1992 Mercury Grand Marquis: common problems

Owners of the 1992 Mercury Grand Marquis filed 255 complaints with NHTSA, most often about service brakes and electrical system. Details by component below, with sources.

Key figures

Owner complaints: 255
involving a crash: 23

What fails most often

1 Service brakes 19% of all complaints
2 Electrical system 16% of all complaints
3 Vehicle speed control 12% of all complaints
4 Powertrain 11% of all complaints
5 Exterior lighting 9% of all complaints
6 Fuel system 8% of all complaints
7 Engine and cooling 7% of all complaints
8 Visibility 6% of all complaints

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

Service brakes: 48 complaints (19% of all), 5 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Electrical system: 41 complaints (16% of all).
Vehicle speed control: 31 complaints (12% of all), 7 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Powertrain: 29 complaints (11% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Exterior lighting: 23 complaints (9% of all).

Engines and transmissions

US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.

4.6 L · petrol · 8 cyl
automatic, 4-speed

Drive: RWD

Symptoms owners describe

How many of the 255 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).

smoke, burning smell, fire33 · 13%
headlights and tail lights21 · 8%
fuel system, fuel smell11 · 4%
windows, sunroof10 · 4%
rust, corrosion8 · 3%
transmission slipping8 · 3%
unintended acceleration7 · 3%
vibration6 · 2%
airbags did not deploy4 · 2%
hesitation when accelerating4 · 2%

Components owners complain about

Component	Owner complaints	involving a crash
Service brakes	48	5
Electrical system	41	0
Vehicle speed control	31	7
Powertrain	29	2
Exterior lighting	23	0
Fuel system	20	1
Engine and cooling	19	1
Visibility	16	0
Air bags	14	8
Structure	12	0
Seats	10	0
Steering	9	1
Latches, locks, linkages	6	0
Suspension	5	1

What owners report

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

Pe-00-02o; replacement tires for a 1992 mercury, grand marquis, tire firestone model fr360, tire size p21575r15, dot number started with hyn3, tires had less then one thousand miles on them.
Tires · crash · 2000-10-06 · NHTSA complaint #872482
Upon impact, driver's side airbag failed to deploy properly. Contacted manufacturer, and they sent a letter asking for extensive details about the accident and vehicle.
Air bags · crash · 2000-04-27 · NHTSA complaint #861069
Consumer was stopped in a line of traffic when consumer was hit in the rear at extreme speed. Was forced to hit the vehicle in front head-on at approx 40 mph. Driver's air bag did not deploy.
Air bags · crash · 1997-06-16 · NHTSA complaint #813163
While backing out of driveway the vehicle took off with sudden acceleration without any notice; also replaced leaking master cylinder and transmission.
Service brakes · crash · 1996-12-27 · NHTSA complaint #805140
Frontal collision impact 12:00 position speed 30 mph, drivers side airbag did not deploy. Tt
Air bags · crash · 1996-02-05 · NHTSA complaint #978727
The car is pulling to the right side the steering column caused her to have an accident. Tt consumer states it was morning frost on the pavement that caused the accident.
Steering · crash · 1995-11-16 · NHTSA complaint #975015
Airbag did not deploy during 35 mph frontal collision, resulting in an injury. Tt
Service brakes · crash · 1995-05-03 · NHTSA complaint #964773
Brakes failed twice due to excessive wear of front brake rotors/pads/calipers, once resulting in an accident/injury, also pulsate.
Service brakes · crash · 1995-02-09 · NHTSA complaint #480993

When owners complained

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

199563
199649
199719
199821
199942
200016
200115
20026
20034
20042
20054
20061
20073
20081
20091
20102
20121
20151
20163
20191

Comparison

By complaint count this model year ranks 1,604 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 4% most complained about).

On average one model year of the Grand Marquis has 117 complaints (34 years in the data). This year has 255, above average.

What to check before buying

Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.

Other years of this model

Questions and answers

What are the most common problems with the 1992 Mercury Grand Marquis?

Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: service brakes, electrical system, vehicle speed control. Total complaints: 255. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: smoke, burning smell, fire (13%), headlights and tail lights (8%), fuel system, fuel smell (4%).

How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1992 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 1992 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 1992 models

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.