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).
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.
Me and my wife purchased a vehicle from a private seller to use for personal commute. A month later we started to notice more issue were occurring with the car then stated from the seller. I took it to an auto body shop to get it inspected and possibly serviced and upon that inspection the clerk stated that there was a milage adjustment done to the vehicle. We contacted the seller to try and return the vehicle and receive our money back, but the dealer refused and requested us to resell it.
Tl* the contact owns a 2010 Mercury Mariner. While driving at approximately 45 MPH, the maintenance warning light illuminated and the vehicle jerked violently. In addition, the vehicle failed to accelerate when the accelerator pedal was depressed. The failure recurred intermittently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who inspected the vehicle but was unable to diagnose the failure. After leaving the dealer, the maintenance and the engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 130,980.
Tl* the contact owns a 2010 Mercury Mariner. While driving approximately 50 MPH, an unknown wrench warning indicator illuminated. The accelerator pedal was depressed, but the vehicle failed to accelerate. After waiting a few moments, the vehicle restarted. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.
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
While driving this vehicle we have stalling issues. The issues have happened while driving the car on the road while making turns and stopped waiting for a light, the vehicle stops running without warning. The car will restart after you have placed the car in park and restart. The dealership has not been able to duplicate this problem.
Tl* the contact owns a 2010 Mercury Mariner. While driving at approximately 75 MPH, the vehicle suddenly stalled. The vehicle was restarted, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 52,000.
Having two issues. The first one is the check fuel intake warning light comes on and my check engine light stays on. This appears to be causing my car to cut out dangerously at intersections as well as the wrench light to come in and my car 'limps' home.
Car stopped running wrench light came on started motor put it in gear tried to go regular pace car did not go it is very slow no gas peddle turned it off let set for 2 hrs. Started back up runs OK but check eng. Lite came on called dealer
NHTSA investigations
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.
Engine complaints in other Mariner years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2010 Mercury Mariner?
NHTSA has 63 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2010 Mercury Mariner, 23% of the model year's 270 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2010 Mercury Mariner engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling 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 engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 52,000 miles, and 2% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 1 fire and 2 injuries to engine & cooling 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.