Vehicle headlights went out at highway speeds with no apparent warning. Pulled over and examined lights, only fog lights working. Turned off vehicle and restarted, lights worked. Sporadic lights working, then not working. Able to manually pull and hold dimmer switch to activate bright lights. After researching this problem on the internet I have discovered the problem is the same all across the country in the 2003-05 mercury grand marquis. The lighting control module (lcm) is problematic and poses a safety concern for many owners. Ford charges $700-800 to replace this module when I and many of the internet (http://www.carproblemzoo.com/mercury/grandmarquis/headlight-switch-problems.php) owners feel a recall is a valid request.
2004 Mercury Grand Marquis lights complaints
Page 6 of 8: complaints 131 to 160 of 209, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Headlights do not turn on , internet reports light control unit fails this is a major safety issue.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mercury gran marquis. The contact stated that while driving 50 MPH, the headlights failed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection, who stated the headlight control module would require replacing. The headlight control module was replaced. The failure was reported to the manufacturer. The failure mileage was 92,000. The current mileage was 92,100.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mercury grand marquis. The contact stated that the headlights failed. The headlights stayed on if the high beams were activated. The contact changed the fuses and the light bulbs but the failure continued. The vehicle had not been to the dealer. The failure and current mileages were 81,000.
While driving home approx 10:30 pm my headlamps flicked on & of then went out totally and will not come back on, obviously a serious safety issue !
Driving home in the evening on a rural 2 lane highway in ms. And my headlights goes off. No warning just went out. Tried to manually turn them on, but nothing happened. This incident could have turned out very different, if I wasn't familiar with the area...this problem seems to be bigger than just me...there was an investigation by your agency the federal safety agency action #: pe08066, 11/26/08 to 3/24/09. This investigation was closed with basically no action taken at all. Just because nobody has died, or been reported injured, doesn't mean this issue is not a safety issue.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mercury grand marquis. While driving approximately 50 MPH, the headlights suddenly failed. The headlights became operable within ten minutes. The malfunction occurred four times. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer twice for the same failure. The second time a diagnostic test was performed, the technician stated the computer chip needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the defect. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000..... Updated 03-28-13 *bf the consumer stated at no time when the lights went off did an indicator on the dash board come on. The dealer advised the lighting control module needed to be replaced. Updated 04/09/2013
Headlights go off unexpectedly while driving at night. Experimenting found that high beam (unsafe when driving on 2 way road) may be kept on by holding the turn signal lever in the up position (thus occupying the left hand while driving) internet search indicates that this is a fairly common problem with this make and model, and that replacement of the light control module is expensive ($700 - $900) and not always a long term fix. Should be a ford recall item.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mercury grand marquis. The contact stated that the high and low beam headlights became overheated and failed. The vehicle was not taken to a mechanic and was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was 125,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mercury grand marquis. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the headlights were activated and suddenly became inoperative. The failure recurred intermittently. The manufacturer was made aware of the problem and informed the contact that there was not a recall related to the malfunction. Also, the dealer was notified of the issue who advised that the headlight control module would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 72,000. Updated 07/17/2013
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mercury grand marquis. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 MPH with the headlights activated, there was a sudden failure in the headlight illumination. The contact continued to drive and within several minutes, the headlights operated normally. An authorized dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the headlight control module would need to be replaced. The manufacturer was also notified of the malfunction. The vehicle had not been repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 62,000.
The headlights go and intermittently. They come on initially but only say on, on average, for about 5-10 minutes and will stay off for about 3-4 minutes. The headlight switch has been replaced but the problem is still occurring. No other mechanical work has been done since replacing the switch.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mercury grand marquis. The contact stated that the head lights failed. The contact attempted to turn them back on but to no avail. The contact allowed the vehicle to sit inoperable for several hours, in which the headlights then became operable. The vehicle was taken not taken to a dealer or a mechanic for inspection. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 75,000.
My mother-in-law has a 2004 grand marquis & last night when she started the car to go home after visiting us, the headlights would not come on at all....additionally, the interior lights have come on all by themselves intermittently, and consequently, the battery is drained each time it happens. The interior problem may or may not fix itself by starting/shutting off/opening/closing door. All I did was type "2004 mercury grand marquis" in yahoo search & a multitude of similar problems came up in the results: all stating a defective light control module (lcm). I am going to take the one out of her car today & take it apart & inspect it for cracked ("cold solder") solder joints as almost anything with a pc board ( (made in the last 25 years especially) tends to develop cracked solder because they are made cheaply by using as little solder possible to hold the joint together (when new, anyways) . Yet another cheap, modern junk electronic item pumped out in bulk by the thousands that the manufacturer will not support, unless it fails within the warranty period! I cannot believe ford motor company won't issue a recall for this problem as it is not an isolated problem, according to my research! Maybe once someone dies in a car wreck from the lights going out while they're going down a freeway @ 70mph, someone will get a good lawyer and sue the pants off of ford motor company!! Class action lawsuit, anybody?
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mercury grand marquis. The contact stated that illuminated sporadically without warning. The vehicle was taken to a local repair shop, who diagnosed that the lighting control module was defective and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and did not offer any assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 86,500 and the current mileage was 87,000.
On three or four occasions over a month or so, my headlights, which I turned on manually, went out while I was driving. The last time it occurred, I was on a dark, unlit, two-lane road and thought I would not get home alive. I pulled over, turned off the engine, turned on my emergency flashers and interior lights so that other vehicles would see me. When the road was clear, I started the car again, turned on the headlamps and proceeded to continue my ride home. The lights again went out and I repeated the process until I was home safely. After that, I drove only during daylight. I went to a spartan auto care center and after a diagnostic scan, was told that I needed to replace the head light control module. I was told that this was a common problem with the grand marquis. I elected to take it to a ford dealer when I finally could afford to repair it. The dealer replaced the head light control module on march 30, 2012 at a cost of $760.43. I have seen a litany of complaints from other owners, so this is not an isolated problem. I think this is a dangerous defect and we should be reimbursed for the expense involved.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mercury grand marquis. The contact stated that the headlight could not be turned off and sporadically, the headlight would not illuminate. The battery had to be disconnected in order to turn the headlights off. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer nor repaired. The failure mileage was not available and the current mileage was 54.095.
The headlights turned off ,while driving 20 MPH,and would not come back on..I have noticed on the internet that there are alot of complaints about this same problem,why no recall,what if I was driving 55 MPH,things could have turned out very bad..my car will sit in front of my house until a cure is found..thank you
Lights went out while driving down a major highway, only brights would work, then they went off. After clicking them off and on they came back on for a while , then off again. What a dangerous situation this is!! Please do a recall on this as I have seen numerous complaints about this happening to people. I can not go anywhere at night in my car, only trust daytime driving now!
2004 grand marquis, original owner, 60002 miles. Low beam headlights ( in rain ) just turned off by themselves. High beam was okay. Cars approaching from opposite direction continued to blink their lights at us - telling us our lights were not on ( state of florida requires headlights to be on during rain storm ). Called dealer upon reaching home - he did not seem surprised. Said bring it in and we will replace the " lighting control module ". After several minutes on the phone was informed that the cost would be approx. $700. And that type repair is common on the ford and mercury automobiles. Lights just going off - rain, fog or night driving is unsafe. This problem is a traffic problem for the driver as well as fellow drivers sharing the road.
Both headlights went out at night without warning, dangerous condition. The dealer replaced the lighting control module which had failed #4w7z13c788.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mercury grand marquis. The contact stated that while driving approximately 5 MPH, the headlights stopped illuminating. The contact had to constantly hold the headlight switch to keep the headlights illuminated. The vehicle had not been inspected by a dealer nor had it been repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was approximately 51,000. Updated 02/15/12*lj updated 02/17/12
2004 mercury grand marquis. Consumer writes in regards to failure of headlights *tgw the consumer stated the headlights would just randomly go out and come back on after a minute or two. The consumer was informed lighting control module needed to be replaced.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mercury grand marquis. The contact stated that the headlights would fail sporadically and without warning. The vehicle was not inspected for the failure. The contact stated that he believed that the failure was caused by the sensors. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The current mileage was 57,000 and the failure mileage was unknown.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mercury grand marquis. The contact stated that while driving, the headlights failed without warning. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and the dealer could not locate a problem with the headlights. The contact replaced the light switch but that did not remedy the problem. The failure mileage was 103,000. The VIN was not available.
The headlights failed during operation of the vehicle while in light rain at night in town. I did not notice the lights failed, on coming traffic flashed their lights to tell me my lights were off. Pulling over to the curb I wiggled the cabling under the dash and the lights came on, I then proceeded to move again and the light went off. After a few attempts of wiggling the cabling near the lem module the lights stayed on enough to return to my home. This has been an on going situation with the lights, and I have been on the internet to troubleshoot this fault in the ford motor vehicles. That this problem has been reported with out a recall is appalling. The location of the failed unit most likely is the reason for service mechanic estimates of $700 to $1500 to replace this part. One only has to go on the internet and write the 2004 lighting problem and see the lem module has a un-going product failure.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mercury grand marquis. The contact stated that the headlights shut off without warning. The lights would continuously flicker on and off. In 2006 and 2009, the dealer replaced the lighting control module however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but did not offer any assistance. The current mileage was 121,000 and the failure mileages was 60,000. Updated 01/05/12*lj updated 01/09/12
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mercury grand marquis. The contact was driving 45 when the headlights illuminated on and off intermittently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where they replaced the switches for the headlights. The manufacturer was not contacted and the failure persisted. The VIN was unavailable. The failure mileage was 60,000 and the current mileage was 80,000.
My mercury marquis is unsafe! Both of my night-time headlights went out at the same time. All other lights work fine inside and out. The head-lights now only work if I hold the high-beam bar, however, they do not work if I let go of the control bar. I drive my vehicle very little, and mostly during the day; however, I do take 70 MPH interstate highway trips returning at night. There is no fuse for the head lights or the light control module in either the fuse box above the brake pedal, or under the hood. Further investigation reveals that the head light fuse is inside the light control module which is located under the dash above the gas-pedal. Also, I've learned that even when this lcm unit is replace, that a new lcm unit can be defective also. Common sense dictates that something electrical is causing the fuse to blow in the unit. I believe this indicates a looming fire hazard about to happen. Overheating the electrical system from where? If I would elect to have the lcm unit modified with a larger interior fuse, I fear this is not a solution either. Ford needs to find the source of the problem that is blowing this fuse even in the new units. The installation at the dealership is $700.00 or above. The market price of the lcm unit is $90. Fords needs to recall and replace this lcm unit for an indefinite period; however, since they are making a bunch of money replacing them, and no one has gotten killed yet, will they? I fear replacing the unit this week, an the new one failing and me, suddenly with no headlights possibly running over a pedestrian, or crashing on the interstate and me or someone dying. This problem makes my mercury absolutely unsafe !!! I want an indefinite recall of this unit, and for ford to find and repair the cause of the unit failing.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 mercury grand marquis. The contact stated that the headlights shut off without initiation and without warning on an intermittent basis. The dealer advised the contact to bring the vehicle in for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer had not been notified and the failure was not diagnosed or repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 124,000 and the current mileage was 125,000. The VIN was unavailable.
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