Mercury Marine Reviews

Last fall I purchased a MotorGuide Xi5 trolling motor directly from MotorGuide. MotorGuide is a division of Mercury Marine. While setting it up I notice that my GPS functions were not working. Their tech support instructed me to bring my unit into an authorized service dealer, which I did. My motor has been at the dealer waiting for parts for six weeks! Mercury/MotorGuide does not, answer any my, or the dealer's inquiries regarding the status of the parts. This is a brand new unit out of the box that didn't work, and now no support! Absolutely my worst nightmare! It's like Mercury doesn't care. This has been a horrible experience.

My son purchased a new boat with a 50 hp Mercury outboard. The motor would lock up out on the water. After lower unit replacement it continued to sieze. We found out later motor was assembled in China. Mercury would ship parts to China for assembly. Why in the hell would an American company lose quality control of their products? Good job mercury. You've lost a customer for life. Moreover we tell every boat owner of this stupid company's decision!

I purchased a new boat 4 years ago with a Mercury 250 pro xs on it. This engine has a 6 year warranty and now it has a blown power head. Dealer said blew due to a bad fuel injector and it's not covered by warranty. Mercury said because it's a electrical part it's not covered. This is a OEM part and should be covered. This is unacceptable. This engine is only 4 years old and now I have a 65k yard decoration. Mercury has a department to just get out of paying warranty claims. We purchase new boat so we don't have to worry about repairs. I will never buy a Mercury product of any kind again because of this. Don't want to do business with someone who doesn't stand behind their product and has a department to make sure they don't have to.

I purchased a new Ranger Boat in 2018 that came with a Mercury 4 stroke 150 hp. My husband made sure that he kept the maintenance up on his new pride and joy. The boat has 255.5 hours on it and we had to fork out $7,000 to replace the powerhead on it. I am so mad right now. Should have stuck with Yamaha. We have never had any issues with those motors, and we have owned a few. I would not recommend Mercury to anyone. And reading these reviews I see it is a common affair.

I have always used the fuel that the manual recommends, "regular 87 fuel with up to 10 % ethanol", with added stabilizer. I have had the motor back to the dealer every season for failure to start. The 1st time they charged me $160 and found nothing! The second time they charged me $375 to replace the carb float valve. Warranty was refused on carb issues because they can't prove recommended fuel was used. Dealer also told me I should only use ethanol-free fuels. Ethanol has been successfully used in gasoline for decades now, why does Mercury have such issues with it?!? Extremely disappointed.

Purchased a new pontoon with a 115hp Mercury Outboard. Prior two watercraft's had a Yamaha outboard with 15 years of combined service with no warranty claims or repairs outside of normal maintenance. I have the Mercury 5 days / 3 engine hours and my entire family and I get stranded out on the lake. Come to find out the voltage regulator went out and the rocker arm on #4 cylinder was not installed properly from the factory. I questioned my decision when I purchased the boat and now regret not following my instinct to buy another Yamaha. Mercury made the repairs at no direct cost to me but the major inconvenience and obvious insufficient manufacturing quality protocol has me wondering how many times I'm going to regret my purchase in the coming years.

Please share/comment on my problem and help me to solve it. I bought a brand new boat with brand new Mercury 60 HP on Nov, 2020. I could use it only 38 engine hours due its malfunctioning. Authorized service diagnosed it as gear malfunctioning, I asked Mercury company to replace it with a new one cause it was only 3 months passed upon purchase and engine was at below 20 hours. They did not accept it and presented me an only option of replacing the tail. They promised me full replacement if the same problem would happen again. So I accepted it and the tail part was changed.

Head bolts came loose on new motor and they won’t cover it. I paid for the full warranty for 5 years. Called and the guy Cris was very weird acting. Would not even give me his name till I just keep asking.

We are operating a fishing charter in Airlie Beach. Bought a pair of SeaPros 2018 meant to be the new great commercial motors... Gear boxes have been nothing but trouble. Needing a rebuild every 700hr. Motors have done 3000hrs and have been great.. But the gearbox's are a disgrace, using soft cheap steel, jap crap, these "new best ever commercial gearboxes" have been nothing but an ongoing expensive issue, and Mercury don't seem to be able to fix the issue and keep saying it's an operator problem, I had 2 stroke Mercury engines before this and never had an issue, these new lightweight cheap steel gearbox's are not built to last, and all the tour operators in the Whitsundays (300+ boats) have all run away from using Mercury engines. Run away from these engines, thanks A1 Fishing Charters Whitsundays.

I purchased a 2021 17-ft War Eagle boat from Tomahund Marine in Charles City, VA on 9-21-21. On the second use, 11-20-21, the oil light and alarm came on. The oil level was fine. I took it to the dealer & they found metal shavings in the oil which had worked into the oil pressure relief valve and made it stuck in the open position. The motor had run without oil pressure with only 10 hours on the motor. Mercury told the dealer that they would only replace the failed part of the oil pressure relief valve. I called Mercury customer service on 11-30-21 to advise them I was disappointed they would only replace the one failed part that in turn probably damaged the power head of the motor from running without oil pressure.

My father purchased this 25 hp jet drive 4 stroke outboard new, 2 years of very little use it quit running. This motor sat in his garage for 3 plus years then my father passed away leaving me his boat. I took it to Bass Pro a Mercury dealer, they determined bad ECU fuel driver. They also said motor had 18 hours. I purchased and installed new ECU plug and pay 900.00 dollars. The motor ran perfect for 1 year and 5 months, I put about 12 gallons of gas through the motor and it just died from a bad ECU. Motor has about 30 hours on it. I called Mercury customer service and they will not help. This is a hard pill to swallow, another 900 dollars. Wow. This is crazy. I think I will try and sell this piece of crap and buy a Honda or Yamaha. Therefore be warned about these Mercury engines.

Spark plug #4 cannot be replaced easily requiring removal of side cowling. Top cowling hard to fit and rattles. Shift sensor went bad 3 times. Electronic gauge trim display only works with select engines. Engine lower unit losses paint finish. Excessive gas consumption. Poor torque at take off. Dealers do not maintain certified Mercury mechanics.

I ordered 4 propellers from Mercury Marine nearly 6 months ago for a total amount over $ 12,000. They originally told me a delivery date of 4 to 6 week. That turned into 3 months and I am still waiting Mercury Marine continues to lie and mislead me with the delivery date. They never give an explanation, they just then just say call back next week. What a horrible and untrustworthy company!

I have a 2020 Outboard. Motor is 9 months old and has 100 hr. I noticed a structural crack in the lower unit. Brought motor to authorized dealer for warranty repair as it obviously a manufacturer defect. Mercury denied the claim. Attempted to appeal claim. Representative stated owner caused crack. Attempted to speak with supervisor and was denied. After this experience I will never buy another Mercury outboard again. Poor quality and poor customer service.

Bought 5 year warranty. First time owning a boat, oil leaking from bottom drain hole. Take it in to get fixed not covered under warranty. Only the first 3 year for gaskets and seals are covered. Started leaking in the 3rd year but didn't fix because it was the end of the season. Figured I bought the best warranty you could get but doesn't cover gaskets and seals in the 4th and 5th year. Buyer beware. I thought it was like owning a vehicle. Guess not.

If it was me, I'd run away from Mercury. The new Mercury 150L I just bought on 8/11/20 is a lemon and doesn't run right. In fact, it failed on the very first trip (motor has less than .4 hours). Given that it doesn't work first time out, I think it is reasonable to expect a refund, or replacement. The dealer doesn't. I also can't seem to get Mercury to call me back either. So everyone wins except for the customer. I'm stuck with a $15k lemon....

If I could give 0 stars or less I would. We are fairly new boat owners, this would be our 3rd season, but unfortunately that will have to wait until next summer. We had some boat issues before we put our boat in the water in spring. We went to a Mercury dealer/repair center, which was mistake one. By the time they diagnosed the issue it was mid-July. This issue requires a new engine block. They call, Mercury has a few in stock, we give them half the cost and we wait and wait and WAIT. Here we are, a month later, and the engine hasn't been shipped. We have offered to pick it up but they refuse. They claim covid is slowing everything down, half staff at the manufacturer, etc, but if you have the engine and a customer waiting and willing to pick it up, what's the problem??? This has been the most frustrating process ever. I will definitely never get a Mercury engine of any type ever again!!!

Bought a 9.9hp Mercury Outboard in early June and still haven't been able to use it more than an hour. First time I used it, I got my boat in the water, started my outboard and two minutes later it died and was leaking gas out the back of it. Took it to the dealer had them fix it. Took it out a couple days later with my wife and it started leaking out gas again so I head back to the boat launch and almost made it back when it died. Thank goodness for my RELIABLE MINN KOTA. Took it back to the dealer and they tell me this is happening to most 2020 9.9hp models and that mercury sent them special filters and gaskets to fix it this time. Well I trusted them and went to go fishing and guess what happens. The engine dies in the middle of a big lake and I'm stranded. I asked for a refund at this point but apparently Mercury don't back their products 100% so they won't give me a refund. DON'T BUY A MERCURY OUTBOARD.

Hey Everyone. We just purchased a brand new Four Winns Deck boat with a Mercury 115hp CT, We purchased it based on their specs of it going 40mph at WOT and 22 mph at 3500 RPM. Our Actual numbers are 5 mph less or more in all RPM ranges. We have tried everything to fix this. Another boat on the lot did the same numbers. Four Winns is now offering us a stainless steel prop to try and get their numbers. I will let you know how the stainless prop works out. However, we never wanted a stainless prop because we run in shallow water and have hit something before.

We purchased our StarCraft Deckboat with a Mercury CT115 from Snake Creek Marine in Montrose PA. The dealer was extremely helpful and accommodating during COVID-19. We then transported our boat to the Adirondacks where we began to enjoy it. After less than 12 hours run time the powerhead blew out. It has been sitting at a dealer awaiting parts which will arrive next week. When I spoke with the customer service line regarding extending our warranty he said "we don't do that ever." I asked for the manager and he said she'll tell me the same thing. I am still disputing with Mercury and if it is resolved in a positive manner that is acceptable to both parties I will update this review. For now I recommend Honda or Yamaha as better choices for outboards.

I bought this motor along with my 2020 Suntracker 20ft pontoon and trailer. I got the Continental trailer and the light wiring is junk but luckily under warranty for one year. The boat has been pretty good so far. The only issue I have is with my hub kit inside my prop which is a Enertia Stainless Steel 3 blade. 15.6 by 13p. I have no damage on the prop and pulled my prop hub kit because the lower unit was making clunking noises. I saw spider web cracks in hub. So bought new hub and everything was ok. A few days later I here the clunking again but this time I don’t see any issues with hub kit. And haven’t hit anything either.

Seam came apart under warranty, Twice at separate seams! They will worm their way out any way possible to not honor their warranty. Poorly made products they don't stand behind. Spend a few bucks more and get a quality boat from a company of better integrity.

I purchased a 2019 Sea Ray 290 SDX with twin Mercury Verados, one month ago. I was told by the dealership that the engines need warranty work done, replacing the lower units. This was determined before the boat was delivered to me. I am wanting the work done by a different dealer, that is more convenient to my boat's location, but Mercury is telling me I need to stick with the original dealer. I feel that Mercury should make the work as convenient for me as possible. I want better customer service.

I have a 2018 Falcon F150 with a Mercury 150 Pro XS. The lower unit has went out 2 times and 1 time Mercury sent a bad one. I will never buy another Mercury again. Trying to go trade the boat in tomorrow before the warrant runs out.

Bought a brand new boat with a Mercury 115 outboard. At 20 hrs the FSM failed. Prime fishing season now and no boat for 3 weeks. Mercury will not have another dealer with part in stock shIp to my dealer to fix. Part on back order at mercury and they will do nothing to help get my boat back in the water. DON'T BUY MERCURY! BUY A HONDA!!!

I own a Boston Whaler 315 Conquest 2016. Purchased USA 2018. Imported to Australia August 2018. Noticed port loss of steering: reset by turning off & on. Did contact my local Mercury dealer … with their unreliable service they did try many times to fix from Re-set computer to new steering pumps (unsuccessful). Problem increased in frequency. (Boat not usable. Missed the tuna season.) Friends laughed at my choice of unreliable engineering of inferior equipment.

Purchased Mercury’s commercial duty SeaPro 75hp in 8-17. For my Bayliner for non commercial use. Mercury advertising states that the SeaPro is “the best motor mercury makes” my motor sucked up water and blew up at the beginning of 2019 season under warranty. Like so many others Mercury blames damage on operator abuse and denied warranty. Be aware of Mercury’s misleading public statements and false advertising “world class products with world class warranties”. Do your research on hydrolocked Mercury Motors seems to be a continuing problem for late model products. Customers like myself and so many others being left with 8,000$+ repair bills on brand new motors.

I am going back to Yamaha outboards. I had four Yamahas. Never a problem. This is my first Mercury. A 150 four stroke (2015). The bearings go after 188 hours. Never another Mercury again for me as the factory won't cover it even though it is a KNOWN ISSUE. I need a new powerhead to the tune of 7k. Unbelievable. Serial number 2B143203. P.S. I have had all factory certified tech work on the motor.

Owned a Mercury 115 4 stroke outboard... 4 years new (1 year out of warranty) changed oil/filter every year. It threw a rod. It was supposed to have a Guardian engine system that would shut it down in case of a critical issue. That certainly did not work. Merc has zero interest to come to table to help. Notta...zero...160 hours.

Took delivery of a new Bennington 21 SLXP with Mercury's 115 Pro XS with a 17P prop. Had a very difficult time choosing between a Yamaha, Mercury, Honda and the two stroke offered by Evinrude. So far I'm very pleased with the overall performance of this Mercury. We have lots of boats here at Higgins Lake to compare engines and we do. All of our acquaintance with competitive engines are all very impressed with this Mercury also. Quiet! This engine is easily as quiet as the Honda and appreciably quieter than the 115 Yamaha. 190 hrs. on this power plant and "0" issues. Plenty of guts also. Two people on board and 2600 lbs of watercraft, this pontoon with lifting strakes, inboard and outboard, will have bow rise like any runabout and will GPS @38-40.3 mph. Pretty impressive for a 115 of any kind. This engine so far has exceeded our expectations.