Mercury Marine Reviews

Five weeks should be enough time to find out if it can be fixed. The engine is not advancing the timing on top end to get the performance it should, now I have a new motor that has timing gears off with stripped bolt repairs (that might be a problem later) and still not close to fixing it yet. Bottom line is Mercury does not worry about customer satisfaction at all 'cause they don’t sell the product to you the dealer does.

After several outings where the same thing happened and various solutions were pursued, the mechanic was finally able to replicate the problem in his shop and determined it is a faulty fuel pump. However, it is now out of warranty. Despite the problem arising during the warranty period, Mercury refuses to compensate me for the repairs that have now totaled over 40% of the original price of a new engine. If I knew about such fraudulent incompetence, I would never have purchased a Mercury engine. Now here, a potential customer of Mercury is forewarned.

Original Review: July 8, 2018

Mercury 8HP, 4 stroke - Bought this motor along with a boat new in 2012. Had starting problems from the start. Then it started bogging down after accelerating. Called dealer. Out of business. Read many posts as to what the problem could be. Tried Seafoam. No help. Had carb cleaned (wasn't dirty, barely used)... No change. Changed plugs, filter and had fuel pump tested. Still no change. Ran well on land with water hose attached. As soon as in water it bogs downs... No power.

Went into another Mercury dealer. The tech said it's the carb. I said it has been cleaned by a technician. He said they throw them away... Can't be cleaned as jets so small, and the ethanol in gas ruins them. A new carb and installation around $500. Not sure whether to chuck good money after bad. This engine wouldn't have 10 hours on it, cost around $2,550.00, and I find from the serial number labels that it was made in 2007. Seems like the dealer who sold this to me knew I was getting an old lemon. No wonder now out of business. Totally frustrated with this Mercury outboard, and would never buy a Merc engine again. In fact I think I will go back to my canoe and kayak.

Then I took it out for the first time and it ran great. Second time it shut down while running on plane. Boo! Found out a coil went bad and wiped out the PCM with it. $3000 in parts to fix! I called Mercury and initially they said the boat was 10 years old and I wasn't the original owner so they could do nothing to help me. Then they called me back and told me they would pay for the PCM ($2200). I gave him the name of the Mercury Premier service shop and they authorized to pay the bill for the parts and they agreed to pay for the coils, all 6 of them! They completely stand behind their product and admitted that they had an issue with the coils back during the year that's engine was built. Thanks to them my boat is now what I expected it to be, and will be a Mercury customer from now on!

UPDATE ON 10/07/2018: 2nd attempt for parts from America failed, but with the wrath of my wife to Mercury Australia they got their ** together and found final adapter plate in New Zealand, 7 weeks later from the first 3 month service... Just remember, they are a very big company and will fix any problems in their own timeline and deal to you like a another number in line, so be patient and suck it up!!!

This is a problem that Mercury has known about literally for years, and still can't seem to find a solution to it. Maybe they just need to buy their fuel pump assemblies from a manufacturer that actually knows how to design something? I had to tow the boat 60 miles away to find an authorized shop that wasn't backed up 4 to 6 weeks (with Mercury problems). They tore it down immediately, and indeed, found the fuel delivery module shot. Of course, Mercury has them on back order, and aren't going to ship any for at least two weeks, if then, so I'm losing a month or more of the summer due to a crappy design that cannot be fixed even after at least half a dozen re-designs of their fuel delivery module. Stay away from Mercury.

Updated on 07/09/2018: Well, I got the boat back from the service shop, after the fuel pump failure, and was actually able to use it for about two weeks... Then the alternator died. I called all service shops in the area, and some outside of it, none can take it any sooner than 3 to 4 weeks! I pulled the alternator myself, and brought it to a local rewinding shop, they can't fix it because of the idiotic integrated rectifier/regulator that are shorted. This also caused a failure of one of my batteries by causing a cell reversal through the rectifier.

Now, trying to find the replacement alternator is next to impossible, nobody stocks them, and Mercury won't honor a warranty on this since I'm not going to give up a month of summer boating for yet another one of Mercury Marine's problems. IF I can find one, I'm going to have to spend upwards of $300, and maybe get it in a week or two. STAY AWAY FROM MERCURY MARINE MOTORS! THEY ARE NOTHING BUT GARBAGE!

Took it back to service center and after 2 days of troubleshooting the conclusion was a bad Power Train Control Module. This part is well over $6,000.00. I contacted Mercury to see if they were interested in helping me with the cost or even if they wanted to find out why a $6,000.00 part failed. They of course could care less because it was out of warranty. Still waiting to get boat out of repair shop. Contacted dealer where I purchased boat and they told me they had never replaced a Power Train Control Module so this is a rare issue. Needless to say I'm extremely disappointed with Mercury Marine. I will update when I get the boat repaired.

I am a weekend fisherman and all this started a 205 hours, so I have spent almost $3000.00 in 5 months after the warranty was out on a engine with 205 hours on it. The only way to make a difference as a consumer is to insist that the dealership install something other than a Mercury, if they hear that enough then the dealers will start to drop Mercury and only then will Mercury start to care. I promise that I will never own another Mercury, but of course Mercury don't care.

Soon after the same thing happened again. This time I was told it was not a big deal and not to worry about it. I asked if a Mercury service rep could be contacted to see if they could diagnose the problem. I was told by my installer that they would contact Mercury and get back to me as soon as they contacted one. That was around the end of April 2017. As the water warmed in the spring and summer months the problem was not as bad. The motor temp would stay high enough to keep the alarm from sounding. As the fall approached and the waters began to cool the same thing happen again. I contacted Mercury again and again with no luck. Finally Mercury told me of a kit I could have installed which would block off the low water pickups in the front of the lower unit. I purchased the Mercury plugs and had intended to have them installed as soon as I pulled the boat out for the winter.

As if all of this was not bad enough, when I pulled the boat in November 2017 I found that the lower unit where the low water pickups are located had corroded into one large hole which was around three quarters of an inch in diameter. I contacted Mercury about two weeks ago and I am still waiting for that service tech to arrive. I will never buy American again! I should have dealt with the extra weight of a Yamaha four stroke and not wasted my hard earned money on a total piece of trash. Mr. President if you really want to make America great again, you might want to start by letting the Japanese in to manufacture our products.

Original Review: Nov. 5, 2017

On August 2nd, I bought a 2017 Suntracker pontoon boat powered by a new Mecury 115 CT motor. I used this boat 8 hrs and got stuck. Motor seemed it was like a car running out of gas surging above idle. Brought to dealer. The boat was kept 6 weeks and they said a fuel cell repair was done. Got the boat back and it ran about a half hour before surging started. Called dealer. Was told to put a fuel water separator filter between fuel tank and motor. Used boat again, constant surging above idle. Put a new filter on and tried again. Brought back to dealer, was run on a hose at dealer and did same thing. This is where I stand now. Will keep everyone posted on outcome. If there is a third time I will sue under the Lemon Law. Boat was bought at Nobles Marine in Crystal River FL.

The black smoke still prevails and testing has been done which is empirical that this motor is producing about 10 hp. A mechanic has advised that top rpm is 4500 and not the 6100 required. A Mercury rep, Dave **, looked at the motor, ran it in a tank and declared it runs fine and there are no issues (he did not "see" black smoke). We all know that a tank test does not load a motor. I have provided pictures of the black smoke and data on the test run. ** did not test run the motor but the Mechanic did who has advised it does not rev up properly under load.

I have been lied to by Mercury Marine and most of their dealer mechanics. I requested that I be present a two inspections and tests but they denied this request and did them in secret without providing or naming the tests they may have performed. I was advised by a dealer/owner and the mechanic that 4 stroke Mercury outboards run much rougher than 2 strokes, and get used to it. Here is the summary of Mercury Marine Warranty - THEY DO NOT HONOR THE WARRANTY AND WILL MAKE YOU MISERABLE AND ANGRY SO YOU WILL GIVE UP - I was told this by a management member of Mercury Marine customer relations dept. This motor has been a "lemon" - they know it and do not care -- reading other reviews I see this as corporate policy. Caveat Emptor.

A month later went to go fishing. The boat started fine, headed out, motor ran a little ruff. Here we go again, motor stalled like it ran out of gas!!! I pulled gas line, no fuel again!!! Mercury Marine claims ethanol issues!!! Why build a motor that can't run on today's fuels!!! So here we go again with maybe bad float sensor and maybe bad fuel pumps, dealers thoughts. This motor has become unsafe!!! DO NOT BUY MERCURY OUTBOARDS!!! Do yourself a favor Google Mercury outboard problems before you buy!!!

Here is the thing, agents and dealers will tell you that after 13 years the bugs have been ironed out, yes the immediate bugs have however the quality of componentry has not and catastrophic failures come about through the 'penny worth of tar' principle, Mercury have a complete disconnect with regards to the ownership experience because they have a stranglehold on the market. Across the board if all out reliability is the name of the game then its Honda or Yamaha, if reliability and performance then Evinrude e-techs... the issue is dealer numbers and that dear readers is why Merc get away with it.

The attitude of both Richardson's and Mercury was that I must have done something wrong to cause the problem. Guilty until proven innocent I guess.

I was still pretty mad about the whole thing so I contacted Mercury again and asked them if there was some place I could send the carb to have it tested like maybe their manufacturer. Their response, once again was worthless.

So, I just spent $860 to fix a 2 year old Mercury that cost me less than $3000. Put in perspective, it's kind of like buying a $30,000 car and having to pay $9000 in repairs while it was still under warranty. Hopefully I can sell it and get something else. This whole experience with a Mercury product and their customer service was awful. I would not recommend them to anyone.

After many trips back to the dealer and many bad trips out fishing, the engine finally blew up, in the middle of an ocean bar. Luckily we were able to be towed back in. The engine had thrown something through the block. Mercury are now saying that I put the boat into reverse at high speeds, or the transducer was in the wrong position, or I performed an emergency stop. These actions have forced water up into the exhaust port and blown a hole in the head.

I am 48 and have been operating boats since I was 16. I was offended by the service managers claim because I would not put the engine in reverse at speeds under any circumstances, I didn't got the transducer (fitted by Mercury Authorised dealer), and as for emergency stop, the engine blew up. Of course it stopped. Mercury has stated that they are going to be generous and replace the motor and the computer. I think, due to the continual issues I have had with this piece of junk, I am well within my right to request that the engine be replaced.

These arrogant people can't even be bothered phoning me. The person at Mercury said I should phone them. I am up to $500 with my lawyer fees so far, but I won't let them get away with this. 15K for a new engine that should be hooked onto a rope and thrown over the side as an anchor. I am now on my third week without a boat which cost me in all around 55K. Mercury has broken a very basic consumer law here in Australia. I want my boat back with a new engine that is tested prior to delivery. My mates, family and my own safety have been placed at risk by the faulty engine. I have always been a huge fan of Mercury engines and have owned many, but this kind of service has left a sour taste.

It should also be noted that they make contact online impossible as the serial number was rejected and they based their entire online contact presence on a forced choice form with no other options. I developed an entirely new optic of this company and it's safe to say, they are the worst of the worst. Their products, based on my experience, approach the level of junk and customer support is even worse - non existent if fact. If any company deserves a terrible rating, this one, Mercury, has earned it.

I ended up giving it away for parts just to resolve the issue - sort of. I recently inherited a Bayliner with another Mercury second tier motor, a Force. It was given to me despite the boat and motor look like they were never used - like new. The owner tried everything to get it running and keep it running but it had numerous issues that he spared no expense in repairing. I have had to repair the steering and the motor no start issue twice. I am done with Mercury and will put a Honda on this boat. I have two other outboards, a Honda and Evinrude with no issues.

I'm not sure about the Mercury dealers in the States but here in Canada they are just short of being thieves. Just for them to look at the motor will start at $1000. I called Mercury and the most ruthless excuse for a female answered the phone. I just wanted to know if anyone one else had that problem. I couldn't get any kind of an answer from her and I finally told her how I was going to fix it. I told her that "I SHOULD HAD BOUGHT A YAMAHA". What a ** piece of **. Mercury motors are garbage and their customer service department people is so horrible. I'm 58 years old and have NEVER experienced such demoralization for any company when all I wanted was some information. SHAME ON YOU Mercury.

Drop it at MarineMax Clearwater and they replace the wiring harness. Merc tech in Homosassa says Brunswick outfits the motors with cheap Chinese harnesses to save money on each unit. I pick up the boat and it runs worse than ever at low speed, shakes, rattles and looks like it's gonna launch off the transom. Bring it back to MarineMax and the tech says it runs like every other 4 stroke 60HP they have. Bring it back home, runs like crap still. I finally dropped it at MarineMax, told them to rig it with a Yamaha or I wouldn't pick it up. They offered me $3,000 trade in and tried to charge me nearly $8500 for the new Yamaha.

I've emailed and called everyone I could find in the company directory at Brunswick and Mercury and finally got a call back today. They told me the coil on the motor was found to be bad and they'll replace it. Refuse to even consider helping me on the awesome trade in deal, telling me I have to deal with MarineMax. Stay as far away from Mercury Marine as you can. Terrible product, worse customer service. Marine Max Clearwater has some of the best people around but they also refuse to stand behind the product and are trying to gouge me for another $6,000 to replace a clearly defective product. Never again.

Now Mercury will not consider extending the warranty even with the low hours. What a rip off and I will be sure that before he buys another Mercury he visits Yamaha as they offer a 5 year warranty to their valued customers. They back up their product as Mercury doesn't. Also, word of mouth is also good advertisement and will let anyone know who is thinking about buying a Mercury product to look elsewhere. Right YAMAHA will be our choice. So before you buy a Mercury product be sure to ask about their warranty.

This is a updated starter P/N (problems?) and there were only 3 in the USA the dealer said. So put the new design in (seems more robust) and still just a click. Googled and luckily found one post where a defective $20 vacuum hose in the fuel pump housing ruptures. This defective design hose sucks fuel directly into the intake and locks up the lower cylinder. So I pulled my plugs and sure enough the lower cylinder was loaded with fuel. So now I had to change, my oil (loaded with fuel) filter & plugs, replace the defective designed hose and see if it runs. I contacted mercury and they sent me a kind letter apologizing for their defect and offering to sell me the hose at full price.

I guess they shouldn't help someone when their defective design caused extensive damage, battery, starter, oil, plugs, filter, who knows how much cylinder wall damage with all that fuel. So not happy with mercury. And to top it off when fixing all these hose design defects the hose is replaced by a much higher psi rated hose and new P/N. Hmm sounds like a design problem? Then, I had to remove the air filter to pull the fuel pump housing and the foam crumbled. Turns out this is also a defective design on these motors. Once again I had to shell out $85 for a metal element replacement P/N.

My advice is to avoid mercury motors like the plague. They don't stand behind their product and their products are inferior. Things go wrong on all motors, but Mercury does not stand behind their products when there are clear design issues. That becomes exclusively your problem. I had a 1972 Johnson 50hp motor up until 2012 that never had any of these kind of issues and was a great motor. TLC and proper maintenance and no problems. I was very uncertain when I bought my Lund fishing boat that it had a Mercury motor on it. Now I know I should have walked/ran way.

Now some people may be saying, "Well you use them a lot so that's to be expected." Well, I've never had that many problems with all of my Yamahas combined. I will never buy another Mercury Verado. I'll stick with my yamahas from now on. We put 400 or more hours on a motor per year and there is no reason why they can't make a better more reliable product. I have Yamaha 250's that I've never had to do anything but maintenance and they have more hours on them. I don't expect anything from this review other than it to be able to be seen by the people looking for Mercury reviews. I regret buying this motor.

The first motor, while five mile offshore died. Mercury used plastic fittings on the cylinder head water lines. One broke while I was heading in and filled the inside of the cowl with salt water, which the engine sucked in at 4K RPM's. Bent a rod and cracked the block. Motor was still under the warranty but Mercury said "water intrusion" don't cover that even though it was caused by their cheap defective parts.

Motor number two was a remanufactured powerhead directly from Mercury. Had a 12 month warranty. Motor locked up at 13 months. Motor number three. A brand new 2005 Mercury 200. Constant problems with just about everything you can think of, and never any help from Mercury. That is the reason I sold the best boat I ever had. I wouldn't buy a tube of grease from Mercury. Today I have a brand new 17 foot Carolina Skiff with a 40 HP Suzuki 4 stroke with a 6 year warranty and I love it. Mercury SUCKS.

Nothing on the motor is made well. Every thing that comes off the motor is inferior and basically, junk. Things crumble apart, gaskets give way and corrode, electrical components fry all the time. My friend has a 70 hp Yamaha and it took us 5 minutes one day to change the fuel filter. It takes 45 minutes to change a fuel filter on my motor because you have to take most of the items on the side of the motor off to get to the fuel filter. There are 7, yes, 7 different screw head sizes to get to the fuel filter. 7 different sizes!!!

I'm a design engineer, if I designed anything like this motor is designed, I would be fired, on the spot, no question. Oh, and if you fix something one time, that doesn't necessarily mean you won't have to fix it again as the ECU, VST tank, mechanical fuel pump and trim and tilt pump have all died twice since we have owned this motor. And I bet Mercury just sits around and just cannot figure out for the life of them why their entire market share is just slipping away, like sand through their fingers.

Every Year I had to replace the high pressure fuel pump sleeve, they always have split and cracked only a $15 dollar 3/4 inch piece of rubber hose. Currently, now once again, the motor won't throttle up stalls, constantly runs rough (as Always). Left me stranded for the last time with my four young kids, wife, and dog. The motor is out of warranty. I have called Mercury several time with no help whatsoever. All I can do now is to let the public know what I have endured in the years past. My birthday falls on 6-17. I would like to go crabbing. Send me a new motor.

The extended warranty I purchased the GOLD warranty doesn't cover anything, was a waste of money, not what was explained to me when purchased and no paperwork was given to me explaining this wonderful extended warranty I purchased. The dealer that is working on my motor told me it would only be $350.00 in labor. Now three weeks later the bill has increased tremendously while they're exploring at my cost the problems with my motor. The Oregon Mercury representative says that's all they will do.

The are not warranty this motor and will cost me around $21,000.00 for a new motor. I am 62 years old and have been a boat owner for 40 years with a number of types of boats and have never had this problem. Mercury is not living up to their warranty. Mercury was not aboard the boat at the time so I do not understand why they will not believe me when I tell them what happened. I wanted to fish, not damage my engine. My son and I went to Sunsation boat company last Saturday to take his new 32 foot Center Counsel boat out for a test ride with the owner of the company. The boat has 2 350 Verado Mercury motors. We were out for 45 minutes. The owner Rob was driving and guess what? The Starboard side engine blew with less than a half hour on it. They want to fix the engine and not give him a brand new motor on his brand new boat. What would you do?

The dealer I bought my boat from in Worcester, MA made no such representation. Now I have a motor that was manufactured almost two years ago. So if you are buying a Mercury outboard, make sure you know the manufacture date and model year. They can differ as much as 18 months. Mercury does not use model years. They call them program years. So just be aware of what you are buying. They are not very upfront about this when you are buying. I think this is very sneaky. I would have looked at more current models that are available from other makers had I known.

In August of 2015, approximately 5 weeks after taking delivery I noticed an oil leak in the port motor. It was immediately brought to the attention to Marine Max. The boat was in and out of the shop the entire season multiple times, wherein I lost weeks of use of the boat. The leak was not resolved until over the winter when the boat was winterized. At that time Mercury Marine authorized a new power-head for the port motor.

9) Low Voltage issues.

All of these issues occurred between August of 2015 and Nov 2015. Each time I would bring the boat back to the dealer, they would work on it, and either they fix the issue or it just reoccurs. I left the boat with Marine Max, the dealership, over the winter to provide winter and spring services. I received the boat back on April 1st, 2016, after paying $7200.00 for winter storage, winterization and spring set up. I used the boat 5 times. The port motor has overheated twice (again each time I'm out on the water) and I've lost my steering on one occasion.

They claim that the first time the boat overheated was due to a defective impeller within the water pump (which they installed just prior to April 1st, 2016). They could not explain why the boat overheated the 2nd time. I also have received additional faulty codes. The aft bilge is still not working properly and runs for hours and I had a leaking deck hatch. Further, now oil has been identified leaking from the Starboard motor. I have brought this back to Marine Max and they have had a Mercury Rep come and inspect the boat. They are now authorizing two new actuator motors, and are creating a negative jumper wire/cable to regulate the electrical voltage. They are also going to look into the oil leak of the starboard motor.

I contacted Boston Whaler, Marine Max and Mercury Marine and got management involved. Their position is these are warranty issues and they will just keep honoring the warranty repairs as outlined by their contract. I have requested that they replace both motors and have a Mercury Marine Employed Technician install and rig the boat so that I can be assured of a safe, dependable and trouble free boat. They have denied this request and will not compromise from their position.

Meanwhile, I am still without the use of a boat as it undergoes additional repairs and all of these issues have accelerated the depreciation of the boat. When you go to sell a boat, the first thing any buyer does is pull the service records of the motors. When they see the laundry list of faults and repairs no one will offer me fair market value for the vessel. Marine Max hasn't even offered to buy the boat back from me at fair market value. I have a 2’’stack of emails that I have sent to Marine Max Service Department, ¾’’ stack of repair records, various photos of all of the issues and problems.

I called customer service to report the same issue again and this time I told service person it was time to discuss replacement! Next morning, I received a call from Mercury saying that all 2-stroke motors smoke and there was nothing wrong with my motor and that it ran out just fine. Mercury Marine said that they would not fund any more investigation in to this motor and if I wanted I would have to pay for it myself. Now I have supplied Mercury rep with videos of motor startup, excessive smoking and with Mercury's comments, I feel as though they are running away from a problem.

Left the boat at dealer in Port Clinton. Went home to Cincinnati. They called said it was the ECM and injectors. Mercury told this dealer I was responsible for ECM because my warranty didnt cover electrical. After all the trouble I had I guess they must gave in because they covered it. So 2 weeks later motor quits again on Lake Cumberland. This time 2 miles away from trailer and 2 kids - one 18 months old in the hot sun. Back at dealer now they say wiring harness bad, probably the reason it took out the ECM on last repair. Well after all this is done I paid 24 grand for a boat I don't feel I can trust to fish on big water, the reason I bought it for. I'm putting a new motor on giving Mercury the business again. Why I ask myself. Don't know. But changing brands will cost me 5,000 more to change.

So I called Mercury customer service. Their response was not helping me with a re-power. All I would ask is maybe a discount, something. Instead they said it's my choice to re-power. They don't feel it necessary (they haven't been sitting in the sun waiting for a tow). This engine only has 95 hours on it and it's getting replaced. So that's my story. Buyer beware. Choose better. This a 115 Mercury OptiMax.

Almost everyone online is having problems and most don't run. I don't know how they can still allow Mercury to sell these motors to the public. It doesn't matter what the dealer does, the motor will not start at all. I also threw out my shoulder trying to start this thing. I must have pulled the rope 500 times and motor does not even spark. I have never experienced anything like this with a new product right out the box.

Also my dealer pulled one over on me. I bought the motor on their father's day sale and it said brand new 2015 models on sale. When I took the motor to get serviced, noticed that the motor is a 2014 model. I paid good money for a more than year old model. I need to know what to do. I want to return this motor and get my money back. Do I need to get a lawyer? Not only does the motor not run at all, but they cheated me and gave me a year old model when it was supposed to be a brand new 2015 model. Please can someone help and advise?

Short version, the tech at the dealer called Mercury Marine and gave them the info. Mercury Marine covered all parts...FREE!!! This was a 2007 motor and I'm the second owner. I think Mercury Marine deserves a pass on taking care of its customers, at least in my case. I'll keep one on my transom until I have a damn good reason not too. Thanks Mercury for looking out for a loyal customer. 4th Mercury motor with no complaints.

Monday, June 15, 2015 at 10:15, I launch the Pontoon boat at the American Legion in Socastee, SC with wife and three friends. We arrived at Barefoot Landing around 12 o'clock. We had lunch and walked around Barefoot Landing. We then departed for American Legion Post 40 in Socastee, SC around 2:20, until this time the pontoon and motor ran just super, no problem. We were about one half mile from the boat ramp and the motor puff twice and shut down. We were towed into the American Legion Post 40 dock. I then manually loaded pontoon by hand/wench and departed for our home in Bridgecreek Sub-Division.

I had appointment and meeting on Tuesday, June 16, 2015 and I was unable to contact the Bass Pro Shop that day. On Wednesday I went to the Bass Pro Shop service department and had a conversation with the service manager **. I told him at that time that I thought the engine was locked up. He told me to bring the Pontoon in and that they would check it out when they could work it into their schedule. He also stated it might be a week before they got to it.That afternoon I towed the Pontoon to the Bass Pro Shop.

On Friday 19, June 2015 ** called and ask permission/authorization to tear into the motor and stated, that if it wasn't cover by warranty the cost would be around four to five hundred dollars to determine the failure of motor. ** notified me on Saturday, June 20, 2015 that this motor was not under warranty due to water coming in through the intake system. We had a conversation over the telephone. I told him I was not happy about this situation and that I would need to talk with a lawyer or someone who knew more than I or him. His statement was "Are you threatening me?" I told him "No but I would definitely get to the bottom of this situation."

In conversation with the Mercury outboard motor warranty/customer service personnel ** on Monday, June 22, 2015 they stated the Bass Pro Shop had not contacted them about the warranty on this motor. I then call the Bass Pro Shop and talked with ** the Operation manager. He contacted the service department. Then the Mercury customer service call me. At first they stated it was Tracker responsibility for this problem/water/rust in cylinder head due to water coming in at the intake. I talked with Tracker representative ** - they said no way. They stated that if there was a problem, the Mercury/Dealer should take pictures of this problem and get with them for a service bulletin. In conversation with the representative ** from the Mercury customer service he said they would provide the parts to repair motor/engine.

In the various conversation with Tracker, Mercury and the Bass Pro Shop representatives all day long on Monday, June 22, 2015. I found out there was a service bulletin in 2012 for a deflector shield fix on these type motor due to water getting into the intake system and causing this problem with motor locking/freezing up. The way I understand it this would be the responsibility of the dealership/service department. This deflector shield should have been installed during the last maintenance service I received at a cost of $500.00 in February 2014 by the Bass Pro Shop service department.

Bass Pro Shop service managers stated that I would need to pay for the labor for this repair on my engine. (I say no way.) Even if I paid for this repair on my pontoon/motor without this deflector shield I would have the same problem in the near future. I am sure that those individuals knew about this problem (with water entering into the intake system) for at least the last five to six years or more.

I feel very strongly that the Bass Pro Shop, Mercury or Tracker should be responsible for the labor cost and not the customers. I am sure that this has happen to other customers and they paid the price by footed the cost due to water getting into the intake system on those motor. I am sure the customers should not be liable for this problem with water coming in through the intake system. Everyone should stay away from Bass Pro Shop Stores. Veterans please put your money elsewhere. This is a no winner situation with big company. Deal with a local business/Family business. This will save you money in the long run.

Mercury called me and does not help out at all! I'm finished with this POS mercury motor and every mercury dealer! There in it for the money and once sold they tell you to shove it! Goodbye mercury once this motor is dead! Which at the rate it's going it won't be long! There's a lot more that I could say but I'm exhausted dealing with this over a year now.

I put a 2010 Suzuki 115 tiller on my Lund Alaskan and never had a lick of trouble until the boat was stolen. Then I bought a 2012 alumacraft competitor with a 90 Yamaha 4 stroke. Another great Motor been running that hard for 2 yrs now with no trouble! I would not recommend Mercury nothing! Their customer service is brutal, and their product is junk! "Mercury marine #1 on the trailer".

I have spoken to Mercury Marine and they gave me two fixes neither of which has worked. I've even gone so far as to put Bennett trim tabs on, and it is still unstable. I spoke to Wolf's Marine in St. Joe, Michigan which is a Mercury dealer. They said they do not sell Amanzi or the new M Series because of the complaints described above. They suggested that I deal directly with Mercury. I've also spoken to other boat owners who have the same dinghy or the M Series and they have the same complaints.

This dinghy costs $23,000.00 and has a serious design flaw. I do believe someone will be hurt in the future if this isn't fixed! We had to grab our dog on several occasions because he was about to be ejected. We now keep a life jacket with a handle on our dog. I think this is a ridiculous amount of money to spend on an unstable craft. Mercury has built this RIB design for 4 years or more. How can they not know they have a design problem? Every other dinghy I've been on or previously owned which has the tubes in the water on plane has been very stable. Any suggestions? Where do I go from here?

Last weekend, went out when I cranked it at the landing, noise was back. Well decided not to take it back to David Wade. He stays gone a lot looking at bigger boats with Verados. That's his favorite engine. So went to Cajun Outboards and this guy said he thinks crank is broken - needs to tear down engine, see what problem was. Call Mercury, engine still under warranty. New powerhead November 2013. When it’s repaired, if you know someone who wants to buy 150 Optimax 2011 model, will sale. Think Yamaha is next buy. Can't be as bad as Mercury. Again Mercury may be fastest on water but not most dependable. And the guys at Mercury don't care when you complain. All they say is "sorry you're having so much problems."

I contacted Mercury customer service about the issue and they said that a fuel water separator was an "accessory" and they wouldn't pay for it. The motor is still under warranty by the way. So, the onus is on the consumer to know about water in fuel, somehow combat it themselves, and buy an "accessory" to protect the motor's electrical components from damage. I feel that this is an unfair burden on the consumer. A fuel water filter should be a designed in component into Mercury motors in order to protect it. I am trying to escalate my complaint past basic customer service but am waiting to hear back. So far they have not been willing to accept my point of view. I asked them to pay for the filter install but they keep claiming it's an "accessory". To me it's not an accessory if it protects the motor from known issues with ethanol fuel that consumers can't control, there is no manufactured way to check the fuel for water, and there is a reasonably priced solution that the manufacturer declined to include in the design of the motor. Based on these facts Mercury Marine developed and sold a faulty product.

I have begun to investigate the issues with my boat to see if anyone else is experiencing problems and near disaster as I have on two occasions. I requested that my factory authorized dealer (Bass Pro Shop) provide me with all the maintenance records for my boat, and provide me with the defective parts. Pictures are available if requested for the most recent maintenance.

After reviewing the documents, I noticed that one part number dubbed switch (p/n 8M0052939) had to be changed in two instances, February 2013 and September 2014 (this month) respectively. My initial complaint to Bass Pro on 2/1/13 was an intermittent engine alarm (3 beeps). What was happening was when I would try to come up on power, the motor would violently vibrate with no added power, and then the engine alarm would sound. I was not totally stranded on the bay that day, but it was a long slow ride home because we could not go faster than about 6 mph without setting off the alarm.

My boat was dropped off at Bass Pro on 2/1/13, and the job was completed on 2/14/13. It seemed to operate as advertised (my hope anyway). At the time, the motor was still under warranty, but I had to fight with the customer service representative about covering the repair cost before it was agreed upon, but much like the complaints I've read on this website, they gave the same excuses to me over the phone.

My argument to Mercury was and remains that I didn't choose the components inside the big pretty "Mercury" cowling. I argued that I purchased my boat based on the fact that it was a Mako with a Mercury motor, and that everything under that cowling is Mercury or approved by Mercury to be present under their name. Eventually they relented and paid to fix the problem (neutral start switch).

Most recently, a friend and I decided to take the boat out fishing on 8/25/14. We launched, and the motor started right up, and showed no signs that there were any problems. We cruised out to a fishing hole and was watching the sounder for fish when the motor suddenly began coughing and immediately shut down. We attempted to start it again...nothing but a clunk sound. We trimmed the motor up to take the cowling off to see if we could spot the problem, and fuel just poured out of every orifice in the motor. We knew we were in trouble. Luckily, I am a safe boater and made sure that in the event that something should happen while at sea...my crew and I would have a way back. Thank you sea tow!

I took my boat back to Bass Pro on 8/26/14. I didn't get it back until 9/6/14 due to they did not have a "expert" to figure out the problem. Anyway, the manager (Rick) tells me that a hose had completely ruptured (I have it in my custody) causing fuel to flood my engine. It also caused other parts to fail, such as the float (p/n 8M6000359), seal (p/n 880596502), and a hose kit (p/n 880596502) plus labor, all totaling $475.60. Not much in the big picture, but for a retired military man...it hurts. Oh by the way, my boat is out of warranty, and even if it were still covered, I know that Mercury was not going to correct the problem without a fight based on my conversation with a representative today 9/8/14 at about 9 am.

The representative blamed the failure on the ethanol fuel and myself. He basically told me that all the information is in the manual and to follow it. I asked him (I wish I would have gotten his name and employee ID #), "so what do customers need to do to protect their investments", and his response was to either completely refill the tank with new fuel, or drain all the fuel and put it in a car or something else. I thought it was laughable and quite frankly unreasonable. Here I have an expensive motor that I must completely drain, or fill after each use. Not going to happen. Am I being unreasonable, or is everyone actually doing this each time they take their boat out? If so, it's definitely time to sell this Mercury.

The picture I am beginning to see in focus through my research in big business is that Mercury Marine is squarely responsible for these issues, and has not and will not take responsibility for this multimillion dollar design flaw/fix. It seems to me that since Mercury engineers know about the modern day ethanol changes, that they would have (still should have to) made the necessary modifications to all their motors to adapt to where the country is headed in regards to fuel issues.

Instead it seems that they blame the fuel industry, or the customer, never once admitting that they need to adapt their engineering techniques, like make hoses compatible with ethanol, or require that any sub components on their motor be adapted to the modern day fuel requirements. Then post a bulletin for customers to go to their factory authorized dealers for installation free of charge. Just like in the car world. No rocket science involved.

Finally, in my opinion, the preponderance of the evidence clearly shows that Mercury bears the responsibility to make this right, and they should be held accountable for their lack of action to correct these monumental safety issues. We (consumers) buy Mercury because of its name and reputation, and we fully expect that Mercury is reciprocating that trust by supplying us with safe reliable motors. Yet, it certainly appears to me that they are standing on the status quo...do nothing until something catastrophic really happens. I asked that the powers that be (the law, BBB, consumer reports, national media, etc) become involved and really look into this issue. I believe that the solution to this problem can be quickly and fairly simply solved. Mercury just needs to standup and lead before someone doesn't make it back home. In the interim, I'll play it safe and leave my boat on land. Thank you in advance.

I was told Jeff was on a water test and I left a message for a return call. This happened numerous times with him being unavailable for who knows what. Finally got Jeff on the phone and he breaks the great news that something is wrong with the motor internally. I knew that when it was in my driveway. He also stated that it would need a new power head from Mercury and that the bill would be about $5,800.00. The power head would have a warranty but the rest of the motor was not cover and could cause other failures. Still has not told me what's other than something inside the motor had failed. I decided to search for another used mercury and have it installed by what may have been a credible tech. After an unsuccessful found a Johnson with controls/ gauges.

Called Jeff on 25 August and left message that I wanted to pick up the boat. No response. Called 26 August, got Jeff finally (great right). Asked him if anything had been removed and to put it together so that I could pick up the boat. Jeff assured it would be ready for pick-up. Saturday 30 August I arrive to pick up the boat. No Jeff (duh) only a woman in a back office reading book. Shop open, no techs just her and she doesn't anything she just watch the office. She explains that Jeff has taken off to the beach for a few days (I guess everyone needs time off). The boat in all the way around the back of the yard but I still maneuver around for hook-up. It's an ant farm, leaves and debris and grease marks. I asked that Jeff give me a call when he returns. I paid what was owed and brought the boat home. Get home, park the boat.

On 8 September, I decide to clean the mess from the ants and debris, but there is no power. Checked the battery, it's good. Went to remove the cowl, it's crushing the fuel line and bulb. Open the cowl, there's no spark plugs. Called Jeff, told he's busy with a customer. I told the mystery woman that I need him to call me back today. She says "hold on let me see if I can get him, what's your name." Jeff finally comes on the phone. I asked what happened to the return call and what's going on with the power and where are the spark plugs? Jeff states he doesn't know about the power and when did I call and leave a message for a return call and the plugs are probably on the work bench. I told him I came in person for message and why aren't the plugs in the motor.

He says he figured I did not need them so he left them out. I ask what about a printout something letting me know what's wrong with the motor. He says he did a leak down and checked the motor with mercury software. I asked "do I get something in writing or is just a verbal somethings wrong?" He says that one of the cylinders lost compression. I ask him which one and he says he doesn't know but he can write something up (whats your email address).

This is my first and last mercury motor. The dealers are quick to sell the product and don't want to service their own. I don't see how they can continue on a successful path by not servicing what they sell. I don't know how many people read this stuff, but if I had read it prior to buying a boat with a mercury it would have never happened!!!!

Not taking anything from David Wade Marine. Great shop, love the guy, will try to go out of his way to help you. But Mercury, on the other hand, needs to realize there is a problem that needs to be resolved. Love Mercury but may have to buy Yamaha next time. Also had brass fitting on compressor, blow out three times before I JB welded it in. The nipple is pressed in the fitting and will come out, had fitting replaced twice, same problem. That's when I JB welded it in, no problem sense. So come on, Mercury, let's do something about these problems before government have to bell you out like the car dealer ships at our cost.

It blew oil all over the back of the boat and the water. After being towed in and getting down to the dealer is when I first took off the cowling and you could see right through the motor. One piston was laying in the bottom of the compartment and a crankcase was visible. A piston pushrod was sheered into and the break looked like is was cut with a laser - it was so smooth. The motor is in warranty and Mercury agreed to replace the powerhead. They want my old powerhead to dissect and figure out what caused it to blow. Disappointed this happened but "SO FAR" happy with Mercury Stepping up.

I provided them the diagnostic report with all the data which showed no alarms or events that caused the failure. They did not respond to covering the cost of the extended warranty, nor did they respond to the diagnostic report. They did email suggestions on over and above repairs and future maintenance. I am very disappointed with the Mercury product and their customer support. This will probably be my last Mercury motor.

2 days later, it wouldn't stay running. I had my boat in Wedowee Marine in Wedowee, Alabama. They pull the spark plugs in front of me. They both were cracked, so Bass Pro service center in Leeds, Alabama had over-tightened the spark plugs. I was so pissed with Bass Pro Shop that I went ahead and paid out of my pocket to have the 2 spark plugs replaced. Then about a week later, this Mercury motor wouldn't run. Then I took it to Wedowee Marine authorized Mercury repair center to have it repaired again. They repair the carburetor, flush the fluid lines and gas tank at my request. It ran for about 2 days, so I drained the gas tank completely and placed the boat and motor in my garage.

Now I have taken the boat back to Bass Pro Shop in Leeds Alabama for them to tell me whoever had worked on it back in January 2013 of this year had really done a jacked up job of messing the carburetor up and now telling me both of my extended warranty will not cover these repairs, that I need to spend $300 to replace the carburetor. If I had done anything to have causes all these problems with this Mercury motor, I would gladly had pay for the repairs. I feel that Bass Pro Shop in Leeds sold me a piece of Junk Mercury motor on this $15,000 boat package.

I will make sure I contact the Better Business Bureau, News TV Troubleshooter in Birmingham, Alabama with my complaints, and seek civil suit in court against Bass Pro Shop, Mercury Motors, Tracker Boats because this is the first boat I have ever bought and definitely will be my last purchase ever from Bass Pro Shop in Leeds, Alabama. They don't take care of their clients. They just take your money. Then when you need them, they still find ways to take more money out of consumers' pockets.

I then asked customer service if I had to buy a ** motor to get something that would run over a 145 hours? I was told that was my choice. I also asked if I needed to protest Mercury Marine motors in front of dealerships and the company office? I was told, "It's a free country, you can do what you want!" Great customer support, right? Anyway, this is the 5th Mercury engine I have had on my boats and it will be the last, if I don't get some support. The others were great though.

My new mechanic picked up that the ignition switch appeared to be trying to constantly start the motor even after it was going and this was a defect from the moment it left the plant. He contacted Mercury service and they said they had already replaced two and weren't about to pay for another one. I contacted them and asked them why, after the 2nd flywheel had to be replaced, they didn't start asking questions as to why this was happening. The reply was that it wasn't up to them to figure out what was wrong with the motor but it was up to the dealer to ask for their assistance.

I am 70 years old and have had many cars and boats, lawn mowers, etc. and never have had even one flywheel be destroyed. Yet, here is a a relatively new motor that now has had 3 flywheels replaced and the manufacturer said it wasn't their problem as the motor was out of warranty. All 3 of the American auto manufacturers got their feet knocked out under them when they put out poor products in the 80s and 90s and allowed the Japanese to get a strong foothold on the North American market. It appears that Mercury is headed in the same direction with poor company service and customer relationship. Clearly this motor was defective from the day it left the plant but Mercury couldn't care less. Hey, it's not our problem, you own it, tough. I just paid approximately $1,600 to have the motor fixed. You had better believe my next motor will be Japanese.

The company poorly designs an important motor assembly and then they force the consumer to simply shell out ~$850 without labor to fix their design problem! When I called technical support, I was simply told that "These parts wear out, so it is what it is." I was also told, "I am sure this is not the answer you want to hear." The reality is that this is my first boat and they will be the last Mercury Marine motors I will buy. A sad decision to make, but now I realize why the vast majority of boats I see in my marina are Yamaha and Honda outboards.

Since the date of the last report noted below, I have had to have the power head on a 60HP Bigfoot made by Mercury Marine replaced the third time. The services were completed by Chatlee Marine located in Sanford, NC. Unfortunately, this did not seem to fix the problem. The engine has again lost significant power, has severe vibrations, stalls in the water, and shuts off. The same symptoms happened just prior to the last two power heads failing. I have talked to numerous Mercury representatives at their headquarters division as well as Chatlee Boat and Marine and seemed to have run into road blocks as to why the engine can't be fixed properly. Now, I am being told it's a prop issue and the past problems could be related to mounting issues.

Prior to deploying for my fourth deployment in 2010, my family and I decided to take the boat out, and again, the engine seized. Again, I had to be towed in. I was advised by Mercury Marine to leave it with Chatlee to be serviced since they were a premiere dealer and authorized service shop. The boat sat with Chatlee for more than 3 months, waiting to be serviced. I had Chatlee Marine winterize the vessel since I would not be able to pick up the boat until December when I would be home on leave.

I picked up the boat in December 2010 while on leave, and it wasn't until the end of August 2011, when I returned from Iraq, that I was able to run the boat. At which time, I noticed the boat having problems again, similar to the past. After running the boat some more, I noticed the problem was getting worst, thus, I decide to return the boat to Chatlee. Unfortunately again, the boat will now have to sit with them for 2-4 weeks until they can look at it due to technicians not being available. No telling how long this will take.

Please, is there anyone who can help? I am looking for any assistance from your office or any other offices that can provide me and my family some assistance with holding Mercury Marine, Tracker Marine, or Chatlee accountable for failing to fix and/or replace my 2007 60HP Bigfoot mounted on a Tracker Fishing Barge 21. I am wondering if there is a lemon law for Marine products (boats) or any consumer protection that you can assists us with.

I have a 2008 Sun Tracker Fishing Barge 21 with 60hp Bigfoot outboard that we special ordered from Gander Mountain in Fayetteville. They have since been relieved from selling Tracker Boats. I special ordered the boat in August 2007 and purchased the vessel in October 2007 for about 21k, however, I had to winterize the boat in December 2007 and put it in storage due to my 15 month deployment to Iraq.

I used the boat in October 2007, one time, for less than one hour. I returned from my 15 month deployment in April 2009 and used it three times for less than 6 hours. On the third time out at Lake Norman, my family and I were stranded on the Lake and had to be towed in because the engine seized. Since the engine is under warranty, Mercury referred me to the Boat Rack located at Sherrils Ford, NC 28637. I left the boat there for over 2 months for it to be fixed. It stayed in the shop from April 13, 2009 through June 13, 2009. When I picked up the boat, the battery was dead; the battery cables were not connected; the boat carpet had grease foot prints tracked all over it; the cover to the engine scarred and scratched; sap and tree leaves littered the boat; and the steering console was upside down.

I was informed by the Boat Rack that they replaced the upper cowl of the engine and charged Mercury Outboard $4,112.18 for the repairs. After driving over three hours to pick up the boat from Fort Bragg, NC and noticing the way the boat was returned, I was so frustrated that I just hooked up the boat and left. I ran the boat with the new repairs out at Lake Norman for no more than 30 minute, adhering again to the break-in period procedures. Since everything seemed okay at the time, I returned back to Fort Bragg and ran the boat again for about two hours without any noticeable difficulties.

On July 4th 2009, while boating on Bay Tree Lake in NC with the family, the engine seized again and left me and my family stranded on the lake, having to be towed in. My family and I have used the boat less than five times, and between engine repairs has less than 9 hours on two engines.

So far, the Tracker Fishing Barge 21 has had a significant number of defects: the trailer bunk board carpets have torn; the radio has not worked and been replaced twice; the center console has numerous cracks; the carpet on the center console has come apart; the aerator is leaking; the lights on the vessel are not wired correctly, thus, don't operate correctly; and the center steering column is upside down.

Due to the large number of problems with the vessels and engine, I feel it is no longer safe for me and my family to use on the open waters and fear for the dangers my family and I will be placed in if we continue to trailer the boat and use it in the open water. Although the Tracker Boat is no longer under warranty and since it was only a year warranty, I am hoping there may be some legal protection for a consumer who is serving in the Military and was deployed 2 months after purchasing the vessel, requiring it to be stored until returning 15 months from Iraq.

At this time, July 5, 2009, I am requesting Tracker Marine and Mercury outboards to provide me a new factory-ordered Tracker Marine Fishing Barge 21 with new 60hp Bigfoot and provide me a loaner boat to use in the interim. I will accept the trailer since I can replace the carpet myself. I have tried to contact Tracker Marine on the defects since returning from my deployment and received no assistance. Their reply is that it's no longer under warranty and to deal with Mercury for the engine.

I worked 23 years to have a boat like this serving my country and feel that I am being taken advantage of by Tracker Marine and Mercury outboards. My family and I have been left stranded and had to be towed in 2 times in less than 90 days. So far, the cost to repair the engine is over 4k and over 2k in payments, not including payments while I was deployed. So far, travel for repairs, payments, and repairs are over 7k.

We were telling him that the last dealer that serviced this boat said the same thing. He kept the boat, changed the oil, and told us to take it and run it and see if it was showing the oil level rising. We did and it did show the level rising. So, we took it to another dealer and he said that Mercury techs told them it was a fuel regulator that it had debris in it. This is a filter inside the motor. There is another fuel filter on this boat before it even gets to the fuel regulator. And I know any lawn mower dirt bike or any other small engine.

If the fuel filter is clogged it, will run poorly and you change the filter. I don’t believe it had debris in it. I have asked Mercury to cover this under the warranty and they said this is not a warranty issue. However, I do because this boat never ran bad. It’s just up and quit. What damage has this done to my motor? I have contacted Mercury. They do not want to discuss this issue. They refuse to cover this under the warranty. If you call me, I can better explain this complaint than typing this. Please call me.

I am an avid fisherman in small boats with electric trolling motors. I have used them for years. I bought a new one at Wal-Mart and went fishing. After getting the boat launched I attempted to lower the motor from its locked "up" position to the run position, which drops it into the water. There is only a small plastic button to push to get it unlocked.

Upon pushing the button the motor lowered (as designed) into the water. However, the dangerous situation is when the motor drops, the operators other fingers are left in a moving part area. The movement is like a scissor and it proceeded to crush my left index finger. Not just pinched but crushed.

After many attempts of trying to get the finger out my partner tried as well but the boat was tipping over. I would have gone with it because I was now part of the boat. After an agonizing minute or so, the motor latch/lock had to be broken off to release my finger. I was in immense pain and after 2 months the nail fell off. It took 4 months before a full recovery.

I took multiple digital photos the day of and throughout the recovery and sent them to Mercury and Wal Mart. In my line of work I give group presentations weekly and was always harassed about my "monkey finger". It was black for 8 weeks. How can a company turn their head so easily and just get away with it. Maybe if it was a hot coffee maker and I touched it and burned my finger they would listen? Can you offer any advice?

I contacted Mercury Marine many times after the incident with no reply. After writing a threatening letter to them, their lawyer Todd Lemke called me for details. He explained they just acquired motorguide and would look into things and call me back. He never did. I made many attempts calling his direct number and only could leave messages. He never called back.

By advice of a local attorney I Fed Ex'd a Massachusetts 93A letter in which they need respond within 30 days. It has been 4 months, no calls or letters. They have absolutely neglected me regarding the injury their product had done to me as well the dangerous product for sale to the public without proper warning against injury. Can you help please? Nobody will talk to me. I have asked other boaters of their opinion of this product (Model T-34) and they also feel it is a hazardous product and will create other injury.

First, Jeff should not be trying to deal directly with the company's attorney. A layman against an attorney has no chance of achieving justice. If he wants to be compensated for his medical costs and for pain and suffering, he will have to retain a personal injury lawyer and begin proceedings against the company. To prevent others from similar injuries, Jeff should report the incident to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.