERS RIGHT NOW WITH THE SAME ISSUE. *TR