2005 Mercury Grand Marquis Headlight Problems

Which parts fail

• Headlights
  39
• Headlights › Switch
  4
• Tail lights
  1

Components named in complaints (headlights, tail lights, turn signals, interior lights).

Mileage when the problem started

• Under 25k
  94%
• 25k–50k
  3112%
• 50k–75k
  6627%
• 75k–100k
  7329%
• 100k–150k
  5422%
• 150k+
  166%

Owner reports

Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).

The contact owns a 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis. The contact stated that several years ago while driving at night at an undisclosed speed, the headlights became inoperable. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and the headlights resumed normal operation. The contact took the vehicle to a dealer and had the headlights serviced under a Customer Satisfaction Program. Recently, the contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the headlights became inoperable without warning. The contact was forced to use the hazard lights after multiple attempts to restart the headlights had failed. The contact coasted the vehicle to the nearest gas station and upon arrival the headlights began to operate. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where he was given an estimate for the repair. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. …

The contact owns a 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 40 MPH at night, there was a flash, and the headlights became inoperable. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact's brother informed him to use the high beam headlights. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who stated that the failure was due to the lighting control module. The contact called the local dealer, who stated that the vehicle was not covered under a recall. The manufacturer was contacted, who informed him that the vehicle was not covered under a recall. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V861000 (Exterior Lighting). The failure mileage was approximately 35,000.

The contact owns a 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the headlights flickered after approximately a minute. The headlights continued to turn on and off independently. The headlights eventually became inoperable. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V861000 (Exterior Lighting); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

The contact owns a 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the headlights would intermittently turn off and back on. The contact stated that while driving over bumps in the roadway or depressing the accelerator pedal, the headlights would become inoperable. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and diagnosed with an intermittent electrical short in the headlight module. The contact was notified of NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V861000 (Exterior Lighting) however, the VIN was not included. The dealer and manufacturer were made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 140,000.

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 stated that while attempting to turn off the front headlights manually, the front headlights remained illuminated. The dealer was made aware of the failure by phone. The contact was informed that the VIN was not associated with NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V861000 (Exterior Lighting). The failure mileage was approximately 144,500.

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 independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V861000 (Exterior Lighting); the VIN was included, but the vehicle was already repaired under the recall. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 211,000.

The contact owns a 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the headlights fluctuated off and on without warning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V861000 (Exterior Lighting) and referred the contact to the dealer. The dealer was contacted and stated that the vehicle was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 81,000. The contact stated the failure happened at any speed and that the vehicle was repaired.

The contact owns a 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis. The contact stated while driving 48 MPH, a Police Officer pulled the contact over and informed her that the taillights were inoperable. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was drivable and was taken to an independent mechanic and the bulbs were replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not under recall for the failure. The manufacturer then referred the contact to NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

The contact owns a 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the headlights became inoperable, without warning. The contact pulled over on the side of the road, after turning off and turning on the headlight switch, the headlights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the dealer stated that the lighting control module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and the manufacturer stated that the VIN was not included on NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V861000 (Exterior Lighting). The failure mileage was 156,000.

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 mechanic advised the contact of NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V861000 (Exterior Lighting); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.

Related recalls

NHTSA investigations

Headlight complaints in other Grand Marquis years