MERCURY Complaints

WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT ON NJ HIGHWAY 29 IN TRENTON THE HEADLIGHTS WENT OFF. THEY WOULD NOT TURN ON EXCEPT WHEN I HELD THE "BRIGHTS" LEVER UP. AT SOME POINT THEY WOULD COME BACK ON, BUT THEN THEY WOULD GO OFF AGAIN. I WAS AT SPEED AND IN TRAFFIC ON A LIGHTED ROADWAY. TOOK CAR TO FORD DEALER BUT DID NOT GET REPAIRED BECAUSE COST IS EXORBITANT (OVER $800). THE PROBLEMS CONTINUES SO I DO NOT DRIVE THIS CAR AT NIGHT. THIS APPARENTLY HAPPENS FREQUENTLY TO THIS MAKE/MODEL/YEAR BUT MANUFACTURER DOES NOT SEE IT AS A PROBLEM (I CORRESPONDED WITH THEM ON THIS MATTER). BEFORE I REALIZED THE SEVERITY I CONTINUED DRIVING AND THE LIGHTS CUT OUT ON A POORLY LIGHTED CITY STREET AS I WAS TURNING THE CORNER AND I ALMOST HIT A PEDESTRIAN I COULD NOT SEE. *TR

MY VAN WAS TOWED TO THE LOCAL FORD GARAGE WHERE WE BOUGHT 5 YEARS AGO THIS PAST SATURDAY. I WAS TOLD TODAY THE PROBLEM IS IN THE TORQUE CONVERTER OR TRANSMISSION. I JUST FOUND OUT THERE WAS A LAWSUIT BROUGHT UPON FORD BECAUSE OF TRANSMISSION RELATED PROBLEMS IN 2005 MONTEREY'S. JUST A BRIFE REVIEW SHOWS ME THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE EXPERIANCING THE SAME PROBLEMS AS I AM. I ALSO BELIEVE NHTSA INVESTIGATED THIS PROBLEM. WHAT BOTHERS ME THE MOST IS THAT I JUST GOT DONE PAYING THIS CAR OFF AND THE LOW MILEAGE AT THE TIME OF FAILURE. WHAT ARE MY OPTIONS TO GET RELIEF ? SHOULD I PHONE THE ATTORNEYS WHO HANDLED THE ORIGINAL CASE? CAN YOU GIVE ANY OTHER INFORMATION SUCH AS OTHERS WHO MY HAVE ALSO FILED COMPLAINTS SIMILAR TO MINE? *TT

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHT FAILED AND THE CONTACT HAD TO DRIVE USING THE HIGH BEAM HEADLIGHTS. THE LOCAL MECHANIC REPLACED THE RELAY SWITCH AND THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH, BUT THE FAILURE WAS NOT CORRECTED AND THE CONTACT COULD ONLY USE THE HIGH BEAM HEADLIGHTS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE A DIAGNOSTIC WAS PERFORMED, WHICH LOCATED THE FAILURE AT THE HEADLIGHT MODULE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 52,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 53,000.

IT WAS APPROX. 2:30AM [NIGHT TIME] AND I WAS DRIVING ON A RURAL STATE HIGHWAY @ 65MPH WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL SET. THE HEADLIGHTS ON MY 2005 MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS SUDDELY WENT OUT. THE SWITCH WAS SET TO AUTOMATIC ON / OFF. VISIBILITY INSTANTLY BECAME ZERO IN THE PITCH BLACK.. AS I WAS 20 MILES OUTSIDE OF TOWN ON A STATE HIGHWAY IN AN UNPOPULATED AREA WITH NO LIGHTING.. NOT EVEN MOON LIGHT. I SLAMMED ON MY BREAKS RUNNING OFF THE ROADWAY INTO THE DRAINAGE DITCH.. TAKING OVER 100 FEET TO STOP. AFTER GAINING MY COMPOSURE, I NOTICED THAT MY DASHLIGHTS WERE STILL WORKING ALONG WITH MY YELLOW WARNING LIGHTS. I TRIED THE HEADLIGHTS SWITCH BY CHANGING IT FROM OFF, TO FULL ON- TO AUTO... WITH NO SUCCESS AT FIRST. BUT AFTER 3-4 MINUTES THE LIGHTS SUDDENLY CAME BACK ON AND WORKED IN BOTH THE AUTO & IN THE SWITCHED 'ON' POSITIONS FOR 20-30 SECONDS AND THEN SHUT OFF. SO I KNEW THE PROBLEM WASN'T WITH A BLOWN FUSE. THIS CONTINUED TO BE THE CYCLE.. THE HEADLIGHTS WOULD COME ON FOR 20-30 SECONDS AND THEN SHUT OFF FOR SEVERAL MINUTES BEFORE WORKING AGAIN. BY PULLING THE TURN CONTROL / HIGH BEAM LEVER TOWARD ME, I WAS ABLE TO GET THE PASSING LIGHT SETTING OF MY HEADLIGHTS TO WORK AND WAS ABLE TO DRIVE BACK HOME... BUT THIS CREATED A DANGER TO VEHICLES I MET.. AS IT BLINDED THEM. I COULDN'T TURN OFF THE BRIGHT PASSING BEAM WITHOUT GOING DARK ON THE ROADWAY. NEXT MORNING I CHECKED THE INTERNET ABOUT THIS PROBLEM AND DISCOVERED THAT 1000'S OF OTHER MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS OWNERS HAVE HAD THIS SAME PROBLEM.. THAT MERCURY HAS KNOWN ABOUT THIS PROBLEM FOR YEARS... WITH SIMILAR PROBLEMS PRIOR TO 2005. NOT ONLY HAS MERCURY KNOWINGLY ENDANGERED MY AND THE OTHER OWNERS [AND THEIR FAIMLIES] LIVES.. MERCURY HAS CREATED A VERY PROFITABLE INCOME CHARGING ITS CUSTOMERS CLOSE TO $700 FOR A REPAIR THAT THEY KNOW IS THE RESULT OF A FAULTY FACTORY INSTALLED HEADLIGHT CONTROL MODULE. THIS RATES A RECALL! *TT

I WAS BACKING OUT OF MY GARAGE WHEN I IMMEDIATELY BECAME AWARE THE VEHICLE WAS NOT MOVING NORMALLY, THE FRONT DRIVERS SIDE TIRE WAS COMPLETELY FLAT. WHEN I WAS CHANGING THE TIRE I NOTICED THE SPRING HAD BROKEN AND PUNCTURED AND RUINED THE TIRE. THIS EVIDENTLY HAPPENED WHILE THE CAR WAS PARKED IN THE GARAGE AS I HEARD NO NOISE FROM THE BREAKING SPRING OR ESCAPING AIR. I FEEL FORTUNATE THIS HAPPENED IN THE GARAGE AND NOT AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. *TT

WHILE TURNING FROM STREET INTO A SHORT STEEP DRIVEWAY APPROACH, FRONT LOWER BUMPER FACIA DRUG VERY SLIGHTLY ON THE STEEP APPROACH RAMP SETTING OFF THE AIRBAGS, WHICH BROKE THE WINDSHIELD, CRACKED THE DASH, SNAPPED ALL FOUR BACK SIDE WINDOW LATCHES, AND CAUSED BACK NECK AND SHOULDER INJURIES TO THE DRIVER. *TR

THE FOLLOWING ADDRESSES AN ISSUE I ENCOUNTERED WITH MY VEHICLE, A 2002 MERCURY SABLE. ON JANUARY 12TH, 2012, I WAS DRIVING ON A TWO WAY ROAD DURING A HEAVY SNOWSTORM. I WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 35 MILES PER HOUR, WHICH WAS BELOW THE SPEED LIMIT, DUE TO THE ROAD CONDITIONS. AT THIS TIME, I HEARD A LOUD NOISE AND EXPERIENCED A LOSS OF CONTROL OVER MY VEHICLE. AFTER PULLING OVER, I INVESTIGATED THE NOISE AND DISCOVERED THAT THE FRONT RIGHT TIRE WAS COMPLETELY SHREDDED AND PARTIALLY OFF THE RIM. I TOWED THE CAR TO A REPAIR SHOP AND LEARNED THAT THE SUSPENSION SPRING BROKE AND PUNCTURED THE TIRE AND DAMAGED THE STRUT. THIS IS ALSO A YEAR AND A HALF AFTER I HAD A SIMILAR PROBLEM WITH THE FRONT LEFT SPRING. NEITHER THE STRUT NOR THE TIRES WERE DAMAGED DURING THIS EVENT AT THAT TIME. *TR

BOTH HEADLIGHTS WENT OUT AT NIGHT WITHOUT WARNING, DANGEROUS CONDITION. THE DEALER REPLACED THE LIGHTING CONTROL MODULE WHICH HAD FAILED #4W7Z13C788. *TR

I APPLIED THE BRAKES AT AROUND 20 MILES PER HOUR ON JANUARY 25 AND THE MOTOR ACCELERATED FOR ONE OR TWO SECONDS. I WAS ABLE TO STOP THE CAR BY PRESSING THE BRAKES MUCH HARDER THAN NORMAL. ON JANUARY 26 I APPLIED THE BRAKES AT AROUND 60 MILES PER HOUR AND THE MOTOR AGAIN ACCELERATED FOR ONE OR TWO SECONDS. I CONTINUED TO PRESS THE BRAKES, THE MOTOR SLOWED DOWN AND THE CAR EVENTUALLY SLOWED. IT SOUNDED LIKE PRESSING THE ACCELERATOR DOWN HARD TO PASS ANOTHER CAR ON A TWO LANE ROAD. *TR

I PURCHASED A 2002 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER ON 4/11/2011. AS I WAS DRIVING IT HOME FROM THE DEALERSHIP, THE SAME DAY, I NOTICED SOME BLACK SMOKE COMING OUT THE BACK OF THE CAR. THERE WERE NO MESSAGES THAT CAME UP IN THE MESSAGE CENTER WINDOW SO I HAD NO CLUE WHAT WAS HAPPENING. AS I LOOKED BACK UP FROM THE REAR VIEW MIRROR, I NOTICED A FIRST RESPONDERS TRUCK NEXT TO THE DRIVERS WINDOW WHO WAS YELLING " GET OUT OF THE VEHICLE, ITS ON FIRE!" IMMEDIATELY I PULLED OVER AND MY MOTHER AND I HAD TO JUMP FROM THE VEHICLE BECAUSE THE ENTIRE ENGINE AREA WAS ENGULFED WITH FLAMES. I WAS INJURED WHILE I WAS FLEEING FROM THE VEHICLE. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND STATE TROOPERS WERE ENROUTE AND MY VEHICLE WAS HOSED DOWN AND TOWED. I ALMOST DIED IN THIS VEHICLE BECAUSE OF THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL GOING OUT ON IT. THIS VEHICLE TYPE HAS HAD MANY PROBLEMS WITH THIS PART AND THEIR CUSTOMERS SHOULD BE COMPENSATED! THIS CAR IS A FIRE HAZARD! IF I WOULD HAVE HAD MY 3 SMALL CHILDREN IN THEIR CAR SEATS I MAY NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GET THEM ALL OUT IN TIME. COMPENSATED!! *TR