1999 MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS Complaints

THE AUTO PRODUCED AN UNCONTROLLABLE SKID WHILE BRAKING ON A WET ROAD AND PROCEEDING AROUND A RAMP. RATHER THAN PROCEED LEFT WHILE TURNING ON THE RAMP REQUIRING ONLY A MINOR NEGOTIATION OF A SLIGHT HILLED AND CURVED ROAD, IT PROCEEDED INTO A RIGHT DIAGONAL TURN INTO THE GUARD RAIL AND WOULD HAVE PLUNGED INTO THE ADJACENT DITCH ABSENT THE RAIL. IT THEN BOUNCED OFF THE RAIL AND RATHER THAN PROCEED STRAIGHT AS THE STEERING WHEEL DIRECTED IT WITH A SLIGHT TURN OF THE WHEEL, IT TOOK A SHARP LEFT DIAGONALLY PROCEEDING STRAIGHT TOWARDS THE MEDIAN STRIP OF ONCOMING TRAFFIC LESS THAN AN APPROXIMATE 1/4 OF A MILE AWAY. IT SUDDENLY TOOK A STRAIGHT PATH AFTER VEERING WITHIN 1/2 YARD OF THE GUARD RAIL SEPARATING IT FROM THE MEDIAN STRIP. IT HAD BEEN DIRECTED TO GO STRAIGHT BY THE STEERING WHEEL MUCH EARLIER BEFORE LEAVING THE RAMP. THE CAR PERFORMED LIKE AN UNCONTROLLABLE ROLLER COASTER OFF OF ITS TRACKS.*JB

THE PRECISION TRAC SYSTEM FAILS AND THE CARS LOSES ALL POWER TO PROCEED, IN ANY WEATHER, AND AN 18 WHEELER IS COMING FROM BEHIND AS YOU TRY TO MERGE INTO TRAFFIC AND YOU CAN'T GET OUT OF THE WAY. THE DEALER REPAIRED THE TRANSMISSION THE 1ST TIME THIS HAPPENED AND NOW THAT THE EXACT SAME THING IS HAPPENING, THEY SAY THEY CAN'T FIND THE PROBLEM. IT IS VERY DANGUROUS TO DRIVE AND I HAVE NO OTHER CAR AND CAN'T AFFORD A NEW ONE. PLEASE HELP.*AK

POOR FRONT END ALIGNMENT, VEHICLE STARTS TO GO FROM SIDE TO SIDE WHILE DRIVING. HAS NOT CONTACTED DEALER YET.*AK *SLC

LEFT REAR GOODYEAR EAGLE TIRE, LS97TBSB - 225/60R16 ON 1999, MERCURY, GRAND MARQUIS. TIRE HAS CRACKED ON SIDEWALL OF TIRE, AND MANUFACTURER IS CONSIDERING DEFECT TO BE ROAD HAZARD. *AK CONSUMER HAD TO REPLACE TIRE, TIRE HAS BEEN SENT TO GOODYEAR FOR EXAMINATION. *SLC

CONSUMER STATES WHEN APPLYING BRAKES IN RAINY WEATHER, VEHICLE PULLS TO ONE SIDE OR THE OTHER, DEALER STATES THERE IS A DESIGN FLAW AND CAN NOT REMEDY THE PROBLEM. *SLC

WHEN DRIVING ON WET PAVEMENT VEHICLE PULLS TO RIGHT OR LEFT, CAUSE UNKNOWN. DEALER HAS MADE SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO CORRECT PROBLEM, BUT CANNOT IDENTIFY CAUSE. *AK

WHILE DRIVING AT ANY RATE OF SPEED VEHICLE WILL COMPLETELY SHUTDOWN WITHOUT WARNING, CAUSE UNKNOWN. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS.*AK

A CHILD WAS ABLE TO CLIMB ON DOOR BECUSE OF MAKE OF REST AND LOCATION OF POWER WINDOW SWITCH, PUSHED POWER WINDOW BUTTON, ALMOST INJURING CHILD.*AK

TIRE PHOTOS AVAILABLE AT THESE LINKS: WWW.WATSONLINE.ORG/TIRE1.JPG AND WWW.WATSONLINE.ORG/TIRE2.JPG. WARRANTY CLAIM SUBMITTED TO GOODYEAR ON OR SHORTLY AFTER SEPT. 27, 2000 BY SERVICING DEALER (SIGNATURE LINCOLN/MERCURY, LAFAYETTE LA 70503). NO RESPONSE FROM DEALER OR GOODYEAR TO DATE (JAN 11, 2001), DESPITE NUMEROUS PHONE CALLS. AS YOU CAN SEE FROM THE PHOTOS THE FAILURE OF THE TIRE WAS CATASTROPHIC. THE TIRE WAS LOW MILEAGE AND MAINTAINED PROPERLY. THERE WERE NO ROAD HAZARDS. THERE ARE 5 PASSENGERS WHO CAN ATTEST TO THESE FACTS. A LA STATE TROOPER WHO ARRIVED ON THE SCENE IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE INCIDENT (AND CHANGED THE TIRE HIMSELF- NICE MAN!) IDENTIFIED THE DAMAGE AS BEING CONSISTENT WITH FIRESTONE TIRE FAILURES. IN FACT, HE FIRST DEMANDED TO KNOW IF IT WAS A FIRESTONE TIRE. THE TIRE TREAD WAS PRESERVED IN ONE PIECE AND THERE IS NO EVIDENCE OF PUNCTURE OR CUT ANYWHERE ON IT. WE WERE VERY FORTUNATE INDEED THAT THIS DID NOT RESULT IN A SERIOUS CRASH AND/OR FATALITY. THIS INCIDENT HAPPENED IN THE LEFT LANE OF I-110 IN BATON ROUGE LA IN THE MIDST OF 3-LANE, FAIRLY HEAVY 60 MPH TRAFFIC. BY THE WAY, THE VEHICLE, A MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS, PERFORMED ADMIRABLY. WE WERE ABLE TO KEEP THE VEHICLE UNDER CONTROL AND CROSS ALL LANES TO THE SHOULDER WITHOUT MUCH EFFORT. THE VEHICLE HANDLED EXTREMELY WELL.*AK (TIRESIZE: P225/60R16)( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: P225/60R16 )

STEERING IS VERY HARD TO CONTROL, IT GOES WHERE BUMPS AND DIPS TAKE YOU. CAR WILL JUMP ALL OVER THE ROAD. STEERING HAS CONSTANT PULL TO LEFT WITH LOTS NOISE. ALSO STEEL TO STEEL SLAMMING NOISE. STEERING COLUM INSIDE CAR MOVES. DEALERS LOOK MAKE SOME ADJUSTMENTS,SAY FOUND NO PROBLEM. BUT PROBLEMS CONTINUE. I RETURNED FOR REPEAT PREFORMANCE. VERY ROUGH RIDE FRONT AND REAR . ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS SURFACING, LIGHTS FLICKERING,DASH,DOME HEADLIGHTS ETC., ENGINE CUT OUT AS IF I TURNED IT OFF AND THEN CAME BACK ON EACH TIME IHAVE BEEN SITTING STILL, TALK ABOUT A DANGEROUS DRIVING SITUATION! AGAIN THE DEALER CHECKS IT OUT FINDS NO PROBLEM SAYS THEY CANT ALWAYS FIND A PROBLEM UNTIL IT HAPPENS AND THEY HAVE THE CAR WHEN THE PROBLEM OCCURS. ALOT OF GOOD THATS GOING TO DO DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AT 60MPH WITH 5 KIDS IN THE CAR!!! THE AIR CONDITIONING DOESN'T COOL WELL AT FIRST THEY SAID NO PROBLEM THE WEATHER GOT VERY HOT ,THEY SET AN APPOINTMENT. THEY FOUND LOW PRESSURE REPLACED LOW PRSSURE CLUTCH SWITCH. I TOOK THE CAR IN AGAIN FOR POOR FRONT END AND STEERING CONTROL NOW ADDING TO THE LIST ALOUD SLAMMING TOGETHER OF 2 PIECES OF STEEL COMING FROM THE LEFT FRONT TIRE AREA EITHER GOING OVER BUMPS OR DIPS I CAN'T TELL WHICH BECAUSE IT HAPPENS RANDOMLY. THE SOLUTION, THE DEALER CHECKS THE RIGHT SIDE! SO THE CAR GOES BACK AGAIN . *AK