IllustrationTHE VEHICLE FRAME HAD APPROXIMATELY THREE FEET OF RUST AND CORROSION. THE RUST WAS ALSO NOTICED BY THE BRACKET THAT HOLDS THE TRANSMISSION SUPPORT CROSS MEMBER. THE ENGINE OIL PAN RUSTED OUT WHICH CAUSED AN OIL LEAK. ALSO TWO OF THE TIRES HAD ACQUIRED BULGES. *JG *JB
1989 Mercury Grand Marquis
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1989 Mercury Grand Marquis do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 78.
Counts are not adjusted for sales, age, mileage exposure or reporting. A lower count does not establish that a car is problem-free.
About this comparison →58Owner complaints
Model-year median: 78
1Recall campaignsView recall details →
1InvestigationsView investigation details →
Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗ Model-level counts do not show whether a particular VIN is affected or repaired.
Inspection summary
1989 Mercury Grand Marquis
NHTSA snapshot: September 18, 2026. 58 owner complaints · 1 recall campaigns · 1 investigations.
Counts are not failure probabilities and are not adjusted for sales, age, mileage exposure or reporting. One report may name several categories. Comparison method and limitations.
Top reported categories (up to 5)
- Electrical System: 16 reports
- Vehicle Speed Control: 14 reports
- Engine And Engine Cooling: 6 reports
- Power Train: 6 reports
- Fuel System, Gasoline: 5 reports
Full reported-category list and vehicle report
Recall links
Check a VIN with NHTSA. Model-level history does not establish whether a particular VIN is affected or repaired.
Print the top reported categories, recall links, snapshot date and comparison limits.
How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Grand Marquis years →Counts vary with age, sales, mileage exposure and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 4 of 58 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Electrical System. Review the 16 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 14 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 6 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
8 crash reports17 fire reports2 injury reports
Engine And Engine Cooling complaints
6 reportsOIL LEAK. CANNOT FIND WHERE IT IS COMING FROM. CAR SMOKES AND SMELLS FROM OIL. MECHANIC IS ABSOLUTELY MYSTIFIED. HE CANNOT LOCATE WHERE MOTOR OIL LEAK IS COMING FROM. UNDERCARRIAGE IS WET WITH OIL. *AK
EXHAUST SYSTEM PROBLEMS, SMELLS AS IF IT IS BURNING RUBBER, UNABLE TO DETERMINE CAUSE, PLASTIC ON SYSTEM WAS REMOVED HOWEVER DID NOT RECTIFY.
OIL PAN DESINEGRATING.
VEHICLE STOPPED DEAD ON THE HIGHWAY.
THE VEHICLE WAS IN FLAMES WHILE SITTING ON A BODY SHOP LOT. PLEASE DESCRIBE. *AK
Recall campaigns
196V071000 · Electrical System:ignition
Apr 25, 1996
THE IGNITION SWITCH COULD EXPERIENCE AN INTERNAL SHORT CIRCUIT.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: THIS CONDITION COULD CAUSE OVERHEATING, SMOKE, AND POSSIBLY FIRE IN THE STEERING COLUMN AREA OF THE VEHICLE.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE IGNITION SWITCH.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
Defect investigations
1PE91125 · Brake Line Punctures
Opened Sep 11, 1991 · Closed Jan 15, 1992
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Service Brakes, Hydraulic
There is no summary currently available
An investigation is not a finding of a defect, and closure does not prove a vehicle is problem-free.