Most common 1998 Mercury Grand Marquis problems
Share of the 143 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Mercury Grand Marquis complaints by model year
Best Grand Marquis years: 2011, 2010, 2009. Years to avoid: 2005, 1997, 1996, 2003. Compare all years →
1998 Mercury Grand Marquis recalls (5)
Vehicle speed control › Cruise control
Ford is recalling 225,000 my 1992-2003 econoline, my 1993-1995 taurus sho, my 1992-1998 crown victoria, my 1993 bronco, f-series, my 1995-1997 f-series super duty stripped chassis, my 1992-1998 Mercury grand marquis, and my 1992-1995 Lincoln town car vehicles.
Remedy: Dealers will install a new wiring harness, or replace the mating electrical component. The recall began on February 18, 2008. Owners May contact Ford at 1-800-392-3673.
Vehicle speed control
On certain pickup trucks, passenger vehicles, sport utility vehicles, and motor homes chassis, the speed control deactivation switch May, under certain conditions, leak internally and then overheat, smoke, or burn.
Remedy: Dealers will install a fused wiring harness. Owners of the passenger cars included in this campaign will be instructed to return their vehicles to their dealers to have the speed control deactivation switch disconnected…
Equipment › Mechanical › Integrated jack/leveler/stabilizer
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. These vehicles have jacking instructions which, if followed, could cause the vehicle operator to place the jack on a frame weld when attempting to raise a rear wheel.
Remedy: Owners will be provided with a revised jack instruction and stowage card and jack warning label, as well as a supplement to the owner guide.
Seat belts › Front › Anchorage
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles using aftermarket driver's seat belt assemblies that were sold by Ford parts departments from January 1, through June 13, 2000. These seat belt assemblies fail to comply with the requirements of FMVSS no.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect these vehicles and replace the service seat belt assemblies that were installed in these vehicles from January 1 through June 13, 2000.
Seat belts › Front › Anchorage
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles using aftermarket front passenger side seat belt assemblies that were sold by Ford parts departments from January 1, through June 13, 2000. These seat belt assemblies fail to comply with the requirements of FMVSS no.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect these vehicles and replace the service seat belt assemblies that were installed in these vehicles from January 1 through June 13, 2000.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 3 possible defects involving the 1998 Mercury Grand Marquis:
Post rear end collision fires
There is no summary currently available
Spark plug ejection from cylinder head
On September 6, 2005, odi received a petition requesting that the agency investigate allegations of engine spark plug ejection in certain model year 1997 through 2004 Ford vehicles with triton v-8 and v-10 engines.odi received a total of 474 non-duplicative complaints on the subject vehicles where the complainant, or the dealer repairing the vehicle, reported that a spark plug detached from the cylinder and/or…
Fuel-fed fires
The fars data shows that the risk of fire from impact in all directions in the subject vehicles is the same as all other sedans.the subject vehicles are not over represented with respect to the risk of fire in real-world high-energy crashes.a further discussion of issues related to post crash fires in the subject vehicles is set out in the closing report for sq 01-014 and that report is in the docket for this…
What 1998 Mercury Grand Marquis owners say
Engine & cooling all 29 →
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 Mercury Grand Marquis. While driving various speeds, the engine misfired and hesitated to respond. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the plastic intake manifold was cracked, which caused anti freeze to leak out and damage the engine coils. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 80,000.
I observed a coolant leak around the thermostat. I found the plastic intake manifold to be cracked around the thermostat and leaking coolant. I made contact with Mercury and found that there had been a recall on the plastic intake manifold in which they would have replaced the part at no charge during the safety recall campaign. I was not made aware of the safety recall and have owned the vehicle since 04/17/02 when I purchased the vehicle used from a Mercury dealership. The dealership would no longer honor this recall although there are still thousands upon thousands of these engines still on the road. The all plastic manifold was replaced with an intake manifold with an aluminum crossover channel for the coolant. I was forced to replace this defective part out-of-pocket at a cost of $800. It would have been more had I not been friends with the mechanic. …
Steering
Autozone- valucraft brand- ball joints part number vfa2101 I recently had my ball joints replaced and I had a premature failure of the ball joint fastening hardware while driving down the city road in a straight line at 45 MPH. It caused thousands of dollars of damage and it also almost cause me great injury. I suspect autozone is using low grade nuts cause the nut that was on the ball joint sheared off causing me to bend a control arm, crack my frame, blow a tire, all while barely missing a telephone pole. Had I been going down the highway at the posted speed limit I could have flipped my car, got pulled under a semi, cross the median into oncoming traffic and so on. I would like for an investigation to be started on their poor engineering choices and a recall to be started. Its just not for the safety of me but for the safety of other people. …
Dt*: the contact stated while entering a driveway at 5 MPH, an unidentified noise was heard. When attempting to reverse out of the driveway, the rear wheels spun. The contact turned off the ignition and exited the vehicle to inspect the problem. The front right wheel was turned to the right and the linkage was laying on the drive way, and the front wheel was still pointed straight and responded to the steering wheel. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was notified. Updated 11/30/2006 -the failure was the tie rod end which failed due to lack of grease. The grease fitting could not be greased.
Suspension
Autozone- valucraft brand- ball joints part number vfa2101 I recently had my ball joints replaced and I had a premature failure of the ball joint fastening hardware while driving down the city road in a straight line at 45 MPH. It caused thousands of dollars of damage and it also almost cause me great injury. I suspect autozone is using low grade nuts cause the nut that was on the ball joint sheared off causing me to bend a control arm, crack my frame, blow a tire, all while barely missing a telephone pole. Had I been going down the highway at the posted speed limit I could have flipped my car, got pulled under a semi, cross the median into oncoming traffic and so on. I would like for an investigation to be started on their poor engineering choices and a recall to be started. Its just not for the safety of me but for the safety of other people. …
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 Mercury Grand Marquis. The contact stated that while examining his vehicle at his residence, he noticed the front ball joints were defective. The vehicle taken to expressway Ford of mount vernon (3800 highway 62 e, mount vernon, in 47620) on May 30 2020, where the vehicle was inspected and it was determined that the shocks needed to be replaced. The front shocks were replaced however, several months later the driver's side shock was leaking fluid. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer for repairs. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 165,400.
1998 Mercury Grand Marquis engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4.6L 8-cyl | 4-speed automatic | RWD | 15 / 22 / 18 |
EPA ratings. Class: Large car.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 1998 Mercury Grand Marquis a good car?
Based on 143 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 1998 Grand Marquis rates average: about as many complaints as a typical year of the Grand Marquis at the same age. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 1998 Mercury Grand Marquis?
The engine & cooling — 29 complaints, 20% of all complaints for this model year, most often about engine › gasoline. Next are the steering (17) and suspension (16).
How many recalls does the 1998 Mercury Grand Marquis have?
There are 5 recalls for the 1998 Mercury Grand Marquis, the most recent from February 4, 2008 (cruise control). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Mercury Grand Marquis?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2011, 2010 and 2009. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2005, 1997, 1996 and 2003. See the full Mercury Grand Marquis years comparison.
At what mileage do 1998 Mercury Grand Marquis problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 86,000 miles; 13% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.