2008 Mercury Mariner problems
Owners have filed 554 complaints with NHTSA about the 2008 Mercury Mariner. Steering is the most reported problem area, at 54% of complaints. Next are drivetrain & axles (10%) and brakes (6%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 554 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Steering 54% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 11 and 0
- Injuries and deaths
- 5 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 105,000 miles 480 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 27 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 11 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 40 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 51 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 80 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 71 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 69 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 57 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 23 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 16 |
| 200k+ miles | 35 |
What the data shows
Of the 480 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 105,000 miles. For steering specifically, the median reported mileage is about 120,000 miles (259 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 11 complaints mention a crash; 5 injuries reported. Its complaints are less severe on average than those of 92% of model years in our database.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2008 ranks 3rd most-complained-about out of 7 model years of the Mercury Mariner with enough data (107 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 3 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Driver's side door was struck by a chevy astro cargo van going approximately 70 miles per hour on the highway (d.c. Beltway) and the side airbags did not deploy. A maryland state trooper (who saw the car) and the mechanic at the auto repair shop where the vehicle was towed both said the airbags should have deployed. Both said if the airbags had worked, the driver would not be as severely injured.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 mercury mariner. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH, the power steering failed causing her to lose control of the vehicle. As a result, the contact crashed into another vehicle. The contact sustained unknown injuries. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was not notified. The vehicle was towed to a collision center. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.
My power steering was reprogrammed under recall 14s05 back in 2015. Because I did not have any active codes in my system forward reprogrammed the power steering control module. My vehicle now is showing trouble code b2278. The original code that triggered a recall. My power steering failed while I was driving the vehicle. As a result I tore a muscle in my side trying to maintain control of my vehicle. I attempted to contact the dealership and was told that the recall was worked and closed.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 mercury mariner. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the cruise control malfunctioned as well as the rpms. The contact stated that the rpms were inconsistent with the actual speed of the vehicle and went up to 4000 rpms at various speeds. In addition, there was a loud clunking noise in the steering wheel and the contact stated that the vehicle downshifted on numerous occasions. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 mercury mariner. While driving 40 MPH, the vehicle hesitated and would not accelerate past 25 MPH. In addition, the vehicle accelerated rapidly without warning. The contact stated that the vehicle shut off on numerous occasions and the check engine indicator illuminated briefly without warning. The vehicle was not repaired the manufacturer was made aware of the failures. The failure mileage was 44,000. Updated 08/04/17