Crown Vic Headlight Recall

[junior]

Just heard on the news that ford is recalling 313,000 Crown Vic and Grand Marq for LCM issues. I'm not sure, but I can assume the Marauder will be included. The news indicates it's for 2003-2005 vehicles.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-autos-ford-recall-idUSKBN0U51TT20151222

[Mr. Man]

Marauder was recalled like a year ago

[fastblackmerc]

At least two year old news.......

[junior]

Maybe this is a different recall. It specifically states "safety" and was issued today.

https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en/news/2015/12/22/ford-issues-three-safety-recalls-and-one-safety-compliance-recal.html

[fastblackmerc]

Maybe this is a different recall. It specifically states "safety" and was issued today.

https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en/news/2015/12/22/ford-issues-three-safety-recalls-and-one-safety-compliance-recal.html

Same one........

Ford Customer Satisfaction Program 14N01

[kirk]

At least two year old news.......

Not quite. The last action said they would fix it if it stopped working. This is new and is an actual recall. I've already checked my VIN on Ford's site and it now comes up with both the repair action and the recall.

www.thecarconnection.com/news/1101535_ford-recalls-317000-u-s-vehicles-ford-f-150-supercrew-ford-crown-victoria-mercurcy-grand-marquis

[burt ragio]

Don't waste your time. Send your LMC to fastblackmerc and get it fixed right the 1st and last time.

[rauder88]

I agree it looks like a recall. Maybe they finally have ample stock of an "updated" LCM instead of the Dorman unit they tried to force on me.

[daddyusmaximus]

I just bought a Marauder that has headlight issues... Have to check this one out.

[Mike Brown]

ABC News stated that owners will be notified about the recall starting the week of Jan. 18. Those with headlight problems should contact their dealer.

[RF Overlord]

It does appear this issue has (FINALLY) become a full recall. About friggen time...

[fastblackmerc]

I'd really like to see what the new LCM looks like inside.

If anyone gets a new LCM from Ford under this recall and you'd like to trade it for a repaired one with upgraded components, let me know. We can work something out

[kirk]

It does appear this issue has (FINALLY) become a full recall. About friggen time...

All it took was 11 deaths. :(

[TrilogyRauder]

Just got ahold of the local Ford dealer here in Phoenix and my marauder is scheduled next Tuesday morning 12/29 to get a new LCM. After replacing it three times and carrying a crescent wrench on the floorboard to beat the crap out of it I finally get it replaced by ford.

[daddyusmaximus]

I took my car in to the dealership yesterday for it's free LCM. Hoping this cures my night driving fears. I still want to do a relay harness and maybe put the HIDs back in that I originally thought were the problem. Stupid HIDs are great on low beam, but less bright on high beam...?

[fastblackmerc]

Just got ahold of the local Ford dealer here in Phoenix and my marauder is scheduled next Tuesday morning 12/29 to get a new LCM. After replacing it three times and carrying a crescent wrench on the floorboard to beat the crap out of it I finally get it replaced by ford.

Don't put that wrench away.....

[GoldPanther]

I took my car in to the dealership yesterday for it's free LCM. Hoping this cures my night driving fears. I still want to do a relay harness and maybe put the HIDs back in that I originally thought were the problem. Stupid HIDs are great on low beam, but less bright on high beam...?

So how did it go?
HIDS are the main factor for LCM falure. Two ballast attached to a tiny 10 amp relay is not good.

ALL, ALL 2003 AND 2004 MARAUDERS QUALIFY FOR A NEWLCM REPLACENT UNDER THE RECALL..BUT, MAKE SURE THAT WHEN YOU TAKE THE CAR TO FORD YOU REMOVE ANY OR ALL LIGHTING MODIFICATIONS ON THE CAR, MAKE SURE YOU'RE RUNNING REGULAR 55W HALOGEN BULBS, ANY KIND OF HIDS OR LEDS OR EXTERNAL HARNESSES IN THE CAR WILL VOID THE EXTENDED WARRANTY/RECALL AND THEY WILL REFUSE PERFORMING THE RECALL ON YOUR CAR SAYING IT WAS YOUR FAULT THE LCM FAILED.

This just happened to a friend of mine, I told him to remove the HIDS out of the car before taking the car which he did UT he didn't remove the wiring. Ford found modification traces and refused to replace the LCM, luckily my friend was very persistence and after 30 mins arguing and involving the service manager they said ok to replace it. The LCM is a $500 part new.

[daddyusmaximus]

Everything seems perfect. I haven't put the HIDs back in yet. Going to get a relay harness for it so the headlights get power straight from the battery.

[fastblackmerc]

So how did it go?
HIDS are the main factor for LCM falure. Two ballast attached to a tiny 10 amp relay is not good.

ALL, ALL 2003 AND 2004 MARAUDERS QUALIFY FOR A NEWLCM REPLACENT UNDER THE RECALL..BUT, MAKE SURE THAT WHEN YOU TAKE THE CAR TO FORD YOU REMOVE ANY OR ALL LIGHTING MODIFICATIONS ON THE CAR, MAKE SURE YOU'RE RUNNING REGULAR 55W HALOGEN BULBS, ANY KIND OF HIDS OR LEDS OR EXTERNAL HARNESSES IN THE CAR WILL VOID THE EXTENDED WARRANTY/RECALL AND THEY WILL REFUSE PERFORMING THE RECALL ON YOUR CAR SAYING IT WAS YOUR FAULT THE LCM FAILED.

This just happened to a friend of mine, I told him to remove the HIDS out of the car before taking the car which he did UT he didn't remove the wiring. Ford found modification traces and refused to replace the LCM, luckily my friend was very persistence and after 30 mins arguing and involving the service manager they said ok to replace it. The LCM is a $500 part new.

The 10A relay is the problem, but aren't the stock halogen bulbs 55W? If so 35W HIDs put less strain on the LCM relay. IMHO... the ballast has nothing to do with it because it only draws 35W.

From the damage I've seen in well over 250 - 300 LCMs (I dissect every headlight relay), the main cause is too much power for the relay which results in the relay contact burning and pitting. I also believe the longer you use the headlights the sooner your original LCM will fail.

[MGDriver]

Wonder what happens if I turn up at a local Ford stealership and ask for the recall... will I get laughed at or thrown out?

[fastblackmerc]

Wonder what happens if I turn up at a local Ford stealership and ask for the recall... will I get laughed at or thrown out?

I would think they should honor the recall as it's only specific to a vehicle and not any country or region. I can almost guaranty that they wont have one in stock though.

[1Marauder]

Wonder what happens if I turn up at a local Ford stealership and ask for the recall... will I get laughed at or thrown out?

Only if you ask for, "eighn curryvurst bitta." Otherwise I'd think they would honor it! Let us know how it turns out!

I'd love to tell my local ford stealer that my friend in Paderborn Germany had no issues getting his fixed... :)

[MGDriver]

I would be more than surprised if they would honor it. I doubt they would even know about the recall, what do I show them?

Someone mentioned earlier that the recall is only covered under warranty if there are no lighting modifications done, my cars lighting had to be modified to be road legal in this country which included adding front parker lights as well as additional amber LED turn signals and a fog light in the back. I can't remove them otherwise the car becomes illegal so I guess that in itself voids the extented warranty.

[Mr. Man]

The 10A relay is the problem, but aren't the stock halogen bulbs 55W? If so 35W HIDs put less strain on the LCM relay. IMHO... the ballast has nothing to do with it because it only draws 35W.

From the damage I've seen in well over 250 - 300 LCMs (I dissect every headlight relay), the main cause is too much power for the relay which results in the relay contact burning and pitting. I also believe the longer you use the headlights the sooner your original LCM will fail.Funny you say that. I guess there are exceptions to every rule but Ms.D used her headlights every time she drove the car. Day, night, rain, snow, clear didn't matter. Her LCM lasted almost 10 years. Started to fail after we put the car on the Non-DD list.

[fastblackmerc]

I would be more than surprised if they would honor it. I doubt they would even know about the recall, what do I show them?

Someone mentioned earlier that the recall is only covered under warranty if there are no lighting modifications done, my cars lighting had to be modified to be road legal in this country which included adding front parker lights as well as additional amber LED turn signals and a fog light in the back. I can't remove them otherwise the car becomes illegal so I guess that in itself voids the extented warranty.

The dealership should be able to access any and all recalls in the system. I would think any modifications made to meet local laws would be taken into consideration and not affect your eligibility.

[MrMarauder]

I just got my Marauder's headlight fixed at a Ford dealership in Phoenix too. I celebrated with a nice long drive to L.A.

[GoldPanther]

The 10A relay is the problem, but aren't the stock halogen bulbs 55W? If so 35W HIDs put less strain on the LCM relay. IMHO... the ballast has nothing to do with it because it only draws 35W.

From the damage I've seen in well over 250 - 300 LCMs (I dissect every headlight relay), the main cause is too much power for the relay which results in the relay contact burning and pitting. I also believe the longer you use the headlights the sooner your original LCM will fail.

Actually no. From my understanding, the 35w is the output wattage send and received on the HID bulb, the ballast is designed to kick the bulbs at start up with Max output sacking all the voltage from the supplier (the LCM in this case),then it will slowly throw the proper power. The ballast will sucks as much voltage possible to supply and keep power steady sent to the bulbs, also the ballast are designed to run on 12 volt to 14v (as any car running). The lighting system on these cars are so badly designed that the max output power received in the bulbs with the car running is a max of 11 volts. This is why the ballasts module tries to sucks as much voltage out the supplier (again, the LCM's). This wouldn't be a big problem if the internal relay in the LCM was a big 40 amp relay, but instead there is a tiny weak 10 amp inside. So whenever you install two ballast in a 10 amp relay you're just torturing the LCM.
My friend added HIDs on his marauder and it didn't last 2 months when the LCM failed.

[GoldPanther]

Everything seems perfect. I haven't put the HIDs back in yet. Going to get a relay harness for it so the headlights get power straight from the battery.

Yes, adding and external relay harness in to an HID kit is a must. You must have learned that the hard way lol.

[mike6681]

Not sure how these recalls work on older vehicles, I just picked mine up last week. If I take mine in will it be covered or will I have to pay anything.

[GoldPanther]

Not sure how these recalls work on older vehicles, I just picked mine up last week. If I take mine in will it be covered or will I have to pay anything.

Yeah just take it in and tell them that your headlights randomly shot off in at least two occasions and that there's an open recall regarding this. They will replace the LCM at no cost to you.

[daddyusmaximus]

Yes, adding and external relay harness in to an HID kit is a must. You must have learned that the hard way lol.

Sort of... Just got the car 2 weeks ago, and it came with the HIDs and the LCM issues. Some guy on a Panther facebook page was making relay harnesses, but he's booked up for now. Going to get one when I can.

[lji372]

I ran hids for 6 months then hid projectors for 2 years, no lcm issues. Yet anyway, they will certainly show up......

[GoldPanther]

Sort of... Just got the car 2 weeks ago, and it came with the HIDs and the LCM issues. Some guy on a Panther facebook page was making relay harnesses, but he's booked up for now. Going to get one when I can.
I think that's me, I received a message from someone but I can't reply because I am currently in a post ban, apparently someone reported me for saying the f word. LOL PM I'll pm you shortly.

[GoldPanther]

I ran hids for 6 months then hid projectors for 2 years, no lcm issues. Yet anyway, they will certainly show up......

Does your kit has an external relay harness?

[lji372]

Does your kit has an external relay harness?

No sir, stock lcm as well.

[O's Fan Rich]

So how did it go?
HIDS are the main factor for LCM falure. Two ballast attached to a tiny 10 amp relay is not good.

ALL, ALL 2003 AND 2004 MARAUDERS QUALIFY FOR A NEWLCM REPLACENT UNDER THE RECALL..BUT, MAKE SURE THAT WHEN YOU TAKE THE CAR TO FORD YOU REMOVE ANY OR ALL LIGHTING MODIFICATIONS ON THE CAR, MAKE SURE YOU'RE RUNNING REGULAR 55W HALOGEN BULBS, ANY KIND OF HIDS OR LEDS OR EXTERNAL HARNESSES IN THE CAR WILL VOID THE EXTENDED WARRANTY/RECALL AND THEY WILL REFUSE PERFORMING THE RECALL ON YOUR CAR SAYING IT WAS YOUR FAULT THE LCM FAILED.

This just happened to a friend of mine, I told him to remove the HIDS out of the car before taking the car which he did UT he didn't remove the wiring. Ford found modification traces and refused to replace the LCM, luckily my friend was very persistence and after 30 mins arguing and involving the service manager they said ok to replace it. The LCM is a $500 part new.

I have a relay harness made by the gentleman on CV.net it's very well done and works excellent.
Are you saying they will reject the recall because I took steps to try and not encounter this known failure? Especially since I did it after my original warranty expired.

[fastblackmerc]

I have a relay harness made by the gentleman on CV.net it's very well done and works excellent.
Are you saying they will reject the recall because I took steps to try and not encounter this known failure? Especially since I did it after my original warranty expired.

Just unplug the harness and plug in the original connectors. Easy peezy..........

As long as your car is within the recall parameters there shouldn't be a problem.

[MarauderCyclone]

I got my recall notice in the mail Saturday morning.

The recall instructs me to wait to be contacted by my Dealership of Record due to parts availability issues at the present time.

My 2003 MM only has 37k on it and I've yet to have a problem with the headlights. I hope this continues to be the case until they can fix the issue.:depress:

[fastblackmerc]

I got my recall notice in the mail Saturday morning.

The recall instructs me to wait to be contacted by my Dealership of Record due to parts availability issues at the present time.

My 2003 MM only has 37k on it and I've yet to have a problem with the headlights. I hope this continues to be the case until they can fix the issue.:depress:

You can go to any Ford or Lincoln dealer for the recall.

[510paesan]

I also got the recall letter this week

[Chi Stallion]

I also got the recall letter in the mail this past weekend

[robertmoreno14]

I got 2 recall letters. But I already replaced the relays on both my Mercurys so I am good.

[daddyusmaximus]

Got my LCM replaced maybe 3 weeks ago. After hearing of the recall, I called and asked about it, and made an appointment for the next day. Easy as pie.


Got a recall letter Fri in the mail... too late.

[Fourth Horseman]

Where is the LCM located? Does the dash need to be pulled to access it? Reason I'm asking is that I need my blend door actuator replaced as well, and I'll just have the dealership do it the same time as the LCM replacement if so.

[vegasmarauder]

LCM is under dash right above the Data Link Connector on the lower driver's side of dash. The blend door acuator is on the passenger side on top of the AC plenum. LCM comes out with 3 screws and wiggling it out. Blend door you already know about.

[Marauderman]

I'd really like to see what the new LCM looks like inside.

If anyone gets a new LCM from Ford under this recall and you'd like to trade it for a repaired one with upgraded components, let me know. We can work something out

That would likely be me--I got the letter the other day--it listed both my 04 Vic and the Marauder--from what was earlier a safety issue to now a full recall--same as said by Overlord

I saw Vic experiencing this issue coming home the other day--darn lights stated flashing like a cop and doing weird things --driver had to pull over as they were having a mind of their own....had to park it--it was dark and he was approaching me..

[RF Overlord]

So since this is now a full recall, that means they'll replace the LCM no questions asked, right? They don't have to actually be able to recreate the problem this time?

[1Marauder]

That is my understanding. My fourth letter was different than my first and second.

[510paesan]

So since this is now a full recall, that means they'll replace the LCM no questions asked, right? They don't have to actually be able to recreate the problem this time?

Depends on your sweet talking abilities. I tried to take mine in yesterday n the kid behind the service desk basically told me to kick rocks. He said that ford hasn't "issued parts yet" and that they are going to send a second letter out in the 2nd quarter. But if you're having problems with your headlights, they'll pencil you in. Idiotic logic.

[MarauderCyclone]

I took the advice of some here and just showed up at the Dealership to try to get this done....an Hour later I was told the parts would not be available till July.

[Fourth Horseman]

LCM is under dash right above the Data Link Connector on the lower driver's side of dash. The blend door acuator is on the passenger side on top of the AC plenum. LCM comes out with 3 screws and wiggling it out. Blend door you already know about.

Copy that. Thanks.