1999 MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS. WHILE DRIVING 75 MPH WITH THE SPEED CONTROL ENGAGED, THE SPEED INCREASED WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED AND FAILED TO DISENGAGE. THE CONTACT WAS FORCED TO MANUALLY DISENGAGE THE VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL IN ORDER TO AVOID A CRASH. THE DEALER ADVISED THE CONTACT TO BRING THE VEHICLE IN TO BE REPAIRED AT HIS EXPENSE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 97,000. UPDATED 10/21/11 *BF THE CONSUMER STATED WHEN HE ATTEMPTED TO DISENGAGE THE CRUISE CONTROL, THE VEHICLE JERKED AND WENT INTO PASSING GEAR, FAILING TO DISENGAGE FROM CRUISE CONTROL. THE CONSUMER HAD TO PURCHASE A NEW SWITCH, DUE TO THE FAILURE OF THE CRUISE CONTROL. UPDATED 12/19/11

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE CHANGING A FLAT TIRE WITH THE FACTORY JACK, THE JACK BENT AND CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO FALL OFF THE JACK. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO CHANGE THE TIRE AND THEN CALLED THE MANUFACTURE. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS OUTSIDE OF WARRANTY SO THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO TO ASSIST. THE JACK WAS NOT REPLACED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 81,000.

WHILE DRIVING, (AT ANY SPEED)THE CAR'S ENGINE SHUT DOWN SEVERAL TIMES. EACH TIME I HEARD A "BEEP" AND WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON- CHECK ENGINE, TRACTION CONTROL AND ABS. AFTER A MINUTE OR SO, THE ENGINE WOULD START NORMALLY. THE ENGINE SHUT DOWN 6 TIMES ! EACH TIME I HEARD THE "BEEP" AND WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED INCLUDING TRACTION CONTROL AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS. I WAS ON MY WAY HOME WITH MY NEWBORN IN THE CAR,IT JUST CUTS OFF, AND IT NEARLY CAUSED AN ACCIDENT ON THE HIGHWAY AS MANY OTHER CARS ALMOST RAN INTO ME BECAUSE THE CAR SHUT OFF WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS CONDITION, ESPECIALLY AS POWER STEERING AND POWER BRAKES ARE LOST ON SHUT-DOWN. I AM LITERALLY AFRAID OF DRIVING MY VEHICLE AS NO ONE KNOWS WHAT IS WRONG WITH MY VEHICLE. THIS NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED ASAP AS SOMEONE COULD GET SERIOUSLY HURT OR KILLED. INCLUDING CHILDREN!....BY THE WAY, THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING ALL WEEK. *TR

I RECEIVED NOTICED OF INTAKE MANIFOLD ON FORDS PASSENGERS CARS FAILURE AND OF THE SETTLEMENT OFFERED TO REPAIR AND WARRANT SAID INTAKE MANIFOLD. AT THAT TIME I OWNED A 1999 GRAND MARQUIS LS. BEFORE GETTING SAID NOTICE I HAD TOOK MY CAR TO LANDERS FORD DEALERSHIP IN JACKSON,MS HWY 80 WEST WHERE THE INTAKE MANIFOLD WAS REPAIRED BY DEALERSHIP BECAUSE OF FAILURE OUT OF POCKET EXPENSE COST ME $879.00 WHEN I RECEIVED NOTICED OF LAWSUIT AND OR CLAIMS ON SAID INTAKEMANIFOLD I RETURNED TO THAT DEALERSHIP BUT WAS TURNED AWAY WITH NO RESOLVE SAID DEALERSHIP WENT OUT OF BUSINESS MONTHS LATER NEVER TO COMPENSATE ME FOR OUT OF POCKET EXPENSE OR GIVING ME EXTENDED WARRANTY INFO.FORD CORPORATE OFFICE REFUSE TO HELP AFTER I EXPLAIN I HAD MY RECEIPTS TO SAID CLAIM AND GAVE ME NO LEAD WAY OF WHAT TO DO.NOW I AM STUCK WITH NO WARRANTY NO OUT OF POCKET COST AND THE SAME CAR NEEDING THE SAME WORK DONE AGAIN HERE IN 2011 FORD HANDLED THIS LAWSUIT CLAIMS VERY VERY POORLY AND INFO HAS IT THAT FORD HAS STOP MAKING THE GRAND MARQUIS AND CROWN VICTORIA. *TR

CRACKED THE AIR INTAKE ON MY 1999 MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS. IT WAS MADE OUT OF CHEAP PLASTIC. I HAD TO STEP ON THE THROTTLE TO GET OUT OF THE WAY, AND MY CAR STARTED STEAMING. COME TO FIND OUT, THE INTAKE MANIFOLD CRACKED. IT'S ONLY $300 FOR THE PART, NOT INCLUDING LABOR. *TR

DURING NORMAL OPERATION OF MY CAR, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND STAYED ON. I HAD THE ENGINE LIGHT CODES READ AND IT INDICATED THAT TWO CYLINDERS WERE MISFIRING. I TOOK THE CAR TO A SERVICE SHOP TO HAVE THE SPARK PLUGS CHANGED. I WAS TOLD THAT THE INTAKE MANIFOLD HAD DEVELOPED A CRACK WHICH WAS ALLOWING COOLANT FLUID INSIDE THE MANIFOLD CAVITY AND THIS IS WHAT WAS CAUSING THE CYLINDER MISFIRE. THE CAR IS A 1999 MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS WITH A 4.6 LTR. ENGINE. THE INTAKE MANIFOLD IS MADE OF A PLASTIC MATERIAL AND TENDS TO CRACK NEXT TO THE THERMOSTAT HOUSING. THIS IS EXACTLY WHERE THE INTAKE MANIFOLD ON MY CAR CRACKED. I HAVE SINCE FOUND OUT THAT THE FORD MOTOR CO. ISSUED A RECALL BULLETIN TO THEIR FORD AND LINCOLN MERCURY DEALERS IN DECEMBER 2001 ADVISING THEM OF THE DEFECT. SUBSEQUENTLY, CERTAIN FAVORED FLEET OWNERS OF MERCURY MARQUIS AND FORD CROWN VICTORIA AUTOMOBILES (POLICE, LIMO AND TAXI COMPANIES) WERE NOTIFIED OF THE RECALL. "CIVILIAN" OWNERS WERE EXCLUDED. I OWNED MY MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS AT THAT TIME AND WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE RECALL. MY EXCLUSION FROM THE RECALL NOTIFICATION RESULTED IN MY BEING EXPOSED TO THE POTENTIAL FIRE HAZARD OF THE CRACKED INTAKE MANIFOLD, AS WELL AS THE INCONVENIENCE AND CONSIDERABLE EXPENSE OF HAVING TO HAVE THE DEFECTIVE MANIFOLD REPLACED. BECAUSE OF THE SELECTIVE RECALL THAT FORD MOTOR CO. MADE REGARDING DEFECTIVE INTAKE MANIFOLD, A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT WAS FILED AGAINST FORD MOTOR CO. ON BEHALF OF EXCLUDED OWNERS AND FORD MOTOR CO. HAD TO MAKE RESTITUTION TO SUCH OWNERS. I WAS NOT A PARTY TO THE LAWSUIT BECAUSE I WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF MY STATUS AS A WRONGED OWNER. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHY THE NHTSB DID NOT REQUIRE THAT FORD MOTOR CO. NOTIFY ME ABOUT THE RECALL TO REPLACE THE DANGEROUS DEFECTIVE INTAKE MANIFOLD ON MY CAR? *TR

FATIGUE CRACKING OF THE COOLANT CROSSOVER PASSAGE OF THE ALL NYLON-COMPOSITE INTAKE MANIFOLD ON OUR 1999 MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS. (VIN # [XXX]). COMPONENT HAS FAILED, RESULTING IN REPLACEMENT, COSTING $888.00 COMPONENT WAS SUBJECT TO RECALL (HTTP://FORDMANIFOLDSETTLEMENT.COM/NOTICE.HTML). CONTACTED FORD CUSTOMER CARE PHONE LINE. THEY HAVE REFUSED TO COMPENSATE US OR THIS REPAIR. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

PROBLEM: INTERMITTENT HEADLIGHT FAILURE WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT WITH 1999 (1998 YEAR OF MANUFACTURE) MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS. LIGHTS GO OFF FOR AS LONG AS 2-3 SECONDS AND COME BACK ON AGAIN FOR A SECOND OR TWO, THEN GO OFF AGAIN, THEN BACK ON AGAIN, ETC--AND ONLY OCCURS AFTER THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN DRIVEN FOR 20-30 MINUTES. THIS HAPPENED ONCE BEFORE, ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO, WITH THIS VERY SAME VEHICLE AND I SOLVED THE PROBLEM BY REPLACING THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH ON THE DASH. APPARENTLY THERE IS NO HEADLIGHT-RELATED RECALL* FOR THIS PARTICULAR MERCURY AND THE COST TO DIG DEEPER INTO THE CAUSE OF THIS PROBLEM BY THE MERCURY DEALERSHIP WILL BE THEREFORE AT MY EXPENSE. THE CHEAPEST REPAIR COST SCENARIO AT THE DEALERSHIP IS OVER $300. THIS PROBLEM SHOULD NOT HAVE OCCURRED UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES IN THE FIRST INSTANCE, NOT TO MENTION NOW THE SECOND TIME. *SEE: NHTSC RECALL # 99V103 MERCURY MYSTIQUE (1998 YEAR OF MANUFACTURE). *TR

WE NEVER RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF THE MANIFOLD DEFECT AND RECENTLY DISCOVERED THAT THERE WAS A RECALL. OUR CAR IS A 1999 GRAND MARQUIS WITH CRACKED MANIFOLD INTAKE. WE TOOK IT TO THE LOCAL DEALER AND THEY SAID THAT THEY CANNOT DO ANY WARRANTY ADJUSTMENTS SINCE THE DEADLINE WAS EXHAUSTED. WE CALLED SUMMER OF 2009 TO LET THEM BE AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM. THOUGH THEY WERE NICE, THEY WERE STILL FIRM ON DENYING US REPAIR OR ADJUSTMENTS UNDER THE LAW SUIT AND RECALL. NOW WHAT DO WE DO SINCE WE NEVER RECEIVED NOTIFICATION NOR WERE WE AWARE OF ANY PROBLEM WITH THE CAR? *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS. HE COULD NOT ACCELERATE PAST 30-35 MPH. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS BECAUSE OF A PLASTIC INTAKE MANIFOLD. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED WITH THE REPLACEMENTS OF A METAL INTAKE MANIFOLD AND SPARK PLUGS. THE FOLLOWING DAY AFTER THE SERVICE REPAIR, HE EXPERIENCED ROUGH IDLING WHILE STARTING THE ENGINE COLD. THE AUTHORIZED DEALER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE, BUT NO REMEDY WAS AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 54,300. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS UNAVAILABLE.