2008 Mercury Mariner Hybrid

WHILE TRAVELING ON THE OPEN HWY @ 75MPH, I SUDDENLY GOT "PULL OVER SAFELY NOW" MESSAGE ON THE INFO CENTER OF THE DASH AND A RED TRIANGLE ALERT ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE DASH. I PULLED OVER IMMEDIATELY. STOPPED THE CAR, TURNED OFF THE IGNITION AND WAITED A MOMENT. I THEN STARTED THE CAR, ALL SEEMED FINE (NO MESSAGE) AND PROCEEDED. A SHORT TIME LATER, THE EXACT SAME THING HAPPENED AGAIN. I PULLED OFF THE HWY AND REPEATED THE STEPS ABOVE. THE CAR WAS RIDING WELL AND SMOOTHLY WITH NO APPARENT PROBLEMS. BUT, THE LONGER I DROVE, THE MORE FREQUENTLY THE PROBLEM OCCURRED. I WAS ONLY ABLE TO DRIVE FOR A FEW MINUTES BEFORE THE DASH BOARD WARNING WOULD REAPPEAR. I PULLED INTO THE NEAREST FORD DEALERSHIP TO GET THE PROBLEM RESOLVED. I HAVE BEEN TOLD IT IS THE THROTTLE BODY AND AM CURRENTLY WAITING FOR THE PROBLEM TO BE RESOLVED. *TR

STALLING, TOTAL LOSS OF POWER ON FREEWAY, OR MAKING A CITY TURN, OR ACCELERATING FROM A STOP SIGN OR LIGHT, OR GOING UP EVEN A SLIGHT INCLINE, SUCH AS A DRIVEWAY TO A HOUSE. ONLY IN THE SUMMER. DO NOT DARE USE AIR CONDITIONING, WHICH MAKES IT OCCUR QUICKER AND MUCH MORE OFTEN. 95 DEGREES OUTSIDE, 113 DEGREES IN CAR - CANNOT AND DO NOT USE AIR CONDITIONER, BUT STILL HAPPENS ON TRIP OVER 15 MINUTES LONG. TOTALLY UNSAFE. LIKE OTHER CONTRIBUTORS, I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHY THERE HAS BEEN NO RECALL. JUST TODAY, JULY 10, 2013, 18-WHEELER BEHIND ME (CLOSE) ON 45 MPH CITY STREET, AND I STALLED. I STUCK MY LEFT HAND OUT OF MY WINDOW IN A "PLEASE STOP" GESTURE, AND DRIVER DID STOP, BUT I WAS TERRIFIED. MUST COME TO FULL STOP, PUT CAR IN PARK TO RE-START IT. BUT SAME THING WILL HAPPEN AT NEXT LIGHT OR SIGN OR CHANGE OF SPEED, WHETHER IN 5 MINUTES OR 30 SECONDS, CITY STREET OR FREEWAY. AT THIS POINT, I WOULD SAY THIS HAS HAPPENED APPROXIMATELY 250 TIMES. YES, THAT IS NOT A TYPO. NO QUESTION FORD KNOWS ABOUT THIS. *TR

THIS WOULD BE THE THIRD TOTAL ENGINE POWER SHUT-DOWN AT FREEWAY SPEEDS WITH NO LIMP-AWAY OPTION AFTER EXITING THE FREEWAY, REALIZED THAT WE WERE IN AN UNSAFE NEIGHBORHOOD [SO NOT A GOOD OPTION TO STOP AND CALL FOR TOW], TRIED MAPPING SURFACE STREET ROUTE TO SAFER AREA, BUT NAV SYSTEM SHOWED THE ONLY SURFACE STREET ROUTE TO TAKE US BACK HOME PUT US ON A STEEP, NARROW WINDING SECTION OF LAUREL CANYON - NO SAFE EXIT IF ANOTHER SHUT-DOWN. ALSO REALIZED WE COULDN'T USE RIVERSIDE THRU GRIFFITH PARK WHICH IS LOCKED AFTER DARK .. SO ZIG-ZAGGED NORTH AND WEST ABOUT 5 MILES BELOW 40 MPH KEEPING TO LIGHTED STREETS HOPING FOR SAFE PLACE OR UNREMEMBERED ROUTE. ENGINE REMAINED STABLE ONCE MORE, DROVE TOWARDS I-5 AGAIN ON LOS FELIZ (PAST THE GRIFFIN BAR ' AND A TOPLESS CLUB) .. REMEMBERED LOS FELIZ AHEAD HAD A LONG, SEPARATE ENTRANCE RAMP TO N/B I-5 . THE DRIVETRAIN ACCELERATED SMOOTHLY TO ~50 MPH, THEN WARNINGS / DRIVE TRAIN DIED AGAIN AT THE BOTTOM OF THE ON-RAMP .. HAZARDS ' AGAIN .. BUT WITH LESS MOMENTUM, HARDER TO FIND A WIDE-ENOUGH SPOT ON THE N/B OUTER SHOULDER ACROSS FROM S/END GRIFFITH PARK GOLF COURSE. WHEN MINIMAL SPOT FOUND STOPPED / PARKED / SHUT DOWN AND RESTARTED AGAIN, ENGINE STARTED AND IDLED SMOOTHLY, NO WARNING LIGHTS REMAINED ON. NOW ABOUT 10:15PM. WITH HAZARDS ON, ROLLED BELOW FWY SPEEDS ALONG SHOULDER UNTIL IT RAN OUT JUST AS ADEQUATE OPENING APPEARED IN OUTSIDE LANE. ACCELERATED CAUTIOUSLY TO BELOW 50 MPH, LIMPED OFF AT ODD FREEWAY APPENDIX WHICH LEADS EAST - MERGED RIGHT ONTO SAN FERNANDO, TURNED LEFT (NORTH) AT NEXT SIGNAL AND STARTED WORKING WAY ABOUT 12 MILES BACK WEST ON SURFACE STREETS FROM THE MOORPARK AREA NEVER EXCEEDING 45 MPH. NO ADDITIONAL DRIVETRAIN ISSUES BEFORE WE REACHED STUDIO CITY HOME ~ 11:10PM. THIS WAS THE THIRD TOTAL ENGINE POWER SHUT-DOWN AT FREEWAY SPEEDS WITH NO `LIMP AWAY' OPTION. *TR

THIS WOULD BE THE SECOND UN-WARNED TOTAL LOSS OF POWER ON A FREEWAY. HAVING COASTED OUT OF TRAFFIC ON THE FIRST UNWARNED ENGINE / PROPULSION SYSTEM SHUT-DOWN IN FAST-MOVING FREEWAY TRAFFIC, MANAGED TO FIND WIDE-ENOUGH SECTION OF OUTSIDE SHOULDER TO COME TO A STOP. BUT BEING STUCK IN 10PM DARKNESS ON A NARROW SHOULDER WAS TOO DANGEROUS TO CONSIDER REMAINING THERE. ONCE STOPPED, I SHIFTED THE TRANSMISSION TO PARK, CYCLED IGNITION OFF THEN TO START ? ENGINE RESTARTED, DASH WARNING LAMPS CAME ON- THEN CYCLED OFF NORMALLY, ENGINE RAN SMOOTHLY. NOTE: THE ONLY WAY TO ATTEMPT TO RESTART THE HYBRID DRIVETRAIN IS TO SHIFT THE TRANSMISSION INTO PARK .. IT DOESN'T WORK IN NEUTRAL .. AND THERE WAS NO WAY I WAS GOING TO TRY TO PUT THE TRANS IN PARK IN 72-75 MPH FREEWAY TRAFFIC IN 10PM DARKNESS. ACCELERATED MODERATELY INTO MERGING LANE, ENTERING GAP IN N/B TRAFFIC TO RE-ENTER I-5 TRAFFIC ? HOPING TO GET PAST SR-2 TO MORE-FAMILIAR EXIT ? WITHIN 2 MINUTES, AND AT SPEED ~ 55 MPH ? DRIVE TRAIN DIED AGAIN (SAME WARNING TONE AND LIGHT...AND SAME "TOO LITTLE TOO LATE" STOP NOW WARNING TEXT). AGAIN HAD TO HUNT FOR A WIDE-ENOUGH SECTION OF OUTSIDE SHOULDER TO STOP AND TAKE STOCK OF DANGEROUS SITUATION. SHUT OFF ENGINE, MOVED TRANS INTO PARK TRIED RESTART - AGAIN, ENGINE STARTED AND SETTLED TO NORMAL OPERATION - NO WARNING LIGHTS REMAINED ON. ABLE TO RE-ENTER TRAFFIC AND TRANSITION OFF I-5 FWY .. BUT ONLY ESCAPE WAS TO ANOTHER FREEWAY (SR-2). KEPT SPEED BELOW 45MPH ON THAT FREEWAY UNTIL ABLE TO EXIT FREEWAY. THIS WAS THE SECOND UN-WARNED TOTAL LOSS OF POWER ON A FREEWAY. *TR

THIS WOULD BE THE SECOND UN-WARNED TOTAL LOSS OF POWER ON A FREEWAY. HAVING COASTED OUT OF TRAFFIC ON THE FIRST UNWARNED ENGINE / PROPULSION SYSTEM SHUT-DOWN IN FAST-MOVING FREEWAY TRAFFIC, MANAGED TO FIND WIDE-ENOUGH SECTION OF OUTSIDE SHOULDER TO COME TO A STOP. BUT BEING STUCK IN 10PM DARKNESS ON A NARROW SHOULDER WAS TOO DANGEROUS TO CONSIDER REMAINING THERE. ONCE STOPPED, I SHIFTED THE TRANSMISSION TO PARK, CYCLED IGNITION OFF THEN TO START ENGINE RESTARTED, DASH WARNING LAMPS CAME ON- THEN CYCLED OFF NORMALLY, ENGINE RAN SMOOTHLY. NOTE: THE ONLY WAY TO ATTEMPT TO RESTART THE HYBRID DRIVETRAIN IS TO SHIFT THE TRANSMISSION INTO PARK .. IT DOESN'T WORK IN NEUTRAL .. AND THERE WAS NO WAY I WAS GOING TO TRY TO PUT THE TRANS IN PARK IN 72-75 MPH FREEWAY TRAFFIC IN 10PM DARKNESS. ACCELERATED MODERATELY INTO MERGING LANE, ENTERING GAP IN N/B TRAFFIC TO RE-ENTER I-5 TRAFFIC HOPING TO GET PAST SR-2 TO MORE-FAMILIAR EXIT WITHIN 2 MINUTES, AND AT SPEED ~ 55 MPH DRIVE TRAIN DIED AGAIN (SAME WARNING TONE AND LIGHT...AND SAME "TOO LITTLE TOO LATE" STOP NOW WARNING TEXT). AGAIN HAD TO HUNT FOR A WIDE-ENOUGH SECTION OF OUTSIDE SHOULDER TO STOP AND TAKE STOCK OF DANGEROUS SITUATION. SHUT OFF ENGINE, MOVED TRANS INTO PARK TRIED RESTART - AGAIN, ENGINE STARTED AND SETTLED TO NORMAL OPERATION - NO WARNING LIGHTS REMAINED ON. ABLE TO RE-ENTER TRAFFIC AND TRANSITION OFF I-5 FWY...BUT ONLY ESCAPE WAS TO ANOTHER FREEWAY (SR-2). KEPT SPEED BELOW 45MPH ON THAT FREEWAY UNTIL ABLE TO EXIT FREEWAY. THIS WAS THE SECOND UN-WARNED TOTAL LOSS OF POWER ON A FREEWAY. *TR

AT ~ 10:10PM TRAVELING AT 68-70 MPH IN FAST, MODERATE FREEWAY TRAFFIC IN THE #3 N/B LANE OF I-5 IN SILVERLAKE AREA, ~ -MI SOUTH OF THE INTERCHANGE WITH THE SR-2 FREEWAY (~ @ RIVERSIDE DR. OVER-CROSSING) . SUDDENLY / WITH NO WARMING, ENGINE LOST ALL POWER & SHUT DOWN AND I HEARD A `SCREECHING' WARNING TONE, SAW THE RED TRIANGLE OF DOOM WARNING SYMBOL APPEAR IN THE UPPER/RIGHT OF THE INSTRUMENT PANEL, THE TACHOMETER DROPPED TO `ZERO'' AND THE `TOO-LITTLE-TOO-LATE' WARNING TEXT STOP NOW' TEXT APPEARED AT THE BOTTOM OF THE INSTRUMENT PANEL (HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO DO THIS WITH NO POWER?). ONLY THING THAT SAVES US WAS THAT WE HAD SIGNIFICANT SPEED TO COAST OUT OF TRAFFIC - OTHER DRIVERS THANKFULLY GAVE-WAY TO LET US DO SO. FIRST OF THREE SUCH COMPLETE LOSSES OF POWER IN TRAFFIC, ATTEMPTING TO REACH SAFETY. *TR

VEHICLE WAS IN MIDDLE LANE OF INTERSTATE 95 WITH TRAFFIC MOVING AT 65-70 MPH WHEN THERE WAS (ACCORDING TO FORD TECH) A FAILURE OF THE MOTOR ELECTRONICS COOLING PUMP. THIS CAUSED THE VEHICLE ENGINE TO SHUT DOWN AND COULD HAVE CAUSED ACCIDENT/DEATH IF WIFE WASN'T ABLE TO GET TO SHOULDER WEAVING THROUGH LANES OF TRAFFIC. I SEE ONLINE AT HTTP://WWW.ARFC.ORG/COMPLAINTS/2008/MERCURY/MARINER_HYBRID/ENGINE_AND_ENGINE_COOLING/PROBLEM.ASPX THAT THIS HAS BEEN REPORTED AS A MAJOR COMPLAINT FOR AWHILE. WHY IS THIS NOT A RECALL? SOMEONE WILL SURE GET KILLED. OUR CAR HAS ONLY 57K MILES. *TR