Total Complaints
3 filings
FORD GRAND MARQUIS · model year
3 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1998FORDGRAND MARQUIS carries 3 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 1998 GRAND MARQUIS is air bags:on-off switch assembly with 1 filings, followed by steering (1) and exterior lighting:headlights (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.
NHTSA currently has 177 investigation files overlapping the 1998 GRAND MARQUIS, and 8 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
Total Complaints
3 filings
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| AIR BAGS:ON-OFF SWITCH ASSEMBLY | 1 |
| STEERING | 1 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS | 1 |
HEADLIGHT LENSES ARE FADING/DISCOLORATION, CAUSING POOR VISIBILITY WHEN HEADLIGHTS ARE USED DURING NIGHT DRIVING. FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION ON THIS MATTER.*AK
WHEN MAKING HARD TURNS AT LOW SPEEDS, CONSUMER HEARS A LOUD METAL ON METAL POPPING SOUND THAT COMES FROM THE FRONT WHEEL WELL AREA, DEALER INFORMED CONSUMER THAT THE STEERING GEAR HAS NO STOP AND THAT IS WHAT'S CAUSING THE NOISE AND THAT IT'S NORMAL. *SLC
PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG NEEDS TO BE DISARMED. WE HAVE GOVT PERM. NO ONE WILL HANDLE THE PROBLEM. HELP PLEASE. I MUST CARRY SMALL CHILDREN IN THE FRONT SEAT.
Unintended Transmission Downshift and Rear Wheel Lock-up
Timing Belt Failure
Underbody shields detachment
B-Pillar Trim Detachment
Unintended Transmission Downshift and Rear Wheel Lock-up
Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.