Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUSPENSION | |||||
| 97090297182 | 09/02/1997 | 54068 | Some vehicles may experience a lean right condition. *yc | 03/30/1998 | |
| BC0706961022 | 10/22/1996 | 50376 | Light to moderate axle noise (axle whine) at 50 to 65 mph (80 to 105 kph) during accels, decels or cruise. *tt | 04/24/1997 | |
| SUSPENSION - REAR | |||||
| BC0311970201 | 01/02/1997 | 51110 | Whine/noise from rear axle between 50-65 mph. driveshaft and #4 crossmember frame dracket kit. *jd | 06/27/1997 | |
Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - CONTROL ARM - LOWER BALL JOINT | ||||||
| RQ03002 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | 01/03/2003 | 06/03/2003 | BALL JOINT SEPARATION | ||
| See attached report. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| SUSPENSION | |||
| 08/04/2005 | 90473 | 1 | 06/21/2002 |
| Dt: while driving the brake lines failed and had to be replaced. the owner came outside and saw the brake fluid on the ground and realized that the brake lines failed. the owner drove the vehicle with no brakes to the dealership and they repaired it. then the owner realized that the brake lines were rusted.*ak the left rear seat belt was replaced twice. the wiper motor, wiper switch, drivers side mirror switch and rotors were all replaced. the turn signal switch, driver window switch , tail light , catalytic converter were replaced. the consumer was told the ball joints and shocks were bad. the battery was replaced. *jb | |||
| 08/08/1996 | |||
| The entire wheel fell off due to lack of lubrication in the suspension sysdtem, and is the result of manufacturer having no grease fittings. yh | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT | |||
| 04/26/2011 | 102511 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 1996 mercury grand marquis. the contact purchased a lower ball joint for the front passenger side of the vehicle, part number fa2101. the contact stated the ball joint stud broke on the vehicle after only 253 miles. the contact spoke with autozone and was told the manufacturer wanted the ball joint back to review because their stand was that the ball joint was put in incorrectly. the contact stated they feel this is a safety issue, because the stud broke, not the ball joint. the vin was unavailable. the current mileage on the vehicle was 102,511.rl | |||
| 06/15/2007 | 134000 | 1 | 12/18/2003 |
| I own a 1996 mercury grand marquis. the steering in the vehicle began locking up at a certain spot when turning. this would cause me to push the steering wheel into the turn a little harder which unlocked the steering causing me to veer left or right. i took the car several times to different shops. they would lift the car and check the suspension and give it a clean bill of health. the problem persisted and got much worse. i took the car to yet another shop and insisted they take it out and drive it a long distance. the mechanic didn't get out of the parking lot, came back and made me leave the car. he insisted it was a problem with the steering box and this was replaced. i picked up the car on a friday and on saturday drove over the mountains. it was a hairy ride, the problem was not fixed and the curvy roads made driving downright dangerous. i took the car to a mechanic at my destination and he inspected the car but this time he disconnected the tie rod ends so he could rotate the wheels with weight on them. one of the ball joints on the drivers side was nearly locked solid. the drivers side ball joints were replaced and that fixed the problem. *tr | |||
| 01/09/1998 | 06/04/1996 | ||
| While driving vehicle wanders,; also, steering is very hard to control. worse when windy or rain ing. in addition, hoode latch needed adjustment and check engine light stays on after starting vehicle. vehicle has been taken to dealers and they are unable to locate a problem. notes vehicle is operating according to manufacturer's specifications. *ak | |||
| 03/07/1997 | 04/29/1996 | ||
| Front suspension weld is weak, causing poor control of the vehicle. the dealer has been notified. *ak | |||
| 05/01/1997 | |||
| While making a right turn noticed vibration in the vehicle. consumer stated that it only vibrates when trying to make right turns. consumer contacted the dealer, but they were unable to fix the problem at that time. *ak | |||
| 0 | 10/01/1996 | ||
| Vehicle is pulls to the left and right. | |||
| 03/10/1996 | 1 | 03/04/1996 | |
| Vehicle pulls to left due to front end problems. | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - CONTROL ARM | |||
| 01/31/2002 | 1 | 06/04/1996 | |
| While backing out of driveway left ball joint fell out of vehicle. dealer contacted.*ak consumer also stated left tir rod end and ball joint failed, and also the right side is in poor condition, dealer replaced the outer and inner tie rod ends. | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - CONTROL ARM - LOWER ARM | |||
| 09/27/2001 | |||
| While pulling into driveway at slow speed heard a loud noise from front of vehicle. had vehicle towed to dealer, who determined that weld holding lower control arm on driver's side had broken. *ak | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - CONTROL ARM - LOWER BALL JOINT | |||
| 01/06/2000 | |||
| Pulling out into a street while travelling 10mph front end started to make crunching noise. steering wheel would not turn smoothly and had to be forced. contacted dealer , they replaced tie rods. a month later, the same problem. replaced with a standard lower ball joint instead heavy duty lower ball joint. mechanic said it was a design flaw. *ak | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - CONTROL ARM - UPPER BALL JOINT | |||
| 09/03/2003 | 70000 | 1 | |
| Upper ball joints failed at 70,000 miles. dealer stated that was normal. *ak | |||
| 09/16/2003 | 90000 | 1 | 07/28/1997 |
| 1996 mercury grand marquis ls, vin: 2melm75wxtx647727 front tie rod separation from wheel when front passenger side seal ball joint snaps in half. estimated speed at time of ball joint failure was between 1-5 mph in a parking lot. first noticed when backing out of parking space, handling was poor, tie rod separated completely. car is being serviced by nys dot certified c and d automotive, state route 104, ontario, ny 14519. this vehicle was in late june, early july of 1999 for a replacement of the front drivers side ball joint seal due to loud noises coming from front drivers side wheel area and quivering steering feel. *jb | |||
| SUSPENSION - REAR - SHOCK ABSORBER | |||
| 1 | 07/31/1996 | ||
| Shock absorbers failed resulting in poor control of vehicle . | |||