Jerking back and forth of steering wheel would occur occasionally until power steering assistance failed. Power steering assist fault code would come on every so often . I was driving down the highway while the code came on and didn't notice any difference in steering difficulty until I parked the car and shut the engine off then back on. Power steering is completely failing now resulting in increased force to get the car to turn.
2008 Mercury Mariner: jerking or lurching
9 of the 461 complaints about the 2008 Mercury Mariner describe jerking or lurching.
- owner complaints
- 9
- of this car's complaints
- 2%
- typical mileage
- 102,000
- recalls
- 1
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall and 8 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below
Jerking or lurching by model year
What owners say
Power steering seizes and reverts to manual movement. Car has to be turned off and turned back on for normal steering to return. Steering wheel will jerk and jump when stopped.
Sensor in stering wheel is bad,also jerks when it shifts
Power steering completely failed while operating the car, posing a danger. Transmission lurches on upshift between 1 - 2 gear while accelerating. Electrical system will not charge battery and completely fails while the vehicle is in operation on the highway, posing a danger. Vehicle may or may not restart immediately.
Never had a problem till I received a paper back in nov.2014 for a recall on power steering so I took it in they said it checked out they updated it and ever since there just wasn't something right about our steering. At red lights the steering wheel would vibrate and jerk back and forth without me touching it and then today I heard 3 chimes and seen nothing pop up on dash then bam the warning light came on and said power steering assist failure and I had to use everything I had to steer it home.
Came to a stop, began to turn left, steering wheel jerked to one side then power steering gave out mid turn, on a busy street, crossing over two lanes of traffic. It is nearly impossible to steer the vehicle when this happens. This has actually happened a handful of times at this point. Ford dealer can't figure it out, so I'm stuck with an unsafe vehicle to drive. How has this vehicle not been recalled!? It's not like it's small issue like radio problems, this is a safety issue!!!!! If you park the vehicle and shut it off, then restart it, the sterling will then work again (until next time it gives out) it's almost like restarting the car is rebooting the system. Either way, very scary when you're driving and you have no warning that your power steering is going to fail.
While driving my car stalls without warning then it jerks real hard and takes off so I have to ride the brakes after coming to a stop before I can press the gas peddle it takes off so I ride the brakes. While driving again it picks up speed on its own very scare please help.
When going from reverse to drive, my 2008 mercury mariner that I bought brand new, catches and lurches forward. It has less than 45,000 miles on it. I've come close several times, to hitting cars parked next to me. It also happens at stop signs/lights. When I take my foot off the brake, it does not accelerate immediately and lurches forward when it connects. It has sprayed fluid all over my engine and leaked all over our driveway. It's under warranty so I took it to our ford dealer who said, yes, it's covered under warranty, but that's just the transmission problems. It does not cover all of the costs for the parts they need to disconnect and move out of the way to fix it. I was told it would $700 for a known problem that they need to fix free of charge. Will not buy another ford product again and that is saying a whole lot because ford/mercury has been my car of choice for the last 15 years.
In february of 2009 (at 41,214 miles), my 2008 mercury mariner started jerking when I was driving and would not accelerate when I gased. I took the car to a ford dealer and they diagnosed it with transmission failure. Since the car was under warranty they performed a "transmission overhaul". Three years later, february 2012, my car started having the same problem again, transmission issues. According to the paperwork, it was noted "transmission/converter slips and transmission fluid leaked". I was reluctantly told by a supervisor at ford headquarters that some 2008 mariners did indeed have transmissions defects but my VIN number was not known to be affected and because it is out of warranty they will not addressed it without me paying $4062. I have called ford headquarters and they would not provide me with any details on the issues with some of the mariners that were recalled. A car that has transmission issues twice within four years sound like there is indeed a major defect issue with the transmission parts but ford is not willing to admit it. I am sure my car (VIN) should have been included. This could have been a safety hazard for my family and I. This car is a lemon and ford was well aware of it but refuse to correct the matter. Ford should do the right thing and resolve the issue that they were well aware of instead of making there customers believe that it is normal for a car to have transmission failure not only once but twice within four years. I will pursue this matter until I am satisfied with the results. Updated ivoq 03/28/12
Service bulletins that may apply
- Ford service campaign: there may be a transmission fluid cooler tube crack which CAN lead to rough hard...
- Ford: increased shift lever effort may have debris or something, such as sweetened drinks spilled in/on...
- CD4E transmission--fluid leak transmission fluid cooler (excludes hybrids)--built on or before 2/18/2008
- Intermittent red triangle on and (stop safely now) on message center with wrench light and DTC P1A0C
- No crank / no TCM communication / theft light on / multiple dtcs
- Multiple vehicle lines - intermittent PCM, fuel pump, ign
- CD4E transaxle fluid weep - transmission cooler line
- Multiple vehicle lines - intermittent PCM, fuel pump, ign, coil, a/c, ABS or fog lamp operation
Related recalls
Power train: automatic transmission: lever and linkage: floor shift
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Risk
- If the shift lever disengages from the transmission, a driver may be unable to shift gear positions and the indicated shift position may not represent the gear position the vehicle is in. Should a disengagement occur while the vehicle is being driven, when the driver goes to stop and park the vehicle, the gear selection indicator may show that the transmission is in the "PARK" position, but the vehicle transmission may not actually be in the "PARK" gear position. If the vehicle is not in the "PARK" position there is a risk the vehicle will roll away as the driver and other occupants exit the vehicle or anytime thereafter. A vehicle rollaway increases the risk of injury to exiting occupants and bystanders.
- Remedy
- 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.
Recall number 15V606000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2008 Mercury Mariner jerking
Is jerking or lurching a common problem on the 2008 Mercury Mariner?
9 of 461 owner complaints about the 2008 Mercury Mariner (2%) mention jerking or lurching. The model year with the most reports is 2010.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2008 Mercury Mariner?
There is 1 recall and 8 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2008 Mercury Mariner
Power steering loss 139Loss of power 49Steering lock-up 29Engine failure 25Stalling 20ABS 17Transmission failure 16Steering noise 9Harsh shifting 7Won't start 7Adaptive cruise 6Check engine light 6Hesitation 6Slipping 6Overheating 5
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