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, the federal safety agency 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.
2008 Mercury Mariner: loss of power steering
139 of the 461 complaints about the 2008 Mercury Mariner describe loss of power steering.
- owner complaints
- 139
- of this car's complaints
- 30%
- typical repair cost reported
- $1,300
- typical mileage
- 137,000
- recalls
- 1
Loss of power steering by model year
What owners say
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 the federal safety agency 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.
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 federal safety agency Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 160,000.
Power Steering Assist Fault. Loss of power steering.
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 the federal safety agency 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 while reversing out of a parking space, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The contact stated upon turning off and restarting the vehicle, the vehicle operated as needed; however, the failure reoccurred while driving 35 MPH. The power steering assist warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle, however, the failure persisted. The contact used physical strength to steer the vehicle and drove to the local dealer. The dealer diagnosed that the failure was related to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering) and informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired under the recall as the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stopped driving the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the federal safety agency hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 77,000.
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 the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering) because the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was approximately 186,000.
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 the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering) however, the vehicle was previously repaired under the recall. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline to file a complaint. The failure mileage was 238,000.
The contact owns a 2008 Mercury Mariner. The contact stated that the vehicle was included in the federal safety agency 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.
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 the federal safety agency 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.
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
The contact owns a 2008 Mercury Mariner. The contact stated while driving approximately 75 MPH and attempting to make a turn, the vehicle lost power steering assist. The contact was able to continue driving the vehicle in manual steering mode causing the vehicle to be difficult to maneuver. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was driven back to the residence and was diagnosed by an independent mechanic. The contact was informed that the steering sensor was not operating as designed. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 180,000.
Service bulletins that may apply
Related recalls
Steering: electric power assist system
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Risk
- If power steering assist is lost, greater driver effort would be required to steer the vehicle at low speeds, increasing the risk of a crash.
- 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.
Recall number 14V284000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2008 Mercury Mariner power steering loss
Is loss of power steering a common problem on the 2008 Mercury Mariner?
139 of 461 owner complaints about the 2008 Mercury Mariner (30%) mention loss of power steering. The model year with the most reports is 2008.
How much does it cost to fix loss of power steering on the 2008 Mercury Mariner?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $1,300 (median of 19 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2008 Mercury Mariner?
There is 1 recall and 2 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2008 Mercury Mariner
Loss of power 49Steering lock-up 29Engine failure 25Stalling 20ABS 17Transmission failure 16Jerking 9Steering noise 9Harsh shifting 7Won't start 7Adaptive cruise 6Check engine light 6Hesitation 6Slipping 6Overheating 5
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