2008 Mercury Grand Marquis brake problems

SERVICE BRAKES

THANK GOODNESS, THERE WASN'T AN ACCIDENT. RATHER, I HEARD THAT YOU SHOULD CHECK YOUR EMERGENCY BRAKE CABLE EVERY 50,000 MILES. HOWEVER, MY CAR IS SO LOW MILEAGE FOR ITS AGE THAT I DECIDED I SHOULD HAVE THE CABLE CHECKED ANYHOW. THEN, I HEARD THAT MANY OF THE AFTERMARKET EMERGENCY CABLES ARE DEFECTIVE. THANKFULLY, MY SON, [XXX] , KNOWS SOMEONE WHO CAN CHECK THE CABLES. WE TESTED CABLES FROM TWO AUTO PARTS RETAIL STORES. ONE FAILED TO HOLD PRESSURE. THE OTHER CABLE EXPLODED RATHER DRAMATICALLY. FORTUNATELY, THE PEOPLE MY SON KNOWS MAKE EMERGENCY CABLES. FROM OUTWARD APPEARANCE, THE CABLE THEY MADE WAS DEFINITELY SUPERIOR. MORE IMPORTANTLY, WHEN THEY TESTED THE CABLE, IT HELD PRESSURE WITHOUT DROPPING AT ALL. MY SON ONCE PICKED UP HIS CAR FROM AN AUTO REPAIR SHOP (ABOUT EIGHT YEARS AGO) AFTER HAVING THE BRAKES DONE. APPARENTLY, THE EXTRA PRESSURE NEW BRAKE PADS PUT ON THE BRAKE LINES CAUSED ONE BRAKE LINE TO SNAP BY THE BACK OF THE CAR. RICH COMPLETELY LOST HIS BRAKES AT 40 MPH. FORTUNATELY, WHEN HE USED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE, IT DID THE JOB. HE SAID THERE WAS A CAR TURNING RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIM AND ON-COMING TRAFFIC ON THE LEFT. WITHOUT A GOOD EMERGENCY BRAKE, HIS OPTIONS WOULD HAVE BEEN QUITE LIMITED. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA complaint #10654188 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SERVICE BRAKES

CAR SPEEDING UP WHILE BRAKING.

NHTSA complaint #10545658 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SERVICE BRAKES

WHEN REVERSING OUT OF DRIVEWAY CAR ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN. PRESSED BRAKES BUT CAR STILL MOVED BACKWARDS. HAVE SKID MARKS IN DRIVEWAY TO SHOW FOR IT. THREW CAR INTO NEUTRAL AND TURNED OFF ENGINE. RESTARTED AND EVERYTHING SEEMED NORMAL. DROVE CAR ON TRIP AND WHEN REDUCING SPEED TO SLOW DOWN BY PUSHING ON BRAKE CAR AGAIN ACCELERATED AND NEARLY HIT ANOTHER CAR. AGAIN THREW CAR INTO NEUTRAL AND TURNED OFF ENGINE. AND AGAIN WHEN RESTARTING CAR EVERYTHING SEEMED NORMAL AGAIN. WIFE IS EXTREMELY AFRAID OF DRIVING CAR. TOOK CAR TO DEALER WHERE IT WAS PURCHASED AND WAS TOLD THAT IT MAY HAVE BEEN THAT I PUSHED THE BRAKE AND GAS PEDAL AT THE SAME TIME, THIS HOWEVER, I BELIEVE IS NOT THE CASE. DEALERSHIP HOWEVER KEPT THE CAR FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION AS TO WHAT THE PROBLEM MAY BE. WILL HEAR IN A DAY OR TWO.

NHTSA complaint #10537375 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SERVICE BRAKES

VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED USED IN JUNE, 2011. WHILE BRAKING FOR A STOP LIGHT, VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED. HAD TO FORCEFULLY PUMP BRAKES TO STOP VEHICLE FROM HITTING VEHICLE IN FRONT. CAR RETURNED TO NORMAL OPERATION AS SOON AS I GOT IT STOPPED. HAVE HAD SIMILAR INCIDENTS A COUPLE OF TIMES BEFORE, ALTHOUGH NOT AS BAD AS THIS ONE, HOWEVER, AT THAT TIME I THOUGHT MAYBE I HAD ACCIDENTALLY PRESSED THE ACCELERATOR WHILE BRAKING. I KNOW THAT WAS NOT THE CASE THIS TIME.

NHTSA complaint #10535491 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SERVICE BRAKES

HAD A FLAT TIRE AND HAD TO INSTALL THE SPARE TIRE THAT CAME WITH VEHICLE. AS SOON AS I GOT BACK ON THE ROAD , THE STABILITY CONTROL LIGHT, THE ABS LIGHT AND THE I-P BRAKE LIGHT CAME ON. THE CAR WOULD GET ONLY 35 MPH. FOR ABOUT 7 TO 8 MILES, THEN PICKED UP SPEED SO I COULD RUN 50 MPH. UNTIL I HAD THE TIRE REPLACED. AFTER I HAD THE TIRE REPLACED I TOOK THE CAR TO A MECHANIC TO HAVE THE SYSTEM RESET SO THE LIGHTS WOULD RETURN TO NORMAL. THE UNIT THAT CONTROLS THIS HAD TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE THE DIFFERENCE IN TIRE SIZE HAD DESTROYED THE CONTROL UNIT. IT COST ME $313.50 TO HAVE A USED UNIT INSTALLED, IF IT HAD BEEN A NEW UNIT, IT WOULD HAVE COST OVER $600. FORD MOTOR CO. SHOULD HAVE TO PAY THE COST OF THIS REPLACEMENT BECAUSE THE DAMAGE WAS CAUSED BY EQUIPMENT THAT WAS SUPPLIED WITH THE VEHICLE WHEN NEW.

NHTSA complaint #10509754 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:PEDALS AND LINKAGES

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH THE CONTACT BEGAN TO DEPRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL TO DECELERATE WHILE APPROACHING A TRAFFIC LIGHT. THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN AND THERE WAS AN INCREASE IN THE RPMS. THE FAILURE OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY AND OVER TIME BECAME PROGRESSIVELY WORSE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 63,000. UPDATED 10/4/11 *CN THE DEALER STATED THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS ADJUSTED TO HIGH, WHICH MAY HAVE INTERFERED WITH THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. THEY LOWERED THE AUTOMATIC BRAKE PEDAL . UPDATED 10/24/11

NHTSA complaint #10422901 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

ON OCTOBER 27, 2010, MY WIFE WAS DRIVING WITH ME IN THE CAR AND SHE STARTED TO BRAKE FOR A RED LIGHT. SHE WAS GOING ABOUT 30 MILES PER HOUR. AS SOON AS SHE APPLIED THE BRAKE, THE ENGINE ACCELERATED AND SHE HAD TO USE A LARGE AMOUNT OF BRAKING PRESSURE TO STOP THE CAR. AS SOON AS THE CAR STOPPED, SHE TOOK HER FOOT OFF THE BRAKE AND THE ENGINE RETURNED TO IDLE. YESTERDAY, I WAS DRIVING THE CAR AT APPROXIMATELY 55 MILE PER HOUR AND STARTED TO MOVE INTO THE PASSING LANE WHEN THE TRAFFIC LIGHT AHEAD TURNED RED. I APPLIED THE BRAKE AND THE SAME THING HAPPENED. I HAD TO APPLY A LARGE AMOUNT OF PRESSURE ON THE BRAKE PEDDLE IN ORDER TO STOP THE CAR WHILE THE ENGINE RACED ON. AS SOON AS THE CAR STOPPED, THE ENGINE RETURNED TO IDLE AND THE PROBLEM WAS OVER. YESTERDAY, I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE IT WAS PURCHASED AND THEY KEPT THE CAR OVERNIGHT TO RUN VARIOUS TESTS. THEY FOUND NOTHING. I PICKED THE CAR UP THIS AFTERNOON AND AM GOING TO NOW TAKE IT TO ANOTHER DEALER FOR INSPECTION.

NHTSA complaint #10364207 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

BRAKE AND GAS PEDAL TO CLOSE TOGETHER WHEN APPLYING BRAKES ALSO HIT GAS HAS HAPPENED MANY TIMES ALMOST REQUIRES A CONSCIOUS EFFORT TO AVOID THIS PROBLEM.

NHTSA complaint #10269383 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

THE VEHICLE ACCELERATEDS WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS DEPRESSED. BECAUSE THE BRAKE PEDAL AND THE GAS PEDAL HEIGHT IS NEARLY THE SAME HEIGHT AND WHEN DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL YOU CAN ALSO DEPRESS THE GAS PEDAL CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO ACCELERATE. THE VEHICLE ACCELERATES WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED.

NHTSA complaint #10251700 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.