AI DamageMercury Marquis: problems, complaints, bulletins
Summary for the Mercury Marquis across 25 model years: 401 owner complaints and 0 NHTSA service bulletins, plus repair videos. Pick a year for details.
Model years
| Year | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) | YouTube repair videos |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9999 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2004 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003 | 33 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001 | 26 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 | 23 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1999 | 24 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1998 | 29 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1997 | 53 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 1996 | 31 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1995 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1994 | 30 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1993 | 23 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1992 | 24 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 1991 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1990 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1989 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1988 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1987 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1986 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1985 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1984 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1983 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1982 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1977 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What fails most often
- 1 Engine and cooling 15% of all complaints
- 2 Electrical system 14% of all complaints
- 3 Service brakes 13% of all complaints
- 4 Vehicle speed control 13% of all complaints
- 5 Exterior lighting 9% of all complaints
- 6 Steering 7% of all complaints
- 7 Suspension 6% of all complaints
- 8 Fuel system 6% of all complaints
- Engine and cooling: 62 complaints (15% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 58 complaints (14% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Service brakes: 52 complaints (13% of all), 8 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Vehicle speed control: 51 complaints (13% of all), 10 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Exterior lighting: 35 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.
- 2.3 L · petrol · 4 cyl 1984–1986
- 3.8 L · petrol · 6 cyl 1984–1986
- 5 L · petrol · 8 cyl 1984–1985
- automatic, 3-speed 1984–1986
- automatic, 4-speed 1984–1985
Drive: RWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 401 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine and cooling | 62 | 1 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 58 | 1 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 52 | 8 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 51 | 10 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 35 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 28 | 3 | 0 |
| Suspension | 25 | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 23 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 22 | 1 | 0 |
| Visibility | 22 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 18 | 13 | 0 |
| Structure | 17 | 1 | 0 |
| Tires | 16 | 2 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 12 | 2 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
Pulled up to attendant , applied brakes and veh surged ahead, struggled to control to no avail. Made diffucult u turn to avoid drv into street traffic, crashed other veh, cont'd on jumping 2 inside pk curbs stopping as frame stopped res on curb
Tl contact owns a 1997 mercury marquis. While driving approximately 15 mph on normal road conditions. The driver loss steering control. The vehicle crashed into an utility pole, boulder and fence. The driver sustained minor injury. The police was not called to the scene.
Tl contact owns a 2001 mercury marquis. While shifting into park, the contact attempted to sound the horn, but was unsuccessful. A crash occurred, but there were no injuries. The dealer stated that the horn in the vehicle was designed to be difficult to find.
1997 mountaineer, engine race, could not stop the car. Used the brakes but engine raced and banged into our house in order to stop. This was the fourth incident, in a month time. Other incidents were hitting a car in order for the car to stop. No one was hurt, thank goodness. But this was scary.
The air bags smoked up everything like the vehicle was on fire. Also, consumer's grand daughter was riding in the back seat on the passenger's side, and her teeth print was in the back of the seat. Both of the children were in their seat belts. Consumer felt the seat belts should have held up better.
Bridgestone turanza t passenger tires; p215/70r made in japan. Jdj469; k9902; dot h434 97t; ql20hz only lasted approximately 2k miles before the belts broke.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
What to check before buying
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
Other models of this make
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.