NHTSA — Unknown Or Other Problems

CarComplaints.com Seal Of This Might Hurt

CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2008-2011 Mercury Mariner has a dangerous problem with the power steering that Ford says they fixed when they didn't -- at least not 100%.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
84,735 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2008 Mercury Mariner miscellaneous problems

miscellaneous problem

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2008 Mercury Mariner Owner Comments

problem #18

Aug 152022

Mariner

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My power steering light popped on about 6-9 months ago for about 10 seconds and then turned off. About a month ago now, I gently hit a boulder with my front right tire. I dented a couple of steering rods and something else. Got it fixed, and then when the repair guy was backing my car out of their shop, my car just turned on its own. It's the same issue that required a recall of the steering column in this car years ago. (I had it replaced as part of that recall in 2014.) I talked to 3 different Ford dealership parts departments. They all told me the same thing. "Hmm...this is very odd. I've never seen a part number changed so many times. They also changed the location of this specific factory...this is really odd. Right now, Ford is guaranteeing 300 steering columns being manufactured and released in September and another 300 in October. But there are over 850 people on the pre-order list." So tell me why, this part was recalled like 6+ years ago and all of a sudden now, these same parts are having the same issues. The power steering will just stop working whenever it wants. Every single ford parts guy I talked to at the 3 different Ford's I talked to said all of the above is very suspicious. "It seems like Ford never fixed the problem and it trying to cover their ass".

- Wauna, WA, USA

problem #17

Dec 222021

Mariner

  • miles
I was going down the 4lane in my home town an my steering wheel just stopped working could have caused me to have a accident I was going 55 miles an hour it could have been bad if I hadn't had both hands on the steering wheel please Thank you Kathy

- Dalton, GA, USA

problem #16

Nov 292021

Mariner

  • miles
Power steering goes out at regular intervals. in the same type of issue as the following Recall notice 14S05/NHTSA Or the Electric assist system as bad.

- Alb, NM, USA

problem #15

Oct 102021

Mariner

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Car was accelerating from stop to about 15 mph up a slight incline when the engine shut off and -€œStop Safely Now-€ appeared on the dashboard. At the same time -š ï¸ This symbol lit up on the dashboard as well. I came to a stop, shut the car off and tried to start it. On the third attempt it started normally.

- Lewisville , NC, USA

problem #14

Feb 062021

Mariner

  • miles
2008 Mercury Mariner throttle control powertrain light comes on, transmission cannot go into gear properly, it stops at 4000 RPM, and it struggles to go at higher speeds,

- South Weymouth, MA, USA

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problem #13

Oct 062020

Mariner

  • 155,000 miles
Re:NHTSA identifier 19V904 Ford internal reference number:19S54 although Mercury Mariners are not listed in this recall, my 2008 Mercury Mariner has the exact same issue, sticking ABS valve. Ford will not recognize my vehicle as part of this recall. I have had 2 different certified mechanics work on the vehicle and both mechanics have installed new brake boosters, brake pads and master cylinders. The results from their work did not resolve the issue of soft brakes. The problem began when I made an abrupt stop while driving on a city street. The brakes were never fully functional after that. I believe the situation with my Mariner is identical to the issue identified in the NHTSA identifier 19V904. I also believe that Mercury Mariners should be included in this Ford recall.

- Mesa, AZ, USA

problem #12

Feb 182020

Mariner

  • 231,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The car is reving high and accelerating poorly. Then the red triangle light telling me to stop safety now comes on causing me to pull over and shut car off. I turn the car back on and it drives but with same issues. Look on the carcomplaint.com website for tsb-09-19-12 and tsb-08-24-5 which detail what my car is doing and makes it appear like there is a cooling pump recall. Ford just told me there are no recalls listed for my VIN though. The frequency of which the red triangle light comes on is increasing this month. It was every few months and now it is weekly-daily.

- Glenville, WV, USA

problem #11

Apr 122019

Mariner

  • miles
Ignition switch teeth messed up causing the key to not turn correctly. Gas pedal sticks when it's cold outside. If you hit a small amount of water it causes the vehicle to lose traction control, ABS system goes out, and brakes get really soft and air bag lights come on. Transmission bogs out with 2nd gear.

- Albany, GA, USA

problem #10

May 192019

Mariner

  • 165,000 miles
Takata recall well driving my vehicle lost acceleration.when I step on the gas the vehicle didn't accelerate as the RPM went up.I was coming to a stop light on city street.as I made the stop at stop-light as the light turn green I stepped on the has and the rpms went up but vehicle barely moved.

- Detroit, MI, USA

problem #9

Jan 012016

Mariner

  • 90,000 miles
Everytime I try to fill gas, the pumps keep shutting off. It doesn't matter how fast or slow I do it or the angle. I took it to a local garage and after they inspected it and found no obvious issues, they looked online in their mechanic website and seen that the fuel nozzils for these types of vehicles often need to be replaced due to shape or something similar. It's the only way to fix the problem. I believe if a problem is caused due to faulty design, then I shouldn't have to be the one to pay for the repairs. It's a very frustrating problem. It can take 5-10 minutes to fill tank completely and when in negative temperatures, that's a long time to be standing outside.

- Hesperia, MI, USA

problem #8

Nov 202017

Mariner

  • 180,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2008 Mercury Mariner. The contact stated that the ignition switch module went out and caused the vehicle to become inoperable. The vehicle was towed to barber Ford in holland, mi (640 E 8th). The manufacturer was not notified. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 180,000.

- Holland, MI, USA

problem #7

Oct 022016

Mariner

  • 149,000 miles
My wife was driving on her way home, and out of nowhere the steering felt weird, and while driving the car shut off. No power steering or power brakes (due to engine shutting off) and we do not know why this happened.

- Dade City, FL, USA

problem #6

Jun 102016

Mariner

  • 250,000 miles
The cpu unit has had a complete failure and the a new replacement part is not available. Vehicle year is a 2008. The problem started to become hard to start the complete failure. The vehicle was towed to the dealer.

- Palmer, AK, USA

problem #5

Feb 252013

Mariner

  • 85,061 miles
Throttle body sticking, car pedal would be pushed down and car would not move then push a little harder and the car would jump forward. This happens whenever the car has been stopped and then the pedal is pushed down again to take off, such as at stop signs, parking lots, drive ways and so forth. Took car in and at the first visit to the service department they just cleaned the throttle body, when it continued to stick we took it back in and they replaced the throttle body costing hundreds of dollars due to the warranty on the vehicle was out. This one lasted till just after the warranty ran out on the part, then it started sticking again. It appears to stick more in cold weather. We have not replaced it at this time due to the cost of the part and the fact that it does not seem to last much over a year at a time. I understand this is a safety issue, but we do not have the money to replace this part every year. From what I have read this has been a on going problem for other people as well. Why has there not been a recall on this part?

- Mt. Carmel, IL, USA

problem #4

Jun 062015

Mariner

  • 85,000 miles
I purchased this vehicle used last year. My vehicle starting having long shifts and would stall on me when at low speed. I took it to shop and there was a recall on the transmission fluid cooler that can develop a crack in the tube and ultimately cause your transmission to go bad. I was told to call Ford for the repair of the tube. I was told that the recall wasn't for my car (VIN specific) although the recall was for 2008 Mercury Mariners. I don't understand what they wouldn't honor my vehicle if mine is a 2008 Mariner and has the problem that is in the recall. I was also told that although I just purchased the auto that if if it I had any expired recalls on it that it wouldn't be fixed. I asked to speak to manager or supervisor and she said it wouldn't help. This is a Ford policy and it won't be changed.

- Charleston , SC, USA

problem #3

Sep 232014

Mariner

  • 69,286 miles
Vehicle stalled on highway and will not start back up immediately and when it does it runs very rough I believe it is the throttle body since there was a recall on this engine.

- Akron, OH, USA

problem #2

May 112014

Mariner 6-cyl

  • 61,830 miles
I was driving on highway route 22 at approximately 60 mph, when suddenly the throttle stopped responding and the tachometer started dropping. In a matter of seconds the tachometer reached zero and the vehicle stalled, while I was in traffic on the highway. I coasted off to the shoulder and put the vehicle in park. When I tried to restart the vehicle, the engine would turn over and start up, however, immediately after I let go of the key, the tachometer would drift back down to zero and the vehicle would stall. After a few more failed attempts, I called for a tow. Since this occurred after hours, no one was available to work on the vehicle until the next morning. In the morning when I attempted to show the technician the failure, the vehicle started up as it did the evening before, then the tachometer started dipping back down, then just before it stalled, the tachometer fluttered a little, then the engine revved back up and began idling normally. The technician indicated that there were no events logged in the vehicles computer to give him an idea of what caused the sudden stalling, and he could not find any obvious issues with the vehicle. The vehicle was returned to me without repair and the technician warned me that it is likely that this would happen again and that they cannot diagnose it unless they see it when it is not working. Now I am concerned that this will happen again while driving and that it will cause an accident, or worse. I read an article from the North Carolina consumers council stating that there is a known issue with the throttle body of this vehicle that causes sudden engine stall while driving. Ford issued an extended warranty on certain vehicles for this piece, however when I contacted the dealership and mentioned consumer satisfaction program 13N03, they informed me that my vehicle did not qualify. I'm not sure what to do next.

- Allentown, PA, USA

problem #1

Aug 192007

Mariner 4WD 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 4,061 miles
Traveling through williamsburg, va en route to vacation when powertrain light illuminates and power steering is lost. Able to steer vehicle into parking lot to wait for tow. Had to find a way to get to the open rental locations to continue on trip, unload all luggage including a loaded roof rack into parking lot and reload when rental arrives an hour later. Car was towed the next day to the closest Mercury dealer who determines the problem was an incorrectly seated connector pin. Dealer secured pin and performed test on power steering module that received a pass.

- Chester Springs, PA, USA

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