2003 Mercury Grand Marquis Exterior Lighting Problems
Owners have filed 207 complaints with NHTSA about exterior lighting problems on the 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis, 57% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 95,100 miles. The words owners use most often: “lighting control module” (17% of reports).
- 207exterior lighting complaints
- 95,100median miles at failure
- 5mention a crash
- 1mention an injury
- 1related recalls
- $840typical repair cost reported by owners
- 46%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Lighting control module: mentioned in 36 of 207 complaints (17%)
- Headlights failed: mentioned in 19 of 207 complaints (9%)
- High beam: mentioned in 19 of 207 complaints (9%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical exterior lighting repair on the 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis at $840, and half of them between $740 and $1,150.
Based on 11 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2009–2023), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do exterior lighting problems happen?
Based on 165 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 207 complaints, 5 mention a crash, 1 an injury.
Mercury Grand Marquis exterior lighting complaints by model year
| Model year | Exterior Lighting complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 Grand Marquis | 2 | 8% | 56,100 |
| 2009 Grand Marquis | 1 | 4% | 17,445 |
| 2008 Grand Marquis | 5 | 6% | 76,000 |
| 2007 Grand Marquis | 5 | 5% | 111,350 |
| 2006 Grand Marquis | 6 | 4% | 89,200 |
| 2005 Grand Marquis | 293 | 60% | 79,000 |
| 2004 Grand Marquis | 207 | 59% | 85,500 |
| 2003 Grand Marquis | 207 | 57% | 95,100 |
| 2002 Grand Marquis | 6 | 8% | 45,417 |
| 2001 Grand Marquis | 11 | 7% | 96,321 |
| 2000 Grand Marquis | 21 | 13% | 122,000 |
| 1999 Grand Marquis | 20 | 12% | 137,000 |
| 1998 Grand Marquis | 16 | 11% | 114,500 |
| 1997 Grand Marquis | 19 | 6% | 71,233 |
| 1996 Grand Marquis | 18 | 8% | 130,000 |
| 1995 Grand Marquis | 16 | 9% | 100,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (1)
Exterior lighting:headlights
Problem: 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.
Fix: 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.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
While driving my vehicle headlights turn off and back on, sometimes off for minutes sometimes flickering.
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…
The Lighting Control Module has failed and my brake lights and dash board lights turn off after couple minutes while driving with the lights on. I took my vehicle in to dealer already once for problem to be fixed a year ago. They did repair but now same problem is occurring again. I went back to…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2003 Mercury Grand Marquiss have exterior lighting problems?
No. NHTSA has 207 owner complaints about exterior lighting for the 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis (57% of the 362 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis exterior lighting?
Yes: 1 safety recall list exterior lighting. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
At what mileage do exterior lighting problems start?
The median reported mileage is 95,100 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix exterior lighting problems on the 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis?
Owners report a typical cost of $840 (half paid between $740 and $1,150), from 11 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about exterior lighting problems on the 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis?
The most frequent phrase is “lighting control module”, in 36 of 207 complaints, followed by “headlights failed” (19).
Other 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis problems
See all 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis problems or exterior lighting problems across all Grand Marquis years.