Mercury · Mariner · 2008
4
Recalls
461
Complaints
-
Not Rated
The 2008 Mercury Mariner has 4 recalls and 461 owner-reported complaints on file with NHTSA. Most reported issue: steering (262 reports).
Source: NHTSA Public Records · Updated Apr 22, 2026
This page combines three types of NHTSA data: recall campaigns (official manufacturer or government actions), owner complaints (unverified consumer reports), and crash test ratings (where available). A vehicle with many complaints is not necessarily less reliable — complaint volume correlates with sales volume and vehicle age. Recalls indicate identified defects, not overall quality. To compare this model year with others, use the year navigation in the sidebar or return to the model overview page.
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 Status
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.
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 Status
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 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 Status
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 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 Status
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 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 illuminated. The contact called the dealer who informed them the vehicle was included in a recall for the vehicle, NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering), approximately 10 years ago, which had a software update as the remedy. The dealer confirmed the remedy had already been completed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 220.000.
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 was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering). The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 104,392.
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.
Power Steering Assist Fault. Loss of power 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 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.
Lost all power steering. Cannot steer or turn my steering wheel
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.
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.
The contact owns a 2008 Mercury Mariner. The contact stated that while idled at a stop, the maintenance warning light illuminated. The contact then stated that while the accelerator pedal was depressed the vehicle failed to accelerate. The contact then stated that he had to apply pressure to the accelerator pedal to increase the RPMs to approximately 3000 to allow the vehicle to proceed forward. Additionally, the contact stated that the brake pedal had to remain depressed to stop the vehicle from rolling on an incline when the vehicle failed to shift in 2nd gear. The contact stated that the vehicle was inspected by a family friend who determined the potential failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V606000 (Power Train). The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 309,000.
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 independent mechanic and was informed that the shift lever had disengaged from the transmission. The contact was then referred to the manufacturer after the mechanic discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V606000 (Power Train); which the mechanic linked to the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not included in the recall. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to file a complaint. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.
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.
The power stearing went out all at once and a light popped up saying power assit fault
The contact owns a 2008 Mercury Mariner. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH, he had to hard brake, however, afterward while depressing the brake pedal, the brake pedal traveled to the floorboard. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the failure was diagnosed as a hydraulic control unit (HCU) failure. The contact was informed that the HCU needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the vehicle was not repaired as the parts were on backorder. The contact stated that he discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V904000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the VIN nor the Year/Make/Model was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed that contact to call the NHTSA Hotline to file a complaint. The approximate failure mileage was 89,000.
Car was in accident in October of 2022 has been lost since
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.
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.
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.
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".
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
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.
Showing 1–20 of 25 complaints
The 2008 Mercury Mariner has 4 recalls recorded by NHTSA.
NHTSA has received 461 owner-reported complaints for the 2008 Mercury Mariner.
NHTSA has not published a safety rating for the 2008 Mercury Mariner.
The most commonly reported complaint categories for the 2008 Mercury Mariner are steering (262 reports), power train (46 reports), service brakes (23 reports).
Yes. NHTSA has 4 recalls on record for the 2008 Mercury Mariner. Scroll up to review the published recall summaries, consequences, and remedies. To check for unrepaired recalls on your specific vehicle, use your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
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This page summarizes publicly available data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA by vehicle owners and do not by themselves prove defect severity or vehicle safety. Safety ratings may not be available for all vehicle-years. This site is not affiliated with NHTSA or any vehicle manufacturer. For official information, visit the official NHTSA page for this vehicle.