2005 Mercury Grand Marquis problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Exterior Lighting (237) · Exterior Lighting:headlights (35) · Vehicle Speed Control (34)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Mercury Grand Marquis model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
396 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (3)
Exterior Lighting:headlights 2015-12-22 · campaign 15V861000 · 296,004 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2003-2005 Ford Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis vehicles manufactured October 3, 2001, to August 2, 2005. The affected vehicles have a lighting control module (LCM) that may fail, resulting in a loss of headlights.
Risk: A loss of headlights can reduce driver visibility and increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the LCM, free of charge. The recall began April 14, 2017. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15S39.
Steering:rack And Pinion:pinion Shaft 2014-11-05 · campaign 14V704000 · 36,888 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2005-2011 Ford Crown Victoria, 2005-2011 Mercury Grand Marquis vehicles manufactured March 23, 2004, to August 30, 2011, and 2005-2011 Lincoln Town Car vehicles manufactured March 8, 2004, to August 30, 2011, and on which the upper intermediate shaft was serviced during the course of safety recall 13V-385. The prior repairs may not have been correctly performed.
Risk: Improper servicing of the upper intermediate shaft could cause the shaft to separate, which can then result in a loss of steering control, and increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Ford will notify the owners of vehicles whose repair records reflect that the upper intermediate steering shaft was repaired during the course of the prior recall 13V-385. Dealers will inspect and replace the upper immediate shaft if necessary free of charge. The recall began November 17, 2014. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 14S25.
Steering 2013-08-29 · campaign 13V385000 · 355,000 vehicles
Defect: Ford is recalling certain model year 2005-2011 Ford Crown Victoria (including Crown Victoria Police Interceptors), Mercury Grand Marquis, and Lincoln Town Car vehicles. The affected vehicles are currently registered or were originally sold in Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and W
Risk: If the lower bearing separates, the vehicle may experience a loss of steering, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Ford will notify owners and dealers will replace the lower intermediate shaft, free of charge. The upper intermediate shaft and steering column lower bearing will be inspected to identify any damage that may have occurred as a result of lower intermediate shaft corrosion, and repaired or replaced as necessary. If the steering column lower bearing has separated, a retainer clip will be installed. The recall began on October 23, 2013. Owners may contact Ford at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's recall n
Service bulletins (32)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Structure 2019-02-07 · TSB 19-2026 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some 2000 and newer ford, lincoln and mercury vehicles equipped with aluminum body panels may exhibit corrosion concerns appearing as bubbled and/or peeling paint with or without accompanying white dust. panel replacement is recommended. follow the service procedure steps to correct the condition
Structure 2019-02-07 · TSB 19-2026 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some 2000 and newer ford, lincoln and mercury vehicles equipped with aluminum body panels may exhibit corrosion concerns appearing as bubbled and/or peeling paint with or without accompanying white dust. panel replacement is recommended. follow the service procedure steps to correct the condition
Engine And Engine Cooling:exhaust System:manifold/Header/Muffler/Tail Pipe 2016-09-21 · SSM 46085 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
the powertrain control/emissions diagnosis (pc/ed) manual has been revised for diagnosing electronic throttle bodies (etbs). the etc_act and etc_dsd pids should not used to diagnose possible etb concerns. the ids has a limited refresh rate when reading these pids and cannot display quickly enough to
Structure 2016-04-21 · TSB160072 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
inpected or repaired under 13r01 - requests for recall service action under 13s08
Steering 2016-04-21 · 16-0072 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
for 2005-2012 crown victoria, 2005-2011 grand marquis and town car vehicles, regional program 13r01 applies to vehicles not registered in corrosion states and not included in safety recall 13s08, where operation in high corrosion areas for an extended period may lead to corrosion in the lower interm
Electrical System 2015-06-01 · ASI-45182 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
summary to be provided on a future date.
Showing the 6 most recent of 32 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-09-16 · Exterior Lighting · 144,500 mi“the contact owns a 2005 mercury grand marquis. the contact stated that while driving 60 mph, the front headlights flickered on and off before turning off. the failure had occurred while the contact was driving at night. upon inspecting the vehicle, the contact became aware of scorch marks on the lcm, and the relay switch had burn marks. the contact…”
2026-05-08 · Steering · 145,000 mi“the contact owns a 2005 mercury grand marquis. the contact stated while attempting to make a left turn, the steering wheel failed to operate as intended causing the contact to have driven straight instead of turning. no warning light was illuminated. an independent mechanic was contacted. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it wa…”
2025-09-27 · Unknown Or Other“my vehicle was running fine, than all of a sudden the transmission would not shift, i was like omg, what is going on, i had my son with me, my son was driving, he was so scared, i was like take a side street, stay level ground, we coasted down pro tech, [xxx] , that is where the car is now, bill told us,my son and i that the transmission fluid is …”
2025-09-27 · Air Bags“my brother got me this vehicle five yrs ago, and ever since then the air bag light has been on,i have no idea of why it is on, i don't know if it is the fuse, i don't know if there is even a air bag is in the vehicle my brother got the vehicle up in vermont, i have a pending cl# [xxx] on another issue, thank you so much, deeply appreciated, [xxx] …”
2025-09-12 · Service Brakes“my wife has a 2005 mercury grand marquis. this vehicle has what i believe is an extremely unsafe placement of the brake and accelerator pedals. the pedals are extremely close together, closer than i have ever seen on any other vehicle. my wife has depressed the accelerator while pressing the brake pedal on more than one occasion. we went recent…”
2025-08-03 · Structure:body“i bought this car from some stranger who doesn’t care about my shoulder pains driving a car with the steering wheel upside down these part stores & insurance companies get theirs can i please get what’s due to me so tired of the brakes making my steering wheel jerk & didn’t have any heat in a car i’ve spent my entire check on i really can’t believe…”
2025-07-01 · Exterior Lighting · 80,082 mi“the contact owns a 2005 mercury grand marquis. the vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was repaired under nhtsa campaign number: 15v861000 (exterior lighting). the contact stated that the headlights activated without driver input. the contact removed the circuit wires. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was cont…”
2025-07-01 · Seat Belts“seat belt does not fully clip in to buckle and tends to come undone while in operation of motor vehicle furthermore requires occupant to wiggle buckle back and forth to attempt to get a good connection between the two, belt and buckle.…”
2025-05-13 · Exterior Lighting · 160,000 mi“the contact owns a 2005 mercury grand marquis. the contact stated that while driving at various speeds and at night, the headlights independently turned off. the contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the lighting control module needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the mec…”
2025-05-12 · Exterior Lighting · 211,000 mi“the contact owns a 2005 mercury grand marquis. the contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed at night, the contact became aware that the front headlamps had intermittently failed to provide proper illumination, greatly reducing nighttime visibility. no warning lights were illuminated. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an indepen…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.