AI Damage1991 Mercury Marquis: common problems
Owners of the 1991 Mercury Marquis filed 9 complaints with NHTSA, most often about electrical system and service brakes. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 9
- involving a crash
- 1
What fails most often
- 1 Electrical system 33% of all complaints
- 2 Service brakes 22% of all complaints
- 3 Vehicle speed control 22% of all complaints
- 4 Air bags 11% of all complaints
- 5 Seats 11% of all complaints
- 6 Steering 11% of all complaints
- Electrical system: 3 complaints (33% of all).
- Service brakes: 2 complaints (22% of all).
- Vehicle speed control: 2 complaints (22% of all).
- Air bags: 1 complaints (11% of all).
- Seats: 1 complaints (11% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 9 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical system | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Steering | 1 | 1 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
Dirivng at speed 30mph, tried to make a right turn steering wheel locked up, causing the vehicle to roll over. Consumer states the seat broke in the accident, however seatbelt held her in, consumer was injured in accident.
While vehicle was parked, it caught on fire without warning. The fire department extinguished the fire, and vehicle was towed to the dealer for inspection. The cause has not been determined at this time.
The driver side air bag deployed without impact and caused injuries to the consumer. The driver side air bag deployed without impact and caused injuries to the consumer.
Accelerator cable jammed, causing three cases of sudden acceleration/loss of control/accident/injury.
While vehicle was parked in driveway consumer changed gear to reverse and vehicle accelerated for unknown reason. Dealer/ manufacturer were not notified at this time. Seeking help in this matter form nhtsa . Also vehicle is equipped with crusie control.
Rear brake line punctured due to contact with or against body weld seam directly under master cylinder near foot well.
The vehicle was parked out in front of the house and neighbor noticed that smoke was coming from underneath the hood of the vehcile, raised the hood up and everything had burned up under the hood. Vehicle was towed to a dealer, was told that the alternator had caused the fire.
Alternator burned out, caused stalling and loss of power steering.
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 11,366 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 31% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Marquis has 16 complaints (25 years in the data). This year has 9, below average.
What to check before buying
- 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.
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
Other years of this model
- Marquis 198410 sources
- Marquis 19855 sources
- Marquis 19864 sources
- Marquis 19874 sources
- Marquis 19889 sources
- Marquis 198910 sources
- Marquis 19906 sources
- Marquis 199224 sources
- Marquis 199323 sources
- Marquis 199430 sources
- Marquis 199520 sources
- Marquis 199631 sources
- Marquis 199753 sources
- Marquis 199829 sources
- Marquis 199924 sources
- Marquis 200023 sources
- Marquis 200126 sources
- Marquis 200211 sources
- Marquis 200333 sources
- Marquis 200412 sources
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1991 Mercury Marquis?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: electrical system, service brakes, vehicle speed control. Total complaints: 9. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: smoke, burning smell, fire (22%), steering or power steering problems (22%), loss of power / limp mode (11%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1991 Mercury 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 1991 Mercury 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 1991 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.