2004 Mercury Grand Marquis: problems, recalls and reliability
2 recalls and 347 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is exterior lighting (54% of complaints); the 2002 and 2006 model years look more trouble-free.
Data updated weekly · latest recall Dec 2015
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 347 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“The contact owns a 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the key fob became inoperable. The contact was not able to start the vehicle with the security warning light illuminated. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.”Owner report · Electrical System · Aug 2025
“The contact owns a 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed at night, he became aware that the headlights were not functioning properly. 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 Customer Satisfaction Program: 14N01. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was unknown. The VIN was not available.”Owner report · Exterior Lighting · Jun 2024
“The contact owns a 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel was loose and made an abnormal sound while turning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the steering shaft was corroded, and the bearing had collapsed. The contact was informed that the steering shaft needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The failure mileage was approximately 116,000.”Owner report · Steering · Jul 2023
Show 7 more owner reports
“The headlight repair has been made but now the tail and park lights work intermittently. Most of the time not working but occasionally they will come on in colder weather. I think the problem is still in the Lighting control module. First appearance was last summer and has gotten worse. No other symptoms. Hazard ,turn signals, and brake lights all still work properly. Just no tail or park lights.”Owner report · Exterior Lighting · Aug 2022
“The contact owns a 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the headlights and brake lights were inoperable. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the headlight control module switch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 164,000.”Owner report · Exterior Lighting · Aug 2022
“Steering of vehicle has become progressively more difficult. The steering wheel is very difficult to turn. Not being able to rapidly turn wheel places driver at risk to avoid any potential collision. Vehicle has been inspected by independent repair shop. Their assessment is corrosion on steering shaft joints is cause of issue.”Owner report · Steering · May 2022
“The contact owns a 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis. The contact stated that she noticed a leak underneath her vehicle with the check engine and coolant warning lights illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic where it was discovered that coolant had been leaking from a crack in the intake manifold. The dealer nor the manufacturer had been notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.”Owner report · Engine And Engine Cooling · Nov 2021
“Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mercury grand marquis. The contact stated that the headlights would independently become inoperable, without warning. The contact stated that there was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the local dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA campaign number: 15v861000 (exterior lighting) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was informed of failure and confirmed that the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.”Owner report · Exterior Lighting · Mar 2021
“Sometimes the headlights flick on and off while driving. Then when the car is turned off, there is a clicking noise in the driver side dashboard that continues until it drains the battery. Also, sometimes the door locks cycle open or closed whether the car is driving or off. This has happened multiple times and caused me to replace the battery, and still I have to jump the car from time to time. This has happened several times over the past few years, but only now have I found this site to report it to.”Owner report · Electrical System · Nov 2020
“Head lights started flickering and most of time I had kick at the lightning control module to make it work while in motion on major highway”Owner report · Exterior Lighting · Aug 2020
When filing, owners marked a crash in 17 of these complaints and injuries in 10 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 2 campaigns
CERTAIN AFTERMARKET FUEL FILTERS SOLD UNDER THE PUROLATOR BRAND NAME, P/N F65277, SHIPPED FROM JANUARY 16 THROUGH JUNE 2, 2006, FOR USE ON THE ABOVE LISTED PASSENGER VEHICLES. DUE TO INCORRECT DESIGN, THE QUICK CONNECTORS MAY NOT FULLY SEAT WITH THE TUBE INTERFACE, EVEN THOUGH THE PERSON MAKING THE CONNECTION MAY BELIEVE THAT THE QUICK CONNECTOR IS FULLY ATTACHED.
Remedy: UFI WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE FILTERS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 4, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT UFI FILTERS USA AT 800-230-5876.
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.
Remedy: 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.
How other years compare
Check your exact Grand Marquis by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis reliable?
NHTSA has 347 owner complaints and 2 recall campaigns on record for the 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis. The most complained-about area is exterior lighting (54% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 82,750 miles or less.
Does the 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis have open recalls?
2 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning fuel system, gasoline. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.