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I have twin 2015 Mercury Verados, 250's. Been having some issues with them, but nothing seems too serious. Recently as I was trying to back my boat into its slip with a strong wind, I received an error message: "Critical Steering Reduced: Helm 1-Port Engine" and I lose all steering movement in my port motor. I shut down both motors, turn them back on individually, wait for them to go through the checking process and they seem fine, until I turn the steering wheel all the way one way, then back the other way. When I do this, I get the same error message and I lose all steering to my port motor.

The Verado Tech hasn't had time to see it yet, hoping to get it in this week, but I was wondering if anyone else has experienced this issue, why is it occurring and what is the fix?

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Complicated setup, could be anything. You might want to look on a Verado forum - not too many people here have a rig like that. One thing for sure - don't mess with it yourself while it's still under warranty. It could be a very expensive repair and you don't want them saying you did something to cause it.

The good news is it is a repeatable problem - easier to diagnose than something intermittent.

Please post when you find out what it is. Good luck!

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Yes, go to VeradoClub.com and read all the free access information before trying much of anything. Most power steering issues are electrical in nature and result from low battery power or a high resistance connection in the battery to pump circuitry.

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Thanks for the reply.. Been to the Veradoclub... no responses there. I think because these are new engines, with the addition of the Joystick... it's a bit new to most people.. I was hoping that it would be a simple fix so I can get back on the water. Although I love the Verado's, I've had problems with these two.. I have had oil leaks with both motors, had false sensor issues involving water in fuel tank, and now this steering issue. I only had the engines for 8 weeks and have been down at least 12 or more days... Patients are really being tested...

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Write down a technical statement of the problem, the exact conditions in which it happens and what, if anything, can be done to solve it temporarily.

Then call Mercury Marine customer service. You have spent big $ and they need to help you fix it. Tell them your dealer has not been responsive.

Remember be patient and polite but firm.

Verado Club is a highly specialized forum for these very high tech motors. I respect Glen and their members. I would post the tech info there as well.

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Check the lemon laws in your state - with that volume of problems and total downtime you may be able to return the boat and get a full refund. Ridiculous to have spent that much on a boat and not be able to use it, plus it doesn't exactly inspire confidence.

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Another good example here (sorry you are the example) of why when choosing a motor how important customer support is. A little extra for an initial purchase may pay for itself in the long run.
Garris

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Thanks Phil... I have an appointment tomorrow to drop off the boat. The Verado Forum hasn't really responded. Glen, who is very knowledgeable wasn't able provide me with a solution. I think you hit the nail on the head when you mention how these motors are very high tech. My dealer has been fine up to this point, but just hasn't been able to assign a mechanic to look at this issue since last Tuesday, thus it's another week of no use. I'm hoping that after I drop the boat off tomorrow I'll have it back by the end of the week, 100%.

As for Mercury Customer service, I actually called them Yesterday. I was hoping there was a quick fix because of some type of sensory issue that they could trouble shoot. When I spoke with the rep, he said he never head of the problem before and that was the end of the conversation. I thought that was odd.

My mechanic is pretty sharp, I'm sure they'll come up with the solution. Again, I just posted it on these forums hoping there was a quick fix so I could get onto the water this weekend...

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That may be true but when I purchased my boat... there was no choice. When buying a Boston Whaler from my dealership (which is the only Boston Whaler dealership in the area) you can only purchase a Mercury... I'd say about 80% of the boats at my marina have Yamaha's..... The rest of the 20% are divided between Mercs, Evinrude, and a handful of Honda/Suzuki's...

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Looks like you did your best staying local. Shows it is a crap shoot. Imagine trying to get service if the motors came from out of state. Truly good luck. Hopefully in linkage somehow affecting the reverse.
Garris

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The Verado family of engines have a stellar reputation. It is essential when having DTS or SmartCraft issues to find a Verado Certified Technician to either solve the problem or to be your interface with Mercury. The Mercury help desk works best with technicians that have the training to discuss the problems from a different perspective than most owners are able to present.

Mercury will send a factory technician to a Verado Shop to help solve a problem that cannot be solved by other means. As to lemon laws, you would be hard pressed to find anyone who can honestly claim Mercury failed to stand behind their Verados even to the point of replacement.

I was surprised to learn your Boston Whaler dealer failed to solve your problem.

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Butch,
Thanks for your input. My dealership/mechanic didn't fail. They are going to hopefully look at it tomorrow. I am hoping it will be a quick fix. I love the engines, they just haven't been very reliable at the moment. My initial post was just hoping to find someone who has had a similar problem and would be able to tell me a quick fix so I can get back on the water. But its okay, I'm sure the mechanics and Mercury will figure it out, unfortunately it will be at the expense of me not being on the water..

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Butch, I'm not a lawyer, but I don't think the lemon laws have a lot to do with whether the problem or problems ultimately get fixed, but rather how many times the product has been unusable, and for how long. The problem in this case is not that the manufacturer isn't stepping up, but rather the fact that they have to, again and again.

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Not to derail the discussion but Lemon Laws rarely apply to boats with good reason. I know of no state with strong consumer boating laws. It seems officials view boats as purely recreational devices (toys) and that's often a short sighted but accurate POV.

In the case of the OP it appears his dealer is doing his best.

But, in regard to boat Lemon Laws, deciding who is the responsible party may not be easy. Hull failure is easy, the boat manufacturer is responsible. Broken down trailer, well that's not so clear. Is it the dealer, the boat manufacturer who supplied the trailer as part of a package, or the trailer builder? Same with the outboard engine, who is responsible? Does one get a new package when an add-on item fails?

Vehicles are easy. Probably because Lemon Laws originated to protect consumers from vehicles which prove to be lemons. Boats not so much, IMO.

This subject may be worth a new thread. It's certainly a subject with a lot of interest.

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Dropped boat off at dealer/mechanic today. They were receptive and hopefully they'll have me back on the water with a day or two... Once I learn what the issue is/was, I'll post it so if anyone else runs into it, at least they'll have some direction/idea what to do.

Thanks for everyone's input.

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Mechanic sent me a status... It's my PORT POWER STEERING PUMP... Yuk.. so far in 6 weeks of use... I've had a water fuel sensor issue, electrical issue, two oil leaks (they are still trying to resolve those) and now a power steering pump... Glad I purchased the 8 yr warranty.. The chance of these 2015 Verado's making the distance error free is highly unlikely...lolol...

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Stellar reputation notwithstanding, it may be time to talk to an attorney about sending those motors back to their manufacturer. Even if lemon laws don't specifically apply, most states have some type of general consumer protection that will.