Most common 2010 Mercury Mariner problems
Share of the 270 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Mercury Mariner complaints by model year
Best Mariner years: 2007, 2005, 2006. Years to avoid: 2008, 2010, 2009. Compare all years →
2010 Mercury Mariner recalls (2)
Fuel system, gasoline › Delivery › Fuel pump
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2010-2012 Ford Escape vehicles manufactured February 26, 2009, to April 29, 2012, and 2010-2011 Mercury Mariner vehicles manufactured February 25, 2009, to December 12, 2010. On vehicles with a 3.0L engine, the Fuel Delivery Module (FDM) may crack, causing a fuel leak.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the FDM flange with one that has a redesigned fuel supply port, free of charge. Remedy parts are currently unavailable.
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.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will update the software for the power steering control module (PSCM) and the instrument cluster module, free of charge.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 3 possible defects involving the 2010 Mercury Mariner:
Electronic Throttle Body Malfunction
On February 21, 2013, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE13-003 to investigate allegations of electronic throttle body (ETB) failures resulting in sudden reduction of engine power in model year (MY) 2009-2013 Ford Escape, Fusion, Mariner and Milan vehicles.
Rear Liftgate Window Glass Breakage
In its response to the agency, Ford acknowledged a higher than normal level of glass breakage incidents in the model year (MY) 2010 to early-build MY 2011 subject vehicles.The incidentsoccurred when the liftgate glass was being opened, or more typically while being closed, but in both cases while the vehicle was stationery, i.e., not moving on the roadway.Additionally failures often occurred during early morning…
Loss of power steering while driving
On May 27, 2014, amended June 2, 2014, Ford Motor Company (Ford) submitted a Defect Information Report (DIR) to NHTSA describing a safety defect that may result in a sudden loss of power steering assist while driving in approximately 746,067 model year (MY) 2008 through 2011 Ford Escape vehicles equipped with electric power assisted steering (NHTSA 14V-284, Ford 14S05).
What 2010 Mercury Mariner owners say
Speed control & acceleration all 66 →
Electronic throttle body p2119 code. All of the sudden losses power going into or out of traffic and the wrench tool light "lights up" it May go away by itself or not , "cut be scary" at times it has shut down in several instances on my own st or down the ave or another town etc... For no apparent reason it happens while turning or during acceleration at one point I had to wait for several minutes on the highway before starting the vehicle again and I get similar codes related to tbs powertrain and the fuel cap I noticed that when filling up, I need to stop pumping gas once it has stops automatically, without me topping it off not even once! And the light will most likely will not come on,it May go away by itself if not I erase the code.I clean the electronic throttle body last summer and it has run with no problems at all until now! Well a month a go! …
On that date, I was driving home with my wife at approximately 2 pm. Suddenly, the car went off and the steering wheel went stiff. As I tried to move unsuccessfully, we went down to a slope of about 20 degrees. As a result, both of us had to be taken for emergency treatment for knocks, cuts and follow up checks. So far, it has cost us $16,497.00 and repair of the car us$6,853.00. There has been other events where the car suddenly stops and the steering wheel becomes stiff. But, I don t use the car in the highway but only for shorts errands and within the area where we live. Its been a nightmare. I have changed the throttle casing module, the restraint control module, I put a rubber stop on the acceleration pedal, etc. Again, out of the accident it has been over 4 thousand dollars in trying to fix the car.
Engine & cooling all 63 →
When the weather is hot (close to 100 degrees or more) and I am driving with the a/c - my vehicle on 3 occasions will not start after parking the vehicle and trying to restart it. The red padlock sign blinks and it won't start. At first it is trying to turnover but then will continually sound worse and all other warning lights go haywire. I leave the car alone for half a day and it starts up again like nothing happened. On the fourth occasion, the car stopped while driving, just a quiet shutdown and the car glided. This time it did not work for over 24 hours and then started up again like nothing happened. Multiple mechanics and also the dealership cannot figure out the problem because by the time i have it towed to shop, it works again. They did a full check on the car and cannot find anything wrong and there were no diagnostic codes. …
I was driving when it felt like the vehicle was reving in park then the "wrench" icon appeared on my dash. I went a couple blocks & my vehicle felt like it wasn't shifting automatically as it should. I pulled over & turned it off. It started right back up with no lights on, I went half a block & stopped at a stop sign but while stopped the engine reved up. I was worried I was going to be in an accident. Then the "wrench" light came back on, since I was close to home I figured I'd just try to get home. About another block, the check engine light came on & was making strange noises. I kept my vehicle at about 5-10 mph & got it home. My car was very jerky.
Fuel & propulsion system all 63 →
I recently purchase 2010 Mercury Mariner. There is a few errors appearing on the screen in front of the steering wheel. One of the error is "CHECK FUEL LINES." It also has an error about the tire pressure sensor. It also rides roughly, but the wheels are like new, so it feels like the suspension or shocks have something wrong with them. Also, there is a lot of play in the steering wheel when driving it. When I went to check on the recalls in the system by putting in my VIN, it shows that there are no recalls on my vehicle. However, these errors and issues are connected to the recalls for my vehicle. I am sure that these recalls have not been taken care of for this vehicle and they need to be fixed.
My vehicle has been running out of gas extremely quick. It also leaks underneath when I am pumping gas into the Mariner. I am having a loud thunking sound underneath the vehicle an when I let off the accelerator, my car slowly comes to a hault. My power steering went out one day also without warning. I can't figure the problem out except I seen a recall for the power steering module or some sort that has malfunctioned an causes the computer to erase the power steering sensor completely clean of it's existence. Please help!
2010 Mercury Mariner engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5L 4-cyl hybrid | CVT | FWD | 34 / 31 / 32 |
| 2.5L 4-cyl hybrid | CVT | 4WD | 30 / 27 / 29 |
| 2.5L 4-cyl | 6-speed automatic | FWD | 21 / 28 / 23 |
| 2.5L 4-cyl | 6-speed automatic | 4WD | 20 / 26 / 22 |
| 3.0L 6-cyl | 6-speed automatic | FWD | 19 / 25 / 21 |
| 3.0L 6-cyl | 6-speed automatic | 4WD | 18 / 23 / 20 |
EPA ratings. Class: SUV.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2010 Mercury Mariner a good car?
Based on 270 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2010 Mariner rates avoid: 3.7× as many complaints as a typical year of the Mariner at the same age. It is one of the Mariner years we suggest avoiding. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2010 Mercury Mariner?
The speed control & acceleration — 66 complaints, 24% of all complaints for this model year, most often about accelerator pedal. Next are the engine & cooling (63) and fuel & propulsion system (63).
How many recalls does the 2010 Mercury Mariner have?
There are 2 recalls for the 2010 Mercury Mariner, the most recent from October 26, 2016 (fuel pump). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Mercury Mariner?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2007, 2005 and 2006. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2008, 2010 and 2009. See the full Mercury Mariner years comparison.
At what mileage do 2010 Mercury Mariner problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 61,000 miles; 34% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.