Owners have filed 2,426 complaints on the Ford Crown Victoria, covering 1987–2011. The system named most often is Steering (358 reports). Worst years by volume: 1992, 1997, 1996; cleanest: 2010, 2011, 1988. 163 reports describe a crash, 143 a fire, 11 a death. On average the car was 6.2 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Ford Crown Victoria
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 2,426 Crown Victoria complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Steering 358 Read
Unmarked police crown victoria sedan traveling in left lane of 4-lane, grass median-separated highway with posted speed limit 55 mph. Police officer driver deceased in crash. Witnesses report: after entering highway, vehicle accelerated to high rate of speed; in vicinity police median turnaround, police strobe lights…
Driving east on allen street in springfield massachusetts steering control locked up resulting in a crash with a gas station pump police crash report id 15-3725-AC car was totalled out when it caught fire no noise was heard seconds before crash. I have noticed that there was a recall on the replacement parts but…
The contact owns a 2010 ford crown victoria. The contact stated that while her fianc was driving about 70 mph and getting off a ramp, the steering shaft fractured inside the steering column, without warning, and caused the vehicle to crash into a curb and stopped in a grassy area. The contact was concerned that the…
Engine And Engine Cooling 284 Read
Car was hit head-on and fire broke out in the engine compartment
The vehicle was parked and turned off. Fifteen minutes later the consumer was informed that the vehicle was on fire. The fire department responded and put the fire out. The vehicle was totaled. *ak consumer stated the fire started in the engine compartment. The manufacturer was going to send an engineer to investigate…
2004 ford crown victoria intake manifold cracked, causing coolant lost and smoking engine. Vehicle emergency stopped and towed. Consumer facing expensive repair costs
Exterior Lighting 257 Read
The contact owns a 2005 ford crown victoria. The contact stated that they began to smell a burning odor. Shortly after, the headlights stopped functioning. The vehicle was taken to a local repair shop where the contact was informed that the lighting control module failed. The vehicle was repaired. The current and…
Headlights failed for the second time on this vehicle!!! Ran off road in pitch dark
At 1:15 a.m. On december 27, 2006, I drove my 1997 crown victoria for aproximatly 20 miles and parked in my driveway. About an hour and thirty minutes later, I was awaken by a popping sound and the dog barking. I looked out the window to find the car's engine compartment fully engulfed in flames. I then called 911 and…
Service Brakes 212 Read
Braking system malfunctioned, causing extended stopping distance which may result in a crash. Dealer replaced brake calipers and front disc rotors 3 times. Also, wiring harness in the steering column burned out(ignition), causing a fire. In addition, bolt that holds driver's seat to the floor came out which could…
I bought ford victoria crown model 2005 from an individual on dec. 2009. It was police car. After I bought the car within a months time I hit another vehicle. I lost control and the brake didn't work. It didn't stop by hitting once, it was amazing hitting back again and again. My car or even the other car didn't have…
I was approaching a traffic light at aprox. 25 mph. When I applied the brakes, the car did not slow down. I again applied the brakes and there was a loud screeching noise as if I had slammed on the brakes..which I had not done. The car continued to roll forward even though I had the brake pedal fully engaged
Suspension 205 Read
The contact owns a 2003 ford crown victoria. The differential on the vehicle is worn out. The rear bearings were worn and caused the axle to separate from the housing. While driving 45 mph, the bearings began smoking and smelled like hot asphalt. Smoke also rose from the rear of the vehicle. The gear oil leaked out of…
The contact owns a 2003 ford crown victoria. The contact stated that while driving 55 mph in rainy weather conditions, the vehicle started to hydroplane and jerk violently. The contact mentioned that she engaged the brakes and as a result, she lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a wall. In addition, she…
First taka take airbag on jan.1st 2008 I'm hit a deer and I'm had to replace my whole front even the hood the ,airbag light came on in fact it is still on but the bag did not deploy. The lights inside my truck stays on for 30 minutes and the alarm will not set after the vehicle is shut off. My suspension system on the…
Electrical System 204 Read
While parked noticed smoke coming from steering column, after disconnecting battery found 1/4 of ignition wiring had burnt
The vehicle was parked, locked and unattended in a parking lot. Surveillance video shows flashes coming from underneath the hood fairly centrally located where it hinges with the vehicle. The flashes begin slow, then resume more intensely before the vehicle catches fire. The fire consumes all rubber/plastics in the…
The contact owns a 2008 ford crown victoria. While the vehicle was being operated, the front passenger side visor light remained illuminated after the visor was closed. As a result, the visor material was burned. The contact mentioned that the visor had to be slightly opened to prevent further burning while driving.…
Vehicle Speed Control 169 Read
Police car 2008 crown victoria was southbound through intersection and struck by an eastbound vehicle. The crown vic accelerated post impact by a stuck throttle linkage and LED to two additional collisions. Event data recorder download confirmed the officer complaint of the stuck throttle. Initial impact speed was 22…
The contact owns a 2008 ford crown victoria. While driving 30 mph and approached a stop sign, the accelerator pedal was depressed and became stuck to the floorboard. As a result, the vehicle accelerated uncontrollably and crashed into an electric pole. The front air bags deployed. The contact sustained unknown…
I was driving straight on a highway- route 2 in massachusetts. After tapping on the brakes to begin the process of slowing down, the crown victoria- on it's own- began to accelerate at the same time. It was sudden and unintended acceleration. At that point, I slammed as hard as I could onto the brake pedal- to the…
Fuel System 146 Read
Charleston county sheriff's office marked patrol car. Driver lost control at high speed. Slid across the median.spun 180 degrees was struck in the rear by oncoming vehicle. Continued to skid across the road and struck the guard rail with the front of the vehicle. Vehicle caught fire at the rear and burned
Austintown police officer was operating a 2005 ford crown victoria police vehicle when the vehicle was struck from behind, causing the vehicle to explode into flames. Preliminary indications are the police vehicle was moving at the time of impact and the second vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed. Officer…
We are concerned to drive our crown vic because of the alleged fuel tank problems. We live in phoenix, az, and in the past three years four police officers have been either killed or severly injured due to collisions that resulted in the fuel tank catching fire. We would like to know what ford motor co. Plans to do…
Crown Victoria years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Engine | — | — | |
| 2010 | Electrical System,exterior Lighting | 3 | — | |
| 2009 | Air Bags | 5 | 2 | |
| 2008 | Electrical System | 9 | 3 | |
| 2007 | Air Bags | 5 | — | |
| 2006 | Air Bags | 8 | — | |
| 2005 | Air Bags | 12 | 2 | |
| 2004 | Electrical System | 2 | 4 | |
| 2003 | Air Bags | 15 | 2 | |
| 2002 | Air Bags | 7 | 3 | |
| 2001 | Air Bags | 8 | 2 | |
| 2000 | Electrical System | 3 | 1 | |
| 1999 | Electrical System | 3 | 3 | |
| 1998 | Air Bags | 2 | 5 | |
| 1997 | Air Bags | 8 | 12 | |
| 1996 | Air Bags | 11 | 11 | |
| 1995 | Air Bags | 12 | 10 | |
| 1994 | Air Bags | 13 | 12 | |
| 1993 | Air Bags | 10 | 9 | |
| 1992 | Air Bags | 14 | 22 | |
| 1991 | Air Bags | 4 | 5 | |
| 1990 | Air Bags | 4 | 4 | |
| 1989 | Electrical System | 2 | 14 | |
| 1988 | Electrical System | 1 | 6 | |
| 1987 | Electrical System | 2 | 11 |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 883 |
| Average complaints per series | 2.7 |
| Worst single series | 24 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 6.2 years |
A model average of 2.7 hides a worst series at 24. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
- The original window sticker and factory options
- Full research report as a PDF for the pre-purchase inspection
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- No ads, no tracking — and much more
How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the Crown Victoria?
By complaint volume, 1992, 1997, 1996 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which Crown Victoria years are the cleanest?
2010, 2011, 1988 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Ford Crown Victoria have?
2,426 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 1987–2011. Of those, 163 describe a crash and 143 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.