2008 Mercury Mariner steering problems

“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, NHTSA 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.”

“The contact owns a 2008 Mercury Mariner. The contact stated upon starting the vehicle, the steering wheel was significantly difficult to turn. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where the contact was informed that the electric power steering had failed. The mechanic determined that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering). The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 104,392.”

“The steering wheel does not return to center when making turns. It is more pronounced during left turns. This is a dangerous condition that could result in the vehicle going left or right of center and striking pedestrians, bicyclists, oncoming traffic, fixed objects. An independent service center confirmed that the issue was a bad torque sensor and bad motor in the steering column. I have schedule a police inspection for 5/23/2024. Issue first appeared this year. No warnings.”

“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 NHTSA 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 NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 160,000.”

“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 NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering). The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 107,000.”