2003 Mercury Marauder Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year report two themes most often: headlights that cut out while driving, usually traced to the lighting control module, and rear axle, bearing and differential problems in the rear end assembly. Owners also describe premature inner-edge tire wear tied to alignment settings and difficulty buying the staggered-size rear tires. Many reports come from cars with well over 60,000 miles, though the lighting and alignment complaints appear at low and high mileage alike.

1. 1
   Exterior lighting

   Headlights and other lights cut out while driving

   • 12 complaints (20%)
   • median 82,000 mi at 9.0 yrs old (9 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2007–2017

   Owners describe the headlights, and sometimes the parking lights, markers and interior lights, shutting off unexpectedly while driving at night. In several reports the high-beam switch or the auto-lamp setting would not bring them back on, and the lights returned on their own after a delay. Complaints attribute the symptom to the lighting control module; some owners say a dealer quoted a replacement part, others say the dealer could not reproduce the failure. Reported from roughly 33,000 to 130,000 miles, with several cases around 100,000 miles or more.

   What to check: Ask whether the lighting control module has been replaced, and test the headlights, high beams and auto-lamp setting at night before buying. Note that several owners mention recall 15V861000 for exterior lighting and report waiting for parts.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I'm having issues with the headlights. When you try to use the bright lights the headlights go out. It seems my issue would fit under the lcm recall for 2003-2005 Mercury grand marquis. When you enter the VIN it shows no recalls. I'm hoping this is an oversight since the Marauder is a version of grand marquis.”

   NHTSA complaint #11041898, filed 2017-11, 117,000 miles

   “I was entering onto a parkway at 05:30 hours, day-break, when my headlights shut off. I turned the on/off switch, flicked the hi-beams, no lights. I pulled the driving lamps switch, they came on. I drove for about 10 seconds and the headlights came on. I have not driven this vehicle at night since this event. I took my car to a local service center and we experimented with the head lights. Car running, drivers window down...turned head lights on, parking lights came on but head lights did not come on. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10511424, filed 2013-05, 103,000 miles
2. 2
   Suspension

   Rear axle, bearing and differential problems

   • 11 complaints (18%)
   • median 55,758 mi at 3.5 yrs old (10 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2003–2010

   Complaints describe rear axle and wheel bearing wear, differential noise and, in some cases, complete rear end failure that left the car unable to drive. Owners often link this to recall 04V328000, which covers the Crown Victoria and Town Car on the same platform, and say they were told the Marauder was not included and that the repair was at their own cost. One report describes a spare axle pin found loose inside the rear differential. Mostly reported between about 45,000 and 100,000 miles.

   What to check: Listen for whine, howl or clunking from the rear while driving and turning, and ask for service records on axle, bearing or differential work. Note that owners report a rear axle shaft and bearing bulletin (article 03-5-5) for vehicles built before January 2003.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “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. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10025253, filed 2003-07, 4,917 miles

   “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!!!!!!!”

   NHTSA complaint #10280599, filed 2009-08, 91,800 miles
3. 3
   Suspension

   Front tires wear unevenly on the inner edges

   • 6 complaints (10%)
   • median 13,182 mi at 0.9 yrs old (5 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2003–2010

   Owners describe rapid wear on the inside edge of the front tires, sometimes with a steady pull to one side, and say alignment readings were reported as within specification. Several reports note repeated alignments followed by the same wear pattern, and one owner mentions a steering rack replacement early on. Tires were replaced at low mileage in some cases. Reported from a few hundred miles up to about 38,000 miles on the affected tire sets.

   What to check: Inspect both front tires for wear along the inner edges and ask for recent alignment paperwork; have the alignment checked at a shop familiar with this platform before buying.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Since buying the car in 2004 with 10k miles on it, I've put 120k on it. It's eaten thru 5 sets of tires. I've had them aligned every time I changed tires.. Had two axle rod's break. Radio failed. Ac will constantly turn on randomly.”

   NHTSA complaint #10356608, filed 2010-09, 100,000 miles

   “Insufficient front end alignment procedures to accommodate lack of appropriate alignment equipment necessary to handle the 2003 Mercury Marauder wheels. As such, I did not find out my alignment was out on my new Marauder until the tires had worn off the inside corner tread and was noticed by the Mercury technician. I had to purchase a new set of tires at 13,182 miles and then locate a non-Mercury dealer who had the clips necessary to attach to the Marauder wheels to accommodate alignment. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10030525, filed 2003-07, 13,182 miles
4. 4
   Tires

   Hard to find replacement rear tires

   Mentioned in 4 of 52 sampled complaints

   Owners report that the original rear tire size is made by only one supplier and is frequently on backorder, sometimes for months. Complaints describe searching for individual tires and worrying about driving on mismatched or worn rears, and one owner notes no other production vehicle uses that size. Mileage not stated in most of these reports; the concern is tied to replacement availability rather than a mileage point.

   What to check: Check the size and condition of all four tires and confirm a source for rear replacements before committing; mismatched sizes are something to look for on any example.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The tires for my six year old car are on back order for most of the year, every year!!! The last time they came off back order it only lasted for four days!!! This is the only brand that comes in my stock rear size so you can see my frustration. My car is almost not drivable and not safe because of their business practices.”

   NHTSA complaint #10258617, filed 2009-02

   “Rear tires for 2003 Mercury Marauder I have 65,000 miles on my car and need to replace my rear tires for the car for the second time I cannot find the tires anywhere, not even bfg they are always on backorder. The last time it took 5 months searching for these tires one here and one there. No other production vehicle uses these tires. It is frustrating worrying about tire failure on a fairly new vehicle especially when you know if it does fail you cannot drive the car unless you get unmatched tires. Help!!!!!”

   NHTSA complaint #10258558, filed 2009-02

Buying note. Check the lighting control module and all exterior lights carefully, and have the rear end inspected for axle, bearing or differential noise, since those are the two most frequently described problems. Confirm front tire wear and rear tire availability, and ask for service records before deciding.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 52 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.