2005 Mercury Grand Marquis problems, complaints & recalls

2005 Mercury Grand Marquis recalls (3)

• Recall 15V861000Dec 22, 2015296,004 vehicles
  EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS

  Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2003-2005 Ford Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis vehicles manufactured October 3, 2001, to August 2, 2005. The affected vehicles have a lighting control module (LCM) that may fail, resulting in a loss of headlights.

  Risk: A loss of headlights can reduce driver visibility and increase the risk of a crash.

  Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the LCM, free of charge. The recall began April 14, 2017. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15S39.

• Recall 14V704000Nov 5, 201436,888 vehicles
  STEERING:RACK AND PINION:PINION SHAFT

  Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2005-2011 Ford Crown Victoria, 2005-2011 Mercury Grand Marquis vehicles manufactured March 23, 2004, to August 30, 2011, and 2005-2011 Lincoln Town Car vehicles manufactured March 8, 2004, to August 30, 2011, and on which the upper intermediate shaft was serviced during the course of safety recall 13V-385. The prior repairs may not have been correctly performed.

  Risk: Improper servicing of the upper intermediate shaft could cause the shaft to separate, which can then result in a loss of steering control, and increasing the risk of a crash.

  Remedy: Ford will notify the owners of vehicles whose repair records reflect that the upper intermediate steering shaft was repaired during the course of the prior recall 13V-385. Dealers will inspect and replace the upper immediate shaft if necessary free of charge. The recall began November 17, 2014. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 14S25.

• Recall 13V385000Aug 29, 2013355,000 vehicles
  STEERING

  Ford is recalling certain model year 2005-2011 Ford Crown Victoria (including Crown Victoria Police Interceptors), Mercury Grand Marquis, and Lincoln Town Car vehicles. The affected vehicles are currently registered or were originally sold in Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. Severe corrosion can seize the lower intermediate shaft which may cause the upper intermediate shaft to collapse and the steering column lower bearing to separate.

  Risk: If the lower bearing separates, the vehicle may experience a loss of steering, increasing the risk of a crash.

  Remedy: Ford will notify owners and dealers will replace the lower intermediate shaft, free of charge. The upper intermediate shaft and steering column lower bearing will be inspected to identify any damage that may have occurred as a result of lower intermediate shaft corrosion, and repaired or replaced as necessary. If the steering column lower bearing has separated, a retainer clip will be installed. The recall began on October 23, 2013. Owners may contact Ford at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's recall number is 13S08.

NHTSA defect investigations

• PE15028Opened Aug 10, 2015Closed Jan 8, 2016led to recall 15V861000

  Loss of headlights

  The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened an investigation concerning the loss of headlights in model year (MY) 2003-2005 Ford Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis vehicles. The subject vehicles share the same architecture and major components.ODI has received 636 unique reports (for all submission dates) related to the alleged defect, with owners describing a loss of both low and/or high beam headlights occurring while driving.ODI identified 4 Vehicle Owner Questionnaire ( VOQ) reports alleging minor crash or loss of control incidents due to headlight failures.Drivers alleged runni…

• DP15002Opened Apr 1, 2015Closed Aug 11, 2015

  Loss of headlamp/exterior lighting

  In a letter dated October 2, 2014 the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) was initially petitioned by the North Carolina Consumers Council, Inc. requesting a defect investigation of an alleged defect condition resulting in headlight and/or exterior lighting failure on 2003-2005 Ford Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis vehicles.ODI analyzed Vehicle Owner Questionnaire (VOQ) complaints received from consumers and identified a total of 605 reports (for all submission dates) alleging headlight failure.The complaints indicate failures of both low beam headlights typically while driving, a de…

• PE14021Opened Jul 7, 2014Closed Nov 21, 2014

  Steering Column Shaft Obstruction

  On July 7, 2014 the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a preliminary evaluation based on five complaints (VOQs) alleging incidents ofinterference between dislodged exhaust manifold heat shields and the lower steering shaft/knuckle, including one alleging the interference resulted in a crash on a highway entrance ramp. Since opening this investigation, ODI has received four additional owner complaints.One indicated that the shield was removed before binding could occur.The other three occurred at low speed and produced some momentary steering binding that was overcome by the driver wh…

• PE08066Opened Nov 26, 2008Closed Mar 24, 2009

  Loss of headlight function

  The agency has closed this investigation based on its review of complaint reports, field and technical data provided by ford and complainant interviews. Ford found that some lighting control modules (lcm) in the subject vehicles contained defective solder joints on the printed circuit board.this condition can lead to poor headlight performance ranging from intermittent outage and dimming to eventual headlights failure.the failure does not affect other lighting functions (park, emergency flasher, brake and flash to pass lights).the agency is aware of a total of 306 consumers complaints and no r…

Recent 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis complaints

Excerpts of the newest owner complaints, lightly cleaned of personal details. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

1. Filed Sep 16, 2026144,500 miMNLighting

   The contact owns a 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, the front headlights flickered on and off before turning off. The failure had occurred while the contact was driving at night. Upon inspecting the vehicle, the contact became aware of scorch marks on the LCM, and the relay switch had burn marks. The contact stated that while attempting to turn off the front headlights manually, the front headlights remained illuminated. The dealer…

   NHTSA complaint #11764784 · source
2. Filed May 8, 2026145,000 miMATowedSteering

   The contact owns a 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis. The contact stated while attempting to make a left turn, the steering wheel failed to operate as intended causing the contact to have driven straight instead of turning. No warning light was illuminated. An independent mechanic was contacted. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed as the steering column needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, as the steering column was replaced twice.…

   NHTSA complaint #11736525 · source
3. Filed Sep 27, 2025MAAirbags

   my brother got me this vehicle five yrs ago, and ever since then the air bag light has been on,i have no idea of why it is on, i don't know if it is the fuse, i don't know if there is even a air bag is in the vehicle my brother got the vehicle up in vermont, i have a pending cl# [XXX] on another issue, thank you so much, deeply appreciated, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

   NHTSA complaint #11690123 · source
4. Filed Sep 27, 2025MAOther / UnknownTransmission & Drivetrain

   my vehicle was running fine, than all of a sudden the transmission would not shift, i was like omg, what is going on, i had my son with me, my son was driving, he was so scared, i was like take a side street, stay level ground, we coasted down pro tech, [XXX] , that is where the car is now, bill told us,my son and i that the transmission fluid is burnt, when i looked at it the fluid was red,and did not smell burnt, this happened [XXX], i do not understand this at all, i am…

   NHTSA complaint #11690119 · source
5. Filed Sep 12, 2025FLBrakes

   My wife has a 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis. This vehicle has what I believe is an extremely unsafe placement of the brake and accelerator pedals. The pedals are extremely close together, closer than I have ever seen on any other vehicle. My wife has depressed the accelerator while pressing the brake pedal on more than one occasion. We went recently for an oil change. The technician pressed the accelerator while pressing the brake pedal while putting the vehicle into reverse.…

   NHTSA complaint #11686834 · source
6. Filed Aug 3, 2025LA1 injuredAirbagsBody & StructureSteering

   I bought this car from some stranger who doesn’t care about my shoulder pains driving a car with the steering wheel upside down these part stores & insurance companies get theirs can I please get what’s due to me so tired of the brakes making my steering wheel jerk & didn’t have any heat in a car I’ve spent my entire check on I really can’t believe this much over a faulty can I get some type of reimbursements for my pain & suffering from driving this guy’s high school car…

   NHTSA complaint #11678039 · source
7. Filed Jul 1, 202580,082 miFLLighting

   The contact owns a 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V861000 (Exterior Lighting). The contact stated that the headlights activated without driver input. The contact removed the circuit wires. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case. The failure mileage was approximately 80,082.

   NHTSA complaint #11670450 · source
8. Filed Jul 1, 2025NVSeats & Seat Belts

   Seat belt does not fully clip in to buckle and tends to come undone while in operation of motor vehicle furthermore requires occupant to wiggle buckle back and forth to attempt to get a good connection between the two, belt and buckle.

   NHTSA complaint #11670422 · source

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Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Defects Investigation public data, as of Oct 11, 2026. Complaints are submitted by owners and are not verified by NHTSA or by us; a complaint does not prove a defect exists. View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov Methodology