CROWN VICTORIA

The Ford Crown Victoria — a full-size car explained

The Ford Crown Victoria is a full-size car built from 1987 to 2011. Most were assembled in Canada (99.5% of the cars in our records), though 1 other country builds it too.

Data · NHTSA & EPA · 1987–2011 · 25 model years · Updated Aug 27, 2026 · 3.5 ★★★★★★★★★★ ForCar Score
Quick answer

The Ford Crown Victoria is a full-size car built from 1987 to 2011. Most were assembled in Canada — 99.5% of those on record. Engines offered: V8. Worth buying? It depends heavily on which year you buy at 3.5/5 — and the year you pick matters far more than the badge (best and worst years →).

1987–2011
Years
147
Recalls
20
Top MPG
—★
NHTSA
3589
Complaints

What the Crown Victoria is

The Ford Crown Victoria is a full-size car that Ford built from 1987 to 2011 — 25 model years. It has been offered with V8 power. Its closest siblings in the Ford range: Taurus, Five Hundred, C-Max.

Where the Crown Victoria is built

A badge says where the company is registered; the VIN says where the car was bolted together. We counted the first three characters — the manufacturer identifier — across 2,395 Crown Victorias on record.

FIG.02·Where the Ford Crown Victoria is built
Assembled inShareVIN starts withYears seen
Canada99.5%2FA, 2FD, 2SA1987-2011
the United States0.5%1FA1989-2000
ROWS 2·SOURCE NHTSA records, grouped by VIN manufacturer code

Check your own: the first three characters of a Ford VIN decide which of these 1 lines your Crown Victoria belongs to. What every character in a Crown Victoria VIN means →

Got the full 17 characters? A free VIN check on a Ford Crown Victoria adds what the decoder can't see: open recalls, theft and total-loss records, and the safety ratings for that exact build.

Ford Crown Victoria tire size, oil type & owner specs

The fitment Crown Victoria owners look up most — tires, wheels, oil and batteries. Exact wheel and tire sizes decode from your VIN or the driver's door-jamb placard; the universal items are listed below.

Wheels & tires
Wheel sizeby VIN
Tire sizeby VIN
Bolt patternby trim
Tire pressure32–36 PSI
Engine oil
Oil typeFull synthetic
Gradeon oil cap
Capacityby engine
Battery
Main battery12V · group by trim
Key-fob cellCR2032
Wiper blades
Front bladesby generation
Rear bladeif equipped
Fuses
Fuse boxeshood + dash
Diagramon box lid
Light bulbs
Headlightby trim
Tail / brakeby trim
Fogif equipped

Exact tire, wheel, oil grade, capacity and battery group are added per trim and model year — decode your VIN above for the factory fitment. Universal items shown as-is.

What engines does the Ford Crown Victoria have? Power & range

The Ford Crown Victoria is offered with 1 powertrain — 4.6L 8-cyl. Here's the lineup by engine, transmission and drivetrain — 1 for the Ford Crown Victoria, against one or two on most rivals.

FIG.06·Ford Crown Victoria Powertrains
EngineDisplacementTransmissionDriveFuel
V84.6L · 8-cylAutomatic 4-spdRWDGasoline or E85
ROWS 1·SOURCE EPA + NHTSA vPIC

Horsepower, torque and fuel-tank size decode from your VIN — exact figures vary by engine and trim.

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov (engines, drivetrain, range, charge time). Horsepower & torque from NHTSA vPIC on VIN decode.

The Crown Victoria by the numbers

What the federal and market records say about the Ford Crown Victoria. Each line opens the full breakdown by year.

FIG.05·Ford Crown Victoria by the numbers
TopicCrown VictoriaDetail
Recalls147 campaignsNHTSA, all years
Owner complaints3,589 filedWhat breaks and when
Reliability3.5 / 5Best and worst years
Insurance$1,212/yrEstimated full coverage
Used value275 listingsWhat it sells for now
ROWS 5·SOURCE NHTSA, EPA, HLDI and market listings

Frequently asked questions

What kind of car is the Ford Crown Victoria?

The Crown Victoria is a full-size car, built from 1987 to 2011. Engines offered: V8.

Where is the Ford Crown Victoria made?

Across 2,395 cars in our records the split is: Canada (99.5%), the United States (0.5%). The first three characters of a VIN identify the plant's manufacturer and country — that is where these shares come from, not from a press release.

What is the Ford Crown Victoria warranty?

New models carry 3 years / 36,000 miles basic cover and 5 years / 60,000 miles on the powertrain. Worth knowing: across our complaint records the typical car reaches the halfway point of its faults at five years, so most repairs land after the basic warranty ends.

Is the Crown Victoria reliable?

It scores 3.5/5 in our data. The honest answer depends on the year far more than the model — see the best and worst years, and when this car starts to break.

How do I check a specific Crown Victoria?

This page describes the model; it cannot tell you whether that car has an open recall or a branded title. Run its VIN against the records — free, and matched to the exact production run.

More in Ford

More Ford models
ModelYearsRecallsBest MPGForCar score
Ford F-1501981–202646272 mpg4.0/5
Ford Bronco1981–202614627 mpg3.5/5
Ford Mustang1981–202624026 mpg4.0/5
Ford Explorer1991–202621239 mpg4.0/5
Ford Escape2001–202622641 mpg4.5/5
Ford Ranger1982–202627858 mpg3.5/5
ROWS 6·SOURCE NHTSA + EPA
Data sourced from NHTSA (recalls, complaints, safety ratings) and EPA fueleconomy.gov (MPG). Best/worst-year analysis is ForCar's own aggregation of complaint volume. Last updated Aug 2026. — ForCar Editorial Reviewed by , founder of ForCar.