Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | |||
| 03/15/2003 | 70 | ||
| The vehicle was washed and fueled against customer?s repeated requests. significant (additional) clear coat abrasion damage to painted body surfaces and trim. vehicle?s engine knocked for the duration of the tank, suggesting that it was fueled with regular, not premium fuel the vehicles fuel gauge clearly reads, premium fuel only. immediate mechanical failures: within the first 24 hours of ownership, the vehicle exhibited three system failures. power steering pump failed required replacement. overdrive indicator light constantly flashing. possible defective sensor requires replacement. radiator fan defective requires replacement. subsequently, other mechanical anomalies appeared: transmission anomaly occurring repeatable. climate control system behaving erratically. irreparable clear coat and paint damage: severe amount of clear coat damage to nearly 100% of the vehicles exterior. although a few surface scratches might be expected with any new vehicle, the volume and severity of the damage to this vehicle is beyond anything i could have imagined in a new car. high resolution photo images are attached which depict all defects described below. ten or more deep, irreparable, concentrated burn marks, caused by over-buffering, are located on the hood, drivers door, and the driver?s-side rear door, right-front quarter panel, etc. two additional burn marks are clearly present on the trunk lid lip and trunk surface as well. these swirl marks range in diameter from a few inches to more than a foot. thousands of foreign metallic particles are irreparably embedded into paint along all lower body panels. a small test area of the damaged surface was treated with a clear coat-safe polish, yet demonstrated no visible improvement as a result. | |||
| 04/15/2003 | 4348 | ||
| I have had 17 warranty repair items. overdrive problem on march 24. valve body and temp sensor replace. car has been at the dealer for 24 days. purchased new on feb. 8, car is currently in arbritation. i have asked for a buy back. dealer refuses to fix loose carpet in rear floor. | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | |||
| 04/14/2004 | 1 | ||
| While shifting gears vehicle down shifted on its own. transmission went into over drive, and vehicle stalled. consumer tried to restart vehicle, but was unable to do so. consumer had vehicle towed to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic was unable to resolve the problem. *ak | |||
| 02/02/2003 | 02/01/2003 | ||
| Engine cuts out around turns; misalignment, vehicle pulls drastically to the right; low hanging panel on driver's side interferes with throttle and break operations; burning odor emitting form engine compartment; fluid leaking from rear axle; smoke emitting form engine compartment; lack of acceleration between 2000-4000 rpm; engine stalls while idling; noisy clicking, clunking, and grinding sounds coming from front axle; poor acceleration between 20-40 mph; front tires rapidly wearing unevenly; squeaking from front end; loose right front exterior door handle; trunk organizer lid cracked; alarm system not working; remote entry key system inoperable; stains on leather seats; sharp edges around trunk; cruise control malfunctioning. this vehicle was purchased 02/01/03 and has been in the shop seven times for a total out-of-service time of over a month. the entire rear end was replaced but the vehicle still leaks oil. the acceleration problems are posing very dangerous driving conditions for me, as power lacks severely between 2000-4000 rpm. the front end clicks, grinds, clunks, and squeaks during driving. on most occasions while in the shop, the service departments documented that they could not duplicate my concerns even after they verbally confirmed my complaints during test drives with me. on some occasions, then attempted to make repairs without documenting it to avoid lemon law status. this vehicle is unsafe, unreliable, and hazardous to drive. mlg *nlm | |||
| 03/25/2003 | 2000 | 1 | 02/08/2003 |
| Problems with mercury 2003 marauder purchased -2/08/03 would like to fax current warranty repair order. leaks around lens cover, wiper blades replaced, rear left speaker vibrates, brake & brake pedal squeaking, spot on rear window, new window ordered, overdrive light on, car stalled had to be returned, valve body and wiring replaced in transmission, spot on driver's leather seat cover, new cover has been ordered. *nlm *cb | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AXLE ASSEMBLY - AXLE SHAFT | |||
| 01/07/2008 | 77141 | 1 | 11/01/2002 |
| Both rear axles and bearings were damaged and had to be replaced. ford has issued a bulletin on this: article no. 03-5-5 axle-rearaxle shaft and/or axle bearing premature wear-vehicles produced before 1/1/2003. my '03 mercury marauder was built in aug. '02. both axles, bearings and seals had to be replaced at the cost of $647.55. *tr | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AXLE ASSEMBLY - AXLE SHAFT - SEAL | |||
| 12/13/2005 | 48900 | 1 | 10/06/2003 |
| Ford motor issued a recall (nhtsa campaign 04v328000 & nhtsa pe 04010) for 2003 ford crown victoria & lincoln town car about rear bearing seals and axles. ford l/m will not repair my 2003 mercury marauder based on this. it is the exact same vehicle, especially the rear end. marauder is a limited addition with the police package mentioned in the recall. *jb | |||
| POWER TRAIN - DRIVELINE | |||
| 08/10/2009 | 91800 | 1 | |
| Nhtsa campaign number: 04v328000 is listed for the 2003 ford crown vic's and lincoln's but not the mercury's??? i have an 03 mercury marauder that has the same rearend as the others list in this recall but my car is not listed. i just had the same exact problem that is listed in the campaign and had to spend $1100 to have my axles, bearings, carrier and what ever else is included in the rebuild. is there a reason that ford does not consider this the same car which they are!!!!!!! *tr | |||
| POWER TRAIN - DRIVELINE - DIFFERENTIAL UNIT | |||
| 02/23/2004 | 33000 | 1 | |
| When driving between 40-60 mph consumer heard a thumping sound coming from the rear floor boards of the vehicle. also there was vibration in the gas pedal. dealer examined the vehicle, and found that the differential needed to be replaced. *ak | |||
| 06/24/2003 | 4917 | 1 | 01/01/2003 |
| On my 2003 vehicle, there was apparenetly a spare axle pin contained in the rear differential from the factory. while i was driving in town, this pin was thrust against the pumpkin (differential cover), punctured the rear differential cover and caused the differential to leak fluid. the dealership found the spare pin when they repaired the differential cover. had i been on the interstate, and had the pin become suddently caught in the ring (instead of thrown againsted the cover), this condiciton could have caused the vehicle to suddenly lock up (the rear differntial). this could have easily caused the vehicle to roll over. i am a police officer in the navy and am very concerned about this issue. *ak | |||