NHTSA — Steering Problems

2008 Mercury Mariner (Page 1 of 15)

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:
3 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
4 / 0
Average Mileage:
116,227 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 steering problems

steering problem

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2008 Mercury Mariner Owner Comments (Page 1 of 15)

problem #294

Mar 082024

Mariner

  • miles

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

The steering wheel does not return to center when making turns. It is more pronounced during left turns. This is a dangerous condition that could result in the vehicle going left or right of center and striking pedestrians, bicyclists, oncoming traffic, fixed objects. An independent service center confirmed that the issue was a bad torque sensor and bad motor in the steering column. I have schedule a police inspection for 5/23/2024. Issue first appeared this year. No warnings.

- Sagamore Hills, OH, USA

problem #293

Dec 222023

Mariner

  • miles
The contact owns a 2008 Mercury Mariner. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel became loose while steering in either direction. As the failure persisted, the steering wheel had become stiff and the "Power Steering Assist" warning message appeared on the instrument panel. The contact stated that excessive force was needed to steer the vehicle due to the failure. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed with power steering assist failure. The mechanic was unable to obtain the part needed to repair the vehicle. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering) which was linked to the failure. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer were notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

- North Ridgeville, OH, USA

problem #292

Nov 202023

Mariner

  • 160,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Mercury Mariner. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who replaced the steering sensor however, the contact stated the failure persisted and the local mechanic was unable to repair the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 160,000.

- Park Hill, OK, USA

problem #291

Feb 072024

Mariner

  • miles

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

Power Steering Assist Fault. Loss of power steering.

- Plainfield, IN, USA

problem #290

Nov 282023

Mariner

  • miles
Lost all power steering. Cannot steer or turn my steering wheel

- Washingtonville , NY, USA

problem #289

Nov 042023

Mariner

  • 107,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Mercury Mariner. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH and making a turn, the steering wheel seized temporarily. The contact stated that the failure recurred intermittently while driving, and the vehicle lost power steering functionality. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The contact stated that she turned off and restarted the vehicle several times; however, the failure persisted. The contact's husband assisted her in driving the vehicle to the residence. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that a fee would be charged for a diagnostic test. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering). The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 107,000.

- Gainesville, GA, USA

problem #288

Mar 312021

Mariner

  • 77,000 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 while reversing out of a parking space, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The contact stated upon turning off and restarting the vehicle, the vehicle operated as needed; however, the failure reoccurred while driving 35 MPH. The power steering assist warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle, however, the failure persisted. The contact used physical strength to steer the vehicle and drove to the local dealer. The dealer diagnosed that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering) and informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired under the recall as the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stopped driving the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 77,000.

- Anderson, SC, USA

problem #287

Feb 152021

Mariner

  • miles
Steering stopped while driving.

- Cedar Rapids , IA, USA

problem #286

Jan 302023

Mariner

  • 186,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Mercury Mariner. The contact stated while her husband was driving 75 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that her husband exited the freeway and veered to the side of the road while using physical force to steer the vehicle. The contact's husband was able to drive to the residence even though the failure persisted. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering) because the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was approximately 186,000.

- Clinton, UT, USA

problem #285

Jan 202023

Mariner

  • miles
The power stearing went out all at once and a light popped up saying power assit fault

- Sonora, KY, USA

problem #284

Sep 012014

Mariner

  • 95,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2008 Mercury Mariner. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering). The contact took the vehicle to a local dealer and had the recall repair completed. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that on December 27, 2022, while exiting her garage porch the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 95,000.

- Milwaukee, WI, USA

problem #283

Oct 132022

Mariner

  • 238,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Mercury Mariner. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed and making a left turn, the vehicle lost power steering functionality and was difficult to turn. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that the vehicle was experiencing the failure listed in NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering) however, the vehicle was previously repaired under the recall. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to file a complaint. The failure mileage was 238,000.

- Snellville, GA, USA

problem #282

Oct 032022

Mariner

  • miles
Our torque sensor needs replacing. McFarland Ford in Exeter said that the torque sensor was repaird via recall at First Ford in Fall River, MA 2014. We have NEVER had a problem with steering. First Ford in Fall River informed me that if we brought the vehicle in for an oil change, any recall item would have been checked, and if they found no problem with it at that time, it was reported, and that ended the recall status for our vehicle. Please, we need your help. My husband is 83; I am 70. This whole thing smells. How can checking something we had no problem with cancel a recall status on our vehicle. There was no warning. Our vehicle worked fine. We got in the next morning, and the steering wheel wouldn't turn.

- Epping, NH, USA

problem #281

Sep 172022

Mariner

  • 185,669 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Mercury Mariner. The contact stated that the vehicle was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering) and an inspection was performed along with a software update. The contact stated while driving approximately 20 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality making it difficult to turn to the left or the right. The contact pulled over to the side of the roadway and turned off and restarted the vehicle and the power steering functionality was restored. The failure occurred three times on the same day. The dealer was contacted and informed of the failure however, the vehicle had not been taken the dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 185,669.

- Midlothian, VA, USA

problem #280

May 152022

Mariner

  • 0 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Mercury Mariner. The contact stated while her mother-in-law was driving 70 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The contact's mother-in-law pulled the vehicle off the road and drove to an independent mechanic. The contact-??s mother-in-law stated there was no warning light illuminated. The mechanic diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the electrical power steering assist needed to be replaced. The mechanic related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering) however, the vehicle was not included in the recall. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

- Pittsburg, TX, USA

problem #279

Jul 182022

Mariner

  • miles
Drove fine day before got in next morning wheel very tight hard to turn Took to shop they said loss of electric power steering. Guy said this vehicle had trouble with that Checked for any recalls NHTSA had this on their site as a recall started in 2014 I called dealership here in town and guy basically laughed at me because was a 2008 and said not going to fix your car forever. Recall has expired. It-??s a safety issue.

- Lincoln, NE, USA

problem #278

Mar 102022

Mariner

  • miles
THE PROBLEM IS WITH THE ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM. I HAVE A TORQUE SENSOR PROBLEM OR SOMETHING THAT WANT LET THE POWER STEERING WORK. FORD HAD A RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM FOR THIS YEAR MODEL. WHEN I CALL THEM THEY RESPOND AS MY CAR WAS NOT COVERED. IM HAVING THE SAME ISSUE THAT THE RECAll WAS FOR. NOT SURE WHY ITS NOT COVERED.

- Saluda, SC, USA

problem #277

Mar 102022

Mariner

  • miles
While driving suddenly a beep on the dashboard and a notice appeared, the steering wheel got too hard to make it turn, the notice on the dashboard "Power Steering Assist Fault" the part can"t be found anywhere but refurbished at a high price, it is very unsafe to drive while making turns. Wondering if this could be a good reason to order recall on this part. Vehicle was inspected by a Mechanic. what do I need to do now? Thanks

- Union City, NJ, USA

problem #276

Feb 262022

Mariner

  • 180,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Mercury Mariner. The contact stated while driving approximately 75 MPH and attempting to make a turn, the vehicle lost power steering assist. The contact was able to continue driving the vehicle in manual steering mode causing the vehicle to be difficult to maneuver. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was driven back to the residence and was diagnosed by an independent mechanic. The contact was informed that the steering sensor was not operating as designed. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 180,000.

- Colorado Springs, CO, USA

problem #275

Mar 012022

Mariner

  • 188,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Mercury Mariner. The contact stated that the power steering assist fault warning message was displayed. There was an abnormal metal on metal noise detected. The steering wheel was unstable. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified and referred the contact to NHTSA for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 188,000.

- Howard City, MI, USA

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