AI Damage2004 Mercury Marauder: common problems
Owners of the 2004 Mercury Marauder filed 27 complaints with NHTSA, most often about exterior lighting and tires. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 27
- involving a crash
- 2
What fails most often
- 1 Exterior lighting 37% of all complaints
- 2 Tires 19% of all complaints
- 3 Service brakes 15% of all complaints
- 4 Vehicle speed control 11% of all complaints
- 5 Electrical system 7% of all complaints
- 6 Powertrain 7% of all complaints
- 7 Structure 7% of all complaints
- 8 Wheels 7% of all complaints
- Exterior lighting: 10 complaints (37% of all).
- Tires: 5 complaints (19% of all).
- Service brakes: 4 complaints (15% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Vehicle speed control: 3 complaints (11% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 2 complaints (7% 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 27 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exterior lighting | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 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 was in drive, and then experienced sudden acceleration. There were black tire marks from the rear wheels from where the car accelerated. Then. The vehicle hit the other parked family vehicle. The other vehicle was knocked about 30 feet. There were no reported injuries. Upon impact, the airbags did not deploy.
While in stop an go traffic had to slam on brakes. However, the vehicle continued to roll. As a result, consumer's vehicle collided with another vehicle. No injuries reported.
The steering had become stiff and "notchy" while turning, and the steering wheel would not return to straight ahead on its own. It was found that the lower steering shaft had 1 of the 3 bearing frozen and required replacement. This is the same exact parts and symptoms as listed listed in ford recall 13s08
While operating the vehicle, the low beam headlights would suddenly shut off. The contact indicated that the failure was intermittent, but worsened and recurred more frequently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed that the light control module was faulty and needed to be replaced.
I was driving my 2004 mercury marauder on a two lane road in delaware county ny when my headlights went out. Driving the back roads takes total concentration due to the large number of nocturnal animals which can cross roads.
Oem tires for rear p245/55-18 not available from manufacturer for extended period of time. Part # shows tire is not discontinued yet no tires are available by b.f. Goodrich. No solution is offered and bf goodrich does not return phone calls related to this issue.
The headlights started to flicker on and off while driving on the highway at night, then the car stalled. I instinctively put it in neutral to try and restart which I did but it stalled again and this time it was completely dead while unfortunately on the curve of a 2 lane bridge with no shoulder or breakdown lane.
Wipers continuing for two years to occasionally turn on and off without switch activation. Although the issue is well documented in many of the forums for marauders, the fact that ford has made no recall is shameful.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 7,189 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 20% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Marauder has 44 complaints (2 years in the data). This year has 27, below average.
What to check before buying
- Exterior lighting. Headlamps, leveling, sensors and mounts after a frontal hit.
- Tires. Tire age by DOT code, bulges, wear pattern.
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- 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 2004 Mercury Marauder?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: exterior lighting, tires, service brakes. Total complaints: 27. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: headlights and tail lights (37%), stalls while driving (7%), unintended acceleration (7%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2004 Mercury Marauder?
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 2004 Mercury Marauder 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 2004 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.