Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2010 Mercury Mariner owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
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.
Vehicle surges wildly at idle speeds in traffic. Vehicle stalls out while driving regular highway speed, surges wildly while driving, RPM spikes drastically while driving and at idle. Stalls and surges both while entering traffic from a stopped position and while driving at regular pace. Struggles to crank after fueling the vehicle. Spits and sputter and shakes while at idle....updated10/20/15
When intering to tunnel my car suddenly speed up it felt like I had the gas pedle down to the floor. Even while holding the brake all the way down, this did not slow the car down much. There were no warning lights or check engine lights on then or now
This is a letter I wrote to my repair service on 8-3-12. "this has happened three times in the last two days and is a very dangerous vehicle to drive. When driving the vehicle on a side street once and twice on the expressway, the vehicle suddenly loses power and while the engine is running I could not accelerate. The engine light and tool light both came on and twice just the tool light came on (the wrench). Nothing could be done to regain speed. It seemed as though the accelerator pedal was disabled. I had to pull over to the shoulder of the road, turn the engine off and restart the car. If I had not been close to a shoulder, this would have been most dangerous for me and for the traffic behind me. The car just loses all power and getting it to the side of the road and out of the way of traffic is a dangerous endeavor. This car cannot be driven safely. …
I was driving approx. 55mph on the parkway when my vehicle gave me a kick back (shook a little) and began to decelerate until it completely stopped. I could not get the vehicle to accelerate and had to pull over to the side of the road where I turned the vehicle off, turned it back on, and was able to drive again. I drove approx. 3 miles before the problem occurred a second time, this time I was unable to make it all the way to the shoulder before the vehicle completely stopped so I ended up at a dead stop in a turn lane. I was able to get the car to the shop without any issues occurring again and was told the issue was reading as "p2112 throttle actuator control stuck closed" - the entire part needs to be replaced and will cost me $400 as it is not covered under warranty. …
Car went into 'limp mode" at about 25 MPH and the orange wrench warning light came on. Had to stop, turned off the engine and then restarted. Warning light went off but it occurred again in about 5 miles. Went to Ford dealer the next day and they could not find anything wrong nor duplicate the problem. Problem happened again a couple of miles after leaving the dealership. I immediately returned to the dealer and they once again couldn't find anything wrong. Two days later on I-95 the car went into "limp mode" the orange light came on and I drove to the side. The traffic was backed up so I was going about 25 MPH when this occurred. When I restarted the engine this time, the "wrench" warning light went off but the "check the engine" light came on and remained on. Next day returned to the dealer and this time they said they found the problem and it was the throttle body. …
I had just gotten back from a long trip, and was stopped at a red light - I barely accelerated once it turned green, and the car lost complete and total power, in the middle of the intersection. A wrench light came on. No throttle was working as much as I pressed down. The car kept snail pacing until I got to an empty parking lot where I turned the vehicle off. I turned it back on and it revved itself, so I turned it back off. Turned it back on and all of a sudden it worked again. I took it to the dealer who claimed it was the "electronic throttle body" failing and charged me $98 for the diagnostic. I decided for a second opinion, and they took everything apart to see if it was something else since the car is only 3 years old and only has 30,000 miles on it. After much testing they concluded it was in fact the "electronic throttle body," and the repair cost me $595. …
The vehicle shut off while driving. This re-occurred several times during the next 8 days also while driving, one time while making a left hand turn across oncoming traffic. We researched the problem and had two estimates done and contacted Ford motor company. The throttle body had to be replaced and the repair cost us $400.00 dollars. We have researched this problem and have seen that this is a very common safety problem. We spoke with our neighbors who have a Ford escape and already had their throttle body replaced as well for the same problem. We were told by the dealership that the new part is designed differently now, so this should not happen to us again. This has to be a recall item. It is obviously a manufacturing defect and is a huge safety concern. Ford should have to be responsible for these charges. …
I was driving on a very busy avenue at about 5:45 pm and my vehicle stopped accelerating. The wrench light appeared on my dashboard and my vehicle was basically putt-putting down the road at a very slow speed. Due to the fact that my vehicle stopped accelerating, I was almost in a very bad accident. I was able to pull over to a parking space about a 1/4 of a mile and shut off my car vehicle. I called my local repair shop and told them to expect me. I had plans of having the car towed. After about 5 minutes of having my vehicle off, I tried to start it and it was running normally. My repair shop test drove the vehicle and the next day and didn't find anything wrong. They also didn't find any codes appearing in the vehicles memory. They did find an article online about the same thing happening to the same type vehicles. …
Acceleration complaints in other Mariner years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2010 Mercury Mariner?
NHTSA has 66 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2010 Mercury Mariner, 24% of the model year's 270 complaints. The component named most often is accelerator pedal (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2010 Mercury Mariner acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 2010 Mercury Mariner, though it has 2 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2010 Mercury Mariner acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 50,000 miles, and 3% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 2 injuries to speed control & acceleration problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.