1998 Mercury Marquis problems & reliability
29 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1998 Mercury Marquis. 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.
2 complaints report injuries (4 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 4 | 14% |
| Steering | 4 | 14% |
| Suspension | 4 | 14% |
| Exterior Lighting | 3 | 10% |
| Power Train | 3 | 10% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 3 | 10% |
| Tires | 3 | 10% |
| Structure | 2 | 7% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 2 | 7% |
| Electrical System | 1 | 3% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 15 reported components →Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The front end is very squeaky loud and when you make hard turns to left or right it makes a loud spring popping sound. The steering is feel lose and cause the car to seem as though it is wobbling side to side and holding it in the road is a little tough.”
Suspension · filed May 8, 2015
“Tl*the contact owns a 1998 mercury marquis. The contact stated that while driving at 40 mph, there was smoke coming from the hood of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the manifold and the thermostat holder needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer…”
Engine and Engine Cooling · filed Jan 29, 2015
“Tl* the contact owns a 1998 mercury marquis. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 60 mph, the cruise control failed. The failure occurred on several occasions. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 76,000.”
Vehicle Speed Control · filed Oct 10, 2014
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- INERTIA FUEL SHUT OFF SWITCH
Preliminary Evaluation PE98057 · opened Oct 28, 1998 · closed Feb 11, 1999
Safety recalls
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 1998 Mercury Marquis in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
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 1998 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.