1997 Mercury Grand Marquis Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors) Problems

“I am an automotive technician and I service many vehicles daily. I currently own a 97 Mercury Grand Marquis ls and have noticed that practically most steering components on my vehicle are in need of replacing. Specifically the tie rod ends, control arms, ball joins all have blown bushings and a pitman arm.... The steering sways so hard on this vehicle. I have noticed that customer's vehicles that I have worked on that are similar to the crown vic, and the marquis are showing signs of steering component concern as well. …”

“First the driver window went out, passanger, and then the back and the locks go off when ever they want. My call has low miles for the year and it should not be acting this way. If I eould get into an accident I couldnt get out of my window if door didnt open and I know lots of people with the same car and having the same problem.”

“Dt: the consumer owned a 1997 Mercury Grand Marquis. The plastic intake manifold cracked which caused the vehicle to overheat. There was also some smoking. The consumer stopped and added antifreeze. The service engine light came on, and the temperature gauge went all the way to hot. Consumer was out of town and she had to find a local mechanic as there was no dealerships nearby. The vehicle had to be driven, and then stopped to cool and add water. There were no tow trucks in the area. The vehicle was fixed. It was replaced with a metal intake manifold. …”

“Several months ago, I reported a shudder or vibration in the transmission at speeds over 25 MPH. I had been told that either the torque converter or 85% of the time the transmission fluid was the problem. A new mercon 5 fluid was being used to eliminate the shudder or vibration. I took the vehicle in today to ford, who is now reporting the clutch to be going out. I find this very unusual at 48,000 miles with the previous diagnosis given. It sounds like there was a manufacturing defect with the transmissions or related parts for this vehicle. …”

“I purchased this vehicle which had 86,715 miles on it. Shortly after the purchase I noticed the engine would spark knock anytime the car was put under a load when the transmission was in high gear and in overdrive. Due to my schedule I did not take the car in for this problem until the drivers side window fell down while attempting to roll it down. After spending 741 dollars to repair those problems I drove the car approximately 50 miles and steam came from under the hood. The car was towed back to the dealer. The dealer evaluated the problem and advised me that the intake manifold was broken. …”