Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WHEELS | |||||
| 15857 | 05/01/2002 | 637706 | Some vehicles may exhibit a click or rattle noise coming from the front wheel area. *tt | 12/04/2002 | |
Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WHEELS | ||||||
| PE03009 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | 02/25/2003 | 08/08/2003 | FRACTURE OF THE STEEL WHEEL RIM | 03V279000 | |
| 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, it was determined that cyclic bending moment fatigue could cause rim cracks to occur in the heat affected zone adjacent to the circumferential weld.ford implemented changes in wheel manufacture in september 2002 and introduced a new wheel design with a thicker rim in april 2003.odi found evidence that indicated rapid crack propogation might have occurred in seven wheel failure incidents, two of which lead to tire debeading.ford has announced that 29,946 commercial spec cv vehicles, manufactured prior to the september change, will be recalled to have the april 2003 design wheel installed.odi will continue to monitor for wheel failures in the subject vehicles not covered by the recall. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| WHEELS | |||
| 09/01/2007 | 107000 | 1 | 11/01/2003 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 mercury grand marquis. while driving between 30 and 60 mph, the steering wheel vibrated. the contact noticed that the front passenger side wheel had a crack, which caused the tire to deflate. he has pictures. the fuel system was unknown. the current and failure mileages were 107,000. updated 09/26/07 *tr | |||
| WHEELS - CAP/COVER/HUB | |||
| 08/09/2003 | |||
| The hub caps on my 2003 mercury grand marquis regularly fall off. i've lost three so far. my dealer reports that this is a common problem, but so far i've seen no attempt to correct it.*ak | |||
| 05/23/2003 | 2 | ||
| The vehicle hit a curb which bent the right wheel hub. *nlm customer advises that wheel bent as a result of driving over potholes and normal road obstructions common to the philadelphia pa and trenton nj areas. two wheels were damaged in the first 5000 miles of use. | |||
| WHEELS - RIM | |||
| 08/16/2009 | 70000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 mercury grand marquis. while the contact was examining his vehicle he noticed that the rim on the rear passenger side of the vehicle was cracked. the dealer informed the contact that the rim needed to be replaced. the driver noticed that the tire would need air on a consistent basis. the current and failure mileages were 70000. | |||
| 06/30/2007 | 82077 | 2 | 01/01/2004 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 mercury grand marquis. after driving between 60-70 mph, the contact noticed that one of the tires had lost air. he found a service station and inflated the tire. the next morning, he awoke to find that the tire was completely flat. he took the vehicle to wal-mart and they diagnosed the cause of failure as a cracked rim. the current and failure mileages were 82,077. updated 07/24/07. *jb | |||
| 01/02/2007 | 75584 | 2 | 05/10/2003 |
| I recently had to replace two wheels on my wife's 2003 mercury grand marquis due to substantial wheel cracks along the welds on the outer flange of the wheel causing the tires to deflate (two separate events). i see reported in usa today that interceptor are being recalled for this same 'serious safety' problem. i contacted ford/mercury about my vehicle and they say that it is not covered at this time and that ford and the national highway traffic and safety administration (nhtsa) work together to proactively identify areas of concern through investigation of consumer and dealer feedback. during an investigation ford cooperates fully with nhtsa. ford does not speculate on the outcome of any current investigation or future actions. due to our rigorous safety standards and constant testing, not all issues result in field service actions or customer satisfaction programs. i visited the nhtsa website and saw that other mercury failures of like type have been logged. i'm adding my complaint and experience to the list and suggest that ford be made to replace all the defective wheels. *jb | |||
| 08/08/2005 | 36000 | 1 | 12/23/2002 |
| The weld separated the steel rim causing air leaks and the weld was letting go which could have caused serious injuries or death. ford dealer would not warranty this due to 46,000 miles. for safety defects, this should have been warranted. *nm | |||