2003 MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS Complaints

2004 AND 2003 MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS. CONSUMER RECEIVED REPAIRS DUE TO RECALL NOTICE AND IS REQUESTING REIMBURSEMENT. *TA THE LIGHTING CONTROL MODULE WAS REPLACED. *JB

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH, THERE WAS A FUEL ODOR EMITTING FROM THE VENTS. THE FAILURE OCCURRED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 94,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS. WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE HEADLIGHTS FAILED WITHOUT WARNING. THE FAILURE RECURRED NUMEROUS TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE LIGHTING CONTROL MODULE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 90,000.

MY HUSBAND AND I HAVE HAD TO MAKE OTHER ARRANGEMENTS FOR US GETTING BACK AND FORTH TO WORK AFTER THE HEADLIGHTS STOPPED WORKING ON THIS CAR. WE WENT TO THE DEALERSHIP WHO STATED THE PART WAS ON BACK ORDER. WE WERE JUST ABLE TO GET THE PART PLACED ON 1/21/2015 AND IT WORKED FOR THE FIRST HOUR. WE TOOK IT BACK ON 1/22/2015 AND WAS TOLD THAT THE LIGHTING CONTROLS (THE SWITCH THAT TURNS THE LIGHT ON AUTO, OFF ETC) IS NOT THEIR PROBLEM. IT SEEMS THEY ALLOW THESE PROBLEMS TO OCCUR LONG ENOUGH TO ALLOW IT TO EFFECT OTHER THINGS ON THE CAR THEN STATE THERE WAS ONLY ONE PROBLEM APPROVED WITHOUT THE OUT OF POCKET. HOWEVER WE HAD NO PROBLEMS UNTIL THE HEADLIGHTS STOPPED WORKING. THE NEXT THING THAT WENT WERE THE DASH BOARD LIGHTS AND NOW THE BRAKE LIGHTS. HOW DO WE KNOW THAT DEPENDING UPON THE TIMEFRAME PROBLEM EXISTS, IT MAY HAVE AN ADVERSE AFFECT ON OTHER THINGS? THIS HAS BEEN A HUGE INCONVENIENCE AND IT SEEMS THEY WANT A FATALITY BEFORE SOMETHING IS DONE ABOUT IT. *TR

UPDATE: AFTER READING THE HEADLIGHT ISSUES ON THIS SITE, HAVING HAD THE SAME PROBLEM MYSELF, I TOOK MY MERCURY TO MECHANICS AND EXPLAINED WHAT I'VE BEEN READING. THEY SAID THE LIGHTING CONTROL MODULE WAS ON A LENGTHY BACK-ORDER. HOWEVER, THEY WERE ABLE TO FIND A BROKEN SOLDER JOINT ON THE LCM, WHICH THEY REPAIRED FOR $170. THIS REPAIR LASTED 3 MONTHS AND, AS OF 1/17/2015, HEADLIGHTS RANDOMLY SHUT OFF, AGAIN WITH ONLY THE 'FLASH TO PASS' STICK PULLED IN TO ILLUMINATE THE HIGH BEAMS. *TR

MY HEADLIGHTS WENT OUT WHILE DRIVING A FEW TIMES. I TOOK IT IN TO THE DEALER (AFTER LOCAL SHOP SAID IT WOULD BE EXPENSIVE, BUT MAY BE UNDER WARRANTY). THE DEALER SAID ON NOVEMBER 18TH THAT THE LCM IS COVERED UNDER WARRANTY, HOWEVER IT MAY TAKE A FEW WEEKS. THE PROBLEM IS GETTING PROGRESSIVELY WORSE. THE DEALER'S SUGGESTION FOR WORKAROUND IS TO USE THE "FLASH-TO-PASS" LEVER, WHICH MOMENTARILY TURNS ON HIGH BEAM LIGHTS. THIS IS NOT A PRACTICAL SOLUTION, HOLDING THE PASSING LIGHTS DURING A 45 MINUTE DRIVE TO WORK EVERY DAY. THE DEALER REFUSES TO PROVIDE A RENTAL/LOANER VEHICLE. I'M CONCERNED WITH THE LONG TERM EFFECTS ON THE "FLASH-TO-PASS", WHICH MAY GO OUT AS WELL, AS IT IS NOT DESIGNED FOR CONTINUAL USE LIKE THIS. I HAVE TO DRIVE TO WORK IN THE DARK EVERY MORNING, DEALING WITH INTERMITTENT HEADLIGHTS, AND TRYING TO MANUALLY HOLD THE FLASH-TO-PASS LIGHTS. THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION WHICH SHOULD BE RESOLVED IMMEDIATELY! *TR

THE HEADLIGHTS WOULD NOT COME ON. THE ONLY WAY TO DRIVE HOME WAS TO HOLD DOWN THE HIGH BEAM LEVER THE ENTIRE TIME, THERE ARE MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS SITUATION ONLINE WITH THIS VEHICLE AND THIS IS A SEVERE SAFETY ISSUE. THIS CAR IS OWNED BY MY 84 YEAR OLD MOTHER, LETS GET THIS RECALL DONE SO NO ONE GETS HURT. *TR

THE HEADLIGHTS TURNED OFF WHILE ON THE FREEWAY. SINCE THEN IT'S HAPPENING MORE FREQUENTLY. NOW IT'S MULTIPLE TIMES EACH MORNING ON THE 35 MINUTE TRIP TO WORK. TEMPORARY SOLUTION IS TO MANUALLY HOLD THE MOMENTARY BRIGHTS SWITCH. HOLDING THIS SWITCH WHILE DRIVING IS ANNOYING, AND UNSAFE SINCE THAT IT ON THE SAME LEVER AS THE TURN SIGNALS. *TR

REAR AXLE AND BEARING NOISES. MARQUIS BOUGHT NEW. OWNER'S SON-IN-LAW NOTED MINOR BEARING NOISE IN REAR WHEN VISITING IN 2004. SON-IN-LAW RECEIVED CAR AFTER DEATH OF MOTHER-IN-LAW IN 2012, CAR HAD 24K MILES AT THAT TIME. NOTICED PRONOUNCED REAR END NOISE AT THAT TIME (A WHAA-WHAA-WHAA MATCHING SPEED CHANGES). LEFT REAR AXLE AND OUTBOARD BEARING FOUND TO BE PITTED AND WERE REPLACED BY INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP. RESEARCH BY OWNER INDICATES THAT AXLES FOR THIS, AND OTHER SIMILAR MERCURY AND FORDS HAD FACTORY AXLES INSTALLED THAT HAD NOT BEEN PROPERLY HEAT TREATED. NOW, NOV. 2014, AT 43.4K MILES THE RIGHT AXLE IS STARTING TO EXHIBIT NOISE SIMILAR, SO REPAIR IS UP-COMING. WILL EXAMINE NHTSA RECALL 04V328000 AS NOTED HERE IN OTHER COMMENTS POSTED. ALSO REFERENCE FORD/MERCURY SERVICE BULLETIN 0355. *TR

MY BROTHER WAS VISITING FOR MY SON'S WEDDING AND USED OUR MOTHER'S CAR FOR TRANSPORTATION. HE FOUND THAT THE HEADLIGHTS WOULD NOT COME ON, AND EVENTUALLY FOUND THAT HOLDING THE HIGH BEAM SWITCH "ON", THE LIGHTS WORKED. AT THE DEALERSHIP HE WAS TOLD THERE WAS LIKELY A RECALL TO FIX THIS. SINCE HE HAS GONE BACK HOME, I HAVE BEEN RESEARCHING THIS FOR MY MOTHER. I FOUND A CLOSED "SAFETY" ISSUE, NUMBER PE08066, WHICH IS EXACTLY WHAT HE EXPERIENCED. ALTHOUGH YOU HAVE A VERY LOW NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS LISTED, CONSIDER THIS: MOST OF THESE CARS ARE PURCHASED BY OLDER PEOPLE, MANY MECHANICALLY INCAPABLE IN ADDITION TO BEING UNSAVVY WITH COMPUTERS AND THE INTERNET, AND TEND TO DRIVE IT LESS, ESPECIALLY AT NIGHT, SO THE ISSUE WOULD NOT BE NOTICEABLE FOR QUITE SOME TIME. IF THEY DID EXPERIENCE THIS, THEY PROBABLY PAID SOME SERIOUS MONEY TO FORD DEALERS TO GET IT FIXED, NOT REALIZING THAT THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE AND THIS SHOULD BE FIXED FOR FREE UNDER WARRANTY BEFORE FAILURE OF THE MODULE - THE TSB TALKS ABOUT FAILURE OF THE MODULE. WELL, MY BROTHER TOOK IT IN FOR INSPECTION WITH THIS FAULTY MODULE, AND IT PASSED, SO THEN DO THEY NOT CONSIDER IT "FAILED"? MOTHER IS 91 YEARS OLD AND WOULD PROBABLY PANIC IF THE LIGHTS WENT OUT WHILE SHE WAS DRIVING IT. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE, AND SHOULD BE RATED HIGHER TO GET THE WARRANTY WORK DONE!!! I PLAN TO FOLLOW UP WITH THE SAME DEALER AND SEE WHAT THEY HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THIS. MY SUSPICION IS THAT UNTIL IT FAILS SHE WILL HAVE TO PAY FOR THIS FIX, WHICH IS NOT CHEAP. THIS IS RIDICULOUS. LISTING MY INFORMATION INSTEAD OF HERS AS SHE NEEDS OUR HELP TO DEAL WITH THIS KIND OF ANNOYANCE. *TR