2006 Mercury Mariner Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often describe a stuck or unresponsive accelerator pedal, especially in cold weather, along with transmission and torque converter problems that show up as stalling at stops or loss of drive. A second cluster of complaints covers steering and subframe corrosion, and several hybrid owners describe repeated shutdowns with a pull-over warning message.

1. 1
   Vehicle speed control

   Accelerator pedal sticks or won't depress

   • 12 complaints (19%)
   • median 87,000 mi at 5.6 yrs old (9 state mileage, few)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2006–2015

   Owners describe pressing the accelerator and having the pedal refuse to move, sometimes after a stop or when pulling into traffic; several say they had to stomp on it before it released, and the vehicle then surged forward. Complaints commonly name the throttle body or the accelerator cable, and some report that cleaning, adjusting or replacing the cable only helped briefly. A few describe the pedal staying partially down on its own, and one says a mechanic cleaned a carboned-up throttle bore. Reported from a few tens of thousands of miles into the six-figure range, with several owners noting it is worse in cold weather or after the vehicle sits overnight.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Ask whether the throttle body has been cleaned or replaced and whether an electronic throttle service bulletin was applied. On a test drive from cold, press the pedal slowly from a stop and confirm it moves freely without a hard initial resistance.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Early on only happened a few times during winter. But as of recently it has become very dangerous to the point I've pulled out after being at a light or stop sign into traffic and unable to go. Gas pedal will not budge. I've had a friend following behind me at one point and they actually ran into the back of my vehicle, luckily no damage was done to there car and mine suffered minor damages to the bumper. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10563592, filed 2014-02, 56,000 miles

   “Many times, either after a stop or letting my foot off the gas pedal and then trying to push the gas pedal again, the pedal would not move, and I could no longer accelarate and have been forced a few times to pull off to the side of the road until I could get it to press down. Sometimes waiting for 5+ minutes for it to work. I had someone look at it, it's the throttle body. It gets build up in it and can't compress, seems to be worse in the cooler weather (vs summer). …”

   NHTSA complaint #10594886, filed 2014-05, 40,000 miles
2. 2
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Stalling, shuddering or loss of drive from transmission

   • 9 complaints (14%)
   • median 77,541 mi at 7.8 yrs old (9 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2006–2020

   Complaints describe the vehicle cutting out or losing power when coming to a stop, or failing to go into gear while driving, with several owners told the torque converter or the whole transmission needed replacement. Some report the engine quitting at speed and the vehicle coasting to a stop, and a few connect the behavior to elevated temperatures or to the hybrid system's pull-over warning. Repairs reported include a new or remanufactured transmission, torque converter replacement, and, in some cases, no repair at all. Spread from a few thousand miles up to roughly 190,000, with many reports between about 70,000 and 120,000 miles.

   Recall 15V606000Recall 14V5260002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Have a transmission shop check for shudder, delayed engagement and stored codes, and ask whether the torque converter or transmission has been replaced. Confirm whether the vehicle falls under the transmission shifter recall or the hybrid coolant pump recall and whether either was completed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The gear shift is not properly shifting. It goes from park to reverse on its own. Sometime it wont reverse and makes a loud noise. It click back and forth between gears. Ive replace the switch to see if that would work but it doesnt. Please let me know if I can do anything to fix this problem but it is the same recall 15v606000 for other vehicals of the same type”

   NHTSA complaint #11296840, filed 2020-01, 190,000 miles

   “The truck shuts off when I come to a complete stop. It usually happens when I'm attempting to stop at a yellow light to avoid running the red light. If the truck come from a high rate of speed (45 MPH) to (0 MPH) it just turn off. I'm afraid someone is going to run into the back of me when the light turn green because the driver expects me to move when the light turn green. I think this is very dangerous for a vehicle to just stop. It has happened about 20 times since 03-29-2014. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10585945, filed 2014-05, 74,000 miles
3. 3
   Suspension

   Rusted subframe and shock towers

   • 7 complaints (11%)
   • median 111,500 mi at 10.1 yrs old (6 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2012–2022

   Complaints describe the front or rear subframe rusting through, in some cases breaking at the lower control arm mount and letting a wheel move or bow outward while driving. Others report rear shock tower or upper shock mount corrosion and separation, producing loud noises over bumps. Several owners in states that use road salt say the corrosion progressed without being caught until a shop put the vehicle on a lift. Mostly reported between roughly 58,000 and 190,000 miles, often on vehicles driven in salt-belt states.

   What to check: Get underneath the vehicle, or have a shop do it, and inspect the subframe, control arm mounts, shock towers and rocker areas for flaking or perforation, especially on a car with a northern or coastal history.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The front sub-frame has completely rusted out. We live in a salt zone (michigan). There is also visible corrosion throughout the exterior. We were driving and the front passenger wheel started bowing out and we started vibrating. We got to safety before anything happened.”

   NHTSA complaint #10914176, filed 2016-10, 160,000 miles

   “I was driving on the turnpike and my car suddenly dint turn when I turned the steering. Me and my passengers somehow escaped the life threatening situation in the middle of the traffic. It was my cars sub frame that was rusted so bad that it broke in the middle of the road. This is after I service my car every now and then. Its a serious issue with this car and there should be a recall for this problem. I had to spend so much due to this carelessness from the company.”

   NHTSA complaint #11082502, filed 2018-04, 113,000 miles
4. 4
   Brakes

   Brake line and ABS ring failures

   • 7 complaints (11%)
   • median 87,000 mi at 6.7 yrs old (6 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2007–2015

   Owners describe the brake pedal going to the floor after a brake line or flexible hose fractured, and others report the ABS and brake warning lights coming on with the ABS shut down. Several complaints trace the warning lights to a cracked or corroded tone ring on an axle, sometimes accompanied by a clicking noise or the system applying the brakes unexpectedly. Some report worn pads and rotors with grinding noise and no warning light. Reported from roughly 27,000 to over 145,000 miles, with several around 68,000-108,000 miles.

   3 related service bulletins

   What to check: Inspect the flexible brake hoses and hard lines for cracking or rust, and scan for ABS codes. Ask whether the tone rings or wheel speed sensors have been serviced, and check that no ABS or brake warning lamp stays on after start-up.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The traffic light turned yellow, I applied the brakes which worked momentarily then released as the brake pedal went all the way to the floorboard. No warning lights illuminated in the instrument panel. Using the emergency brake I stopped short of blocking the intersection. Upon stopping it was determined that on level ground with the vehicle idling in drive and the brake pedal fully depressed there was not enough brake force to keep the vehicle from moving forward. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10452821, filed 2012-03, 113,000 miles

   “While driving in the los angeles, ca the brake system message came on indicating that the ABS feature had shut down and I was left with only basic hydraulic brakes. I took it to the ford dealer and they found a technical bulletin that indicated they need to jump one wire in the system. I had that done and paid for the repair. Several days later the check brake system message came on again. Both times the code reader indicated there was nothing wrong with the vehicle at the ford dealer. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10512290, filed 2013-05, 67,972 miles
5. 5
   Steering

   Power steering loss or fluid leaks

   • 5 complaints (8%)
   • median 71,000 mi at 7.0 yrs old (5 state mileage, few)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2006–2020

   Owners report sudden loss of power assist, steering that pulls to one side, and leaks from the high-pressure power steering hose. Some describe the pump and rack being replaced under warranty only to fail again later, and one hybrid owner reports a fault code pointing to the electric power steering motor with a steering rack replacement quoted. Others describe a clunk or rattle from the front end. Reports range from a few hundred miles on nearly new vehicles to over 140,000 miles, with several in the 18,000-90,000 mile range.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Look for fluid residue on the power steering hose and around the rack, and check the fluid level. On the test drive, listen for clunks over bumps and confirm the steering returns to center without a pull.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “After a short 30 minute visit to our vet, my wife started the vehicle and had no power steering at all. Restart of the vehicle did not resolve the issue, so she carefully drove the vehicle home 10 miles. Luckily it failed while the vehicle was not in motion. Dealer diagnosis indicated a b3377 fault code (eps motor malfunction), and told me the steering rack needed replacement ($2200).”

   NHTSA complaint #10953915, filed 2017-02, 141,323 miles

   “I had the power steering pump and rack replaced at separate times during the warranty period on my 2006 Mercury Mariner. This was between january 2008 and december 2008. Now they are failing once again. Should there be a recall on these items?”

   NHTSA complaint #10333926, filed 2010-05, 71,000 miles

Buying note. A pre-purchase inspection that concentrates on the subframe and shock towers for corrosion, the brake lines and ABS rings, and a transmission and throttle body check will tell you most of what you need on this model year. Ask for service records showing whether the applicable transmission and hybrid coolant pump recalls were completed.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.