NHTSA — Exterior Lighting: Headlights Problems

2.5

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
58,550 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2005 Mercury Grand Marquis lights problems

lights problem

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2005 Mercury Grand Marquis Owner Comments (Page 2 of 2)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #19

Aug 232012

Grand Marquis 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 52,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

2005 Mercury Grand Marquis, headlights when out at 45 mph sw 147 ave, right lands. Total darkness...updated 08/31/12 the consumer stated the headlights came back on, when he accidentally bumped the turn signal lever.

- Homestead, FL, USA

problem #18

May 012012

Grand Marquis 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 60,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis. The contact stated that while his instrument panel showed that the headlights were activated, the lights were not illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer however the problem could not be replicated. The dealer did suggest that the module was faulty and that the contact could reach under the dashboard and tap it, and the lights would illuminate. The contact did not feel the remedy was reasonable or safe. The manufacturer was notified of the issued however, offered no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were 60,000. Updated 08/01/12 updated 08/01/12

- Tamarac, FL, USA

problem #17

Oct 012011

Grand Marquis 8-cyl

  • 125,000 miles
In October 2011, I was driving at night when my headlights went off. I pulled into a parking lot to investigate the problem. I got out and took a walk around the car and all the lights were working except the headlights. I turned the lights switch off for a few minutes and the lights came back on. The problem worsened and I found that I could hold the "momentary" high beam switch on and the headlights would work -- as long as I held the switch in the high beam position. The situation worsened, and now the headlights will not come on for any length of time. The problem has escalated from October 2011 until late May 2012. If I need to drive the car at night, I must hold the "momentary" high beam switch while I drive. Once in a while you can see the headlights come on because the lights get extremely bright. Then I can release the "momentary" high beam switch. The lights will only stay on for about 10 seconds and then go back off. My mechanic told me that many Mercury Grand Marquis and Ford Crown Victoria's around the model year of my car have this problem. He has traced the problem to something called the lighting control module. It seems to me that this is an engineering problem. Ford wants $600 just for the part. If you search the internet for similar problems, you will find an abundance of very similar situations as I have described to you. Not everyone is reporting this problem. Please help! updated 08/20/12

- Ypsilanti, MI, USA

problem #16

Apr 172012

Grand Marquis 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 76,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis. The headlights failed intermittently. The dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 76,000 and the current mileage was unknown. Updated 0717/12 the consumer stated the failure of the headlights happened on eight separate occasions, after the vehicle had been parked. Occasions in between, the lights engaged properly. Updated 07/17/12

- Dekalb, IL, USA

problem #15

Apr 232012

Grand Marquis 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 38,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis. The contact stated that the headlights went out while driving approximately 35 mph. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for a diagnostic test. The mechanic stated that the headlight switch would have to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that the part was not in stock. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 38,000. Updated 07/19/12 updated 07/25/12

- Muskego, WI, USA

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problem #14

Feb 012012

Grand Marquis 8-cyl

  • 140,000 miles
Headlights randomly, unexpectedly goes out completely. This is very dangerous.....

- Alexandria, LA, USA

problem #13

Aug 082008

Grand Marquis 8-cyl

  • 40,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis. The contact was driving 65 mph when the headlights illuminated unexpectedly and failed to work properly. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 40,000 and the current mileage was 61,000. Updated 02/15/12 the consumer stated he has since replaced the lighting control module and there have been no further problems. Updated 03/08/12

- Warminster, PA, USA

problem #12

Sep 072011

Grand Marquis 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
2005 Mercury Grand Marquis. Consumer requests NHTSA investigate head lights control module the consumer stated the headlights stopped working after 10 minutes. The lights went out several times while driving early in the morning hours and at night. The control module was replaced at a cost of $ $684.54.

- Quincy, FL, USA

problem #11

Oct 012005

Grand Marquis

  • 150 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis. The contact stated that while driving at any speed and attempting to brake, the vehicle suddenly accelerated. The failure was experienced numerous times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer several times for the failure where the dealer test drove the vehicle, but was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was then taken to a local mechanic for further inspection. The contact also experienced failures with the headlights. The headlights were replaced but the abnormal acceleration failure was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 150 and the current mileage was 15,600.

- Longwood, FL, USA

problem #10

Jul 202011

Grand Marquis 8-cyl

  • 79,349 miles
Both headlights failed, in both dim and high-beam positions. They will not come on in either the automatic or manual dashboard switch positions. (the bulbs are still good.) the parking lights, turn signals, tail lights, and brake lights continued to function. This happened at night. It should be obvious that this failure will *always* occur at night, or during stormy weather, threatening safety, because headlights are not normally used during the daytime. Later testing revealed the problem to be intermittent. At one point, the automatic dashboard switch position worked for both dim and high-beams, but the manual switch position did not work. The next morning, both the automatic and manual positions worked. When the problem first occurred, neither position would work. This intermittent problem is consistent with a large number of complaints and reports for the 2003-2005 model years, and the problem is the lighting control module. This module is so unreliable that it has been named the "lights out module" on the internet. A sampling of complaints can be found at these web sites: This is a *safety* issue. Lives are at stake. Please force a recall to correct this problem before innocent people are killed. Although the parking lights and tail lights continued to work, so other drivers can see the car with the failed headlights, the driver of the car with the failed headlights *cannot* see where he is going!! he could run into a parked car, hit a pedestrian, hit a bicyclist, hit a tree or other obstruction, etc. This is a very dangerous situation!

- Melbourne, FL, USA

problem #9

Apr 082011

Grand Marquis 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 50,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis. While driving an unknown speed, the headlights failed. The vehicle was parked and after cooling off, the headlights began operating as normal. The failure recurred whenever the vehicle was operated. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was told that the lighting control module failed. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 50,000 and the current mileage was 53,000. Updated 06/14/11

- Mineral Ridge, OH, USA

problem #8

Apr 032011

Grand Marquis

  • 52,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis. While driving approximately 55-60 mph, the low beam headlights failed and the contact had to utilize the high beam headlights. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was advised that the low beam modular failed and would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 52,000 and the current mileage was 52,500.

- North Caldwell, NJ, USA

problem #7

Dec 062010

Grand Marquis 8-cyl

  • 60,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis. The contact stated that the headlights shut on and off intermittently; however, the high beams continue to function. The headlight switch was replaced, but that did not correct the failure. The dealer stated that headlight module caused the failure. The contact was concerned about the safety issue. The failure and current mileages were 60000. Updated 03/07/11

- Centre, AL, USA

problem #6

Jun 082010

Grand Marquis

  • miles
The contact owns a 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis. The contact stated that while driving 10 mph she noticed that there were no headlights or any other exterior lights. When she activated the light switch on the steering wheel the headlights came back on. The vehicle was taken to the Ford dealer who stated that the light control module failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown. The current mileage was 16,994.

- Dothan , AL, USA

problem #5

Apr 162010

Grand Marquis 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 66,360 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis. While driving at various speeds or while the vehicle was sitting idle, the headlights would fail intermittently. The contact spoke with the dealer who advised there was no recall for the failure. The current mileage was 66,400 and the failure mileage was 66,360. Updated 6/17/10 updated 06/21/10.

- Canton, IL, USA

problem #4

Feb 192010

Grand Marquis

  • 51,000 miles
-the contact owns a 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis. While the contact was driving at night approximately 25 mph the headlights failed without warning. When the engine was turned off, and restarted the headlights activated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where they repaired the headlight control module at the cost of $300. The manufacturer was notified which there was no service warranty related problem or recall. The failure and current mileages were 51,000.

- Quincy, MA, USA

problem #3

Feb 052010

Grand Marquis

  • 60,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis. The contact stated that the headlights would fail intermittently without warning and there was a slight clicking sound, indicating the lights had shut off without driver intent. He attempted to shut off and restart the engine to reset the lights to no avail. The contact confirmed he would use the flashing lights while driving at night in order to illuminate the road ahead of him. The failure mileage was 60,000 and the current mileage was 65,000.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #2

Jun 012009

Grand Marquis 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 53,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis. While driving at an unknown speed, the exterior lighting failed and significantly reduced the contact's visibility. The vehicle was inspected by a mechanic, who stated that the lighting control module was the cause of the failure. The dealer stated that the vehicle exceeded its warranty; therefore, she would have to pay $400 for the part. The vehicle has not been repaired. The failure and current mileages were 53,000. Updated 07/01/09 the consumer stated she never knows when the headlights will go out. Updated 07/06/09

- Barnet, MO, USA

problem #1

Feb 242008

Grand Marquis 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 54,500 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis. While driving at an unknown speed, the headlights failed intermittently. The contact has to tap the light control module to activate the headlights. The failure mileage was 54,500 and current mileage was 55,300.

- Worth, IL, USA

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