AI Damage2003 Mercury Marquis: common problems
Owners of the 2003 Mercury Marquis filed 33 complaints with NHTSA, most often about exterior lighting and vehicle speed control. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 33
- involving a crash
- 4
What fails most often
- 1 Exterior lighting 24% of all complaints
- 2 Vehicle speed control 15% of all complaints
- 3 Electrical system 12% of all complaints
- 4 Service brakes 12% of all complaints
- 5 Steering 12% of all complaints
- 6 Suspension 12% of all complaints
- 7 Structure 9% of all complaints
- 8 Air bags 6% of all complaints
- Exterior lighting: 8 complaints (24% of all).
- Vehicle speed control: 5 complaints (15% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 4 complaints (12% of all).
- Service brakes: 4 complaints (12% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Steering: 4 complaints (12% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 33 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 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Steering | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 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.
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
Upon impact, air bags did not deploy, and vehicle was totaled. Driver sustained injuries. The consumer stated that the head rests were to far from the head to be effective. The consumer suffered injuries.
Upon impact, both air bags did not deploy. Driver and passenger sustained injuries, and were transported to the hospital.
While driving in bumper to bumper traffic, the vehicle's brakes failed. The pedal was extremely hard to press which resulted in a rear end collision. Suspected the brake/gas pedal raised to the same level when switch was activated, possible depressing brake and gas at the same time. (californiahighway patrol)
The contact stated that the power steering would seize. When the contact turned off and restarted the vehicle, the power steering operated normally. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, but the failure could not be duplicated. The dealer and manufacturer were contacted. The failure mileage was 66,000.
Less than one month after replacement, steering now has a "jump" and a "clunk" at the same position in the steering wheel rotation. These issues where noticed when the vehicle was in motion. If stationary, it was extremely difficult to get the steering to turn at all beyond 30-45 degrees.
I was told that it was the result of the air conditioner condensation dripping on it. As there was no issue in 2014 and I drove the car fewer that 8000 miles in the year, I am concerned about this issue. The car is garaged at all times and was driven very infrequently in the winter months.
My headlights go off about 3 blocks from home and then I have to pull the lever back and hold it to put on bright lights. I have been lucky and not been far from home and have to hold brights on, steer and operate blinkers all at one time. I cannot believe this has not caused a serious accident.
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 6,523 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 18% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Marquis has 16 complaints (25 years in the data). This year has 33, above average.
What to check before buying
- Exterior lighting. Headlamps, leveling, sensors and mounts after a frontal hit.
- Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
- 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.
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 200211 sources
- Marquis 200412 sources
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2003 Mercury Marquis?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: exterior lighting, vehicle speed control, electrical system. Total complaints: 33. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: headlights and tail lights (27%), airbags did not deploy (6%), unintended acceleration (6%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2003 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 2003 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 2003 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.