MERCURY MARINER · model year

2009 MERCURY MARINER

418 NHTSA complaints, 11 crash reports, and 2 active recalls for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2009MERCURYMARINER carries 418 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 11 crashes, 0 fires, 4 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2009 MARINER is steering with 163 filings, followed by engine (53) and vehicle speed control (41). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability. This model year has 2 active recall campaigns, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle — the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.

NHTSA currently has 22 investigation files overlapping the 2009 MARINER. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

418
Complaints
11
Crashes
0
Fires
4
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

418 filings

Crashes Reported

11 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

Above median complaint volume — review patterns below.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
STEERING163
ENGINE53
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL41
POWER TRAIN41
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM21
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM15
UNKNOWN OR OTHER15
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE14
SERVICE BRAKES11
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING7
WHEELS6
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)4
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION3
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC3
SUSPENSION3

Recalls (2)

14V28400029/05/2014

STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM

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

15E04500003/06/2015

SUSPENSION:FRONT:WHEEL BEARING

The Timken Company (Timken) is recalling certain aftermarket front wheel bearings, part number 510072, sold from January 22, 2015, to May 21, 2015, to be used as service parts on 2001-2012 Ford Escape, 2001-2011 Mazda Tribute, and 2005-2011 Mercury Mariner vehicles. The affected wheel bearings have

Recent Complaints

20260130STEERING

The power steering stopped working. A note did appear to let me know it wasn’t working. I took it in to the mechanic and he confirmed the power steering wasn’t working.

20250717CrashSTRUCTURE:BODY

Drivers rear shock rusted off the wheel well causing wheel to snap and metal frame to hit the ground while I was traveling 40 mph. At this time the other wheels locked up and started squealing causing loss of control of vehicle shooting me across lanes and hitting curbs on both sides. This was heard all the way inside a church and they came running out. If I had not been able to gain control it would have flipped. The vehicle is available for inspection. It has not been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service other than the tow truck attendant telling me that the car need to be junk because it could not be repaired. The component has not been inspected by the manufacturer, or insurance company as it only has liability insurance. A police officer did show up on seen to direct traffic around vehicle and did see the issue but no report was taken. There was absolutely no indication that this was an issue until a few seconds before it snapped and that was the wheel sta

20250717CrashWHEELS

Drivers rear shock rusted off the wheel well causing wheel to snap and metal frame to hit the ground while I was traveling 40 mph. At this time the other wheels locked up and started squealing causing loss of control of vehicle shooting me across lanes and hitting curbs on both sides. This was heard all the way inside a church and they came running out. If I had not been able to gain control it would have flipped. The vehicle is available for inspection. It has not been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service other than the tow truck attendant telling me that the car need to be junk because it could not be repaired. The component has not been inspected by the manufacturer, or insurance company as it only has liability insurance. A police officer did show up on seen to direct traffic around vehicle and did see the issue but no report was taken. There was absolutely no indication that this was an issue until a few seconds before it snapped and that was the wheel sta

20250717CrashSUSPENSION

Drivers rear shock rusted off the wheel well causing wheel to snap and metal frame to hit the ground while I was traveling 40 mph. At this time the other wheels locked up and started squealing causing loss of control of vehicle shooting me across lanes and hitting curbs on both sides. This was heard all the way inside a church and they came running out. If I had not been able to gain control it would have flipped. The vehicle is available for inspection. It has not been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service other than the tow truck attendant telling me that the car need to be junk because it could not be repaired. The component has not been inspected by the manufacturer, or insurance company as it only has liability insurance. A police officer did show up on seen to direct traffic around vehicle and did see the issue but no report was taken. There was absolutely no indication that this was an issue until a few seconds before it snapped and that was the wheel sta

20250624STEERING

Vehicle notification stating Power Steering Assist Fault. Power steering locked up on highway going 60 mph while a child was in vehicle and vehicle was extremely hard to get off the highway. Parkway Ford of Pampa, Tx would not honor recall as VIN was not pulling up a recall. But a different auto mechanic repair shop did verify it was a recall.

20250527STEERING

Power steering failure on may 26th and 27th upon start up. Had to disconnect battery terminal to reset torque sensor

20250304STEERING

The contact owns a 2009 Mercury Mariner. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact became aware that the electronic power steering was not functioning properly, requiring an increased effort to maneuver the vehicle. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering); but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was unknown.

20250106STEERING

The contact owns a 2009 Mercury Mariner. The contact stated while attempting to drive out of the driveway, the vehicle stalled and lost power. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was then driven to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The vehicle was diagnosed with electric power steering failure. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 233,812.

Mileage: 233,812

20241203STEERING

Unknown

20241203LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION

Unknown

20241129STEERING

Power steering stopped working completely.... was taking a turn and the steering became stiff and shook a little and went back to normal. Parked the car. started the car 2 hours later and steering completely stiff... no power steering. a quick google search of this common issue will tell you : Ford owners forum groups with the same issue, complain that Ford apparently only did reprogramming and did not replace the actual part causing the issue, when checking the codes, it did not show the failure yet, so they reprogrammed the unit to check the box Ford completed the safety recall. Recall 14V284000: Loss Of Power Steering Assist NHTSA Campaign ID Number: 14V284000 "STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM" (5/28/2014) Summary: 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

20241119ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

This is an update to the complaint from June- Because I have to compensate manually for the electric power steering, I’ve aggravated upper back injuries and strained hip muscles I incurred from work. I have to attend physical therapy for those injuries now, but it’s useless if my only mode of transportation prolongs my recovery.—— My 2009 Mercury Mariner’s steering wheel started locking up 3 months ago, and it’s hard to get the steering wheel and the tires to agree on one direction. I looked up the make and model to see if there was a safety recall for it and there was, but my VIN wasn’t included in the recall campaign, even though it fits the criteria exactly. ///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 r

20241119STEERING

This is an update to the complaint from June- Because I have to compensate manually for the electric power steering, I’ve aggravated upper back injuries and strained hip muscles I incurred from work. I have to attend physical therapy for those injuries now, but it’s useless if my only mode of transportation prolongs my recovery.—— My 2009 Mercury Mariner’s steering wheel started locking up 3 months ago, and it’s hard to get the steering wheel and the tires to agree on one direction. I looked up the make and model to see if there was a safety recall for it and there was, but my VIN wasn’t included in the recall campaign, even though it fits the criteria exactly. ///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 r

20241004STEERING

The contact owns a 2009 Mercury Mariner. The contact stated that while her son was driving at various speeds, the vehicle intermittently experienced a loss of power steering assist. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 170,000.

Mileage: 170,000

20241002STEERING

The power steering on my vehicle has failed and the repair shop stated there is an expired recall for the steering on this vehicle from 2014. I bought my vehicle (2009 Mercury Mariner) 1 year ago. VIN: [XXX] . INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

20240903STEERING

The contact owns a 2009 Mercury Mariner. The contact stated while driving 30-35 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle after 15-20 minutes, and the power steering became functional. The contact was able to continue driving. The contact stated that the failure recurred several times while driving. The dealer was contacted and charged a fee for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 131,000.

Mileage: 131,000

20240613STEERING

The contact's fiancée owns a 2009 Mercury Mariner. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously serviced under NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering); however, a month after the recall repair, the vehicle lost power steering functionality while driving at an undisclosed speed. 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. The dealer later informed that the software for the power steering control module (PSCM) was previously updated under the recall; however, the manufacturer informed the contact that there was no record of the recall repair in the vehicle repair history. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

20240607STEERING

My 2009 Mercury Mariner’s steering wheel started locking up 3 months ago, making it impossible to drive. I looked up the make and model to see if there was a safety recall on it, and there was, but my VIN wasn’t included in the recall campaign, even though it fits the criteria exactly. ///////////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.////

20240427STEERING

Months back there were times the power steering would go out, it would be for short amount of times and always came back. As of 40+ days ago the power steering has totally gone out and has not once come back. The dash says "power steering assist fault" The other issue is the wrench on the dash. It's normally after driving for quite some time. Even if there has been a break on the car while grocery shopping etc. when it comes on the car goes into limp mode. VERY DANGEROUS as we cannot tell when it'll happen. There has been multiple times the light turns green we take off, get to about 15-20MPH and she just stops. The dash reads to safetly pull over and I believe it says to shut off the car. This has been happening for 5+ months. There is also random over heating when that happens. This is based on how I remember it. Because of the safety issues I have not driven the vehicle. My husband drives it because he can handle no power steering better then me... Not that it's better for anyone t

20240427UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Months back there were times the power steering would go out, it would be for short amount of times and always came back. As of 40+ days ago the power steering has totally gone out and has not once come back. The dash says "power steering assist fault" The other issue is the wrench on the dash. It's normally after driving for quite some time. Even if there has been a break on the car while grocery shopping etc. when it comes on the car goes into limp mode. VERY DANGEROUS as we cannot tell when it'll happen. There has been multiple times the light turns green we take off, get to about 15-20MPH and she just stops. The dash reads to safetly pull over and I believe it says to shut off the car. This has been happening for 5+ months. There is also random over heating when that happens. This is based on how I remember it. Because of the safety issues I have not driven the vehicle. My husband drives it because he can handle no power steering better then me... Not that it's better for anyone t

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NHTSA Investigations

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Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2009 MERCURY MARINER have?
The 2009 MERCURY MARINER has 418 NHTSA complaints, 11 crashes, 0 fires, 4 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
Are there any recalls for the 2009 MERCURY MARINER?
Yes, the 2009 MERCURY MARINER has 2 recall(s). The most common affected component is STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2009 MERCURY MARINER?
The most-complained component for the 2009 MERCURY MARINER is STEERING with 163 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ENGINE and VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL.
Is the 2009 MERCURY MARINER safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.