2008 Mercury Mariner problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Steering (281) · Power Train (38) · Vehicle Speed Control (29)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Mercury Mariner model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
402 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (4)
Power Train:automatic Transmission:lever And Linkage:floor Shift 2015-09-29 · campaign 15V606000 · 57 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2001-2008 Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner vehicles manufactured March 31, 2001, to September 1, 2009. The affected vehicles are equipped with either a 2.3L or 3.0L engine and have had their CD4E transmission replaced with remanufactured one that was rebuilt between June 11, 2015 through July 15, 2015. These service repair part transmissions have a shift lever bolt that may not be properly tightened. As a result, the shift control lever
Risk: If the shift lever disengages from the transmission, a driver may be unable to shift gear positions and the indicated shift position may not represent the gear position the vehicle is in. Should a disengagement occur while the vehicle is being driven, when the driver goes to stop and park the vehicle, the gear selection indicator may show that the transmission is in the "PARK" position, but the v
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the transmissions and either tighten the manual shift lever bolt or replace the manual shift lever assembly. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on October 23, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15S28.
Suspension:front:wheel Bearing 2015-06-03 · campaign 15E045000 · 576 vehicles
Defect: The Timken Company (Timken) is recalling certain aftermarket front wheel bearings, part number 510072, sold from January 22, 2015, to May 21, 2015, to be used as service parts on 2001-2012 Ford Escape, 2001-2011 Mazda Tribute, and 2005-2011 Mercury Mariner vehicles. The affected wheel bearings have incorrect dimensions of a 42mm bore, 76mm outer dimension, and 39mm width, instead of a 42mm bore, 78mm outer dimension and a 45mm width.
Risk: Use of an incorrectly sized wheel bearing can adversely affect the braking and steering of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Timken has begun notifying distributors who will offer purchasers replacement wheel bearings, free of charge. The recall began on May 21, 2015. Owners may contact Timken customer service at 1-866-984-6536.
Hybrid Propulsion System 2014-09-03 · campaign 14V526000 · 70,209 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2005-2008 Ford Escape hybrid electric vehicles manufactured October 13, 2003, to June 20, 2008, and 2006-2008 Mercury Mariner hybrid electric vehicles manufactured June 10, 2005, to June 20, 2008. The coolant pump for the hybrid system may fail resulting in the hybrid electronics overheating.
Risk: If the hybrid electronics system overheats, it may shut down the powertrain, resulting in a stall-like condition, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the original Motor Electronics Coolant (MEC) Pump with an improved brushless pump, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on October 27, 2014. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 14S19.
Steering:electric Power Assist System 2014-05-29 · campaign 14V284000 · 740,878 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2008-2011 Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner vehicles manufactured August 18, 2006, through September 11, 2010. The affected vehicles have a steering torque sensor that may not be able to properly detect driver steering input. As a result, the system could remove the Electric Power Steering (EPS) assist.
Risk: If power steering assist is lost, greater driver effort would be required to steer the vehicle at low speeds, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will update the software for the power steering control module (PSCM) and the instrument cluster module, free of charge. If a vehicle shows a history of a loss of the torque sensor signal or fault codes relating to the PSCM when the vehicle is brought in for the recall remedy, the affected components will be replaced, free of charge. The recall began on July 18, 2014. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-800-392-3673. Ford's number for this recall
Service bulletins (31)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Equipment 2018-03-30 · SSM 47201 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
replacing the original equipment sync/navigation system with either an aftermarket sync/navigation kit or modifying original sync/navigation parts to provide additional features is not recommended nor supported on any ford, mercury or lincoln vehicle. only approved genuine ford accessories or origin
Equipment:electrical 2018-01-10 · SSM 47009 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
the accessory (wireless) keyless entry keypad can only be used with vehicles that are factory built with remote keyless entry (rke). the master code for the accessory (wireless) keyless entry keypad can be retrieved from fmcdealer - parts and service - parts product line information - keys/entry dev
Equipment:electrical 2018-01-10 · SSM 47009 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
the accessory (wireless) keyless entry keypad can only be used with vehicles that are factory built with remote keyless entry (rke). the master code for the accessory (wireless) keyless entry keypad can be retrieved from fmcdealer - parts and service - parts product line information - keys/entry dev
Equipment 2017-01-24 · SSM 46332 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
replacing the original equipment sync/navigation system with either an aftermarket sync/navigation kit or modifying original sync/navigation parts to provide additional features is not recommended nor supported on any ford, mercury or lincoln vehicle. only approved genuine ford accessories or origin
Engine And Engine Cooling:exhaust System:manifold/Header/Muffler/Tail Pipe 2016-09-21 · SSM 46085 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
the powertrain control/emissions diagnosis (pc/ed) manual has been revised for diagnosing electronic throttle bodies (etbs). the etc_act and etc_dsd pids should not used to diagnose possible etb concerns. the ids has a limited refresh rate when reading these pids and cannot display quickly enough to
Equipment:appliance:air Conditioner 2014-08-28 · TSB-14-0157 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
mercury/ford: in one or more speed settings, electronic manual temperature control (emtc) a/c system is warm and/or lack blower motor operation in settings due to damaged blower motor resistor caused by water entering heater and evaporator core housing. model 2008-12 escape, mariner. *pe
Showing the 6 most recent of 31 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2025-03-04 · Power Train“the contact owns a 2008 mercury mariner. the contact stated while at a stop sign, the vehicle failed to accelerate upon depression of accelerator pedal with the oil warning light flashing on the instrument panel. the contact drove the vehicle despite the failure returning upon restarting the vehicle. the contact had the vehicle towed to an independ…”
2024-12-26 · Steering · 220,000 mi“the contact owns a 2008 mercury mariner. the contact stated that while driving at 55 -60 mph, the power steering failed. the steering wheel became increasingly difficult to maneuver. the vehicle was turned off while the contact inspected the vehicle. the vehicle was restarted but a short distance afterwards the failure reoccurred. no warning lights…”
2024-10-22 · Steering · 104,392 mi“the contact owns a 2008 mercury mariner. the contact stated upon starting the vehicle, the steering wheel was significantly difficult to turn. there was no warning light illuminated. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where the contact was informed that the electric power steering had failed. the mechanic determined that the failure …”
2024-06-29 · Unknown Or Other · 💥 crash“car was in accident in october of 2022 has been lost since …”
2024-05-22 · Steering“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…”
2024-05-03 · Steering“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 n…”
2024-03-05 · Steering · 160,000 mi“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.…”
2024-02-09 · Steering“power steering assist fault. loss of power steering. …”
2023-12-07 · Steering“lost all power steering. cannot steer or turn my steering wheel…”
2023-11-06 · Steering · 107,000 mi“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 t…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.