2006 Mercury Mariner Hybrid

I WAS BACKING OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY TURNING ONTO THE ROAD, WHEN MY POWER STEERING WENT OUT. I TOOK MY 2006 MERCURY MARINER HYBRID TO THE FORD DEALERSHIP. AT FIRST THEY THOUGHT THERE WAS A RECALL ON IT. IT WAS THE WRONG YEAR. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT FORD WOULD INCLUDE 2006 IF IT IS THE SAME PROBLEM. NOBODY WILL BUY THIS MODEL BECAUSE OF THIS ISSUE. COME ON FORD YOUR PROBLEMS ARE MY PROBLEM. THIS IS NOT RIGHT! IT SEEMS TO ME THAT WITH THIS POWER STEERING ISSUE IN SO MANY OF THE 2006 VEHICLES YOU WOULD STEP UP AND DO A RECALL.

MY FAMILY AND I WERE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY ONE IN CALIFORNIA, MAJOR TURNS, TWISTY ROAD WHEN SUDDENLY AND WITHOUT WARNING, THE POWER STEERING WENT OUT. I HAVE HAD NO WARNINGS LEADING UP TO THIS EVENT. THE WRENCH ICON CAME ON AND AN ERROR MESSAGE CAME ON IN THE DASH STATING TO HAVE THE POWER STEERING SERVICED. THIS WAS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AS HIGHWAY ONE HAS MANY TIGHT TURNS. I HAVE CONTACTED FORD AND THEY ARE SAYING THAT THIS IS NOT PART OF A RECALL. EVERYTHING I HAVE READ STATES THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM SPECIFICALLY IN THE HYBRID VEHICLES FORD MANUFACTURES. THERE HAVE BEEN RECALLS FOR THE SAME ISSUE FOR 2008 AND NEWER MODEL VEHICLES, BUT NOT THIS ONE. IT IS MY BELIEF THAT THIS ISSUE SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED DUE TO THE DANGEROUS CONDITION CAUSED BY THE POWER STEERING GOING COMPLETELY OUT ON THE CAR WHILE DRIVING. I AM MALE 200 LBS. AND COULD BARELY CONTROL THE VEHICLE. CALLED NON FORD MECHANIC AND WAS TOLD TO TAKE VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP AS THE POWER STEERING MODULE IS PROPRIETARY AND NEEDS TO BE PROGRAMED BY DEALERSHIP. HAVE NOT TALKEN VEHICLES TO DEALERSHIP AS YET FOR REPAIRS. PLACED CODE READER ON VEHICLE AND CODES C2792 AND B2277 CAME UP.

WHILE ATTEMPTING TO EXIT A PARKING LOT (DRIVING AT LESS THAN 5 MPH AND MAKING A RIGHT TURN TO LEAVE THE PARKING SPOT), THE STEERING BECAME VERY HARD TO TURN. THINKING THAT THE ENGINE HAD SHUT OFF, I RESTARTED THE ENGINE THEN I NOTICED THE MESSAGE IN THE CLUSTER "SERVICE POWER STEERING". I DROVE TO THE NEAREST REPAIR SHOP A FEW BLOCKS AWAY AND THEY CONFIRMED THAT THE POWER STEERING MODULE IS BAD AND WILL HAVE TO BE REPLACED. THEY ESTIMATED REPAIRS WOULD COST ABOUT $1200 IF THEY CAN FIND A USED ONE. I WAS LESS THAN 5 MILES AWAY AND CONTINUED ON HOME. PARKING THIS VEHICLE IN NYC TIGHT SPOTS WITHOUT THE POWER STEERING IS QUITE AN UNDERTAKING. THE WRENCH DISPLAY IN THE CLUSTER AND THE "SERVICE POWER STEERING" MESSAGE HAS BEEN CONSISTENT AND HAS NEVER DISAPPEARED ONCE. I TOOK IT TO MY NEIGHBORHOOD FORD DEALER A FEW WEEKS LATER AND THEY CONFIRMED THAT I WILL NEED "POWER STEERING RACK AND PINION, MODULE AND ALIGNMENT WITH ESTIMATED REPAIRS COSTING $3850 INCLUDING TAXES. THIS PROBLEM SEEMS SIMILAR TO THOSE REPORTED BY THE OWNERS OF THE 2008 - 2011 FORD ESCAPE / MERCURY MARINER SUVS AND IDENTIFIED IN THE RECENT FORD RECALLS FOR POWER STEERING ISSUES. *TR

IN APRIL 2014 MY GIRLFRIEND WAS DRIVING OUR 2006 MERCURY MARINER WHEN IT SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING. WAS TOLD TO RESET COMPUTER WHICH WE DID. THE NEXT DAY IT SHUT OFF IN AN INTERSECTION. LUCKILY NO ACCIDENT BUT UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD THE CAR COMPUTER SHUT THE CAR OFF WHILE DRIVING!!!!!! WAS WIRING HARNESS FOR HYBRID BATTERY. THE NEXT MONTH SHE WAS DRIVING AND LOST ALL POWER STEERING WHILE DRIVING. LUCKILY NO ACCIDENT. TOOK IT TO DEALER, TOLD WOULD NEED TO REPLACE ENTIRE STEERING COLUMN OR SENSOR. WAS SENSOR ($1129). WHY IS THIS YEAR NOT COVERED BY RECALL FOR THIS ISSUE AND 2008 ON IS???? THANK YOU. *TR

STOPPED AT GAS STATION TO FUEL VEHICLE. RETURNED TO VEHICLE AFTER FUELING. WHEN I STARTED MY MERCURY MARINER HYBRID, THE INFORMATION SCREEN SAID "SERVICE POWER STEERING". WHEN I STARTED TO MOVE THE VEHICLE, I REALIZED I ONLY HAD MANUAL STEERING AVAILABLE. THIS CONTINUED ALL THE WAY HOME (5 MILES) ON ICY SNOW COVERED ROADS (FOLLOWING OUR NEAR BLIZZARD HEAR IN NORTH EASTERN INDIANA). NEXT MORNING, STARTED VEHICLE AND IT WAS BACK TO NORMAL. MY EXTENSIVE RESEARCH, SO FAR, INDICATES THERE HAVE NOT BEEN ANY RECALLS FOR THIS, WHAT APPEARS TO BE, WIDESPREAD, AND MIGHT I SAY POTENTIALLY VERY DANGEROUS PROBLEM. THIS IS SERIOUS. HOW MANY DEATHS ARE REQUIRED BEFORE A RECALL IS ISSUED ON THIS ISSUE? AFTER READING ABOUT THE VAST NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS SAME PROBLEM, I'VE STARTED LOOKING FOR ANOTHER VEHICLE. COME ON, SERIOUSLY, THIS IS ONE THAT NEEDS YOUR ATTENTION NOW! *TR