Which year to buy
2011GOOD BUYSerious complaints 1.0× usual
76 serious complaints of 87, the most about power train (24) and fuel system (22); per car on the road, 1.0× this model's usual year. 3 recalls. NHTSA investigation PE13003: electronic throttle body malfunction.
What owners report
“My wife was driving the 2011 mercury mariner on the interstate at 60 mph when the wrench light (throttle control/powertrain) came on and the car speed dropped rapidly to about 20 mph. Fortunately she was able to pull the mariner over to the side of the interstate and came to a stop and shut the engine off.”
An owner's complaint to NHTSA about the power train, Nov 2013
“The contact owns a 2011 mercury mariner. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 16v777000 (fuel system, gasoline); however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair.”
An owner's complaint to NHTSA about the fuel system, Apr 2018
87 owner complaints · 3 recalls (check a car's VIN for open recalls) · EPA combined: 20–32 mpg · NHTSA: 3 of 5 stars
2010GOOD BUYSerious complaints 0.9× usual
256 serious complaints of 279, the most about speed control (69) and steering (63); per car on the road, 0.9× this model's usual year. 3 recalls. NHTSA investigation PE13003: electronic throttle body malfunction.
What owners report
“Driving 45 mph when the car lost the ability to accelerate and maintain current speed. The yellow solid wrench light came on, the engine remained running, and the car coasted to a stop. The driver turned off the car waited a couple minutes then restarted and car operated normally.”
An owner's complaint to NHTSA about the speed control, May 2013
“The contact owns a 2010 mercury mariner. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 14v284000 (steering) and had the vehicle repaired. While driving approximately 25 mph, the steering wheel became difficult to turn after the power steering assist failure warning indicator illuminated.”
An owner's complaint to NHTSA about the steering, Feb 2015
279 owner complaints · 3 recalls (check a car's VIN for open recalls) · EPA combined: 20–32 mpg · NHTSA: Not rated
Verdicts computed from NHTSA owner complaints, defect investigations and recalls. Cars on the road from New York State registrations. (How we judge.) Data checked 2026-10-06.
Year by year
| Year | Engines | Drive | Fuel economy | Crash rating | Recalls | Owner complaints | Most-reported problem | CarPlay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 2.5L 4-cyl 2.5L 4-cyl hybrid 3.0L 6-cyl | 4WD, AWD, FWD | 20–32 mpg | 3 of 5 | 3 | 87 | Power train (24) | — |
| 2010 | 2.5L 4-cyl 2.5L 4-cyl hybrid 3.0L 6-cyl | 4WD, FWD | 20–32 mpg | Not rated | 3 | 279 | Vehicle speed control (69) | — |
Owner complaints are unverified reports to NHTSA, counted as filed: older years have had longer to collect them and sales aren't adjusted for, so see Which year to buy for a fair comparison. Most-reported problem: the component named in the most complaints that year. Sources: EPA, NHTSA, Apple.
Trim-by-trim features for Mercury aren't in our data yet: so far we have them for BMW, Genesis, Hyundai, Kia, Mazda, Subaru, Toyota, and more brands are on the way.
Every NHTSA-rated version: crash ratings, safety tech, recalls, complaints
| Year | Version | Stars | Forward collision warning | Lane departure warning | Recalls | Complaints |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Mercury Mariner 4DR SUV 4x4 | 3 | No | No | 3 | 87 |
| 2011 | Mercury Mariner 4DR SUV 4x2 | 3 | No | No | 3 | 87 |
| 2011 | Mercury Mariner HEV 4DR SUV 4x4 | 3 | No | No | 3 | 84 |
| 2011 | Mercury Mariner HEV 4DR SUV 4x2 | 3 | No | No | 3 | 84 |
| 2010 | Mercury Mariner 4-DR. w/SAB | Not Rated | No | No | 3 | 279 |
| 2010 | Mercury Mariner Hybrid 4-DR. w/SAB | Not Rated | No | No | 3 | 279 |
Source: NHTSA.
Every EPA-rated version: engines and combined mpg
| Year | EPA model | Engines | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Mariner 4WD | Auto 6-spd, 4 cyl, 2.5 L | 22 |
| 2011 | Mariner 4WD FFV | Auto 6-spd, 6 cyl, 3.0 L | 20 |
| 2011 | Mariner FWD | Auto 6-spd, 4 cyl, 2.5 L | 23 |
| 2011 | Mariner FWD FFV | Auto 6-spd, 6 cyl, 3.0 L | 21 |
| 2011 | Mariner Hybrid 4WD | Auto (variable gear ratios), 4 cyl, 2.5 L | 29 |
| 2011 | Mariner Hybrid FWD | Auto (variable gear ratios), 4 cyl, 2.5 L | 32 |
| 2010 | Mariner 4WD | Auto 6-spd, 4 cyl, 2.5 L | 22 |
| 2010 | Mariner 4WD FFV | Auto 6-spd, 6 cyl, 3.0 L | 20 |
| 2010 | Mariner FWD | Auto 6-spd, 4 cyl, 2.5 L | 23 |
| 2010 | Mariner FWD FFV | Auto 6-spd, 6 cyl, 3.0 L | 21 |
| 2010 | Mariner Hybrid 4WD | Auto (variable gear ratios), 4 cyl, 2.5 L | 29 |
| 2010 | Mariner Hybrid FWD | Auto (variable gear ratios), 4 cyl, 2.5 L | 32 |
Source: fueleconomy.gov.