RecallRepo

2003 Mercury Grand Marquis Recalls

Recalls on record Updated July 2026

The 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 296,004 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 449 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the exterior lighting. Last updated July 5, 2026.

Recall campaigns

EXTERIOR LIGHTING 15V861000 2015-12-22 296,004 affected
Defect

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.

Consequence

A loss of headlights can reduce driver visibility and increase the risk of a crash.

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.

Complaints by component

EXTERIOR LIGHTING
188
4crashes1injuries
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
46
4crashes1injuries
STEERING
27
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS
19
1crashes
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
18
9crashes6injuries
SUSPENSION
16
AIR BAGS
8
3crashes3injuries
SUSPENSION:REAR
8
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
7
1crashes5injuries
POWER TRAIN
6
Total complaints449

What owners report

Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.

“While driving my vehicle headlights turn off and back on, sometimes off for minutes sometimes flickering.”

EXTERIOR LIGHTING · reported 2026-04-08

“The lighting control module has failed and my brake lights and dash board lights turn off after couple minutes while driving with the lights on. I took my vehicle in to dealer already once for problem to be fixed a year ago. They did repair but now same problem is occurring again. I went back to…”

EXTERIOR LIGHTING · reported 2025-05-06

“The contact owns a 2003 mercury grand marquis. The contact that the headlights were intermittently inoperable. Additionally, the contact stated that the instrument panel lights, the brake lights, and the turn signal lights were inoperable. The contact who is a mechanic, had inspected the fuses,…”

EXTERIOR LIGHTING · reported 2025-04-22

“The contact owns a 2003 mercury grand marquis. The contact that the headlights were intermittently inoperable. Additionally, the contact stated that the instrument panel lights, the brake lights, and the turn signal lights were inoperable. The contact who is a mechanic, had inspected the fuses,…”

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL · reported 2025-04-22

“The contact owns a 2003 mercury grand marquis the contact stated that both the headlamps and the taillights intermittently failed to operate as needed. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was diagnosed. The dealer placed a processor on the vehicle and…”

EXTERIOR LIGHTING · reported 2024-12-27

“The headlights shut off without warning”

EXTERIOR LIGHTING · reported 2024-11-30

“The headlights shut off without warning”

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM · reported 2024-11-30

“The contact owns a 2003 mercury grand marquis. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front headlights shutoff independently while turned on. No warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact who…”

EXTERIOR LIGHTING · reported 2024-11-15

Defect investigations

Investigation DP05005 Opened 2005-09-22 · closed 2006-01-04

SPARK PLUG EJECTION FROM CYLINDER HEAD

ON SEPTEMBER 6, 2005, ODI RECEIVED A PETITION REQUESTING THAT THE AGENCY INVESTIGATE ALLEGATIONS OF ENGINE SPARK PLUG EJECTION IN CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 1997 THROUGH 2004 FORD VEHICLES WITH TRITON V-8 AND V-10 ENGINES.ODI RECEIVED A TOTAL OF 474 NON-DUPLICATIVE COMPLAINTS ON THE SUBJECT VEHICLES WHERE THE COMPLAINANT, OR…

Investigation DP05005 Opened 2005-09-22 · closed 2006-01-04

SPARK PLUG EJECTION FROM CYLINDER HEAD

ON SEPTEMBER 6, 2005, ODI RECEIVED A PETITION REQUESTING THAT THE AGENCY INVESTIGATE ALLEGATIONS OF ENGINE SPARK PLUG EJECTION IN CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 1997 THROUGH 2004 FORD VEHICLES WITH TRITON V-8 AND V-10 ENGINES.ODI RECEIVED A TOTAL OF 474 NON-DUPLICATIVE COMPLAINTS ON THE SUBJECT VEHICLES WHERE THE COMPLAINANT, OR…

Investigation DP05005 Opened 2005-09-22 · closed 2006-01-04

SPARK PLUG EJECTION FROM CYLINDER HEAD

ON SEPTEMBER 6, 2005, ODI RECEIVED A PETITION REQUESTING THAT THE AGENCY INVESTIGATE ALLEGATIONS OF ENGINE SPARK PLUG EJECTION IN CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 1997 THROUGH 2004 FORD VEHICLES WITH TRITON V-8 AND V-10 ENGINES.ODI RECEIVED A TOTAL OF 474 NON-DUPLICATIVE COMPLAINTS ON THE SUBJECT VEHICLES WHERE THE COMPLAINANT, OR…

Investigation DP15002 Opened 2015-04-01 · closed 2015-08-11

Loss of headlamp/exterior lighting

In a letter dated October 2, 2014 the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) was initially petitioned by the North Carolina Consumers Council, Inc. requesting a defect investigation of an alleged defect condition resulting in headlight and/or exterior lighting failure on 2003-2005 Ford Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand…

Investigation DP15002 Opened 2015-04-01 · closed 2015-08-11

Loss of headlamp/exterior lighting

In a letter dated October 2, 2014 the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) was initially petitioned by the North Carolina Consumers Council, Inc. requesting a defect investigation of an alleged defect condition resulting in headlight and/or exterior lighting failure on 2003-2005 Ford Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand…

Investigation PE03009 Opened 2003-02-25 · closed 2003-08-08

FRACTURE OF THE STEEL WHEEL RIM

THE SUBJECT WHEEL (NEW FOR MY 2003) IS USED ON CROWN VICTORIA (CV) AND GRAND MARQUIS.COMPLAINT DATA INDICATES THAT WHEEL FAILURE AFFECTS PRIMARILY THE COMMERCIAL SPECIFICATION CV MODEL (POLICE AND TAXI) WHICH HAS UNIQUE DESIGN CHARACTERISTICS AND IS GENERALLY SUBJECTED TO HIGHER USAGE DEMANDS.DURING FORD'S ANALYSIS,…

Investigation PE04010 Opened 2004-01-22 · closed 2004-07-08

REAR AXLE FRACTURE

THIS PE WAS OPENED AFTER ODI BECAME AWARE OF TWO ALLEGATIONS CONCERNING REAR AXLE FRACTURE AND PARTIAL WHEEL SEPARATION INVOLVING MY 2003 FORD CROWN VICTORIA POLICE INTERCEPTORS (CVPI).INITIALLY, THE PE'S SCOPE INVOLVED ALL MY 2003 GRAND MARQUIS, CROWN VICTORIA, AND LINCOLN TOWN CARS (I.E., PANTHER PLATFORM) PRODUCED…

Investigation PE08066 Opened 2008-11-26 · closed 2009-03-24

LOSS OF HEADLIGHT FUNCTION

THE AGENCY HAS CLOSED THIS INVESTIGATION BASED ON ITS REVIEW OF COMPLAINT REPORTS, FIELD AND TECHNICAL DATA PROVIDED BY FORD AND COMPLAINANT INTERVIEWS. FORD FOUND THAT SOME LIGHTING CONTROL MODULES (LCM) IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES CONTAINED DEFECTIVE SOLDER JOINTS ON THE PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD.THIS CONDITION CAN LEAD TO…

Investigation PE15028 Opened 2015-08-10 · closed 2016-01-08

Loss of headlights

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened an investigation concerning the loss of headlights in model year (MY) 2003-2005 Ford Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis vehicles. The subject vehicles share the same architecture and major components.ODI has received 636 unique reports (for all submission dates)…

Investigation PE15028 Opened 2015-08-10 · closed 2016-01-08

Loss of headlights

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened an investigation concerning the loss of headlights in model year (MY) 2003-2005 Ford Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis vehicles. The subject vehicles share the same architecture and major components.ODI has received 636 unique reports (for all submission dates)…

Sources & methodology

Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.