While driving my 2005, Mercury, Grand Marquis, at night, the headlights completely went out on me...making visibility impossible...after much research on this problem, I find that alot of people are complaining of the very same problem with their Mercury, Grand Marquis...after reading of all the complaints about this problem, I wonder why this has not been on the recall list......this is a severe safety issue!!! thank you for your prompt attention in this matter.

- Walton, NY, USA

Description of the complaint: Lcm known defect: Both headlights failed, in both dim and high-beam positions. They will not come on in either the automatic or manual dashboard switch positions. (the bulbs are still good.) the parking lights, turn signals, tail lights, and brake lights continued to function. This happened at night. It should be obvious that this failure will *always* occur at night, or during stormy weather, threatening safety, because headlights are not normally used during the daytime. Later testing revealed the problem to be intermittent. At one point, the automatic dashboard switch position worked for both dim and high-beams, but the manual switch position did not work. The next morning, both the automatic and manual positions worked. When the problem first occurred, neither position would work. This intermittent problem is consistent with a large number of complaints and reports for the 2003-2005 model years, and the problem is the lighting control module. This module is so unreliable that it has been named the "lights out module" on the internet. A sampling of complaints can be found at these web sites: This is a *safety* issue. Lives are at stake. Please force a recall to correct this problem before innocent people are killed. Although the parking lights and tail lights continued to work, so other drivers can see the car with the failed headlights, the driver of the car with the failed headlights *cannot* see where he is going!! he could run into a parked car, hit a pedestrian, hit a bicyclist, hit a tree or other obstruction, etc. This is a very dangerous situation!

- Port Charlotte, FL, USA

Headlights stopped working. Entire lighting control model had to be replaced. The cost of the work at the dealer was $708.47.

- Owings Mills, MD, USA

While traveling at night on the interstate, the head lights on our 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis quit working and we had to pull over in the emergency stopping lane. All hazard, marker lights and dash lights continued to work. After spending a few minutes on the side of the road, the head lights began to work again and we made it to our destination. I thought I might have touched something wrong at the time as I do not drive this car very often (or that maybe too much light had flashed on the light sensor on the dash and made them go out.) this is my wife's car and she uses it mostly during daytime. The car is not driven very often at night and so it was a quite a while before this happen again. It is now happening more often and after talking to others, it appears that this is much more common on Grand Marquis, crown vics, and towncars than I would have ever thought. I believe that this is a design defect of Ford's lighting control module (lcm) part# 7Z-13C788-aa and Ford should have recalled and replaced these defective lcm's long before now. We have never been contacted by Ford about a recall and I could not find any information about a lcm recall on Ford's or any other website. Since it looks like Ford is not interested in my safety, I have placed an order to purchase Ford's improved replacement lcm for my car. I really don't think I should have had to pay for this item to replace their obvious defective component. If Ford didn't think they had a defective product, they would not have made several improvements on their lcm and re-classified it as 7Z-13C788-ac instead of -aa.

- Winter Haven, FL, USA

While driving at night the headlights will go out and would not come back on for a few min. Then they will work for a little while and go out again. This is very dangerous when the headlights go out in the dark or during rainstorms.

- Ocean Springs , MS, USA

I was driving home and my headlights cut off with no warning at night, they came on again for a min., but cut off this has happened 4 times since. I have to hold my bright switch down for a 30 min drive home. I have had a fuses checked, after looking on line it looks like several people have had this same issue, this is scary, considering I have 3 children.

- Conyers, GA, USA

At approximately 11:00 pm on 3/24/12, I suddenly lost my headlights as I was driving South through North Carolina on interstate-95. I pulled into a rest area, and after a few minutes, my headlights came back on when I restarted the car. I drove for a few more hours without further incident. At approximately 8:00 pm on 3/25/12, I lost my headlights again while driving through Florida. Fortunately, I was only a few miles away from my motel when the incident occurred. The next morning, 3/26/12, I took my car to an independently-owned garage, and the mechanic diagnosed the problem as a defective light control module. He was able to obtain a new module from a nearby Ford dealership and successfully install the module into my car. There is no question the light control module was defective because the mechanic was unable to restore my headlights by first trying to replace the headlight switch or the headlight dimmer switch. What's more, he was unable to get the defective light control module to respond to an external computer command. The repair cost $816.77. I was concerned that I suddenly lost my headlights while driving on a busy interstate highway, but even more concerned when I heard a parts specialist at the Ford dealership that provided my new replacement light control module claim his dealership was replacing an average of three of these modules weekly on Ford Crown Victoria patrol cars being driven by local police. The idea of policeman losing their headlights during high speed pursuits at night made me very concerned. My concern was heightened when I started investigating the matter on the internet and read many stories similar to mine. A number of these stories suggested that Ford has known about these defective light control modules for quite some time and that a recall has long been in order. Thank you for your attention to this serious matter.

- Hallstead, PA, USA

Headlight failure while driving at night.

- New Bern, NC, USA

It was approx. 2:30am [night time] and I was driving on a rural state highway @ 65mph with the cruise control set. The headlights on my 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis suddely went out. The switch was set to automatic on / off. Visibility instantly became zero in the pitch black.. as I was 20 miles outside of town on a state highway in an unpopulated area with no lighting.. not even moon light. I slammed on my breaks running off the roadway into the drainage ditch.. taking over 100 feet to stop. After gaining my composure, I noticed that my dashlights were still working along with my yellow warning lights. I tried the headlights switch by changing it from off, to full on- to auto... with no success at first. But after 3-4 minutes the lights suddenly came back on and worked in both the auto & in the switched 'on' positions for 20-30 seconds and then shut off. So I knew the problem wasn't with a blown fuse. This continued to be the cycle.. the headlights would come on for 20-30 seconds and then shut off for several minutes before working again. By pulling the turn control / high beam lever toward me, I was able to get the passing light setting of my headlights to work and was able to drive back home... but this created a danger to vehicles I met.. as it blinded them. I couldn't turn off the bright passing beam without going dark on the roadway. Next morning I checked the internet about this problem and discovered that 1000's of other Mercury Grand Marquis owners have had this same problem.. that Mercury has known about this problem for years... with similar problems prior to 2005. Not only has Mercury knowingly endangered my and the other owners [and their faimlies] lives.. Mercury has created a very profitable income charging its customers close to $700 for a repair that they know is the result of a faulty factory installed headlight control module. This rates a recall!

- Altus, OK, USA

Upon starting up 2005 Mercury marquis (~24000 miles) and placing car into drive, car accelerated at a high rate of speed and crashed into a gas station pump. The car accelerator malfunctioned and was in a "jammed state". the driver immediately put right foot then both feet on brake trying to get the vehicle to stop. The car would not slow much less stop. Driver suffered very serious eye injury and currently has no sight in injured left eye. There is the risk of losing left eye. Passenger suffered fractured sternum and other bruising. Both driver and passenger are traumatized from this car accelerator malfunction.

- Spring Lake, NJ, USA

The lights went out while driving in the city at night. I pulled over and played with the light switch until they came back on. I had trouble with the lights several times, before I replaced the light switch on 01/04/12. On a trip to the store tonight, the lights went out again. After checking on the internet, it seems it must be the lcm module, at a cost of $700, to $900. Dollars. It seems this is a very dangerous problem with Ford Motor Co, vehicles.

- New Bern, NC, USA

Headlights go out or sometimes will not come on. Lighting control module relay intermitten. Lights go out with no warning while driving. High beams and cornering lights also inop when acting up.getting worse with time. This is a serious safty issue as it happens on freways, highways etc. We have to tap the lcm in order to get the lights back on but they go out again. This is a very expensive fix ($800) so I cant afford to have replaced. Please this should be a recall.

- Redford, MI, USA

Automatic controls for air conditioning/heat defective in many, many cars. Mercury Grand Marquis 2005. Serviceman tells us that there should be a recall for this item as this is a major issue nationwide!

- Cullman, AL, USA

My wife and I were pulling into a four lane highway at 9:30 pm in the evening, after finishing dinner. Once we had approached highway speed of about 45 to 50 mph, our front head lights went out. Immediately my wife pulled off the highway with our lights out, I got out of the auto to insure the lights had indeed gone out...yes, they were out black as midnight. I asked my wife to see if they would come back just for the heck of trying something. Yes the lights did come back on and remained on for the remainder of our 25 minute drive. As my wife and I were driving home, she indicated to me this was not the first time, only one of several times as she was driving, it might be in the rain day or night, she never knew when it would happen, however at this time, the lights seem to go out on a regular basic. I'm going to see if the dealer can repair, what I have been lead to believe is the lcm, and to expect a charge up to $800+, this is a horrible accident waiting to occur, and a expense that I think merc. Show absorb, with all of the problems with the same problem for several years now, I would hope a nation wide recall should take place, before the is loss of life. I thank you for your time, and I do appreciate any help you may be able to offer. Kind regards, owner of the above auto, 2005 merc. Grand marq. Light control module, problem.

- Westover, AL, USA

While driving the headlights went completely out. The high beams would only come on if you pulled the lever forward and this was only momentarily. Was not able to use the switch to turn them back on. Had to pull over in a parking lot because it was dark. After a few minutes the lights started to work again but soon failed again.

- Pearland, TX, USA

I have a 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis. I was driving and suddenly my headlights went out without warning. This is a very scaring situation at night. I have been looking online to see if there has been a recall, and also I took it to the Ford dealer where I purchased the vehicle and they told me it was a electrical module and the cost is enormous. I don't think that me the consumer should have to bear the cost of a defect that is such a safety hazard. Why haven't this matter been recalled? someone could lose their life, traveling down a dark two lane highway and suddenly you have no lights. This is very frightening. And what's more frightening is that nothing is being done about. But I will not stop until I see something done.[xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Cedar Hill, TX, USA

2005 merc., head lights go off or don't come on for a mile or two. Switch on manual or auto. Dealer had car for two days, said all checked ok.

- Lake Kiowa, TX, USA

In the last two weeks when putting turn signal on the headlights go out.

- Randolph, MA, USA

I was driving on I-81 at night, I operated my left turn signal while accelerating to about 75 mph to pass a truck and my headlights went out. I accidently forced the high beam on by flipping the turn/high beam lever and I held the lever in that position until I could return to the right lane behind the truck and stop on the roadside. To say I thought I was going to die is not simply drama. The worst part was not knowing if my brake lights were working. While off the road, I could not duplicate the failure. I put on the low beam and proceeded on I-81. After some miles, I again tried the left turn signal and again the lights went out. This time I was ready, and used the high beam lever to get to the roadside. Again I could not duplicate the failure. I exited as soon as possible, running on low beam, and the lights went out again on the ramp when I operated the left turn signal. I continued to ocala by way of atlanta, running in daylight only. I took the car to ocala Ford as soon as I arrived in ocala. The dealer had the car several days and finally duplicated the failure. They replaced a module at the cost of $786 and said the car was safe to drive. No repair was done to the turn signal. I got the module from the dealer and sent it to NHTSA for testing to determine if it actually was defective. If not, then my car presents a risk to everyone sharing the highway with me at night, because the problem would still be there. In my opinion, sudden and catastrophic failure such as this presents fatal risk to anyone involved in a crash, including the general public. This failure has nothing to do with reasonable wear and tear, it is a design/manufacturing defect, worsened by a failure by Ford to provide a diagnostic program. Since the problem is intermittent, people may have already died and no trace of the failure would be found by examining the wreck. Updated 01/19/11/ updated 01/20/11

- Ocala, FL, USA

The headlights of my 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis suddenly went off and the only way to continue traveling was to hold the high beam flash lever. According to Ford it is the automatic headlight controller and it cost 900 to repair. I almost crashed during a rain storm when the lights suddenly went off and unable to get them to come back on. Driving with high beams on is dangerous and having to hold the flash lever while driving causes a safety issue as well.

- N Ft Myers, FL, USA