The contact owns a 1995 Mercury Grand Marquis. The contact received a recall notice for the vehicle speed control: Cruise control. While leaving her house, the contact witnessed her vehicle on fire. The fire department stated that the fire originated in the engine compartment. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it currently remains. The powertrain and recall number were unknown. The failure and current mileages were 170,000.

- Dallas, TX, USA

The contact owns a 1995 Mercury Grand Marquis. Several years ago, the vehicle speed control failed. In August of 2007, the contact received a recall notice for the vehicle speed control, but it did not mention to park the vehicle inside. The contact received a second notice for NHTSA campaign id number 08V051000 (vehicle speed control:cruise control), which advised him not to park the vehicle inside due to the possibility of a fire. The contact felt that the first letter should have stated this information. There had been no failure to date. The current mileage was 70,000.

- Clinton, CT, USA

My 1995 Mercury Grand Marquis odometer is over 144K. I've experienced intermittent failure of the headlight switch, especially when temperature is near or below freezing. When it's cold outside, and the vehicle has been sitting for a while and therefore cold when I turn on the headlights, I have to play with the switch for the headlights to stay on. It's now taking longer and longer for me to get the lights to stay lit. I've only experienced one failure while driving on the highway, after the vehicle had been driven for over 20 minutes. When I first purchased my vehicle, I replaced all 4 headlamp bulbs because they were too dim. The replacements didn't resolve the problem. From what I've read, the root cause of the problem is the plastic covering on the headlamps. The composition of the plastic breaks down with age and discolors, reducing the brightness of the headlights. This design fault of using plastic over glass is a dangerous safety hazard. If I change from low to high, my headlights appear to illuminate the road within allowable brightness, increasing visibility. Driving on roads with insufficient street lights is dangerous with only the low beam headlamps. I've considered driving with the high beams at all times, to ensure my safety, but have questioned the legality of such a choice. The newer vehicles today seem to be sporting those super bright headlights, are extremely blinding to those who have to drive in front of or in the opposite direction as they blind you as they get closer and pass you. This past fall, I received a recall notice for the cruise control in my Grand Marquis. I took the vehicle into the dealership; they disconnected the cruise control, taped the ends of the wire, and sent me on my way. I was told that the parts would be in during Q4, and that I would receive a follow-up letter to come back and have the replacement part installed. We are into Q1 of the next year, and there hasn't been any follow-up from Ford/Mercury.

- Salem, NH, USA

: the contact stated while the vehicle was parked outside of the garage, there was a strong odor of smoke present. The contact went outside to determine the origin of the smoke and discovered the front of the vehicle engulfed in flames. The fire department was alerted and extinguished the fire. Afterwards, the fire department inspected the vehicle and determined the fire originated at the engine compartment. The vehicle sustained extensive fire damage. The manufacturer was alerted. The consumer stated that he received a recall letter pertaining to cruise control which was the cause of the fire. The consumer contacted the manufacturer informed them of the recall notice and in turn the manufacturer asked them to contact the insurance company which already compensated the consumer for the vehicle. The consumer provided photos and the recall notice for the vehicle. Updated 09/18/07

- Waterford, NY, USA