Brakes
Filed Mar 20, 2000
VEHICLE EXPERIENCING PROBLEM WITH BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH FAILING TO OPERATE UNLESS EXTREME PRESSURE IS APPLIED ON THE PEDAL. DEALER WAS NOTIFIED. *AK
- NHTSA ID
- 858871
- Incident
- Jun 15, 1993
1988 Mercury Marquis
Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data
Data refreshed
Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
9
Latest Mar 20, 2000
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
0
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
0
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
3
Overview
Our database contains 9 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1988 Mercury Marquis, most frequently naming the electrical, brakes and exterior lighting categories.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Complaint activity over time
When owners filed reports about this model year
View as table
| Month | Complaints filed | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|
| Feb 1995 | 1 | 1 |
| Jun 1995 | 1 | 2 |
| Apr 1996 | 1 | 3 |
| May 1996 | 1 | 4 |
| Nov 1996 | 1 | 5 |
| Sep 1997 | 2 | 7 |
| Apr 1999 | 1 | 8 |
| Mar 2000 | 1 | 9 |
What owners report
Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded
- Electrical433.3%
- Brakes325.0%
- Exterior lighting18.3%
- Seat belts18.3%
- Tires & wheels18.3%
- Engine18.3%
- Driver assistance18.3%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Safety recalls
No recalls in our database for this model year
That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.
Recent owner complaints
Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words
BrakesElectricalExterior lighting
Filed Apr 1, 1999
THEORIGINAL IGNITION SWITCH WAS RECALLED ALTHOUGH WE HAD NEVER HAD ANY PROBLEMS WITH IT AT ALL. I DID TAKE INTO A FORD DEALER [PAT MASSUCCI GENEVA FORD GENEVA OHIO] THEY REPLACED THE SWITCH, AND THE NEXT DAY WHEN WE WENT TO START THE CAR IT WOULD NOT SHUT OFF AFTER STARTING AND THE KEY WOULD NOT RETURN BACK TO THE RUN POSITION. THIS WAS ON A FRIDAY AFTERNOON. I IMMEDIATELY CALLED THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD TO BRING IT LEAVE IT, AND WHEN THEY GOT A CHANCE THEY WOULD REPAIR IT THE NEXT WEEK !THERE IS NO WAY I WAS GOING TO DRIVE MY CAR 10 MILES WITH NO TAIL LIGHTS /BRAKE LIGHTS/OR TURN SIGNALS, AND THEN LEAVE IT RUNNING WITHA FULL TANK OF GAS OVER THE WEEKEND. I THEN CALLED THE FORD CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE LINE AND WAS TOLD TO DO THE SAME THING AS WELL OR HAVE IT TOWED AT MY EXPENSE TO THE DEALER THAT MESSED THE REPLACEMENT SWITCH UP TO BEGIN WITH. I COULD FIND NO OTHER DEALER OPEN ANY WHERE SO I RETURNED TO THE CAR, TOOK A PAIR OF PLIARS AND FORCIBLY TURNED THE IGNITION SWITCH TO RUN. THEN TO THE OFF POSITION. IT NOW DOES SEEM TO WORK BETTER . BUT NOT AS IT SHOULD OR AS THE ORIGINAL DID BEFORE THE REPLACEMENT WAS INSTALLED WHEN THE SWITCH NOW FAILS TO RETURN OR DOES NOT LET THE TAILIGHTS WORK WE HAVE TO SHUT IT OFF THEN RESTART THE CAR FOR THE ACCESSORIES TO WORK AT ALL. *AK
- NHTSA ID
- 705202
- Incident
- Jul 25, 1998
Electrical
Filed Sep 15, 1997
ENGINE WOULD CRANK, REFUSED TO START, TOWED TO DEALER, THICK-FILM IGNITION MODULE WHICH CARRIES ELECTRICAL PULSES TO THE SPARK PLUGS. *AK
- NHTSA ID
- 816351
- Incident
- Mar 13, 1997
Engine
Filed Sep 10, 1997
WHEN DRIVING VEHICLE IT WOULD STALL OUT ON THE HIGHWAY. WOULD LOSE ALL POWER. PULLED TO SIDE OF ROAD & WAITED & THEN RESTARTED. TOOK TO THE DEALER & HAD TFI MODULE REPLACED ALONG WITH OTHER PARTS. PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. *AK
- NHTSA ID
- 817185
- Incident
- Sep 2, 1997
Driver assistance
Filed Nov 5, 1996
Crash reported
PUT CAR INTO REVERSE AND CAR ACCELERATED AND HIT A WALL . PLEASE DESCRIBE . *AK
- NHTSA ID
- 804584
- Incident
- Oct 28, 1996
Electrical
Filed May 3, 1996
Fire reported
AN ELECTRICAL SHORT CAUSED THE IGNITION SWITCH TO CATCH ON FIRE AFTER TURNING ON THE VEHICLE. PLEASE DESCRIBE. *AK
- NHTSA ID
- 984030
- Incident
- Dec 10, 1994
Electrical
Filed Apr 18, 1996
Fire reported
IGNITION FIRE STARTED AFTER PARKING THE VEHICLE DUE TO A SHORT. *AK
- NHTSA ID
- 983000
- Incident
- May 3, 1995
BrakesSeat belts
Filed Jun 14, 1995
ABS: WHEN APPLIED, BRAKES HAS GRAB LIKE FEEL; FRONT END SWAYS; DRAGS. ALSO, HARD TO UNLOCK SHOULDER BELT. TT
- NHTSA ID
- 966833
- Incident
- Jan 15, 1995
Compare model years
Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model
| Year | Complaints | Recalls | Investigations | Issue Index |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 26.3 |
| 2003 | 33 | 0 | 0 | 38.5 |
| 2002 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 45.0 |
| 2001 | 26 | 0 | 1 | 41.4 |
| 2000 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 39.4 |
| 1999 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 37.5 |
| 1998 | 29 | 0 | 1 | 37.9 |
| 1997 | 53 | 1 | 0 | 46.1 |
| 1996 | 31 | 0 | 0 | 39.3 |
| 1995 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 26.9 |
| 1994 | 30 | 0 | 1 | 49.7 |
| 1993 | 23 | 0 | 1 | 46.7 |
| 1992 | 24 | 0 | 1 | 49.5 |
| 1991 | 9 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1990 | 6 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1989 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 47.4 |
| 1988Viewing | 9 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1987 | 4 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1986 | 4 | 1 | 2 | — |
| 1985 | 5 | 2 | 2 | — |
| 1984 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 62.7 |
| 1983 | 1 | 3 | 2 | — |
| 1982 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — |
| 1981 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — |
| 1979 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — |
| 1977 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1974 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — |
| 1973 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — |
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.