2000 Mercury Grand Marquis: common problems

Owners of the 2000 Mercury Grand Marquis filed 162 complaints with NHTSA, most often about exterior lighting and service brakes. Details by component below, with sources.

Key figures

Owner complaints: 162
involving a crash: 14

What fails most often

1 Exterior lighting 13% of all complaints
2 Service brakes 11% of all complaints
3 Steering 11% of all complaints
4 Electrical system 10% of all complaints
5 Engine and cooling 10% of all complaints
6 Visibility 10% of all complaints
7 Suspension 9% of all complaints
8 Vehicle speed control 8% of all complaints

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

Exterior lighting: 21 complaints (13% of all).
Service brakes: 18 complaints (11% of all), 3 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Steering: 18 complaints (11% of all), 3 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Electrical system: 17 complaints (10% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Engine and cooling: 17 complaints (10% 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 162 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).

headlights and tail lights18 · 11%
vibration10 · 6%
seat belts8 · 5%
smoke, burning smell, fire8 · 5%
warning lights, check engine7 · 4%
knocking, grinding or other noise5 · 3%
windows, sunroof5 · 3%
A/C or heater4 · 2%
fuel system, fuel smell4 · 2%
steering or power steering problems4 · 2%

Components owners complain about

Component	Owner complaints	involving a crash
Exterior lighting	21	0
Service brakes	18	3
Steering	18	3
Electrical system	17	1
Engine and cooling	17	0
Visibility	16	0
Suspension	15	2
Vehicle speed control	13	3
Seat belts	9	0
Engine	8	0
Tires	7	1
Air bags	6	6
Equipment	6	0
Powertrain	6	0

What owners report

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

ON MAY14TH 2022...I [XXX] had a wreck, and the Airbags didn't deploy, at a speed of 50mph...Which caused very serious personal injuries. As, a concussion, whiplash, Sprained thorax spine and bottom of my back, strained ligament in my knee, rib contusion, fractured tooth!!
Air bags · crash · 2022-06-29 · NHTSA complaint #11471624
The vehicle later rolled down the hill & caused nearly $1200 of damage to the passenger side. Ford knows of this problem.
Steering · crash · 2016-12-22 · NHTSA complaint #10937065
The air bags failed to deploy. A police report was filed and there were no injuries. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified due to it being out of business. The failure mileage was 125,000.
Air bags · crash · 2016-09-21 · NHTSA complaint #10908549
Catastrophic brake failure on 2000 mercury grand marquis. Involved power brakes, booster, abs system. Caused minor injuries but total loss of two vehicles.
Service brakes · crash · 2009-06-03 · NHTSA complaint #10272794
2000 mercury grand marquis air bags failed to inflate in an accident. Consumer states that he was involved in an accident and that the air bags did not inflate. Consumer sent a complaint to ford and never received a response.
Air bags · crash · 2008-03-13 · NHTSA complaint #10221665
While driving at various speeds between 5 and 10 mph the vehicle accelerated on its own and the brakes would not stop the vehicle. To stop the vehicle, the contact had to put the vehicle in neutral. The failure mileage was 35,000. There were no warning indicator lights illuminated. The current mileage was 37,000.
Vehicle speed control · crash · 2007-03-15 · NHTSA complaint #10185173
Vehicle experienced tire blow out. The consumer ran over an object in the road, lost control of the vehicle and hit a semi truck.
Tires · crash · 2004-01-05 · NHTSA complaint #10051908
The air bags did not deploy. At the time of the accident, the consumer was working the electronic passenger seat controls and the consumer wanted to know if there was any connection. The mechanic claimed the ball joint failure caused the accident, the ball joint had no grease.
Suspension · crash · 2003-07-09 · NHTSA complaint #10026857

When owners complained

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

200016
200118
200216
200312
200413
200518
20066
20072
20086
20092
20103
20117
20125
20133
20144
20155
20164
20176
20185
20193
20204
20222
20232

Comparison

By complaint count this model year ranks 2,472 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 7% most complained about).

On average one model year of the Grand Marquis has 117 complaints (34 years in the data). This year has 162, above average.

What to check before buying

Exterior lighting. Headlamps, leveling, sensors and mounts after a frontal hit.
Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
Steering. Steering play, power assist, rack and tie rods after a wheel impact.
Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.

Other years of this model

Questions and answers

What are the most common problems with the 2000 Mercury Grand Marquis?

Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: exterior lighting, service brakes, steering. Total complaints: 162. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: headlights and tail lights (11%), vibration (6%), seat belts (5%).

How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2000 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 2000 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 2000 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.