PlainCars

MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS · model year

1986 MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS

22 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 1986MERCURYGRAND MARQUIS carries 22 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 12 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 1986 GRAND MARQUIS is electrical system:ignition:switch with 8 filings, followed by engine and engine cooling:engine:gasoline (4) and electrical system:ignition (2). 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 3 investigation files overlapping the 1986 GRAND MARQUIS. 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.

22
Complaints
0
Crashes
12
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

22 filings

Crashes Reported

0 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH8
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE4
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION2
TIRES1
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:CALIPER1
STEERING: STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR1
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL1
STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD1
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC1
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:LEVER AND LINKAGE:COLUMN SHIFT1

Recent Complaints

20040318POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:LEVER AND LINKAGE:COLUMN SHIFT

MY 1986 MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS GOES FORWARD WHEN PUTTING THE TRANSMISSION INTO REVERSE. THERE HAVE BEEN MANY CLOSE CALLS WHEN SOMEONE WHO DOES NOT KNOW MY CAR TRIES TO DRIVE IT (CAR WASH PEOPLE, MECHANICS, RELATIVES, ETC.). I BELIEVE THE LINKAGE GOING TO MY DASHBOARD IS NOT WORKING CORRECTLY.*AK

20020828FireENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE

OHIO POLICE REPORT. WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE STARTED TO LOSE PRESSURE,THEN BEGAN TO SMOKE. DRIVER PULLED OVER AND VEHICLE ENGULFED INTO FLAMES. CONSUMER STATED THAT MUFFLER HAD BEEN REPLACED AND A NEW ENGINE WAS INSTALLED WITH ONLY 20,000 MILES. *TT

19991112ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE

WHILE DRIVING IN LOW SPEED AND MAKING ANY TYPE OF TURN, VEHICLE STALLED. *AK

19990608FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD

VEHICLE VIBRATES ON RIGHT FRONT END WHEN BRAKES ARE APPLIED. WHEN BRAKES ARE LET GO, FEELS LIKE THEY ARE GRABBING. HAD STOPPED VEHICLE TO CHECK & NOTICED SMOKE FROM TIRES & THEN FLAMES SHOT OUT. HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO MECHANIC & WAS INFORMED THAT IT WAS THE ELECTRICAL WIRING HARNESS. *AK

19990608FireSERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC

VEHICLE VIBRATES ON RIGHT FRONT END WHEN BRAKES ARE APPLIED. WHEN BRAKES ARE LET GO, FEELS LIKE THEY ARE GRABBING. HAD STOPPED VEHICLE TO CHECK & NOTICED SMOKE FROM TIRES & THEN FLAMES SHOT OUT. HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO MECHANIC & WAS INFORMED THAT IT WAS THE ELECTRICAL WIRING HARNESS. *AK

19981005ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH

IGNITION SWITCH FAILED.

19970618ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE

ENGINE SMOKES UNDER FULL POWER BUT NOT AT ANY OTHER TIME. *AK

19970313FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH

WHILE PARKED, AN ELECTRICAL SHORT IN THE IGNITION SWITCH, CAUSED THE WIRING IN DASH AREA TO SHORT OUT, RESULTING IN A VEHICLE FIRE. *AK

19961231STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR

REAR DOOR LEAKS.

19961004FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH

THE IGNITION SWTICH HAS CAUGHT ON FIRE TWICE, FIRST TIME IN AUGUST OF 1991, SECOND TIME ON OCT, 4TH. *AK

19960809FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH

CAR WAS PARKED FOR FOUR DAYS AND CAUSED A VEHICLE FIRE DUE TO A SHORT IN THE IGNITION SWITCH. *AK

19960601ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH

IGNITION HEATS UP, CAUSING KEY TO BECOME HOT. *DSH

19960601FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH

IGNITION SWITCH SHORTED OUT, CAUSING FIRE. *DSH

19960601VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

IGNITION SWITCH SMOKES WHEN CRUISE CONTROL IS IN USE. *SD

19960503FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH

WHEN STARTING THE CAR A FIRE STARTED IN THE IGNITION SWITCH AND BURNED ALL THE WIRING IN THE CAR. PLEASE DESCRIBE. *AK

19960423FireENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE

THE VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE WHILE IT WAS PARKED. SOURCE UNKNOWN. PLEASE DESCRIBE. *AK

19960422FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH

VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE CAUSED BY THE IGNITION SWITCH. PLEASE DECRIBE. *AK

19960422FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION

WHILE PARKED VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE, BURNING IN THE IGNITION AREA, VEHICLRE TOTALED. *AK

19960313FireSTEERING: STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR

OWNER HEARD (2) POPPING NOISES AND DROVE FIVE MINUTES. AFTER PARKING OVER NIGHT VEHICLE HAD BURNED UNTIL SMOLDERED W/STEERING COLUMN MELTED AND CRACKED WINDOW.

19951103SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:CALIPER

FRONT BRAKE CALIPERS LOCK UP. RESULTING IN EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE. TT

Compare 1986MERCURYGRAND MARQUIS to Similar Vehicles

GRAND MARQUIS vs FORDF-150 → GRAND MARQUIS vs FORDEXPLORER → GRAND MARQUIS vs JEEPGRAND CHEROKEE → GRAND MARQUIS vs FORDESCAPE →

NHTSA Investigations

PE15028Preliminary EvaluationClosed

Loss of headlights

DP15002Defect PetitionClosed

Loss of headlamp/exterior lighting

EA13004Engineering AnalysisClosed

Loss of Steering Control

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 1986 MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS have?▼
The 1986 MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS has 22 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 12 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1986 MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS?▼
The most-complained component for the 1986 MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH with 8 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE and ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION.
Is the 1986 MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS safe to buy?▼
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?▼
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Understanding NHTSA Complaints → Vehicle Recalls Explained → Safest Car Brands 2026 → Most Reliable Used Cars → Lemon Law Guide →

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.