Mercury Marine

Hello,
I have a 2015 Mercury 250 Verado. I had a float get stuck in the fuel module based on trouble code. Pulled the boat into BassPro Daphne, Al.. BassPro told me it would be 2 months before they part would be available. After two months, the part was back order from Mercury. Then After 2 more months the part delivery was push another month. Can’t speak with a real person at Mercury. I believe I can order individual parts to replace the float and fuel pumps. BassPro stated they can only replace the whole module not individual parts. My boat has been out of service since June 2022-Nov.25.23. Again the warranty is useless if Mercury will not provide parts.

Review: mercury rebuilt and sold an outdrive missing a bearing. The bearing wasnt installed from the factory pushing the shaft sideways into the upper housing causing complete failure of the component. Have picture proof and a written statemtn from mechanic that the parts were missing. Spoke to mercury and they are denying the fact that the part was missing even though we have pictures to proove it. They have denied any responsibility and refused to work with us on it. They allowed a defective part to leave their factory and will not stand behind their work. Do not recommend doing business with themdesired settlement: I would like them to repair or replace outdrive

business

response:

[redacted] ,

I am writting to you to help with an issue that has effect myself and most likely several other boat owners, not only New York State , but across the country and beyond. How to begin, last summer (Sept 2015) I was boating on the Oneida River when my 2006 Mercury 90hp Optimax outboard motor stopped running. After several unsuccessful attempts I was unable to get the motor restarted. I diagnosed the problem with the help of my brother the mechanic, as no spark. Up to this point I had never had any issues with the motor. I understand this is a 10 yr old outboard motor, but through my research on this matter I discovered what I feel that a poorly designed engine part as the cause of my engine failure. I will go into more detail below.
After diagnosing the engine with "no spark" I then took the boat to an authorized Mercury Service Center listed on their website. They diagnosed the problem as a failed computer (sometimes referred to as PCM, PCU, ECU or ECM) caused by a failed ignition coil. I contacted Mercury Marine to inquire about having the computer rebuilt, but they told me that this was a "non-serviceable" part. I would have to purchase a new one at a cost of just under $2000, plus tax through an authorized service center. This still isn't the reason for my writing to you. I will get to that in a little bit.
The cause of the problem was a failed coil. I found out there are 4 coils in my engine. at about $156 each. I understand it's a 10 yr old engine and these things happen. The Service Technician told me he would not reinstall the rebuilt computer unless I replace all 4 coils. He was not trying to rip me off as I am about to explain.
First, I found a place that has been rebuilding the non-serviceable computers for years. The cost was not cheap, but it was far less than $2000 and they give a 1 year warranty on the repair work. While talking to the people that repaired my computer they referred me to a Mercury Marine Service Bulletin No. 2007-25R2. At the time of the bulletin my engine was still under warranty, but working fine. Here is the main point of my letter. The coils that are currently in my engine and several others are ticking time bombs. The design of the coil is flawed. When the coils fail they send a 12volt surge through the computer and burns them out leading to a repair bill in excess of $2000. My engine has 4 coils so potentially this could have happened 4 times. That is why the Service Tech wanted to replace all 4 coils. My understanding is that Mercury Marine Corporation internally acknowledged the fault with the coil design and has had them redesigned to prevent this from happening in the future. They did not issue a recall on these coils or so I was told and they are not calling them defective.
If my engine was still under warranty they would have covered the repair, but those of us that suffered the damage caused by the poorly designed coil after our warranty expired were left out in the cold with a very expensive repair bill, not just $200 for a new coil. I ascertain that the poorly designed engine coil caused the problem and Mercury Marine should be held accountable for these repairs even beyond the warranty period and replace the problematic coils at no charge or at least at cost.
In addition, Mercury, has not recalled these poorly designed coils and you can find them all over the internet. If I had not done my homework I may have been tempted to purchase one of these less expensive coils online, but now there is no way. I admit that if I just replaced the faulty coil I may get another 10 years out of service from my engine with no problem, but as I said before it's a gamble I am not willing to make. Have you ever tried to paddle a boat across a lake against the wind that doesn't want to be paddled?
My attempts to contact Mercury Marine to resolve this matter were unsuccessful.
A VERY FRUSTRATED BOAT OWNER who is looking to drop the Mercury Engine into the deep abyss and buy a foreign built engine. So much for American Pride.

Review: Purchased a 2005 Optimax 135 engine from Henry's Marine in Chicago IL in August of 2005. Since 2005 I have put 125 hours of use on this engine, an average of 15.75 hours per year. In September of 2013 I was on vacation in Hayward WI when the engine stopped working, got it towed and out of the water and took it to an authorized Mercury dealer who took the engine apart and told me a tab that holds the tensioner spring in place had broken off and that the only way to fix it was to replace the block or get a new tab welded on to the block. He also told me that this is a manufacturing defect as the tab should have never been mounted to the engine block. Contacted Mercury and was told my warranty was expired as they warranty by years not hours, too bad! It cost $137.15 for the original diagnostic, the tow was $60.00, I was able to get the piece welded at a cost of $60.00, and the tensioner spring and the serpentine belt replaced for a cost of 266.71. Grand total 523.86Desired Settlement: I have asked on two occasions if Mercury Motors would split this cost with me as a gesture of good will, I understand that the motor is eight years old, but considering the number of hours on the motor itself I do not see this as being an unreasonable request

Business

Response:

Thank you for allowing Mercury Marine this opportunity to respond to the claim submitted by

Ms. [redacted] to the Revdex.com of Wisconsin.

First and foremost, we hope Ms. [redacted] will accept our apology for any inconvenience she has

experienced due to the issues with this engine.

Our records indicate the above mentioned engine was purchased on July 24, 2004 with a three year

factory warranty that expired on July 24, 2007. making it over five years out of warranty.

Given the age of the engine and the time out of warranty, Mercury Marine respectfully declines

to reimburse or financially assist Ms. [redacted] wi th these repairs.

Should you need further assistance, please contact me at [redacted] between the hours of

7:30 a.lll. and 4:30 p.Ill., Monday through Friday, Central Standard Time.

Review: I am the owner of a Mercury Verado outboard motor, which has 116 hours of use (i.e., it is almost new). The motor serial number is 1B552407. This motor had a catastrophic failure while I was offshore, and a certified Mercury repair shop has evaluated the problem and has told me that the power head of the motor has cracked. This is not something that should happen to a motor that is almost new. I contacted Mercury, who told me that they were not willing to help me (Call reference number 2015-00180657). I would like to request that Mercury should help offset the cost of the parts and repairs, given that something of this nature is due to a defect in the motor at the time it was made.Desired Settlement: I would like Mercury to back up their product by covering the cost of the necessary parts and repairs.

Business

Response:

Tell us why here... [redacted]: The engine powerhead did not fail while under warranty. The warranty on the outboard, serial number 1B552407, expired on 04/28/2012. This Verado outboard was purchased used and is still registered through Mercury Marine with the original owner, not Mr. [redacted]. Considering the age of this engine and the time out of warranty, obtaining assistance from Mercury for this repair has been rejected. This has been explained to the customer multiple times yesterday. The customer may choose to contact an authorized Mercury dealership for service to this engine; however Mercury will be unable to provide assistance with the cost of his repair. If the customer needs assistance with locating an authorized Mercury dealer, please select the following link: http://www.mercurymarine.com/find-a-dealer/ Should you have any other questions or concerns, please feel free to contact our office at ###-###-#### between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, central standard time. Best regards, Mercury Outboard Customer Assistance2015-181118

Consumer

Response:

Review: I purchased a mercury 99 four stroke kicker moter 07 and I have had nothing but issues with it. I've had it serviced numerous times by mercury certified technicians and it is a constant battle to reach out to your customer service center for assistance with this. I am very dissatisfied with this. I am the host of two tv shows team e outdoors and the run. This is not conducive of a good consumer experience. Please contact me about this issue.Desired Settlement: Replacement product or equivalent.

Business

Response:

Review: The Verado 250 out board sold to me was sent incomplete. The missing part resulting in oil loss at testing. The outboards block, hoses, belts, and electrical connections covered in motor oil.Desired Settlement: I would like the warranty extended to 5 years platinum. If no damage was caused it will cost the manufacturer nothing. If damage was caused, it should cost me nothing.

Its not the problem, but how you handle it. That one is measured by.

Business

Response:

Review: I Have a mercury Boat engine and it has a full warranty until 2015. The steering cable broke in 2011 and was replaced by a Mercury dealer and they put a non mercury part back into it and now it broke again on 4/22/2014 and they will not cover it for two reasons the big reason is because it was replaced by a Mercury dealer with a non mercury part which they are allowed to do( which is crazy) and it voids warranty. They also say the cable is corroded without even looking at it and the dealer who is fixing it says there is no corrosion on the cable at all but they say it is and is voided by the warranty because it is corroded.Desired Settlement: I want it fixed under the warranty

Business

Response:

Review: I purchased a boat with a Mercury outboard on it, in which Mercury was offering 5 yrs of warranty instead of 3 and now they will not honor the purchase agreement.Desired Settlement: Give me the full warranty promised, on both my Verado 200 and my 9.9 kicker.

Business

Response:

Review: 3 Mercury Engines purchased 3 years ago, the paint is fading on the cowls (covers). Have been trying to get them replaced for 2 years. I have been denied repeatedly.Desired Settlement: I would like the covers replaced as I have had this problem for 2 of the 3 years that I have had the engines.

Business

Response:

Review: I bought a New Ranger Bass boat in March of 2013.It was equipped with a Mercury OPTIMAX 115 engine. On the third trip out I went into shallow water and the motor failed to 'trim" or lift up when I operated the trim switch. There was a flaw in the motor trim system. This caused the "skeg" and propeller to become broken on the bottom. Mercury had the trim switch replaced but refused to fix either my Skeg or my propeller. On March 10th of 2014 I took the boat to Wedowee and was fishing. The motor began to run hot and then basically blew up. The motor doesn't even have 10 hours on it. I took the motor to the Mercury authorized repair shop and they said that the motor stopped pumping oil eventhough it was full and that it had sand in the cylinders. Mercury refused to warranty the motor because they said that the sand caused the malfunction. Every waterway in Alabama has sand in it. The engine locked up because Mercury's oil pump system and for that matter their whole engine is faulty. They have shown a pattern of neglect and they know they are selling a faulty engine.Desired Settlement: I would like my engine replaced with one that was built right and isn't a "lemon" Ive had issues from day one and this engine isn't even a year old yet. Every time I have taken the motor in for repair I have been told by the repair technicians that Mercury will not cover my repairs under warranty. This motor is warrantied for two years.

Business

Response:

April 7, 2014

Revdex.com of Wisconsin

Attn: [redacted]

10019 W. Greenfield Ave

Milwaukee, WI 53214

ID [redacted]

Re: Mercury 115-horsepower engine

Engine Serial Number:

1B977084

Dear [redacted],

Thank you for allowing Mercury Marine

this opportunity to respond to the claim submitted by [redacted] to the

Revdex.com of Wisconsin.

First and foremost, we hope [redacted]

[redacted] will accept our apology for any inconvenience or frustration he has

experienced due to the failure of his engine.

[redacted] presented his outboard to Wedowee Marine,

an authorized Mercury dealer, for warranty inspection. Inspection found the cooling system, specifically

the thermostat and poppet valve, packed with sand. As this is not due to a defect or poor

workmanship, Mercury will not assist with this claim. Inspection found the cause of failure to be

due to the environment the outboard is operated in and no manufacturer defects

were found. Mercury Marine recommends

the customer contact his insurance company for further advice in how to

proceed.

Should you need further assistance, please contact me at

###-###-#### between the hours of 7:30 am through 4:30 pm, Monday through

Friday, Central Standard Time.

Sincerely,

Outboard Customer Service

Mercury Marine

Ref. #2014-37438

Consumer

Response:

Review: A new powerhead was purchased from Mercury in June of 2013 for my 225 Optimax Motor. After 13 hours of runtime the #6 cylinder in the powerhead failed and this new powrhead blew. I made several phone calls to Mercury and was told they would not honor the 1 year warranty on this new powerhead. I was then contacted by a Mercury rep after October 23rd who scheduled to meet with me on 11/7/13 at Yankee Marine in Albany, NY. I spent the whole day with this rep who after a complete inspection of the motor, agreed this should be 100% covered by Mercury. I received a phone call the following day (11/8/13) from [redacted] at Mercury stating that they were going to completely cover this replacement. One week later I received a call from Yankee Marine who is doing this repair and they stated that Mercury had contacted them and had now decided they are not going to cover the labor on this which I just paid $1,700.00 for in June to a Mercury certified shop.Desired Settlement: I want them to honor this warranty and cover the replacement of this powerhead 100% including the labor which is supposed to be covered.

Business

Response:

Mercury Marine Customer Service has reviewed the complaint, [redacted], and wishes to assist the customer with the requested cost of labor. Please advise if we should contact the customer directly with this news or if the customer wishes to be contacted by the Revdex.com.

Thank you,

Mercury Outboard Customer Assistance

Business

Response:

We have pre-authorized the labor required for powerhead removal and replacement. We left a voicemail with Mr. [redacted] at the phone number provided and advised the dealer our intent to cover the labor for this failure. You may close the file on [redacted].

Thank you,

Mercury Marine Customer Service

Consumer

Response:

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]

[redacted] from Mercury Marine contacted me on 11/20/13 and left a voice mail message in reference to complaint ID [redacted], stating that Mercury Marine will now cover the cost of the labor to replace the powerhead that is under warranty. I find this resolution is satisfactory to me as long as they follow through.

Review: I bought a suntracker party barge in April of 2014 it has a 90 horse power Mercury four stroke motor on it . The motor has not ran properly since I have owned the boat . It has left me stranded in the lake 3 separate times Mercury keeps replacing parts on the motor and it never runs.Desired Settlement: I want a new motor not pieces and parts with a new warranty this thing is a lemon and I want it off my boat.

Business

Response:

[redacted],