Owners' Stories

Over all it's been a god car, I've had two issues that I believe shouldn't have been & that is in the older cars if the upper ball joints went bad in either side you removed & installed what ever side needed to be repaired, not on my 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis, yo have to replace the whole upper assembly on account that the ball joint it comes welded to the upper arm, not only is it very expensive but a pain to do it your salve. The other issue is that the door locks acts crazy, you lock the doors & it's start to make a clicking sound & the driver side lock goes in the open position & stays in the open position, so you think that your locking your car @ night, not its not, you wake up next morning & yes you guest it its in the open position not only is this a safety issue, persons that want to get into your car & take your property & you have a losses of personal property. If any one can tell me were to look in the car for the possibility for me to be able to at least try & repair it myself, maybe a sensor & the position were such part or sensor might be, thank a million if you can help. Herbert Arenas My e-mail address is Harenas747@aol.com

The 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis has been the most problematic one my family has ever had, and we've had them constantly since the late '70s. This one had electrical issues from the get-go. The door locks and windows and wipers all got funky at least once, and one door lock has never fully functioned. The AC has gone out a few times, the brakes need replacing more often than a NY cabbie's, we've had to replace engine coils at least 4 times, the seatbelts lock in place so you're pinned to the seat---all-around fun. My mother touts its heft as a safety feature, while I feel its safety is diminished if you have to sit in front of the shoulder strap to breathe, or find your brakes wearing down to nubs every other year. It also sheds its grille pieces everywhere so it looks like a toothless creature. It's a comfortable car to ride in for long trips, but it doesn't feel reliable. Thinking back, we did have a fair amount of issues with these cars over the years. Next time I buy, I want another Subaru Legacy, which in 10 years gave me zero problems, not even with the sunroof. Last note: I got to this site looking for a solution when the rest of my family was stranded in the car and it wouldn't shift gears for them to drive. I found a solution here suggested for a '96 Marquis: pump the brake and wiggle the wheel while you try to shift to Neutral. My story then mistakenly ended up with the '92 Marquis heading, but I want to make sure 2003 Grand Marquis owners know the fix will work for them if their gearshift is stuck in Park. Then, as someone elsewhere suggested, if you can't go to the shop right away, "park" in neutral with the emergency brake so you don't get stuck in Park again.

Bought this used with just under 100,000 miles on it. Not running right when I purchased it but did some work to it and it's been a very good car. I beefed up the rear suspension with coil over shocks and Moog cargo coil springs plus the addition of a police rear sway bar (badly needed for these large cars). I would like to stiffen up the front suspension and it would be a pretty nice handling vehicle for it's size. Nice to see Ford made the steering box a quicker ratio over the old 4 turn lock to lock boxes.

The lights go on without turning them on and when I shut off the car they pop on or stay on for 1/2 hour or more. They have come on and gone off while driving. I had it back to the dealership and it happend to them and they finally siad they fixed it after about a week there. They had a specialist check it out. After I had it home about 6 months it started again when I returned it to Holman they said it was due to an after market remote being installed. NOT SO because it happend before I had the remote start installed and I had it done by a certified company who do most of the large dealerships work. They refused to repair it and then Holman wouldn't repair it. Now I am on my 4th battery in as many years and I AM DISGUSTED. Out of Warranty and out of PATIENCE> My car has 36,000 original miles and it is babied so I know we take great care of it but I HATE IT NOW AND CAN'T WAIT TO GET RID OF IT>>>

I have a 92 Marquis had it for several years and only problem I have is that the gear shift if put in to park wont come out so I normally keep it in neutral and put EB on .. it works but it is not a fix.. I need to get it fixed. I cant take my keys out because it is not in part so I keep the doors locked on the electronic key on outside or door.. Anyone else have this probleme. I am about to put it inthe shop.. But would like to fix it myself if its easy ennough. I normally do all repairs on the car myself.. it cheaper than a shop..

96 Mercury -locked in 'P' parking, when i want to change gears from park into drive i need to bump the brake and wiggle the steering wheel for the car to go into drive. this is a new problem... help if you know how to fix this problem thanks

1997 GS 327,500 miles avg 16city/25 highway. Engine still runs strong. Just a little bit of smoke, still original engine. all the common problems which have been identified I have repaired in the past two years. I consider it part of maintenance especially with the mileage. All repairs I do myself. with the exception of control arm bushing along with new coil springs. what a difference. The cars still looks like new for factory (light gold). FYI considering from day 1 (0 miles to 270,000+ miles it was a taxi on Chicago city streets). My father took exceptional care of his car during its service years every month routine maintenance (oil, etc). Upon retirment form taxi service the car was stripped, repainted to original color and buffed. The Interior was also stripped and cleaned along with new factory carpet. Experience well mechanically maintained vehicle will last.

i bought mine new in 08 and love the car,the only problem i have had was the sunvisor mirror covers broke off not long after getting the car and had a pant problem,peeled off of the header panel,but other than that i love it.i drive this car form kansas to florida every christmas and average 25 to 26.5 miles per gallon.ive had v6 cars that didnt get that on the highway.i would buy another one for sure.and for what i payed for it i couldnt have bought a striper camery.

2006 Mercury Grand Marquis. 45k miles on the car and I kept getting the high beams from oncoming drivers at night. It could not handle any additional load without significant rear end squat. I installed Made in the U.S.A. replacement coil springs in the rear and what a difference. Car now has a nice rake and vast improvement in road manners. No need to fiddle with headlight adjusters now. I also had a stuck front strut at 40k miles. I replaced both struts only..Wish now that I replaced the springs as well. Been happy with the car otherwise...These items are pretty cheap if you are doing it yourself.

I'm in my 50s and have owned 4 other vehicles over the past 35 years - all Dodge/Chrysler products - some of which were ordered factory new, some of which were used. I now drive 70 - 80 miles per day for work and have always liked the feel and comfort of full size sedans. When you've got kids, having 4 doors and lots of room is a must. I purchased my 2000 M GM LS in 2003 with 32,000 miles, it now has over 210,000. Yes, at 180,000 I had to replace the plastic intake manifold, and at 200 when one of the coils finally failed, I bit the bullet and had all the coils replaced. That was my decision, that way I only had to pay for the labor once. While those two repairs seemed like a lot at a time, I always asked myself "could I replace this car and get as good a vehicle for the cost of the repair and what I could then sell it for?" and "how many months of a new car payment does this repair represent, would it justify buying new car and making a monthly payment for the next 60 months?" The answer has always been "no". Outside of these two repairs, I've paid for routine maintenance and tires - period. It is BY FAR THE BEST car I've ever owned (we also purchased a Lincoln LS at the same time and THAT CAR had nothing but problems). It still rides as good today as the day I brought it and still averages 22-25 mpg w/8 cyclinders. I'll be driving it until the day it dies.

put in new battery .wants to turn over but wont.

Many problems with the heating control system I changed it twice the first time was the heat was coming out of the ac the second time was there were no lights on the buttons. It looks like I will have to change this again for the third time there are several buttons that do not light up. again.

have a problem with airconditioner .there is a 3 minute delay for the cooling to start. it used to come on instantly also there is a high heat oder coming from the engine but cant locate the origen .fecnik@gmail.com

The car runs great but in the 2006 model there is a glitch the automanic temp control head. This had to be changed twice. The fist time was becuase the heat was coming from the vents and the unit was not on. The second time is the lights for each button was not working, so at night time you can not see your selection.

A smooth ride in all types of conditions. A lovely ride for distance.

Absolutly the best car I have ever owned. I bought it used with 22,000 miles and have owned it for 11 years. Highway milage usually exceeds 27 mpg with cruise control. Local milage averages 17 mpg. This is the LS model and has automatic temperature control that still works perfectly - and the AC system has never been recharged. I am about to decide on whether to buy another car, or just spend the money to take care of some overdue maintenance. I am leaning toward doing the maintenance. At 140,000 miles, this car has a lot of life left.

ilove this car

Love the car..too bad they will no longer be making it. The EATC Module is a real stinker...$960.00 to replace it and all that is wrong is the "O" rings were cheap crap. There should be a recall on this Cheap piece of junk part.

my tranny has reverse but no forward gear does it need to be rebuilt or just an overhaul? Other than that i love it only has 34,500 miles.

Car has been an electrical nightmare since day 1

Bought 2003 new..Always had "slippage" type noise when automatic transmission shifted at 42 mph. Dealer said it was normal, did nothing. Now have over 95,000 and makes worse noise at Every Shift! Developed crack in leather seat when 3 months old & Dealer wouldn't take care of it. They didn't deserve to be a Mercury Dealer!! NOW they won't be, as of Jan. 1st, 2011 Jacksonville,Fl.

EATC climatic control is no good! Other wise a good car.

great car ,great hwy gas milage.ive been very happy with car

lower ball joint broke soon after exiting the freeway,almost a wipout.

A great Ride anywhere, Highway or across town. They dont make them like this anymore. A great family car with plenty of room.

This car is equal to driving as the Lincoln Towncars that I use to drive.

Excellent car runs well and trouble free since new. Love body style. If only the spare tire could be mounted upright along the rear fender. The "black pack with hoses" under the gas tank could be moved to a less vulnerable spot from getting ripped off by road debris. Road holding (the jittery feel on uneven road surface) should improve if the GM has a independent rear axle like those on the Navigator.

My Grandma owns a 1994 Grand Marquis and I help her with it on occasion. She bought it new and it has great features considering when it was made. It has Ford's great burn me/freeze me settings on the AC/heater and the interior is quite comfortable. It's not a hot rod but the engine makes good power and has been reliable. The only problem in recent memory was an issue with the alternator bearing (replaced alternator). As a driver you feel a little disconnected from the road but that's really how the American luxury cars were in the 90s. Otherwise it handles pretty well.