2008 Mercury Mariner Hybrid

FOR THE PAST 3 YEARS I HAVE BEEN DEALING WITH MY 2008 MERCURY MARINER HYBRID SHUTTING DOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC AND GIVING ME THE PULL OVER IMMEDIATELY WARNING. I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE HYBRID COOLING SYSTEM DOOR ACTUATOR AND THE ELECTRIC WATER PUMP (MEC UNIT), ALL WITHIN THE PAST YEAR AND HALF. ON JUNE 11, 2014 THE VEHICLE SHUT DOWN AGAIN AND GAVE MY WIFE THE PULL OVER WARNING. I TOOK IT TO THE FORD DEALERSHIP THIS MORNING AND THEY SAID THAT THE THROTTLE BODY NOW NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AND THEY GAVE ME THE ERROR CODE P1A0C. THE FUNNY THING IS, THIS IS THE SAME ERROR CODE THEY GAVE ME WHEN THEY SAID THE ELECTRIC WATER PUMP (MEC UNIT) HAD TO BE REPLACED. I CHECKED THIS UNIT THE OTHER DAY WHEN THE CAR DIED AND IT WAS FUNCTIONING PROPERLY. THERE IS A MAJOR ISSUE WITH THE FORD HYBRID PRODUCTS AND FORD REFUSES TO FIX THEM. THEY SOLD LEMONS TO THOUSANDS OF HYBRID OWNERS WHO HAVE MADE COMPLAINTS AND FORD JUST BRUSHES US OFF. THEY JUST KEEP TELLING OWNERS TO SUCK IT UP AND PAY TO REPLACE DIFFERENT PARTS. PLEASE MAKE FORD TAKE CARE OF THESE VEHICLES BEFORE SOMONE GETS KILLED BECAUSE THEY DO SHUT DOWN WITHOUT WARNING, HAS HAPPENED TO ME NUMEROUS OF TIMES IN HEAVY HIGH SPEED TRAFFIC AND IT IS NOT A GOOD FEELING. *JS

WITHOUT WARNING THE STEERING BECAME EXTREMELY LOOSE. THE CHANGE WAS NOT PROGRESSIVE, ABRUPT. THE STEERING WHEEL MAKES NOISE WHEN TURNING RIGHT TO LEFT, LEFT TO RIGHT. THIS IS THE SECOND 2008 MARINER HYBRID I HAVE OWNED AND THAT ONE DID THE SAME THING. IN RESEARCHING ON LINE THIS PROBLEM IS WELL KNOWN AND ARREARS TO BE WIDE SPREAD. THE SERVICE MANAGER WAS WELL AWARE OF THE ISSUE AND SAID THERE HAD NOT BEEN A RECALL ISSUED BUT "HOLD ON TO YOUR RECEIPTS" AS THOUGH HE EXPECTED ONE IN THE FUTURE. HONEST, THE CAR WAS HARD TO POINT STRAIGHT AFTER THE PROBLEM OCCURRED. HOW CAN THIS NOT BE A SAFETY ISSUE? *TR

I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD GOING 55 MPH AND ALL OF A SUDDEN MY VEHICLE JERKED. I SAW A RED EXCLAMATION POINT ON DASH AND WHERE THE CAR MILEAGE IS LOCATED, IT SAID STOP SAFELY NOW. SO I PULLED OVER AND SHUT DOWN THE VEHICLE, RESTARTED AND IT HAPPENED AGAIN ONE MILE AWAY. IT CONTINUED DOING THIS. IT TOOK OVER AN HOUR TO GET 10 MILES DOWN THE ROAD TO MY DESTINATION. IT HAS BEEN DOING THIS OFF AND ON FOR THE PAST MONTH. I FINALLY TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID IT IS THE THROTTLE BODY. *TR

WHILE TRAVELING DOWN THE INTERSTATE AT APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH ON A FRIDAY EVENING A RED TRIANGLE SHAPED WARNING LIGHT CAME ON SAYING "STOP SAFELY NOW", AS THE LIGHT CAME ON THE VEHICLE STARTED LOOSING POWER GOING SLOWER AND SLOWER, EVENTUALLY SLOWING TO 20 OR 30 MILES AN HOUR, THERE WAS NO SAFE PLACE TO PULL OVER OFF THE INTERSTATE. THIS WAS NOT SAFE AT ALL. AFTER PULLING OVER, THEN PRESSING SYSTEM RESET BUTTONS, TURNING OFF THE VEHICLE AND WAITING A FEW MINUTES THEN RESTARTING THE VEHICLE IT RAN FINE FOR THE REST OF THE DAY AND THE FOLLOWING DAY. THEN ON SUNDAY (A DAY AND A HALF LATER) I WAS TRAVELING DOWN THE INTERSTATE AND IT DID THE SAME THING, THE LIGHT CAME ON AND I LOST POWER. I REPEATED WHAT I DID THE PREVIOUS TIME, BUT IT DID IT AGAIN WHILE ON THE INTERSTATE, IT DID IT SEVERAL TIMES. WHEN I GOT BACK ON THE INTERSTATE THE LAST TIME I KEPT MY SPEED AROUND 60 MPH AND WAS ABLE TO MAKE IT HOME. THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME THE VEHICLE DID THIS THE SAME THING OCCURRED ABOUT 6 MONTHS AGO SEVERAL TIMES ON THE INTERSTATE. I ASSUMED WHAT EVER THE PROBLEM WAS IT WAS IT WORKED ITSELF OUT BECAUSE IT HAD BEEN SO LONG SINCE IT OCCURRED. I DO NOT KNOW WHAT THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM IS AND FROM WHAT I HAVE READ I AM LEERY OF BRINGING IT IN FOR REPAIR BECAUSE FORD DOESN'T EVEN SEEM TO KNOW THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM FROM EVERYTHING I HAVE READ, AND THE OWNER ENDS UP PAYING A LOT OF MONEY FOR REPAIRS THAT MAY OR MAY NOT BE THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM. *TR

DRIVING IN FAST LANE OF FREEWAY WHEN "STOP SAFELY NOW" MESSAGE WITH RED ALERT CAME ON. THE ENGINE STOPPED RUNNING. NO WARNING, NO ABILITY TO DRIVE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THIS IS A KNOWN FAULT IN THIS VEHICLE. I CANNOT CONCEIVE OF A PROBLEM THAT WOULD REQUIRE THE ENGINE TO STOP IMMEDIATELY. IT IS JUST LUCK THAT WE GOT TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WITHOUT INCIDENT AS THERE WAS A LOT OF TRAFFIC, AND WITHOUT POWER, IT WAS JUST PLAIN LUCK THAT WE MANAGED TO GET TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. DOING INTERNET RESEARCH: THIS IS A KNOWN FAULT, BUT WITHOUT A SOLUTION OR A FIX. WHAT EVER THE PROBLEM, IT SEEMS RIDICULOUS THAT FORD HAS A MAJOR PROBLEM LIKE THIS THAT HAS THE ENGINE SIMPLY STOP. WE GOT TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. I SIMPLY TURNED OFF THE IGNITION AND RE-STARTED THE ENGINE, WITHOUT FURTHER PROBLEM. THERE MUST BE SOME WAY TO AT LEAST HAVE SOME WARNING TIME, OR A MEANS OF PROPULSION SUFFICIENT TO GET SAFELY TO THE ROADSIDE. EVEN FIVE MINUTES WORTH OF POWER WOULD BE SUFFICIENT. *TR

REGENERATIVE BRAKING SYSTEM LIGHT APPEARED ON DASH, 2013. TOOK VEHICLE IN TO GET CHECKED. WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS THE MASTER CYLINDER. COST APPROX 1500.00. WENT ON LINE AND FOUND THAT OTHER PEOPLE HAD SAME EXPERIENCE AND AFTER PAYING FOR THE REPLACEMENT OF THE MASTER CYLINDER THEY THEN HAD TO REPLACE THE AN ABS MODULE TO THE TUNE OF 4500.00. TOOK MY VEHICLE TO ANOTHER DEALERSHIP FEB OF 2014 AND WAS TOLD THE ABS MODULE NEEDED REPLACED FOR 4,724.00 AND THEN THE MASTER CYLINDER FOR 1360.00. THE MECHANIC DID NOT ADVISE DRIVING DUE TO THE POTENTIAL BRAKE FAILURE. I ONLY HAVE 18,600 MILES ON THIS VEHICLE WHICH MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO JUSTIFY PUTTING THAT MUCH MORE MONEY INTO IT. IT SEEMS TO A PROBLEM FORD NEEDS TO DEAL WITH. IT DOES INVOLVE A SAFETY ISSUE AND I'M NOT SURE IF THEY ARE GOING TO WAIT UNTIL SOME ONE DIES BEFORE THEY DECIDE TO DO A RECALL. *TR

FROM DOING RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET I FOUND THIS IS A HUGE PROBLEM WITH BOTH MERCURY MARINERS AND FORD ESCAPE HYBRIDS. I WAS IN SHOCK WHEN THE DEALER TOLD ME IT WILL COST $4,800.00 TO REPAIR THE ABS BRAKES. THIS IS A SAFETY FLAW THAT SHOULD BE A RECALL. I ONLY HAVE 65,000 MILES AND HIGH PAYMENTS ON THIS VEHICLE. I TOLD THE DEALER I WOULD NOT PAY THIS. THEY FIXED THE SUV WITHOUT MY PERMISSION SAYING IT WAS FOR MY SAFETY. IS THIS LEGAL? I DIDN'T AGREE WITH PAYING ANY COST. *TR

WHILE TRAVELING ON THE OPEN HWY @ 75MPH, I SUDDENLY GOT "PULL OVER SAFELY NOW" MESSAGE ON THE INFO CENTER OF THE DASH AND A RED TRIANGLE ALERT ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE DASH. I PULLED OVER IMMEDIATELY. STOPPED THE CAR, TURNED OFF THE IGNITION AND WAITED A MOMENT. I THEN STARTED THE CAR, ALL SEEMED FINE (NO MESSAGE) AND PROCEEDED. A SHORT TIME LATER, THE EXACT SAME THING HAPPENED AGAIN. I PULLED OFF THE HWY AND REPEATED THE STEPS ABOVE. THE CAR WAS RIDING WELL AND SMOOTHLY WITH NO APPARENT PROBLEMS. BUT, THE LONGER I DROVE, THE MORE FREQUENTLY THE PROBLEM OCCURRED. I WAS ONLY ABLE TO DRIVE FOR A FEW MINUTES BEFORE THE DASH BOARD WARNING WOULD REAPPEAR. I PULLED INTO THE NEAREST FORD DEALERSHIP TO GET THE PROBLEM RESOLVED. I HAVE BEEN TOLD IT IS THE THROTTLE BODY AND AM CURRENTLY WAITING FOR THE PROBLEM TO BE RESOLVED. *TR

WHILE TRAVELING HIGHWAY AT APPROXIMATELY 70MI/HR. THE VEHICLE STALLED AND "STOP VEHICLE SAFELY" LIGHT CAME ON. I NEEDED TO PULL OVER TURN CAR OFF WAIT AND RESTART ENGINE. THIS HAPPENED AGAIN ABOUT 25 MILES DOWN THE HIGHWAY. AFTER THE SECOND INCIDENT IT DID NOT HAPPEN UNTIL MY RETURN TRIP THE NEXT DAY REPEATING THE SAME AS ABOVE. THIS DID HAPPEN TO ME ONCE BEFORE ABOUT A YR AGO. *TR