While driving my vehicle headlights turn off and back on, sometimes off for minutes sometimes flickering.
2003 Mercury Grand Marquis: headlights failing or too dim
173 of the 362 complaints about the 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis describe headlights failing or too dim.
- owner complaints
- 173
- of this car's complaints
- 48%
- typical repair cost reported
- $600
- typical mileage
- 96,000
- recalls
- 1
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall and 7 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below
Headlights failing or too dim by model year
What owners say
The contact owns a 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis. The contact that the headlights were intermittently inoperable. Additionally, the contact stated that the instrument panel lights, the brake lights, and the turn signal lights were inoperable. The contact who is a mechanic, had inspected the fuses, the fuse box, and other unknown parts, but found no failures. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 15V861000 (Exterior Lighting); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.
The contact owns a 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis The contact stated that both the headlamps and the taillights intermittently failed to operate as needed. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was diagnosed. The dealer placed a processor on the vehicle and rewired the lights however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 127,000.
The headlights shut off without warning
The contact owns a 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front headlights shutoff independently while turned on. No warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact who is an independent mechanic determined that the lighting control module (LCM) needed to be replaced. Upon further investigation, the contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 15V861000 (Exterior Lighting); however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 285,000.
The contact owns a 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis. The contact stated while attempting to pull out of the parking lot, the headlights and the taillights became inoperable. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The VIN was not included in the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 15V861000 (Exterior Lighting). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 100,000.
Head lights suddenly went out while driving at night causing near accident, happening frequently. Also, the gas tank leaks when I put gas in car, making it smell badly and making it dangerous if someone drops a cigarette near it.
The contact owns a 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact noticed that the headlights were inoperable. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the lighting control module had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 106,000.
The contact owns a 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the headlights failed to operate as needed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the lighting control module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle had previously been repaired under the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 15V861000 (Exterior Lighting). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 181,000.
The contact owns a 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis. The contact stated that the headlights and taillights were inoperable, and the trunk failed to open. Additionally, all the doors failed to manually lock, and while utilizing the key fob, the door locks were inoperable. The door-ajar message was displayed. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline. The contact stated that the failure was related to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 15V861000 (Exterior Lighting). The approximate failure mileage was 179,000. The VIN was not available.
Its the LCM L(IGHT CONTROL MODULE)...HEAD LIGHTS went out on me one night coming down [XXX] causing me to wreck in a ditch and hitting a light pole INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis. The contact stated that upon turning on the headlights, the taillights intermittently failed to illuminate. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact called two local dealers and was informed that there were no open recalls associated with the VIN. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure and a complaint was filed. The manufacturer informed the contact that the vehicle was previously repaired under the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 15V861000 (Exterior Lighting). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 148,000.
Service bulletins that may apply
- Ford: the lighting control module has extended warranty coverage, on certain vehicles, due to a possible...
- Intermittent rapid flashing of the turn signals
- Moisture in the headlamps
- Erratic headlamp operation in autolamp mode
- Lamp-brake-invadvertent disabling of brake shift interlock
- Some retail customers may perceive the operation of the dash light dimming feature as being faulty
- On some vehicles the headlamps remain illuminated when wipers are activated and then deactivated
Related recalls
Exterior lighting: headlights
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2003-2005 Ford Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis vehicles manufactured October 3, 2001, to August 2, 2005. The affected vehicles have a lighting control module (LCM) that may fail, resulting in a loss of headlights.
- Risk
- A loss of headlights can reduce driver visibility and increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the LCM, free of charge. The recall began April 14, 2017. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15S39.
Recall number 15V861000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis headlights
Is headlights failing or too dim a common problem on the 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis?
173 of 362 owner complaints about the 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis (48%) mention headlights failing or too dim. The model year with the most reports is 2005.
How much does it cost to fix headlights failing or too dim on the 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $600 (median of 16 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis?
There is 1 recall and 7 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis
Stalling 12Sudden acceleration 12Grinding brakes 7Power steering loss 6Wipers 6
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