Total Complaints
14 filings
MERCURY MARQUIS · model year
1988 MERCURY MARQUIS
14 NHTSA complaints, 1 crash report for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1988MERCURYMARQUIS carries 14 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 1 crash, 3 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 1988 MARQUIS is electrical system:ignition:switch with 4 filings, followed by tires (1) and service brakes, hydraulic:antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip (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 22 investigation files overlapping the 1988 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.
14
Complaints
1
Crashes
3
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
Crashes Reported
1 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
Complaints vs. fleet median (215)
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
Complaints by Component
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH | 4 |
| TIRES | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP | 1 |
| SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY | 1 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION | 1 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TAIL LIGHTS | 1 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS | 1 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TURN SIGNAL | 1 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS:SWITCH | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20000320EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS:SWITCH
VEHICLE EXPERIENCING PROBLEM WITH BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH FAILING TO OPERATE UNLESS EXTREME PRESSURE IS APPLIED ON THE PEDAL. DEALER WAS NOTIFIED. *AK
19990401ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH
THEORIGINAL IGNITION SWITCH WAS RECALLED ALTHOUGH WE HAD NEVER HAD ANY PROBLEMS WITH IT AT ALL. I DID TAKE INTO A FORD DEALER [PAT MASSUCCI GENEVA FORD GENEVA OHIO] THEY REPLACED THE SWITCH, AND THE NEXT DAY WHEN WE WENT TO START THE CAR IT WOULD NOT SHUT OFF AFTER STARTING AND THE KEY WOULD NOT RETURN BACK TO THE RUN POSITION. THIS WAS ON A FRIDAY AFTERNOON. I IMMEDIATELY CALLED THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD TO BRING IT LEAVE IT, AND WHEN THEY GOT A CHANCE THEY WOULD REPAIR IT THE NEXT WEEK !THERE IS NO WAY I WAS GOING TO DRIVE MY CAR 10 MILES WITH NO TAIL LIGHTS /BRAKE LIGHTS/OR TURN SIGNALS, AND THEN LEAVE IT RUNNING WITHA FULL TANK OF GAS OVER THE WEEKEND. I THEN CALLED THE FORD CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE LINE AND WAS TOLD TO DO THE SAME THING AS WELL OR HAVE IT TOWED AT MY EXPENSE TO THE DEALER THAT MESSED THE REPLACEMENT SWITCH UP TO BEGIN WITH. I COULD FIND NO OTHER DEALER OPEN ANY WHERE SO I RETURNED TO THE CAR, TOOK A PAIR OF PLIARS AND FORCIBLY TURNED THE IGNITION SWITCH TO RUN. THEN T
19990401EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TAIL LIGHTS
THEORIGINAL IGNITION SWITCH WAS RECALLED ALTHOUGH WE HAD NEVER HAD ANY PROBLEMS WITH IT AT ALL. I DID TAKE INTO A FORD DEALER [PAT MASSUCCI GENEVA FORD GENEVA OHIO] THEY REPLACED THE SWITCH, AND THE NEXT DAY WHEN WE WENT TO START THE CAR IT WOULD NOT SHUT OFF AFTER STARTING AND THE KEY WOULD NOT RETURN BACK TO THE RUN POSITION. THIS WAS ON A FRIDAY AFTERNOON. I IMMEDIATELY CALLED THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD TO BRING IT LEAVE IT, AND WHEN THEY GOT A CHANCE THEY WOULD REPAIR IT THE NEXT WEEK !THERE IS NO WAY I WAS GOING TO DRIVE MY CAR 10 MILES WITH NO TAIL LIGHTS /BRAKE LIGHTS/OR TURN SIGNALS, AND THEN LEAVE IT RUNNING WITHA FULL TANK OF GAS OVER THE WEEKEND. I THEN CALLED THE FORD CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE LINE AND WAS TOLD TO DO THE SAME THING AS WELL OR HAVE IT TOWED AT MY EXPENSE TO THE DEALER THAT MESSED THE REPLACEMENT SWITCH UP TO BEGIN WITH. I COULD FIND NO OTHER DEALER OPEN ANY WHERE SO I RETURNED TO THE CAR, TOOK A PAIR OF PLIARS AND FORCIBLY TURNED THE IGNITION SWITCH TO RUN. THEN T
19990401EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS
THEORIGINAL IGNITION SWITCH WAS RECALLED ALTHOUGH WE HAD NEVER HAD ANY PROBLEMS WITH IT AT ALL. I DID TAKE INTO A FORD DEALER [PAT MASSUCCI GENEVA FORD GENEVA OHIO] THEY REPLACED THE SWITCH, AND THE NEXT DAY WHEN WE WENT TO START THE CAR IT WOULD NOT SHUT OFF AFTER STARTING AND THE KEY WOULD NOT RETURN BACK TO THE RUN POSITION. THIS WAS ON A FRIDAY AFTERNOON. I IMMEDIATELY CALLED THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD TO BRING IT LEAVE IT, AND WHEN THEY GOT A CHANCE THEY WOULD REPAIR IT THE NEXT WEEK !THERE IS NO WAY I WAS GOING TO DRIVE MY CAR 10 MILES WITH NO TAIL LIGHTS /BRAKE LIGHTS/OR TURN SIGNALS, AND THEN LEAVE IT RUNNING WITHA FULL TANK OF GAS OVER THE WEEKEND. I THEN CALLED THE FORD CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE LINE AND WAS TOLD TO DO THE SAME THING AS WELL OR HAVE IT TOWED AT MY EXPENSE TO THE DEALER THAT MESSED THE REPLACEMENT SWITCH UP TO BEGIN WITH. I COULD FIND NO OTHER DEALER OPEN ANY WHERE SO I RETURNED TO THE CAR, TOOK A PAIR OF PLIARS AND FORCIBLY TURNED THE IGNITION SWITCH TO RUN. THEN T
19990401EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TURN SIGNAL
THEORIGINAL IGNITION SWITCH WAS RECALLED ALTHOUGH WE HAD NEVER HAD ANY PROBLEMS WITH IT AT ALL. I DID TAKE INTO A FORD DEALER [PAT MASSUCCI GENEVA FORD GENEVA OHIO] THEY REPLACED THE SWITCH, AND THE NEXT DAY WHEN WE WENT TO START THE CAR IT WOULD NOT SHUT OFF AFTER STARTING AND THE KEY WOULD NOT RETURN BACK TO THE RUN POSITION. THIS WAS ON A FRIDAY AFTERNOON. I IMMEDIATELY CALLED THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD TO BRING IT LEAVE IT, AND WHEN THEY GOT A CHANCE THEY WOULD REPAIR IT THE NEXT WEEK !THERE IS NO WAY I WAS GOING TO DRIVE MY CAR 10 MILES WITH NO TAIL LIGHTS /BRAKE LIGHTS/OR TURN SIGNALS, AND THEN LEAVE IT RUNNING WITHA FULL TANK OF GAS OVER THE WEEKEND. I THEN CALLED THE FORD CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE LINE AND WAS TOLD TO DO THE SAME THING AS WELL OR HAVE IT TOWED AT MY EXPENSE TO THE DEALER THAT MESSED THE REPLACEMENT SWITCH UP TO BEGIN WITH. I COULD FIND NO OTHER DEALER OPEN ANY WHERE SO I RETURNED TO THE CAR, TOOK A PAIR OF PLIARS AND FORCIBLY TURNED THE IGNITION SWITCH TO RUN. THEN T
19970915ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
ENGINE WOULD CRANK, REFUSED TO START, TOWED TO DEALER, THICK-FILM IGNITION MODULE WHICH CARRIES ELECTRICAL PULSES TO THE SPARK PLUGS. *AK
19970910ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
WHEN DRIVING VEHICLE IT WOULD STALL OUT ON THE HIGHWAY. WOULD LOSE ALL POWER. PULLED TO SIDE OF ROAD & WAITED & THEN RESTARTED. TOOK TO THE DEALER & HAD TFI MODULE REPLACED ALONG WITH OTHER PARTS. PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. *AK
19961105CrashVEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
PUT CAR INTO REVERSE AND CAR ACCELERATED AND HIT A WALL . PLEASE DESCRIBE . *AK
19960503FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH
AN ELECTRICAL SHORT CAUSED THE IGNITION SWITCH TO CATCH ON FIRE AFTER TURNING ON THE VEHICLE. PLEASE DESCRIBE. *AK
19960418FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH
IGNITION FIRE STARTED AFTER PARKING THE VEHICLE DUE TO A SHORT. *AK
19960418FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH
IGNITION FIRE STARTED AFTER PARKING THE VEHICLE DUE TO A SHORT. *AK
19950614SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
ABS: WHEN APPLIED, BRAKES HAS GRAB LIKE FEEL; FRONT END SWAYS; DRAGS. ALSO, HARD TO UNLOCK SHOULDER BELT. TT
19950614SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY
ABS: WHEN APPLIED, BRAKES HAS GRAB LIKE FEEL; FRONT END SWAYS; DRAGS. ALSO, HARD TO UNLOCK SHOULDER BELT. TT
19950427TIRES
GOODYEAR INVICTA TIRES WEAR/CUP PREMATURELY. *SKD
Compare 1988MERCURYMARQUIS to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1988 MERCURY MARQUIS have?▼
The 1988 MERCURY MARQUIS has 14 NHTSA complaints, 1 crashes, 3 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1988 MERCURY MARQUIS?▼
The most-complained component for the 1988 MERCURY MARQUIS is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH with 4 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include TIRES and SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP.
Is the 1988 MERCURY 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
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.