Tl* the contact owns a 1996 mercury grand marquis equipped with a duralast ball joint, part number fa2101. The contact stated that the stud on the front passenger side lower ball joint broke after being used for 253 miles. The parts dealer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the manufacturer would like to examine the ball joint because they believed it was installed incorrectly. The contact expressed concerns about the stud breaking, not the actual ball joint. The current mileage on the vehicle was 102,511. The VIN was unavailable.
1996 Mercury Grand Marquis suspension problems
15 complaints (6% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 102,511.
- owner complaints
- 15
- of this car's complaints
- 6%
- typical mileage
- 102,511
- crashes
- 0
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
- Front7
- Front: control arm: upper ball joint2
- Front: control arm: lower ball joint2
- Rear: shock absorber1
- Front: control arm: lower arm1
- Front: control arm1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
Mercury Grand Marquis suspension problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 1996 Mercury Grand Marquis suspension
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Related investigations
Ball joint separation
See attached report.
RQ03002
What 1996 Mercury Grand Marquis owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
I own a 1996 mercury grand marquis. The steering in the vehicle began locking up at a certain spot when turning. This would cause me to push the steering wheel into the turn a little harder which unlocked the steering causing me to veer left or right. I took the car several times to different shops. They would lift the car and check the suspension and give it a clean bill of health. The problem persisted and got much worse. I took the car to yet another shop and insisted they take it out and drive it a long distance. The mechanic didn't get out of the parking lot, came back and made me leave the car. He insisted it was a problem with the steering box and this was replaced. I picked up the car on a friday and on saturday drove over the mountains. It was a hairy ride, the problem was not fixed and the curvy roads made driving downright dangerous. I took the car to a mechanic at my destination and he inspected the car but this time he disconnected the tie rod ends so he could rotate the wheels with weight on them. One of the ball joints on the drivers side was nearly locked solid. The drivers side ball joints were replaced and that fixed the problem.
Dt: while driving the brake lines failed and had to be replaced. The owner came outside and saw the brake fluid on the ground and realized that the brake lines failed. The owner drove the vehicle with no brakes to the dealership and they repaired it. Then the owner realized that the brake lines were rusted.*ak the left rear seat belt was replaced twice. The wiper motor, wiper switch, drivers side mirror switch and rotors were all replaced. The turn signal switch, driver window switch , tail light , catalytic converter were replaced. The consumer was told the ball joints and shocks were bad. The battery was replaced.
Upper ball joints failed at 70,000 miles. Dealer stated that was normal.
1996 mercury grand marquis ls, VIN: [xxx] front tie rod separation from wheel when front passenger side seal ball joint snaps in half. Estimated speed at time of ball joint failure was between 1-5 MPH in a parking lot. First noticed when backing out of parking space, handling was poor, tie rod separated completely. Car is being serviced by nys dot certified c and d automotive, state route 104, ontario, ny 14519. This vehicle was in late june, early july of 1999 for a replacement of the front drivers side ball joint seal due to loud noises coming from front drivers side wheel area and quivering steering feel. *jb information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
While backing out of driveway left ball joint fell out of vehicle. Dealer contacted.*ak consumer also stated left tir rod end and ball joint failed, and also the right side is in poor condition, dealer replaced the outer and inner tie rod ends.
While pulling into driveway at slow speed heard a loud noise from front of vehicle. Had vehicle towed to dealer, who determined that weld holding lower control arm on driver's side had broken.
Pulling out into a street while travelling 10mph front end started to make crunching noise. Steering wheel would not turn smoothly and had to be forced. Contacted dealer , they replaced tie rods. A month later, the same problem. Replaced with a standard lower ball joint instead heavy duty lower ball joint. Mechanic said it was a design flaw.
The entire wheel fell off due to lack of lubrication in the suspension sysdtem, and is the result of manufacturer having no grease fittings. Yh
Shock absorbers failed resulting in poor control of vehicle .
Questions about the 1996 Mercury Grand Marquis suspension
Does the 1996 Mercury Grand Marquis have suspension problems?
Owners have filed 15 complaints about the suspension of the 1996 Mercury Grand Marquis, 6% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 1996 Mercury Grand Marquis suspension problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 102,511 miles.
Was there a recall on the 1996 Mercury Grand Marquis suspension?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
What year does the Mercury Grand Marquis have bad suspension?
The Mercury Grand Marquis model years with the most suspension complaints are 2003 (28 complaints), 1997 (26 complaints) and 1999 (18 complaints).
Other 1996 Mercury Grand Marquis problems
Engine 86Brakes 23Fuel system 21Steering 21Acceleration 19Lights 19Electrical 16Transmission 15Visibility 10Airbags 6Body 5Seat belts 5Tires 3Wheels 3Locks 1Seats 1
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