Problems · NHTSA complaints

2011 Mercury Grand Marquis problems

Owners filed 9 complaints about the 2011 Mercury Grand Marquis with NHTSA between Jan 2013 and Mar 2026. The most-cited component is electrical system (3).

Complaints
9
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
0
Reported by owners
Fires
2
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
01 —By component

Complaints by component

One complaint can cite several components
  1. Electrical system3
  2. Steering2
  3. Tires1
  4. Visibility/wiper1
  5. Air bags1
  6. Seat belts1
  7. Fuel/propulsion system1
  8. Service brakes, hydraulic1

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 9, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
02 —Trend

When complaints were filed

Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
View as table
Model yearComplaints filed per calendar year
20132
20141
20150
20161
20171
20181
20191
20200
20210
20220
20230
20240
20251
20261

Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.

03 —Owner reports

Top problems in owners’ words

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first

Electrical system

3 reports2 fires
“DRIVING ON HUMID DAY, CLOSED WINDOWS AND TURNED ON A/C. CONTROLLER FAILED TO CLOSE DEFROSTER VENTS, CAUSING WINDOW TO QUICKLY FOG UP, RESTRICTING FORWARD VISION. PREVIOUSLY HAD SAME PROBLEM ON 2006 GRAND MARQUIS WHICH I HAD REPAIRED BY FORD DEALER. TOOK 2011 TO DEALER, GOT REPAIR ESTIMATE OF $900, AS DASHBOARD MUST BE REMOVED TO GET TO FAILING PART. AM TOLD PROBLEM IS VACUUM LEAK IN CONTROLLER COMPONENT. ALTHOUGH ASSOCIATED WITH A/C, WHICH GENERALLY IS NOT CONSIDERED A SAFETY ISSUE, THE CONTROLLER FAILURE DOES RESULT IN A SAFETY ISSUE, AND IN MY OPINION SHOULD BE SUBJECT TO RECALL.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Apr 2, 2019Electrical systemODI 11194012

Steering

2 reports2 related recalls
“The contact owns a 2011 Mercury Grand Marquis. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the steering wheel was locked. There was no warning light illuminated. Additionally, the gear shifter failed to operate as intended. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The failure persisted, and the vehicle remained at the residence unrepaired. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V385000 (STEERING). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jul 28, 2025SteeringODI 11676660

Tires

1 report
“225/60R17 tire purchased new started going flat in the first week. Walmart tire said there was no warranty. Receipt says otherwise. P&M tire of Blackwell, OK found defects in the interior sidewall and told us the tire had manufacturing defects. Reported to Nexen by making an account and filing a warranty request which they denied. They keep saying we are lying to deflect blame. We have the tire, it could be inspected by their preferred tire shop but they would rather be mad and yell at us. There is no receipt from P&M because they didn't charge us for looking at a tire they could not repair.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Mar 10, 2026TiresODI 11723310

Visibility/wiper

1 report1 fire
“MY 2011 MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS ULTIMATE EDITION, WAS VERY GREAT HOWEVER IT CAUGHT ON FIRE DUE TO THE MALFUNCTION OF THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS...THEY WOULD COME ON AUTOMATICALLY WHILE I WAS DRIVING, MY WINDSHIELD WIPER SWITCH WOULD BE ON THE OFF POSITION... AND THE WIPERS ONLY WORKED ON A HIGH SPEED SEEING NONE OF THE OTHER SPEEDS WORKED...PRIME EXAMPLE I WOULD WARM UP THE CAR FOR 10 MIN...BECAUSE ITS COLD OUTSIDE THEN I WOULD DRIVE, ALL OF A SUDDEN MINUTES LATER, MY WINDSHIELD WIPER TURN ON BY ITSELF IN A HIGH SPEED POSITION , I TURNED THE WIPERS ON SO I CAN SEE IF TURNING OFF WOULD HELP IT DOESN'T SO CLEARLY IT HAS A MIND OF ITS OWN...AS IF A GHOST WAS IN IT...I GOOGLED THE PROBLEM..CLEARY THERE ARE OTHER MODELS OF THE SAME AND DIFFERENT YEAR NUMBERS THAT HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM...THEY SAY ITS EITHER THE WIPERS MOTOR A RELAY OR THE WHOLE LEFT, RIGHT INDICATED SWITCH WHICH THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS WORKS OFF OF...LONG STORY SHORT MY CAR CAUGHT ON FIRE THE MORNING OF NOV.21, 2018 A DAY BEFORE THANKSGIVING IN MY DRIVEWAY WHICH COULD HAVE SET MY CAR ON FIRE..HAD TO CALL THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AT 1:45AM IN THE MORNING. DUE TO AN ELECTRICAL ISSUE THE CAR HAD..IT LOOKED LIKE A…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Nov 26, 2018Electrical system, Visibility/wiperFire reportedODI 11154071

Air bags

1 report
“THE AIR BAG LIGHT REMAINS ON ALL THE TIME. MY MECHANIC SAYS THAT CAR'S COMPUTER IS GENERATING A CODE INDICATING A PROBLEM WITH A SENSOR IN DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT. HE SAYS THAT THE ENTIRE SEAT BELT ASSEMBLY MUST BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $500. THE CAR ONLY HAS 70,000 MILES ON IT. SINCE THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND APPEARS FROM THE MANY COMPLAINTS YOU'VE RECEIVED TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH 2005 GRAND MARQUIS'S, I URGE DOT TO ISSUE A RECALL TO REQUIRE THE MANUFACTURER TO PAY FOR THE NECESSARY REPAIRS.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 21, 2017Air bags, Seat beltsODI 11024863

Seat belts

1 report
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 9, 2026

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.