AI Damage2006 Mercury Mariner: common problems
Owners of the 2006 Mercury Mariner filed 63 complaints with NHTSA, most often about vehicle speed control and powertrain. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 63
- involving a crash
- 5
What fails most often
- 1 Vehicle speed control 21% of all complaints
- 2 Powertrain 17% of all complaints
- 3 Steering 14% of all complaints
- 4 Engine 13% of all complaints
- 5 Service brakes 13% of all complaints
- 6 Suspension 13% of all complaints
- 7 Structure 8% of all complaints
- 8 Electrical system 6% of all complaints
- Vehicle speed control: 13 complaints (21% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Powertrain: 11 complaints (17% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Steering: 9 complaints (14% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Engine: 8 complaints (13% of all).
- Service brakes: 8 complaints (13% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 2.3 L · petrol · 4 cyl
- 3 L · petrol · 6 cyl
- 2.3 L · hybrid · 4 cyl
- automatic, 4-speed
- CVT
Drive: AWD, FWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 63 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicle speed control | 13 | 1 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 11 | 1 | 0 |
| Steering | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| Engine | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| Suspension | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Tires | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats | 2 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
Recall for coolant pump on hybrid system could result in hybrid electronic overheating causing a stall like condition recall was addressed by dealership back on 7/20/2015 2nd owner has had vehicle for 9 mnths - have had 3 incidents of vehicle shutting down with dash light advising to pull over for safety and the…
Airbags failed to deploy, causing me to hit my head on the steering wheel. Resulted in loss of consciousness, concussion, and broken tooth.
Early on only happened a few times during winter. But as of recently it has become very dangerous to the point I've pulled out after being at a light or stop sign into traffic and unable to go. Gas pedal will not budge.
I was traveling 35 mph at time of impact and seat belts did not go off causing chest pains. My vehicle had 11,000 worth of damage to the front end when does the air bags deploy?
2006 mercury mariner suffered a rollover after accident. Consumer states that there is no excuse why the vehicle flipped over on its top after being hit at a slow speed by a much smaller vehicle. Consumer would also like to know why the airbags did not deploy.
As I am driving down the road, on a city street. The vehicle will just shut off, for no apparent reason. It does this several times. Every time the car is been driven it will shut off several times and me and my family have been in traffic when this has occurred.
Engine suddenly cuts off while driving. Message on dash says to safely stop the vehicle.
The car proceded to stall. It could not be started. I happen to be in the middle of the road and required to call for help to push the vehicle to the side. I was able to start the car later that day to drive it home. This is the forth time it happened over an 18 month period.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 4,699 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 13% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Mariner has 185 complaints (7 years in the data). This year has 63, below average.
What to check before buying
- Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Steering. Steering play, power assist, rack and tie rods after a wheel impact.
- Engine. Cold start, unusual noises, oil leaks and engine codes.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2006 Mercury Mariner?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: vehicle speed control, powertrain, steering. Total complaints: 63. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: rust, corrosion (13%), stalls while driving (11%), steering or power steering problems (5%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2006 Mercury Mariner?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 2006 Mercury Mariner from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 2006 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.