MERCURY Complaints

05/16/12 I WAS DRIVING AT 30 MILES/PER HOUR, THE BRAKE PEDAL SUDDENLY WENT TO THE FLOOR WITHOUT ANY SIGNS IN ADVANCE, I COULDN'T STOP THE CAR. LUCKILY IT WAS WHERE I WORKED. I PULLED TO THE PARKING,STOPPED IT WITH THE HELP OF THE CURB. CHECKED ON THE SPOT, IT SEEMS LOW ON BRAKE FLUID, WE ADDED FLUID, PEDAL SEEMED FINE FOR COUPLE OF MONTHS. ON 07/31/12, TWO MONTHS AFTER THE FIRST INCIDENT, DRIVING AT THE SPEED OF 50, THE SAME THING HAPPENED AGAIN. COULDN'T STOP THE CAR, THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. LUCKILY THERE IS A GARAGE BY THE SIDE, PULLED IN AND CHECKED. FINDING OUT THE MASS CYLINDER DISFUNCTION. SPEND OVER 600 GOT IT CHANGED. NOW I AM SCARED, DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO? SELL THE CAR? ( WHICH I CANT AFFORD NOW) OR WAITING TO BE KILLED IN THE CAR OR KILL SOMEBODY ELSE? *TR

MY POWER STEERING FAILED AS I WAS PULLING OUT OF A PARKING SPACE. I HEARD A FAINT NOISE LIKE A MARBLE DROPPING ONTO A SURFACE AND ROLLING AS I STARTED THE CAR. I QUICKLY REALIZED I WAS NOT ABLE TO STEER THE CAR. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO MY MECHANIC. HE INFORMED ME THAT THE BOLT ON THE IDLER PULLEY BROKE, AND PART OF THIS BOLT FELL INTO THE ENGINE. WHEN I ASKED HIM HOW THIS COULD HAPPEN, HE INFORMED ME THAT HE BELIEVED IT WAS DUE TO THE FAULTY DESIGN - PLACING TOO MUCH PRESSURE ON THIS BOLT, CAUSING IT TO EVENTUALLY BREAK IN TWO. THEY HAD TO TAKE THE ALTERNATOR OFF TO RECOVER THE PIECE OF THE BOLT THAT FELL INTO THE ENGINE. THE IDLER PULLEY WAS THEN REPLACED. I BELIEVE THAT IF THIS HAD HAPPENED WHILE I WAS DRIVING, ESPECIALLY AT A HIGH SPEED, IT WOULD HAVE CAUSED A VERY SERIOUS IF NOT FATAL ACCIDENT. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1992 MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH THE HEADLIGHTS AND TAIL LIGHTS STOPPED ILLUMINATING. THE CONTACT STOPPED THE VEHICLE.AFTER CONTINUALLY SWITCHING THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH ON AND OFF, THE LIGHTS EVENTUALLY ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR A DIAGNOSTIC TEST. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 120,000.

MY MOTHER-IN-LAW HAS A 2004 GRAND MARQUIS & LAST NIGHT WHEN SHE STARTED THE CAR TO GO HOME AFTER VISITING US, THE HEADLIGHTS WOULD NOT COME ON AT ALL....ADDITIONALLY, THE INTERIOR LIGHTS HAVE COME ON ALL BY THEMSELVES INTERMITTENTLY, AND CONSEQUENTLY, THE BATTERY IS DRAINED EACH TIME IT HAPPENS. THE INTERIOR PROBLEM MAY OR MAY NOT FIX ITSELF BY STARTING/SHUTTING OFF/OPENING/CLOSING DOOR. ALL I DID WAS TYPE "2004 MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS" IN YAHOO SEARCH & A MULTITUDE OF SIMILAR PROBLEMS CAME UP IN THE RESULTS: ALL STATING A DEFECTIVE LIGHT CONTROL MODULE (LCM). I AM GOING TO TAKE THE ONE OUT OF HER CAR TODAY & TAKE IT APART & INSPECT IT FOR CRACKED ("COLD SOLDER") SOLDER JOINTS AS ALMOST ANYTHING WITH A PC BOARD ( (MADE IN THE LAST 25 YEARS ESPECIALLY) TENDS TO DEVELOP CRACKED SOLDER BECAUSE THEY ARE MADE CHEAPLY BY USING AS LITTLE SOLDER POSSIBLE TO HOLD THE JOINT TOGETHER (WHEN NEW, ANYWAYS) . YET ANOTHER CHEAP, MODERN JUNK ELECTRONIC ITEM PUMPED OUT IN BULK BY THE THOUSANDS THAT THE MANUFACTURER WILL NOT SUPPORT, UNLESS IT FAILS WITHIN THE WARRANTY PERIOD! I CANNOT BELIEVE FORD MOTOR COMPANY WON'T ISSUE A RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM AS IT IS NOT AN ISOLATED PROBLEM, ACCORDING TO MY RESEARCH! MAYBE ONCE SOMEONE DIES IN A CAR WRECK FROM THE LIGHTS GOING OUT WHILE THEY'RE GOING DOWN A FREEWAY @ 70MPH, SOMEONE WILL GET A GOOD LAWYER AND SUE THE PANTS OFF OF FORD MOTOR COMPANY!! CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT, ANYBODY? *JS

DRIVER'S INSIDE DOOR LATCH BROKEN - NO LONGER CAN OPEN DOOR FROM THE INSIDE. IF IN AN ACCIDENT, COULD NOT EXIT VEHICLE QUICKLY IF NEEDED. MATERIALS FOR THE DOOR LATCH ARE CHEAP PLASTIC. *TR

STARTED VEHICLE AND NOTICED CAR JERKING AND NOT ACCELERATING CORRECTLY. I WAS STOPPED AT LIGHT APPROX 1/3 MILE FROM START AND CAR DIED AT LIGHT , CAR RESTARTED AND MADE LEFT TURN ONTO BUSY FREEWAY AND CAR HEISITATED AND STATED JERKING AGAIN WITH NO ACCELERATION. MOVED TO SHOULDER OF ROAD AND CALLED AAA TO HAVE CAR TOWED....UNSAFE AND UNABLE TO CONTINUE DRIVE HOME...15 MILES AHEAD. FORD SERVICE PULLED CODE P2111 FROM DASHBOARD LIGHTS AND SAID THROTTLE BODY WAS SHOT...AT 38000 MILES. NO RECOURSE FROM FORD OUT OF WARRANTY 2000 MILES . I WAS CHARGED 198.55 LABOR AND 137.80 PARTS...TOTAL WITH TAX 347.96. THEY REPLACED PART WITH A NEW PART NUMBER ...OBVIOUSLY THEY KNOW THIS IS A DEFECTIVE PART....NO CUSTOMER COMPENSATION. *TR

I HAVE HAD THREE INSTANCES OF THE CAR DECELERATING AND STALLING AT HIGH SPEEDS. THE MOST RECENT INCIDENT OCCURRED TWICE ON 7/26/12 WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH ON THE EXPRESSWAY THE CAR QUICKLY DECELERATED AND WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. THE THROTTLE LIGHT APPEARED THE FIRST TIME AND AFTER TURNING THE ENGINE OFF, THE CAR STARTED AGAIN; HOWEVER IT OCCURRED A SECOND TIME. I HAD TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED 35 MILES TO THE DEALERSHIP. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS AND COULD HAVE RESULTED IN A SERIOUS COLLISION DURING RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC WITH CARS AND TRUCKS TRAVELING AT HIGH SPEEDS. I WAS FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO BE IN THE RIGHT LANE WITH EASY ACCESS TO THE SHOULDER HOWEVER, A TRUCK CARRYING A HEAVY LOAD HAD TO SWERVE TO PREVENT REAR ENDING ME. I HAVE SEEN OTHER COMPLAINTS OF THIS SAME PROBLEM ON THE INTERNET AND THE DEALERSHIP HAS ACKNOWLEDGED OTHER REPAIRS ON THE THROTTLE BODY OF THIS MAKE AND MODEL. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 MERCURY SABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL ACTIVATED, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO ACCELERATE ABNORMALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE CRUISE CONTROL CABLE WAS BROKE AND CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO ACCELERATE. THE CONTACT REQUESTED THE CRUISE CONTROL BE DISCONNECTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND STATED THAT THE CASE WAS UNDER INVESTIGATION. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 86,000.

I WAS ENTERING THE INTERSTATE 430 AT THE MAUMELLE, ARKANSAS ON RAMP AND BEGAN ACCELERATING TO MERGE WITH RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC. I NOTICED THAT I HAD ACCELERATED FASTER THAN NORMAL...70 MPH. I TOOK MY FOOT OFF THE ACCELERATOR TO SLOW DOWN, BUT I DIDN'T SLOW DOWN. I THOUGHT I MUST HAVE HIT THE CRUISE CONTROL BUTTON, SO I HIT THE OFF BUTTON AND BRAKE AND SLOWED SLIGHTLY...60MPH THE CRUISE CONTROL WAS NOT ON. I LET OFF THE BRAKE AND CAR BEGAN ACCELERATING BACK UP TO 65 MPH VERY QUICKLY. BY THIS TIME, I WAS ENTERING THE INTERSTATE 40 ON RAMP/CRYSTAL HILL EXIT IN NORTH LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS. I REALIZED THAT MY BRAKES WERE NOT SLOWING MY SUV AND I HAD TO GET THE CAR TO A STOP. I STAYED ON THE CRYSTAL HILL EXIT...PUSHING ON BRAKES AS HARD AS I COULD. I ONLY SLOWED TO ABOUT 40 OR 50 MPH. I TURNED MY HAZARD LIGHTS AND BEGAN EDGING TO THE SHOULDER. SO STILL PUSHING ON MY BRAKES, I PUT THE SUV IN NEUTRAL. I FINALLY STOPPED ABOUT 100 FEET FROM THE STOP SIGN AT THE CRYSTAL HILL ROAD. WHEN I STOPPED, I NOTICED THE ENGINE WAS REVVING A LOT SO I PUT IT IN PARK AND TURNED THE SUV OFF. I TRIED TO STAY CALM FOR ME AND MY BABY SINCE I WAS 35 WEEKS PREGNANT. I WAS LUCKY THAT I DIDN'T HAVE TO CRASH THE CAR TO STOP IT OR I DIDN'T GO INTO LABOR, BUT PUTTING IT IN NEUTRAL WORKED. MY HUSBAND HAD MY SUV TOWED TO CRAIN FORD DEALERSHIP. THEY HAVE DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM TO BE THE AIR INTAKE VALVE AND THE THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR. THE TOW TRUCK DRIVER AND THE MECHANIC AT THE DEALERSHIP SAID THE SUV WAS MESSED AND BARELY GOT IT IN THE GARAGE TO REPAIR WHICH THE DEALERSHIP IS WORKING ON...ONE WEEK LATER. THE DIAGNOSIS WAS VERBAL FROM THE DEALERSHIP...NOTHING IN WRITING AS OF YET. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 MERCURY MILAN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED AND THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LAMP ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE THROTTLE BODY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE WHO DID NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 40,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 41,000.