2003 MERCURY Marauder

Warranty repairs made to car:Left front headlight assembly replaced/repaired 3 times due to moisture.Wiper Blades replaced 2 times. Rear Left Speaker replaced.Brake Booster replaced. Rear Windshield replaced. Overdrive problem with transmission – Valve body overhauled, temp sensor replaced. Driver seat cover repaired 2 times. Exhaust fumes in car after repair.Dealer couldn\’t find problem. Trim around rear glass replaced. Right passenger window replaced. Carpet loose. Left driver window has streaks on glass when rolling window up and down.Driver\’s console part replaced. Stratches on rear to be buffed. Car has been a dealership a total of 14 days.

The paint on the roof of the car is blistering, and cracking. It looks like little volcanos erupting all over the roof. Ford says that they will not cover the repair even though there is a technical service bullitan # 4-25-1 dated 12/27/04 detailing the problem on my vehicle.

paint flaking and the buffing marks appear on hood and fendersthe hoods shakes side to side and the trim is coming apart around the side windowsthe frontend makes noies at slow speeds like somthing is not put togeather or they forgot to tighen the nuts

Fact Summary 1

every time i’ve started it since i owned it, its smoked every time.i don’t know what the smoke is from but goes away about 10-15 seconds of running.

15s39 this vehicle recall has been on my cat for almost a year. according to this website safercar.gov the remedy is available but when you take it to ford it is not. this vehicle has had this recall with no remedy for a year! this is a safety issue and needs to be addressed. it has destroyed the value of the car. its unsafe to drive at night since the headlights are not working. ford is either lying about the recall remedy or it was misreported

I'm having issues with the headlights. when you try to use the bright lights the headlights go out. it seems my issue would fit under the lcm recall for 2003-2005 mercury grand marquis. when you enter the vin it shows no recalls. i'm hoping this is an oversight since the marauder is a version of grand marquis.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 mercury marauder. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 15v861000 (exterior lighting); however, the parts to do the repair were unavailable. the contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the dealer (levittown ford llc, 3195 hempstead turnpike, levittown, ny 11756) was contacted and confirmed that the parts were not available for the recall remedy. the manufacturer was not contacted. the contact had not experienced a failure. vin tool confirms parts not available.

Driving along 2 lane highway at about 7pm 1/6/2016 head lights stopped working will not come back on had to drive without head lights or taillights i was informed there is a problem with this year 2003 mercury marauder head lights etcand ford is aware of this hazardous problem

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 mercury marauder. the contact stated that while driving at an unknown speed, the air bag light remained illuminated. the vehicle was diagnosed by the contact. the contact replaced unknown wiring underneath the driver seat, but the light still remained illuminated. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 105,000.

The steering became jerky and had to overcorrect to keep in traffic lane. making turns there was a loud cracking sound. the dealer said rust had seized the lower steering shaft and it was replaced. *tr

Head light flicker on and off , low beams are dim , hig beams not bright. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 mercury marauder. the contact stated that while traveling various speeds, the headlights suddenly failed. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the failure could not be replicated. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was contacted about the failure. the failure mileage and vin was not available.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 mercury marauder. the contact stated while driving the headlights would suddenly shut off. the contact also indicated that while operating the high beam lights the light switch would not remain in the on position causing the lights to shut off. the contact notified the dealer and was advised that the defect was caused by a faulty lcm (light control module). the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified and no solution was offered. the failure mileage was 110,000.

Was traveling about 20 mph in my 2003 mercury marauder and was hit from behind at ~45 - 50 mph. during the impact the driver's seat back failed and fell backwards. luckily my daughter (5 yrs old) was not in the booster seat that is directly behind me. if she had been with me, she most certainly would have had serious injuries. when the seat fell back, my instinct was to try to stay upright. this caused significant neck strain. when i then came into contact with the vehicle in front of me, i slid under the seat belt and my knee made hard contact with the dash. *js

I was entering onto a parkway at 05:30 hours, day-break, when my headlights shut off. i turned the on/off switch, flicked the hi-beams, no lights. i pulled the driving lamps switch, they came on. i drove for about 10 seconds and the headlights came on. i have not driven this vehicle at night since this event. i took my car to a local service center and we experimented with the head lights. car running, drivers window down...turned head lights on, parking lights came on but head lights did not come on. turned on left turn signal and head lights came on. jiggled multi function switch and head lights flickered as did left turn lamp. ordered new multi function switch will have it installed 13 may, 2013. concern: i searched the internet for similar problems and no one else mentioned the multi function switch, they all referred to the lighting control module. i now fear my problem could occur again after replacing the multi function switch. this is a life threatening problem occurring on similar vehicles. *tr

Hood support struts failed. car hood fell on my head. *tr

On the above date while leaving a place of business at approximately 10:15 pm i had no head lights. the headlight autolamp position nor the headlight manual position would turn the headlights on. i spent about 00:20 minutes trying to get the headlights to come on. i had to drive about 3 miles along a very dark secondary road in south carolina with only the fog lights working before the head lights eventually came on. the next evening more time was spent trying to get the headlights to come on, but nothing has worked. the headlights have not worked since. i have been trying to get the headlight autolamp position to turn on the headlights and i have been trying the headlight manual position to work but neither of the headlight positions is working on the car. i have a car that i can only drive during the day light hours. my research has lead me to believe that it is the 'lighting control module' that is malfunctioning. *tr

Headlights, turn signals, side markers, fog lamps all died unexpectedly when driving down the road twice on friday night. faulty 'lighting control module' (part number 3w7z-13c788-aa on my specific vehicle) to blame. previous investigation by nhtsa closed (pe08066), but problems remain - *all* 2001-2004 panther platform vehicles will have this problem eventually if they haven't already due to the relay being sized to small and eventually burning out. massive safety issue with losing your lighting while driving at highway speeds on dark backroads. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 mercury marauder. the contact was driving 35 mph when the headlights failed. the failure was located at the light control module which the contact stated he repaired himself but only temporarily. the dealer was called who stated that the repair would cost $500 for a new replacement part. the manufacturer was not contacted and the vehicle was not completely repaired. the failure mileage was 100,000 and the current mileage was 130,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 mercury marauder. the contact stated while driving in inclement weather the windshield wipers would not operate unless they were on full speed. the wipers would also come on automatically and spray the fluid when they were not manually operated. in addition, the headlights and interior lights would flicker on and off when they were in the off position. the vehicle was not inspected by a dealer nor had it been repaired. the manufacturer was not contacted. the failure mileage was approximately 33,500.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 mercury marauder. the contact stated that the light control module failed and was causing the headlights to fail on an intermittent basis when driving at various speeds. the vehicle was not inspected by a dealer for the failure and was not repaired. the vin was unavailable. the failure mileage was approximately 82,000.

Since buying the car in 2004 with 10k miles on it, i've put 120k on it. it's eaten thru 5 sets of tires. i've had them aligned every time i changed tires.. had two axle rod's break. radio failed. ac will constantly turn on randomly. *tr

Headlights turn themselves off and on every few minutes or so at night or anytime... *tr

Nhtsa campaign number: 04v328000 is listed for the 2003 ford crown vic's and lincoln's but not the mercury's??? i have an 03 mercury marauder that has the same rearend as the others list in this recall but my car is not listed. i just had the same exact problem that is listed in the campaign and had to spend $1100 to have my axles, bearings, carrier and what ever else is included in the rebuild. is there a reason that ford does not consider this the same car which they are!!!!!!! *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 mercury marauder. the contact stated that the abs failed when studded snow tires were placed on the vehicle. the abs indicator illuminates on the instrument panel to signify that it is no longer functional. the dealer stated that there was no remedy for the failure. the failure mileage was 45,800.

The tires for my six year old car are on back order for most of the year, every year!!! the last time they came off back order it only lasted for four days!!! this is the only brand that comes in my stock rear size so you can see my frustration. my car is almost not drivable and not safe because of their business practices. *tr

Bf goodrich is not making the specific tire size for our autos, 2003 mercury marauder size of 245/55/18 and there is no other tire maker that has this size. *tr

Rear tires for 2003 mercury marauder i have 65,000 miles on my car and need to replace my rear tires for the car for the second time i cannot find the tires anywhere, not even bfg they are always on backorder. the last time it took 5 months searching for these tires one here and one there. no other production vehicle uses these tires. it is frustrating worrying about tire failure on a fairly new vehicle especially when you know if it does fail you cannot drive the car unless you get unmatched tires. help!!!!! *tr

I am an owner of a 2003 mercury marauder. the vehicle oem rear tires manufactured by bf goodrich are no longer available. bfg is the only company that manufactures this size tire(245/15/18) this tire is the only one that ford motor company recommends for this car and the use of another size could possibly lead to a handling problem with the car. these tires have been on back-order for a year and with over 11,000 marauders on the road, there could possibly be a safety issue . *tr

Both rear axles and bearings were damaged and had to be replaced. ford has issued a bulletin on this: article no. 03-5-5 axle-rearaxle shaft and/or axle bearing premature wear-vehicles produced before 1/1/2003. my '03 mercury marauder was built in aug. '02. both axles, bearings and seals had to be replaced at the cost of $647.55. *tr

Radio - fm stopped working; am continues without problem. vehicle is 4 & 1/2 years old with 58,200 miles. *tr

Rear axle and differential failed on 2003 mercury marauder. dealer inspection within 7-10 days of failure, no notification of recall on 2003 crown victoria nhtsa: 04v328000 for marauder which may use the same rear end components. vehicle disabled at a neighborhood gas station and unsafe to drive. impending catastrophic failure. *tr

While slowing down to make a turn at intersection, car became very difficult to turn and i almost ran into another vehicle. 2003 mercury marauder, built in 06/2002, has mfr. known defect in steering system due to sticking vaps valve on steering rack. this unit was never recalled, repaired and owners not notified of possible safety defect with steering system. ford knows of this problem due to many failures of this car line built before 12/2002. veh. has 50k miles. are they waiting for someone to get hurt or killed first? *jb

2003 mercury marauder. all interior and exterior lights fail as you drive down the street. i have taken the car in 5 different times in the last 6 months to 2 different dealers and no one can fix the problem. *nm

On my 2003 mercury marauder, the fuel and brake pedals are too close together. on more than one occasion, i have hit both of them at the same time causing me to "bump" the car into something. *nm

Spark plug blew from head at 55,000 miles. started car before work. heard loud ticking. car missed and stumbled. ford dealership replaced cylinder head. cost $3275.56 *jb

Ford motor issued a recall (nhtsa campaign 04v328000 & nhtsa pe 04010) for 2003 ford crown victoria & lincoln town car about rear bearing seals and axles. ford l/m will not repair my 2003 mercury marauder based on this. it is the exact same vehicle, especially the rear end. marauder is a limited addition with the police package mentioned in the recall. *jb

Car smokes on startup, no help from dealer. windshield wipers operate while wiper switch is in the off position, and sometimes the windshield washer sprays continuously and it cannot be turned off. i almost got into an accident. *nm

Similar to odi 10142807........ford motor issued a recall (nhtsa campaign 04v328000 & nhtsa pe 04010) for 2003 ford crown victoria & lincoln town car about rear bearing seals and axles. ford l/m will not repair my 2003 mercury marauder based on this. it is the exact same vehicle, especially the rear end. marauder is a limited addition with the police package mentioned in the recall. cost me over $600 to which i feel ford l/m should cover under recall 04v328000. *jb

Dt: the contact states there is a nhtsa recall campaign 04v328000 concerning the wheel bearings and axle shaft. this vehicle has the same problems as indicated in the recall, but it is not included in the recall because it was manufactured under a different name. the contact stated the parts were identical in both vehicles.*ak updated 01/25/06. *jb

My 2003 mercury marauder suffered premature wear on the inner edges of the front wheels. it was found to be within specification for the camber alignment while this wear is indicative of a camber issue. i replaced the front tires and had an alignment. 12,000 miles later the new set of tires is exhibiting excessive wear on the front inner edges. doing further research, i have found this is a problem caused by the loose tolerance of mercury's alignment specification. many other marauder owners are experiencing the exact same problem. the poses a significant blowout problem and needs to addressed by the manufacturer.

No injuries - on three different occasions my car has lost traction, resulting in the car becoming uncontrollable. *ak

When driving between 40-60 mph consumer heard a thumping sound coming from the rear floor boards of the vehicle. also there was vibration in the gas pedal. dealer examined the vehicle, and found that the differential needed to be replaced. *ak

While driving at approximately 40 mph down a road the drivers side air bag deployed, ford motor company declined repair or explanation and referred us to insurance co. insurance co denied because of no evidence of an accident. *la

The vehicle was washed and fueled against customer?s repeated requests. significant (additional) clear coat abrasion damage to painted body surfaces and trim. vehicle?s engine knocked for the duration of the tank, suggesting that it was fueled with regular, not premium fuel the vehicles fuel gauge clearly reads, premium fuel only. immediate mechanical failures: within the first 24 hours of ownership, the vehicle exhibited three system failures. power steering pump failed required replacement. overdrive indicator light constantly flashing. possible defective sensor requires replacement. radiator fan defective requires replacement. subsequently, other mechanical anomalies appeared: transmission anomaly occurring repeatable. climate control system behaving erratically. irreparable clear coat and paint damage: severe amount of clear coat damage to nearly 100% of the vehicles exterior. although a few surface scratches might be expected with any new vehicle, the volume and severity of the damage to this vehicle is beyond anything i could have imagined in a new car. high resolution photo images are attached which depict all defects described below. ten or more deep, irreparable, concentrated burn marks, caused by over-buffering, are located on the hood, drivers door, and the driver?s-side rear door, right-front quarter panel, etc. two additional burn marks are clearly present on the trunk lid lip and trunk surface as well. these swirl marks range in diameter from a few inches to more than a foot. thousands of foreign metallic particles are irreparably embedded into paint along all lower body panels. a small test area of the damaged surface was treated with a clear coat-safe polish, yet demonstrated no visible improvement as a result.

Paint flaking and the buffing marks appear on hood and fenders the hoods shakes side to side and the trim is coming apart around the side windows the frontend makes noies at slow speeds like somthing is not put togeather or they forgot to tighen the nuts

Every time i've started it since i owned it, its smoked every time.i don't know what the smoke is from but goes away about 10-15 seconds of running.

While shifting gears vehicle down shifted on its own. transmission went into over drive, and vehicle stalled. consumer tried to restart vehicle, but was unable to do so. consumer had vehicle towed to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic was unable to resolve the problem. *ak

The car bump steers. have taken it to dealer and they said that they checked everything but found nothing wrong but also stated that if they did find anything wrong it wouldn't be covered by warrenty.

While parked, the rear window exploded without warning. *ak the consumer was not in the vehicle at the time of the explosion and nothing struck the rear window. *sc *jb

Almost all domestic manufacturers of passenger cars make them so that the brake pedal depresses farther than the accelerator. this is very likely the reason for most "unintended" acceleration incidents. in my own case it involves a 2003 mercury grand marquis. if you accidently depress both at the same time, which with a large foot is easy to do, the brakes will not hold the vehicle. when i complained to the dealer i was told that all vehicles of the same platform do the same thing. i can easily see where this would lead to serious consequences when an elderly person has the same experience and they panic and are afraid to release the brake. as we see more and more incidents of "unintended acceraltion" kill and mame more and more people perhaps it's not unusual but the norm.*ak

The consumer stated the cruise control failed, which caused the vehicle to accelerate on it's own. dealer notified. *ph when the consumer activated and set the speed control, the cruise control would not remain at the set speed. the vehicle would accelerate on its own and showed no sign of deceleration to resume. the dealer finally rectified the problem. *scc *jb

This vehicle purchased in june 2003 has had 6 alignments (the first at about 500 miles) and the steering rack replaced all before 3100 miles because of a constant pull to the right. the dealer has informed me that i am no longer entitled to a "courtesy" alignment. rf toe in has drifted .8 degrees in 1 week's time and lf camber 1.3 in same time. will be entering lemon law proceedings. additionally the fit and finish has left much to be desired, have had rear "package" carrier, fr head light, window moldings, airbag covers and other trim items replaced.*ak

Insufficient front end alignment procedures to accommodate lack of appropriate alignment equipment necessary to handle the 2003 mercury marauder wheels. as such, i did not find out my alignment was out on my new marauder until the tires had worn off the inside corner tread and was noticed by the mercury technician. i had to purchase a new set of tires at 13,182 miles and then locate a non-mercury dealer who had the clips necessary to attach to the marauder wheels to accommodate alignment. owners should be aware to check alignment proactively on their vehicles if not proactively checked or requested to be checked by their dealer service groups. *ph

On my 2003 vehicle, there was apparenetly a spare axle pin contained in the rear differential from the factory. while i was driving in town, this pin was thrust against the pumpkin (differential cover), punctured the rear differential cover and caused the differential to leak fluid. the dealership found the "spare pin" when they repaired the differential cover. had i been on the interstate, and had the pin become suddently caught in the ring (instead of thrown againsted the cover), this condiciton could have caused the vehicle to suddenly lock up (the rear differntial). this could have easily caused the vehicle to roll over. i am a police officer in the navy and am very concerned about this issue. *ak

Engine cuts out around turns; misalignment, vehicle pulls drastically to the right; low hanging panel on driver's side interferes with throttle and break operations; burning odor emitting form engine compartment; fluid leaking from rear axle; smoke emitting form engine compartment; lack of acceleration between 2000-4000 rpm; engine stalls while idling; noisy clicking, clunking, and grinding sounds coming from front axle; poor acceleration between 20-40 mph; front tires rapidly wearing unevenly; squeaking from front end; loose right front exterior door handle; trunk organizer lid cracked; alarm system not working; remote entry key system inoperable; stains on leather seats; sharp edges around trunk; cruise control malfunctioning. this vehicle was purchased 02/01/03 and has been in the shop seven times for a total out-of-service time of over a month. the entire rear end was replaced but the vehicle still leaks oil. the acceleration problems are posing very dangerous driving conditions for me, as power lacks severely between 2000-4000 rpm. the front end clicks, grinds, clunks, and squeaks during driving. on most occasions while in the shop, the service departments documented that they could not duplicate my concerns even after they verbally confirmed my complaints during test drives with me. on some occasions, then attempted to make repairs without documenting it to avoid "lemon law" status. this vehicle is unsafe, unreliable, and hazardous to drive. mlg *nlm

While test-driving a 2003 mercury marauder, my foot became entangle with a driver-side cockpit lower panel that trapped my foot onto the throttle and prevented me from accessing the brake pedal, causing the vehicle to spin out of control and crash. *jb

Consumer felt the fuel tank was designed poorly and the sharp edges that went around fuel the tank was very dangerous. *nlm. the consumer purchased a kit at his own expense to cover up the sharp edges of the gas tank. *jb

After repair of over drive problem, the next day while car was idling, noticed strong exhaust fumes coming in vehicle. had to roll down windows. have experienced this two other occasions. called dealer and was told not to worry since it has a ceramic honey comb filter. dealer stated would be a concern if it was doing this at 10,000 miles. car is being taken back to dealer for problem. *jb

The vehicle lost power when a turn was made. *jb

The firewall plastic case was to low to the brake and gas pedal. which made it hard to reach the pedal in time. *jb

Problems with mercury 2003 marauder purchased -2/08/03 would like to fax current warranty repair order. leaks around lens cover, wiper blades replaced, rear left speaker vibrates, brake & brake pedal squeaking, spot on rear window, new window ordered, overdrive light on, car stalled had to be returned, valve body and wiring replaced in transmission, spot on driver's leather seat cover, new cover has been ordered. *nlm *cb

Rear axles are not hardened properly,causing loss of lubrication at wheel seals. *tr

I have had 17 warranty repair items. overdrive problem on march 24. valve body and temp sensor replace. car has been at the dealer for 24 days. purchased new on feb. 8, car is currently in arbritation. i have asked for a buy back. dealer refuses to fix loose carpet in rear floor.