I guess we were lucky. At 105,260 miles, during the test drive after a major tuneup, the plastic intake on our 1997 grand marquis intake manifold cracked. The mechanic was almost at the shop, so no other damage was done except to our pocketbook. Upon looking at the consistency of the manifold failure, and that the plastic manifold, if the vehicle was out of warrenty, has been covered for cars in service, such as police cars, but not for passenger cars, and that ford motor company has known about this defect for some time and, from what I can determine, did not issue any recalls, I'm inclined to believe this is a class action law suit waiting to happen.
1997 Mercury Grand Marquis engine complaints
Page 4 of 5: complaints 71 to 100 of 126, newest first, as owners wrote them.
While driving consumer noticed black smoke coming from the engine. Pulled the vehicle over, opened the hood and noticed that the intake manifold failed.
97 mercury marquis gs, it has 91k mi on it. The intake manifold failed unexpectedly with a crack in the plastic coolant crossover. The coolant sprayed all over inside of engine compartment. It was the weekend I was on a rural highway in the sticks with my two kids ages 4 & 6 in the car somewhere between boston & the university of nh. Not wanting to become stranded in sub zero degree weather in the middle of no where, I managed to crawl it into the driveway of a local mechanic where it died & would not start, the motor was super hot! The mechanic added coolant managed to get the engine turn over after sitting for the weekend & called to tell me the plastic intake manifold was cracked & that is was not covered under recall by ford. It cost me over $1200 for the expenses incurred as a result(parts & labor, hotel & rental car expenses). The engine miraculously has been running fine for close to a year now with a newly factory redesigned (aluminum coolant crossover) ford intake manifold.
Vehicle overheated while driving due to a crack in the intake manifold. *ak the consumer was driving the vehicle when she smelled anti-freeze, she pulled over and then the vehicle over heated. *scc
The engine on my '97 grand marquis blew up with 37,057 miles on it. According to the service dept, a valve stuck open, the engine backfired into the intake and blew it out. I need to replace the intake and the cylinder head, and have been quoted about $3500 to repair it. According to the ford factory rep, ford will not participate in the repair because the car is over 6 years old.
I was driving home from work when the heat gauge started rising rapidly. I pulled over and opened the hood of the car. I had to call a tow truck. The car is still in the shop due to the fact the part is in high demand. It is now a item that ford stocks and they can't keep enough to supply the demand. It cost me $700. This should not be made of plastic! It is an important component and has to be able to handle heat. This was not a wise choice on ford's part.
The plastic intake manifold cracked behind the alternator resulting in loss of coolant fluid. The repair cost is $700. These manifolds have a history of this problem and needed to be recalled.
Independent shop replaced the intake plastic manifold, coolant went inside engine.
Owner said intake manifold cracked.
While driving engine light came on and remained on. Could hear a knocking noise coming from under the hood. Had taken vehicle to dealership, and mechanic indicated it was the catalytic converter, but the problem had not been repaired.
The consumer noticed that there was not antifreeze in the vehicle and could smell coolant inside the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who informed the consumer that the vehicles plastic intake manifold cracked. As a result of the failure coolant leaked into the engine and the vehicle overheated. The manufacturer made smfe finiancial adjustments for some vehicless but not for the consumers vehicle. *ak
While driving at highway speeds consumer heard a snapping noise. When this occurred vehicle started pulling to the right. Upon inspection of the vehicle by the dealership there was a hole in the intake manifold, and the fluid had leaked out.
When driving 55 MPH and without warning intake manifold cracked, causing oil to leak. Dealer has been notified.
Intake manifold cracked causing the car to overheat. Found on numerous websites that ford is aware of the problem, which seems to happen frequently. However, the recall for the part is only for service vehicles and does not cover private vehicles. The part number is the same for both vehicles and is a hazard on the vehicle regardless of whether it is commercial or not. Private vehicles should be covered by the recall.
I have a 1997 grand marquis with less than 60,000 miles. The intake manifold cracked july 14, 2003 while returning from a weekend vacation. I was in the middle of nowhere with my 3 year old son, 5 year old daughter and 4 month old puppy. The temperature outside was a over 95 degrees. We had a long tow to the dealership and were told the manifold was cracked. Ford has recalled all police and fleet vehicles for this problem - individuals do not rank for the recall. (discrimination? I believe many would think so!) ford has admitted a problem by recalling police and fleet vehicles. If they won't do a full recall for us "regular folks", they should at least reimburse us for the repairs and, if applicable, towing and car rental costs.
While entering onto the highway from a service road, smoke/steam began coming from underneath the hood, and we began to smell the antifreeze as it burned off the engine and manifold. The engine light came on, and engine temperature guage began to rise rapidly. Luckily, I was able to drive to a nearby ford dealer. The repair guy looked under the hood and without close examination told me that the intake's base was made of plastic and that it had failed and began leaking engine coolant. The leak was right behind the alternator. He said that it is a "common" problem and that he had seen five such incidents in recent months. He did explain that ford recognized the problem and had come out with a replacement part with an aluminum base. The total repair bill was $816.56 - no offer to replace n/c because of a known defect. The repair guy did say it is a common problem and ford should do something about it.
1997 mercury grand marquis - 76,000 miles - cracked intake manifold causing coolant to be dumped, engine to overheat rapidly and with no warning. Not known yet if engine has been damaged. Please advise if there is any recourse through ford motor company or through litigation.
While driving approx. 55 MPH and without prior warning check engine light appeared on the dashboard, and antifreeze was leaking from underneath the vehicle.
Intake manifold split while driving causing vehicle to overheat. Dealer notified.
As a result of a crack which occurred in the plastic intake manifold of 1997, mercury, grand marquis, vehicle broke down on the freeway. Subsequently had to have manifold/ head gasket, and manifold gaskets replaced at a cost of almost $2,000. Of significant concern, was the danger to when the problem occurred during high traffic on a busy freeway!
I would also like to be on a notification list when the recall on intake manifolds for 4.6l ford/mercury engines finally happens. The plastic intake manifold cracked and leaked water outside the engine.
The intake manifold cracked while driving at about 65 miles an hour, with no warning. I was not aware of the coolant lose until A/C started blowing hot air. After walking 6 miles to a phone and a 2 hour wait for a tow truck, I was able to get the car to the dealer. When I told service rep what happened,, he said "you got a cracked manifold." if this has happened so often that the service rep can tell you what went wrong with out raising the hood, then there is a problem! Ford motor company should be made to correct the problem or give free replacements and free labor every time this happens. The web site, "my autostats.com" has 138 complaints listed at this time,on this problem and no investigations or findings are listed. This car is targeted towards the older driver and no one would want this to happen to their parents or even grand parents.
I would like to be on a notification list when the recall on intake manifolds for 4.6l ford/merc engines finally happens. Our '97 grand marquis intake manifold cracked, while on the highway and we (fortunately) had just returned from a back roads area. We had to get towed to a ford dealership where for $700 they replaced the 'composite' plastic manifold. I also have a 2001 g.marquis, if it's covered by the rumored forth coming recall.
The plastic intake manifold cracked, and leaked water inside the engine.
I own a 1997 grand marquis with 36,000 miles. When exiting my car I would smell plastic burning. This happened more frequently when I drove longer. I brought the car to the dealership and was told the head gasket was leaking and needed to be replaced. I have an extended warranty which covered most of the cost, but I still needed to pay for parts that weren't covered. When asked how this could have happened with a car having such low mileage, they had no answer, just that it happens. I had my car serviced at the dealership in november of 2002 for an oil change and fluid check and also, upon their recommendation, had my transmission fluid changed. I would like to know if there have been any other complaints of head gaskets leaking in this model and if someone can please tell my why this would happen.
Intake manifold coolant crossover rupture at 79000 miles.
The plastic part on the 4.6 liter engine of my 1997 grand marquis failed in a remote part of arizona which resulted in complete engine replacement. I understand that all 4.6 engines in crown victoria's, mercury's, lincoln's, and ford trucks had this part on which many failed. Ford motor co. So much as admitted that this part was unacceptable, because the plastic part was replaced with a metal one. However they decline to do anything if the car is beyond warranty. I understand that they had a hidden warranty for police cars and taxis with no mileage restrictions. Help !!!!!!!
The plastic intake manifold cracked, which caused coolant to leak onto the engine. *jb
Plastic manifold cracked open releasing all cooling fluid driving 30 MPH, outside temp 58 degrees... Despite the unwise - if not stupid - decision to save costs by manufacturing one of the hottest parts on a car, plastic, this car should definitely be recalled for that reason, and the dealership should be told to repair this defect at their cost or to reimburse customers who already had to pay this $ 600.00+ for replacing this part with a metal one.
We also had the plastic intake manifold crack on the interstate at a repair cost of about $950.00 ford has recalled fleet bought 4.6l engines, however individual owners have to pay $$$ for the same issue.
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