2007 Mercury Grand Marquis Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often report two very different kinds of trouble: early tire valve-stem failures that leave tires flat, mostly in the first few tens of thousands of miles, and paint blistering, peeling and rust on the hood, roof and trunk at moderate mileage. A smaller but recurring group of complaints describes unintended or sudden acceleration, and some owners report steering problems at higher mileage.

1. 1
   Tires

   Tire valve stems crack and tires go flat

   • 23 complaints (24%)
   • median 15,750 mi at 2.1 yrs old (22 state mileage)
   • filed 2008–2013

   Owners describe tires losing air suddenly, sometimes at highway speed, and repair shops or dealers finding a cracked or split valve stem rather than a puncture. Many report the same thing happening to more than one tire, often on the original factory tires, and several had all four stems replaced. Some say the dealer replaced stems and tires under warranty, while others report being told it was a tire-maker problem and having to pay. Mostly reported under about 25,000 miles, often on the original tires and with little or no warning.

   What to check: Inspect the valve stems on all four tires for cracks or discoloration, and ask whether the stems were ever replaced; new stems are inexpensive compared with a ruined tire.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “On may 28, 2007, the passenger side rear tire went flat on my 2007 Mercury marquis, the tire repair shop said the valve stem was bad. On june 8, 2008 the driver side rear tire went flat and it was also a bad valve stem. The car was bought used with app. 16,000 miles and I am sure the tires are the original from the factory. As a precaution I replaced the two remaining valve stems.”

   NHTSA complaint #10232403, filed 2008-06, 20,000 miles

   “Left front tire on my 2007 Mercury Grand Marquis ls blew out while doing approximately 55 MPH on highway 85. I slowed down until I could pull off the road onto the shoulder. At the same time I found that the right rear tire was very low.I installed the donut spare on the left front and pumped up the right rear tire and slowly drove to the nearest gas station to inflate both tires to proper pressure. I then went home. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10260415, filed 2009-03, 3,650 miles
2. 2
   Vehicle speed control

   Sudden or unintended acceleration

   • 17 complaints (18%)
   • median 34,215 mi at 5.6 yrs old (14 state mileage)
   • 4 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2007–2022

   Owners describe the car surging or accelerating forcefully on its own, sometimes while pulling up to a light, parking, or shifting into drive, and in some cases the brake pedal had to be pressed hard or repeatedly. A few mention the pedal itself going to the floor and staying there, and others say the pedals sit close together so braking and accelerating can be confused. Complaints vary on what dealers found, from no fault reproduced to transmission linkage repairs. Reported across a wide mileage range, from a few hundred miles up to over 100,000, and in low-speed parking or stop situations as well as at cruising speed.

   What to check: During a test drive, check pedal feel and spacing and make sure the throttle returns freely; ask whether any throttle or pedal work has been done, and have the linkage inspected if the car has ever surged.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Gas pedal went all the way to the floor and would not release. I kept hitting the pedal to try and release it for about 2 miles. I kept my foot on the brake to try and slow the car down, but that didn't help. The floor mat was not under the pedal because it is too short to reach it. After hitting the pedal as hard as I could numerous times it released.”

   NHTSA complaint #10479900, filed 2012-10, 112,000 miles

   “When I go to apply the brakes, if my foot is not on the brake pedal just right my foot ends up on the gas pedal and my car lunges forward. This has happened quit a few times since I owned this car. I feel the brake and gas pedals are too close together. I don't know if there have been any other complaints, but I feel it is a real problem and could cause me to wreck my car.”

   NHTSA complaint #10261353, filed 2009-03, 24,442 miles
3. 3
   Body and structure

   Paint blistering, peeling and rust on body panels

   • 16 complaints (17%)
   • median 48,000 mi at 4.3 yrs old (13 state mileage)
   • filed 2009–2015

   Complaints describe paint lifting, blistering or flaking from the hood, roof, trunk and door areas, sometimes with rust underneath, and occasionally paint sticking to the windshield in wet weather. Several owners say a dealer described the paint as delaminating and needing a repaint, while others report being told help was not available unless the panel had rusted through. A service bulletin on aluminum body panels describes similar bubbling and peeling paint and recommends panel replacement. Usually reported somewhere between roughly 35,000 and 70,000 miles, often on vehicles a few years old and in silver or metallic colors.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Look closely along the hood, roof and trunk edges for bubbles or lifting paint, and check panel seams and the underside for rust that may be hidden by the paint.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “First the paint started pealing on driver side door. I thought it was tape because the window was broken, and I had to put plastic over the window until glass dealer could get window. Now the hood is peeling too. The color is silver metallic it was purchased brand new in massachusetts.”

   NHTSA complaint #10394016, filed 2011-04, 37,000 miles

   “I purchased the vehicle in october 2013, owning it for a couple of months I noticed where snow had started melting I could something grey and realized that the paint was peeling and I could see what I thought was primer or something I called the dealership bob boyd in lancaster, ohio since my car was still warranty with them which that got me know where. Then I called the ford customer line to see if there was a recall on the paint.”

   NHTSA complaint #10701820, filed 2015-03, 78,000 miles
4. 4
   Air bags

   Air bag warning light on (front seat or belt fault)

   • 6 complaints (6%)
   • median 58,500 mi at 7.0 yrs old (4 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2010–2017

   Owners report the air bag warning light staying on after startup, with dealers tracing it to a fault in the front passenger seat belt assembly or the passenger-side air bag circuit. Complaints describe quotes for repairs at the owner's expense after the vehicle was out of warranty, and owners were told no recall applied. A service bulletin is not listed for this symptom, so diagnosis matters. Typically reported between about 60,000 and 90,000 miles, often noticed when the light comes on at startup and stays lit.

   What to check: Confirm the air bag light goes out after the bulb-check at startup; if it stays on, ask for the stored fault codes and which seat or belt component is flagged before agreeing to a price.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “About 3 years ago my air bag light came on and has been on ever since. I took my car to my dealership, marshall brothers. I told the service guy that the light stays on. He said that he has been seeing this problem in other mercuries and that they should be issuing a recall. He said that both seats in the front had to be taken out and that it would cost $1500 for the repair. While waiting for the recall, marshall brothers went out of business. I am still waiting for the recall while driving around with this air bag light on. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10906969, filed 2016-09, 13,000 miles

   “Front passenger belt will not restrain abrupt forward motion. Air bag indicator light shows system not activated while driving. Ford dealership says this is a common complaint but is not covered by ford motor company policy. Other complaints on this site regarding front passenger belts with the same problem indicate that this situation will become more common until a death occurs. Then ford will issue an apology, after it is too late.”

   NHTSA complaint #10648330, filed 2014-10, 56,000 miles
5. 5
   Steering

   Steering stiffness, shake or column wear

   • 6 complaints (6%)
   • median 112,000 mi at 11.4 yrs old (4 state mileage, few)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2010–2025

   Complaints describe the steering wheel becoming stiff and hard to turn, or shaking and vibrating while turning, with dealers pointing to a faulty steering column or corrosion in the column internals, and in one case a power steering pressure switch. Some owners report no assistance from the manufacturer. Recalls and service bulletins cover corrosion-related wear in the intermediate steering shaft on these vehicles. Most reports come at higher mileage, roughly 80,000 miles and up, though one owner reported stiffness under 20,000 miles.

   Recall 14V704000Recall 13V3850003 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether the steering shaft recall or regional program work was completed, and check for play, stiffness or vibration when turning the wheel at low and highway speeds.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “On september 29, 2017 around 9-10 pm , my husband had just picked me up from work and I was 6 months pregnant, we were driving down the highway and a car on the opposite side of the highway pulled out from the light and hit us on the driver side wheel and fender and broke the steering knuckle, the rack and pinion and broke the steering wheel loose, also the suspension. My car was disabled from the accident. I also had to be rushed to the hospital because I was having contractions so they wanted to make sure my baby was okay. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11096967, filed 2018-05, 152,000 miles

   “The contact owns a 2007 Mercury Grand Marquis. The contact stated that the steering column seized and the steering wheel required excessive effort to turn and safely operate the vehicle. The failure occurred without warning. The dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 84,000. The VIN was not provided.”

   NHTSA complaint #11127890, filed 2018-09, 84,000 miles

Buying note. This model year's complaints split between low-mileage tire valve failures and paint and rust problems at mid mileage, so check both carefully on any candidate car. Steering and air bag warning items are more likely on higher-mileage examples, so ask for recall and service records and have the steering and air bag system checked before purchase.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.