1997 Mercury Marquis problems & reliability
53 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1997 Mercury Marquis, alongside 1 safety recall campaign. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
4 complaints report injuries (5 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Engine and Engine Cooling → | 21 | 40% |
| Suspension | 8 | 15% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 6 | 11% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 5 | 9% |
| Power Train | 4 | 8% |
| Steering | 4 | 8% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 4 | 8% |
| Air Bags | 3 | 6% |
| Exterior Lighting | 2 | 4% |
| Tires | 2 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 11 reported components →Mileage when problems occurred
Among the 20 complaints that included a usable odometer reading, the median reported incident mileage was 66,500 miles (middle 50% between 49,309 and 86,978 miles).
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Tl*the contact owns a 1997 mercury marquis. While driving approximately 15 mph on normal road conditions. The driver loss steering control. The vehicle crashed into an utility pole, boulder and fence. The driver sustained minor injury. The police was not called to the scene. The vehicle was towed to an independent…”
Steering · filed Dec 4, 2009
“Tl*the contact owns a 1997 mercury marquis. The vehicle speed control switch was disconnected on september 10, 2007. The dealer stated on three occasions that the part for the repair would be available. More recently, the dealer stated that they do not know when the parts will be available. There had been no failure…”
Vehicle Speed Control · filed Mar 18, 2008
“1997 mercury marquis with cruise control recall. Consumer stated that the dealer and manufacturer stated that the vehicle would be fixed in 2007. Consumer stated it still was not fixed by january 2008. *kb the consumer was informed the part may not be available until june or july 2008. *jb”
Vehicle Speed Control · filed Jan 8, 2008
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
4 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1997 Mercury Marquis.
Air conditioning- r-134a tracer dye installed in a/c system and three o-ring spring lock couplers- service tip. *jd
9735 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 3, 1997
Locking wire wheel cover center ornament where the emblem has separated from the backing plate. New replacement part. *jd
BC0263970201 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 2, 1997
Some vehicles equipped w/ an ax4s transaxle may have been shipped w/ a low transaxle fluid level. *tt
BC5197961001 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 1, 1996
Firestone p235 tires may exhibit a high frequency vibration at 65-75 mph. *tt
BC5195961001 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 1, 1996
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 1997 Mercury Marquis has 1 NHTSA recall campaign — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 1997 Mercury Marquis?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Among complaints with usable mileage, the median reported incident mileage was 66,500 miles. This does not predict when a particular vehicle will develop a problem.