1982 Mercury Grand Marquis: common problems

Owners of the 1982 Mercury Grand Marquis filed 3 complaints with NHTSA, most often about engine and cooling and exterior lighting. Details by component below, with sources.

Key figures

Owner complaints: 3

What fails most often

1 Engine and cooling 100% of all complaints
2 Exterior lighting 33% of all complaints
3 Fuel system 33% of all complaints
4 Vehicle speed control 33% of all complaints

Circle size and colour show each component’s share of NHTSA complaints. Schematic only, not a drawing of the exact model.

Engine and cooling: 3 complaints (100% of all).
Exterior lighting: 1 complaints (33% of all).
Fuel system: 1 complaints (33% of all).
Vehicle speed control: 1 complaints (33% of all).

Components owners complain about

Component	Owner complaints	involving a crash	Technical service bulletins (TSB)
Engine and cooling	3	0	0
Exterior lighting	1	0	0
Fuel system	1	0	0
Vehicle speed control	1	0	0

What owners report

Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.

Vehicle stalls at stops, when making right or left hand turns, then control is lost, replace,egr valve, pcv, rr carb. And o-haul, need idle speed control switch/valve.
Engine and cooling · 1999-03-24 · NHTSA complaint #524283
Vehicle stalls continuously, causing loss of vehicle control.
Engine and cooling · 1998-04-29 · NHTSA complaint #522220

When owners complained

NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.

19982
19991

Comparison

By complaint count this model year ranks 17,150 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 47% most complained about).

On average one model year of the Grand Marquis has 117 complaints (34 years in the data). This year has 3, below average.

What to check before buying

Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
Exterior lighting. Headlamps, leveling, sensors and mounts after a frontal hit.
Fuel system. Fuel smell, leaks, rough running, fuel-system codes.
Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.

Other years of this model

Questions and answers

What are the most common problems with the 1982 Mercury Grand Marquis?

Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: engine and cooling, exterior lighting, fuel system. Total complaints: 3. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: stalls while driving (67%).

How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1982 Mercury Grand Marquis?

NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.

Should I buy a 1982 Mercury Grand Marquis from a US auction?

Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.

Other 1982 models

Mercury Lynx 1982

Read also

Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.