Two problems related to dash wiring have been reported for the 1998 Mercury Grand Marquis. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
While driving on the highway at 65 mph, black toxic smoke suddenly started bellowing out from around the radio area in the center dashboard. A loud rapid clicking sound was also heard. Upon realizing what was going on, I steered the car safely off the highway ramp and shut the vehicle off. I inspected the engine under the hood and found nothing wrong. Upon a 15 min shutdown I restarted the engine and both the smoke and clicking sound had ceased so I drove the car to the dealer. On 28 Dec 00 the Mercury dealer only removed the radio and glovebox and noted nothing abnormal. As a consumer I am not satisfied, this is a safety concern that needs to be addressed.
While driving at night on the highway at 65 mph toxic black smoke and a loud clicking sound suddenly appeared from the center console. I steered the vehicle off the road and shut the vehicle down appx. 10 min. On restart the vehicle smoke & clicking sound ceased. Dealer removed radio and glove compartment but could not detect root cause of the incident. No corrective action conducted. Consumer required to pay all costs related to incident.