2008 Mercury Mariner: problems, recalls and reliability
4 recalls and 577 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is steering (52% of complaints); the 2006 and 2007 and 2010 model years look more trouble-free.
Data updated weekly · latest recall Sep 2015
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 577 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“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.”Owner report · Steering · Mar 2024
“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.”Owner report · Steering · Nov 2023
“The contact owns a 2008 Mercury Mariner Hybrid. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist. The Power Steering Assist Fault message was displayed. The contact was able to drive to her destination. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 226,118.”Owner report · Steering · Nov 2023
Show 7 more owner reports
“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.”Owner report · Steering · Oct 2022
“Brakes go to floor dealer said they see nothing. They gave my vehicle back brake are normal again.two months go by it happens again but it fixed itself after 2 days. This just happen again 8/5/2022. I see a recall NHTSA campaign #19V904000 ,MFG campaign #19S54 Also a NHTSA recall#150546 How am I going to drive with brakes on the floor My vehicle is a 2008 Mercury Mariner Thanks in advance”Owner report · Service Brakes · Aug 2022
“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.”Owner report · Steering · Jul 2022
“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.”Owner report · Steering · May 2022
“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”Owner report · Steering · Mar 2022
“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.”Owner report · Steering · Mar 2022
“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.”Owner report · Steering · Mar 2022
When filing, owners marked a crash in 11 of these complaints and injuries in 5 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 4 campaigns
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 could disengage from the transmission without warning.
Remedy: 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.
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.
Remedy: 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.
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.
Remedy: 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 is 14S05.
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.
Remedy: 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.
Trouble codes owners mention
OBD-II codes that appear in NHTSA complaints about this car.
Specifications
Factory options offered for the 2008 model year, decoded from the NHTSA vPIC database. Individual vehicles have one of each.
How other years compare
Check your exact Mariner by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2008 Mercury Mariner reliable?
NHTSA has 577 owner complaints and 4 recall campaigns on record for the 2008 Mercury Mariner. The most complained-about area is steering (52% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2008 Mercury Mariner problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 100,000 miles or less.
Does the 2008 Mercury Mariner have open recalls?
4 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning power train:automatic transmission:lever and linkage:floor shift. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.