Headlight Switch problems of the 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis - part 1

I was out driving at around 9:30 pm and my headlights just went out, after I got home I looked for lighting issues with the car and discovered a recall. The next morning I contacted autonation Ford in memphis TN, where I reside and scheduled an appointment to take care of the recall. I took it in on 8/11/20 , where they did a lcm bypass that was told to me by the service advisor garvin. I picked the car up on 8/15/20 and the lights were working when I left the autonation but after I got home 30 minutes later I went to drop off some mail at the mail drop and the lights went back out. I call autonation service department and spoke with service manager thomas and explained the problem to him and my situation and was told to bring it back in when I could. I took it back on my first off day that they were open . I was then told that they would look at the work they did and if it were still in place anything extra would cost me out of pocket. I don't feel as if I should have to pay for an issue that wasn't properly repaired. As of today October 3,2020 I still have no headlights. I have replaced the multifunction switch, replaced the bulbs and I still have no headlights.

Tl the contact owns a 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis. The contact stated that the headlights failed to operate without warning while driving 35 mph. The contact had to hold the high beam switch on in order to drive at night. The vehicle was taken to hassett Ford-Lincoln (3530 sunrise hwy, wantagh, NY 11793, (516) 785-7800), but was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure recurred. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign number: 15v861000 (exterior lighting). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that she needed to reschedule the diagnostic appointment. The failure mileage was approximately 104,000.

Tl- the contact owns a 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis. The contact stated that the vehicle headlights failed to illuminated. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the headlight switch failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer. The VIN was included in NHTSA campaign number: 15v861000 (exterior lighting). The manufacturer was notified of the failure but did not offer further assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 108,802. Aw.

The headlights would go completely out when driving and would not come back on. You could hold back the turn signal for high beams only. Driving became very difficult when using the directional or wipers while holding back the switch at the same time.

Nighttime, turned car off in drive through line at fast food place 185 miles from home. Have light switch on automatic. Turned car on and drove off only to realize that my headlights were not on. Stopped in adjacent parking lot and began playing with the switch, turning car off and on, trying to figure out how to drive three hours with no lights. . . High beam flash mode would function, but would be very unsafe on two lane highway. Suddenly began working on own. Stopped one time in route home but again played with it till it came on again. Fear this is a big safety issue.

The contact owns a 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis. The contact stated that while driving 20 mph, the headlights failed without warning. The contact had to turn off and restart the vehicle in order for the headlights to resume normal function. The failure recurred on numerous occasion. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician diagnosed that the lighting module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the lighting module had been repaired previously under an unknown manufacturer's recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 93,300.

While driving on the expressway with the headlights on auto-on, the headlights on our vehicle turned off. I attempted to turn them on manually, but they would not come on. This situation has happened several times and creates a very dangerous situation. They do eventually come on, sometimes when playing with the light switch manually and sometimes not until you stop, turn the vehicle off and then turn the vehicle back on again. Occurrences are random. There is no steady pattern. Thanks.

Headlights intermittently fail without warning and cannot be regained with headlight switch. In fact, no position operates with the headlight switch - no parking lights, no headlights, etc. Only after a seemingly random cooling period will the module allow the circuit to re-engage. Ford issued recall 14n01 but to date has not provided car dealers nor retail customers with a replacement switch. One Ford dealer ( tom peck Ford 608-676-2273) says back orders are unfilled . No Ford dealers nor after market auto parts companies are able to obtain the part. Even if the vehicle owner attempts to purchase and replace the small cigarette sized box called a "light control module" out of pocket, rather than waiting on Ford, it cannot be found on the market in companies like advance auto parts. This is not intended as a shrill complaint about Ford. But the danger is huge to the driver and other vehicles when this part randomly causes all power to be lost to the headlights. At highway speeds, it is very difficult to maintain control of the vehicle to a stop in total darkness. The part failure is increasing in frequency, and is has become a safety menace. Some Ford or Mercury owners may not be affluent enough to own a second vehicle to drive only at night. No drivers want to encounter another vehicle with that kind of malfunction. In fact, all the vehicles with that known hazard should be off the road at night. No doubt Ford has been addressing the light control module issue since the April 2014 recall, but certainly not with the urgency required.

While driving down the highway @ 65 mph the headlights suddenly went out causing a very dangerous situation. I tried the switch in every position to no avail the only solution was to use the flash to pass bar. I safely pulled off the road and tried restarting the car and moving the switch to different positions, nothing would work. The only way to use the lights is the flash to pass (bright lights) switch which causes not only a safety hazard to my family and other drivers but is against the law to drive with only bright lights. Ford has issued (customer satisfaction program 14n01) which is a step in the right direction but the dealerships all say that the lcm is on backorder and will be at least 45 days to receive this safety hazard part. Mt family is now stuck in a vehicle that can only be safely driven during daylight hours. Please help, parts stores have these parts and Ford should have to be required to purchase them if they can not provide the parts until 45 days later. Is this safety issue going to take someone dying before it is rectified?.

The headlights would not come on even tried to turn them on manually. Had to drive home holding the dimmer switch back to have high beams.

In early June the headlights started going out with no warning. They would also flash on and off when the wipers were on. Took the car to a mechanic and he said the lcm was bad. $500 to repair. Was looking online for a lcm and seen that Ford was extending their warranty on the lcm under the number 14n01. Looked at my Ford recall letters and seen that Ford sent out this warranty 14n01 to me in April of 2014. Took car to the dealer on 11 August and they confirmed the lcm was bad and would replace it. It is now 15 September and the parts are still not available. Now the wipers and wiper washer come on even when the wiper switch is off. Lights come on when their not supposed to. Anti-skid was also flashing on and off. Car may be unsafe to drive but I need transportation for work and cannot always use my wife's car. Ford will not offer a car for me to use. Should this be a safety recall? do I have any options with Ford?.

At about 8 pm, I was driving on an interstate in heavy traffic when the headlights went out. I was able to pull off the interstate. I turned the headlight switch on and off, but the headlights did not come back on. After a few minutes, the headlights just came back on. I turned on my blinker to get back on the interstate and the headlights went off again. My husband and I swapped seats and he took over the driving. The lights came back on and he pulled onto the interstate. The lights went off again and as long as he pulled the blinker towards him, then we had bright lights. Whenever he released the blinker, the lights went out. After driving for about 10 minutes with the bright lights on, the dim headlights came back on and stayed on for the next hour as we drove home. He was told at a Ford dealership that it was the light switch, so he replaced the switch. The next night the headlights went off again. I pulled off the road for a few minutes and the lights came back on and stayed on until we got home about 20 minutes later. We have not driven the car at night since then. We have since learned via this site that there is a problem with the light control module. The service man in the Ford parts department said it was his experience that when this happened it was the light switch. So we spent $137 on a part that we did not need.

I drive on the highway from to work. During the winter months, it is dark at 6 am. This morning, as I usually do, the light switch was on and it was on low beams. Suddenly, the headlights went out. I pulled over and stopped. The side markers and the parking lights were on. I sat for a few minutes to decide how to get home with no lights. Then the headlights came back on. I took a chance, they remained on, that day. It would occur periodically then daily, sometimes two (2) to three (3) times on the drive to work.

Tl- the contact owns a 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis. The contact stated while driving 10 mph the headlights failed. He was able to gently shake the switch and the lights came back on. The failure recurred numerous times. A dealer was notified and suggested that it may be the headlight switch that was the cause of the failure. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure and current mileage was 79,100. Dt.

We had just left a funeral home and driving back home on a 4 lane road. We turned to avoid getting on the highway immediately and decided to take another route. As we were heading up this 2 lane road that was dark all of a sudden our headlights and instrument panel lights went out and cars coming at us were flashing their lights. I slowed down and was able to pull over to a side street. Sat there trying to determine why the lights were out. Turned the switch from the on position to the automatic position and the lights came back on. We drove all the way home on back roads to avoid getting on the interstate, not knowing if the lights would go out or not. Read the manual to see if we had missed anything and then got on the internet and saw the hundreds of people having the same thing happen to them. I will contact the dealer and see about fixing it but from what I have read, the light control module is bad and so are the replacements. I am hopeful that there is a newer improved model that is now being used. Thank god we were not on the highway or we could have been killed. This is a serious problem.

Driving along at night when headlights went out. Tried all switch positions with no results. Eventually found that I could get lights on by pulling and holding the high beam leaver. This problems happens without any warning. I am no longer driving this vehicle at night until I get it repaired.

While driving down the interstate my headlights cut off. My parking lights remained on. The only way to see the road was to hold the high beam switch. This is the fourth time that this has happened in the last 2 weeks. There is no pattern of occurrence. I investigated on the internet and there are multiple reports of this happening throughout the country. The headlight module seems to be the problem.

The contact owns a 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 mph, the headlights suddenly failed. The failure occurred intermittently four different times. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 96,000. Updated 4/17/13 updated 05/14/2013.

The contact owns a 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis. While driving approximately 25 mph with the headlights activated, the contact noticed the headlights became inoperative. The high beams were activated and would only illuminate when the switch was manually hand held. The failure recurred whenever the headlights were in operation. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 39,120.

I was driving to work at 5:50 am in the dark when on coming traffic began flashing their headlights at me. I then noticed that my headlights (which I always have set on automatic) had gone out without warning. I had to drive a short distance to find a safe place to pull off the road. I could not get the headlights to come on with the switch in either the automatic or manual settings. I repeatedly shut the car off and restarted it without any luck. I had to wait until the sun came up to continue driving to work. I goggled this headlight problem and found it is a very common failure of the lighting control module in the 2003-2005 Ford crown victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis. I contacted Ford motor CO. But was told there was no recall on these cars with this common and very dangerous defect and was directed to take my car to a Ford dealer for service. I personally think Ford should be responsible for repairing this defect with no cost to the customer.

Tl- the contact owns a 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis. The contact stated that while driving 50 mph, the headlights shut off independently. The contact had to use the high beam headlights to navigate the roadway. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and the contact was advised that the light control module would possibly require replacing. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the head lamp switch was replaced. The failure recurred. The vehicle was not further repaired. The failure mileage was 48,000 and the current mileage was 50,000. Kmj.

In October 2011, I was driving at night when my headlights went off. I pulled into a parking lot to investigate the problem. I got out and took a walk around the car and all the lights were working except the headlights. I turned the lights switch off for a few minutes and the lights came back on. The problem worsened and I found that I could hold the "momentary" high beam switch on and the headlights would work -- as long as I held the switch in the high beam position. The situation worsened, and now the headlights will not come on for any length of time. The problem has escalated from October 2011 until late may 2012. If I need to drive the car at night, I must hold the "momentary" high beam switch while I drive. Once in a while you can see the headlights come on because the lights get extremely bright. Then I can release the "momentary" high beam switch. The lights will only stay on for about 10 seconds and then go back off. My mechanic told me that many Mercury Grand Marquis and Ford crown victoria's around the model year of my car have this problem. He has traced the problem to something called the lighting control module. It seems to me that this is an engineering problem. Ford wants $600. 00 just for the part. If you search the internet for similar problems, you will find an abundance of very similar situations as I have described to you. Not everyone is reporting this problem. Please help!.

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.

The contact owns a 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis. The contact stated that the headlights stopped illuminating while driving approximately 35 mph. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for a diagnostic test. The mechanic stated that the headlight switch would have to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that the part was not in stock. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 38,000.

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.

The contact owns a 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis. The contact stated that while driving 30 mph, he was pulled over by a police officer and informed that the headlights were not illuminated. The contact stated that the headlight switch indicated that the headlights were illuminated when the failure occurred. The failure recurred intermittently. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and the contact was informed that the headlight module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified and offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 60,000.

The contact owns a 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis. The contact stated that while driving 30 mph, the headlights failed to illuminate. The contact took the vehicle to a dealer for a diagnostic test where the dealer replaced the multifunction switch. The repair did not remedy the issue. The contact took the vehicle back to the dealer for a second diagnostic test and the dealer determined that the module which controlled the exterior lighting was defective. The dealer did not replace the module. The failure mileage was 112,000.

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!.

Let me start by saying this is a safety risk that could lead to loss of life. While driving at night, headlights went out. Instrument illumination stayed on. Headlight switch was cycled and the headlights cam back on. They turned off minutes later. After pulling over and cycling the bright lights and the headlamp switch, it was determined that driving with the signal light pulled back into bright-flash position was the only way to drive. This was after several pull-off-the-road events. We took the vehicle to the mechanic, who determined the headlight switch to be bad. $300 afterwards, the intermittent symptoms went away. However, the headlights never illuminated. From 12/11 through 5/12, the vehicle was driven only during the day -- occasionally at night, but with the turn signal pulled back to highbeam flash. After reviewing many internet posts, I discovered the light control module (lcm) was the suspect component. The dealership price for this component, as of 5/12, is $521. 67. I removed the lcm and opened it to inspect. After nothing was found (burned components, cold solder joints, etc. ), I reassembled and reinstalled it. After an operational check to see if reseating the connectors fix it, I discovered the headlight system fully functional. We'll see if the problem repeats itself. This problem was reported an many internet repair posts for 2003-2005 Ford crown vics and Grand Marquis.

The contact owns a 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis. While driving approximately 30 mph the driver and passenger side headlights shut off. The contact stated the high beam light switch had to be sustained in order to illuminate the road. The failure occurred twice. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 49,000. Updated 11/08/lj updated 11/30/11.

The contact owns a 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis. The contact stated that the headlights intermittently failed while driving at various speeds over 30 mph. The contact had to stop the vehicle and wait until the lights reset independently. The contact replaced the headlight switch and turned the signal lever, but the failure persisted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 78,000.

The contact owns a 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis. The contact stated that the headlights failed and the contact would have to play with the on/off switch to get the lights to illuminate. In addition, the headlights would fail when the turn signals were activated. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer where the dealer advised that the light control switch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact did not call the manufacturer. The failure mileage was 79,086 updated 11/16/lj updated 11/30/11.

While driving my car at in the very early morning both headlights failed on a curvy downhill road. I switched the headlight switch from the automatic position to the manual "on" position, but the headlights did not come back on. I pushed the high beam switch forward to the high beam postion but this failed to turn on the high beams. I pulled the the high beam switch back to the high beam "flash" position which did illuminate the high beams. I held the switch back in this position (to the displeasure of approaching drivers) until I found a safe place to pull over. I cycled the headlight switch numerous times with no effect. The light did finally come back on their own for a short time, but them went off again. This happened several times unti they finally did some back on for a lengthly period of time. The next day the same situation occured. At all times the other lights (dash, parking, etc) continued to operate. Very dangerous.

The contact owns a 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis. The contact stated that the headlights failed. The contact tried to engage the switch multiple times but to no avail. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection where they stated that the light control module was malfunctioning and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 85,000.

The contact owns a 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis. The contact stated that the headlights shut on and off intermittently; however, the high beams continue to function. The headlight switch was replaced, but that did not correct the failure. The dealer stated that headlight module caused the failure. The contact was concerned about the safety issue. The failure and current mileages were 60000. Updated 03/07/lj.