1998 Mercury Grand Marquis problems
NHTSA has received 168 complaints about the 1998 Mercury Grand Marquis, and 17% of them involve engine. After that come lighting (10%) and steering (10%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 168 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Engine 17% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 9 and 9
- Injuries and deaths
- 5 and 1
- Typical mileage
- 85,000 miles 50 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 1 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 3 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 6 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 11 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 8 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 9 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 4 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 1 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 4 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 3 |
What the data shows
Among the 50 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 85,000 miles.
Safety-related details: 9 complaints mention a crash; 9 complaints mention a fire; 5 injuries reported; 1 death reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 1998 ranks 14th most-complained-about out of 21 model years of the Mercury Grand Marquis with enough data (69 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 5 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Dt*: the contact stated the check engine light was illuminated. The vehicle was inspected by an independent mechanic but was unable to identify the problem. The problem was with the vehicle speed controls as acceleration was sluggish and the accelerator pedal needed to be pumped to increase speed. At other times the vehicle would accelerate uncontrollably for no reason and the accelerator pedal would have to be pumped before the speed would reduce to normal.
Vehicle accelerated after having shifted the gear into park, causes vehicle to take off while consumer's foot was on brake pedal. Vehicle continued to lurch four to five blocks, and landed into someone's front yard. One injury was sustaned. Dealer notified.
Power steering reservoir hose separated, causing loss of vehicle control which resulted in a collision. Driver sustained minor injuries. Dealer has been notified.
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 mercury grand marquis. While the vehicle was parked the contact heard a loud booming noise from inside his home. The contact noticed flames underneath the hood. The fire department extinguished the fire and a report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a complaint was filed. The contact stated there was a recall under NHTSA campaign id number: 07v336000 (vehicle speed control) that may be related to the failure.
While driving or backing at slow speeds this vehicle(which has very very low miles) makes loud,banging,pounding,binding noises and sounds like the entire front end is going to fall off. This happens frequently and is not normal for any car with such low miles 15 years old or not. I have gotten to the point that I am afraid to drive this car. I have also been told that others have this same or a similar issue.