AI Damage2002 Mercury Marquis: common problems
Owners of the 2002 Mercury Marquis filed 11 complaints with NHTSA, most often about service brakes and engine and cooling. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 11
- involving a crash
- 3
What fails most often
- 1 Service brakes 27% of all complaints
- 2 Engine and cooling 18% of all complaints
- 3 Electrical system 9% of all complaints
- 4 Parking brake 9% of all complaints
- 5 Seat belts 9% of all complaints
- 6 Structure 9% of all complaints
- 7 Suspension 9% of all complaints
- 8 Vehicle speed control 9% of all complaints
- Service brakes: 3 complaints (27% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Engine and cooling: 2 complaints (18% of all).
- Electrical system: 1 complaints (9% of all).
- Parking brake: 1 complaints (9% of all).
- Seat belts: 1 complaints (9% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 11 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service brakes | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Parking brake | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 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.
Acceleration problem going backwards. Car lurched backwards and did not respond to braking.
Gas pedal and brake pedal are too close together. Accidently hit gas pedal instead of brake pedal.
Front passenger seat belt disconnects for no apparent reason. It has happened multiple times at different speeds. The person riding in the seat was an adult on every occasion. I found a recall online from 2001, but was told by ford motor company that my car is no longer under warranty so would not fix the problem.
Tl contact owns a 2002 mercury grand marquis. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 mph he heard a noise in the rear passenger area. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who was unable to diagnose the failure.
Tl contact owns a 2002 mercury marquis. The contact noticed fluid on the ground when the vehicle was turned off. The vehicle was taken to the mechanic who located the failure as the intake manifold. The vehicle will be repaired. The failure and the current mileages were 105,000.
Dt*: the contact stated the brake and accelerator pads were positioned too close together. The dealer refused to examine vehicle and would not provide repair work. The manufacturer was called and a complaint was filed. Updated 08/24/06.
Emergency brake release mechanism frozen with brake on. Emergency brake release in cabin returned to normal position giving indication that the brake had been released. End result complete wipe out of rear brakes and damage to drums. Failure found by the servicing dealer after warranty expired.
While coming off the highway at 55 mph, the plastic plastic cover which covered the wires fell down due to pin falling out. Contact is still driving the car. Car is regularly serviced. Contact keeps service records. When the cover fell of it made it difficult for the consumer to hit the brake pedal.
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 10,520 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 29% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Marquis has 16 complaints (25 years in the data). This year has 11, below average.
What to check before buying
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- 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.
- Parking brake. Electric parking brake, codes, calipers.
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 19919 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 200333 sources
- Marquis 200412 sources
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2002 Mercury Marquis?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: service brakes, engine and cooling, electrical system. Total complaints: 11. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: jerking, harsh shifts (9%), seat belts (9%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2002 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 2002 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 2002 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.