Ford Crown Victoria Problems by Model Year
NHTSA recorded 3,071 consumer complaints across the 29 model years of the Ford Crown Victoria (1983–2011) that have at least 5 complaints. 1992 has the most, with 310. Across all years, the part named most often is steering (421 mentions). Pick a model year below to see its parts, mileage, recalls and service bulletins.
Best and worst Crown Victoria years →
All Crown Victoria model years
Years with fewer than 5 complaints are not listed. The score compares years of the same model, allowing for the era and for how long each year has collected complaints: 50 is a typical year, lower means fewer complaints. It is not adjusted for sales volume.
| Year | Complaints | Median mi | Recalls | TSBs | Score (50 = typical) | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 23 | 54,000 | 2 | 21 | — | Falling |
| 2010 | 12 | 135,000 | 2 | 21 | — | Not enough data |
| 2009 | 44 | 71,000 | 2 | 18 | Not compared (fewer than 3 comparable model years) | Rising |
| 2008 | 50 | 100,500 | 3 | 18 | Not compared (fewer than 3 comparable model years) | Falling |
| 2007 | 50 | 103,000 | 4 | 23 | Not compared (before 2008) | Rising |
| 2006 | 53 | 107,000 | 2 | 29 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 2005 | 193 | 80,086 | 5 | 44 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 2004 | 138 | 92,000 | 2 | 31 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 2003 | 249 | 100,000 | 5 | 32 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 2002 | 58 | 50,000 | 2 | 21 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 2001 | 53 | 80,000 | 4 | 21 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 2000 | 85 | 91,158 | 7 | 17 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1999 | 134 | 80,048 | 5 | 10 | Not compared (before 2008) | Rising |
| 1998 | 119 | 88,772 | 7 | 8 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 1997 | 288 | 86,000 | 8 | 7 | Not compared (before 2008) | Rising |
| 1996 | 276 | 103,582 | 9 | 4 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1995 | 250 | 97,504 | 8 | 2 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1994 | 192 | 111,500 | 6 | 2 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1993 | 182 | 118,356 | 7 | 2 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1992 | 310 | 101,750 | 7 | 2 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1991 | 55 | 89,000 | 3 | 0 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1990 | 43 | — | 2 | 0 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1989 | 72 | 90,500 | 2 | 0 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1988 | 42 | 63,450 | 2 | 0 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1987 | 41 | 99,477 | 4 | 0 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1986 | 27 | — | 1 | 0 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1985 | 21 | 77,825 | 0 | 0 | — | Stable |
| 1984 | 6 | — | 1 | 0 | — | Not enough data |
| 1983 | 5 | — | 2 | 0 | — | Not enough data |
Parts named most often, all years
Counts add up complaint mentions across the listed years. A complaint can name several parts.
- Steering421 16%
- Engine cooling399 15%
- Exterior lighting379 14%
- Electrical system357 13%
- Brakes319 12%
- Suspension299 11%
- Vehicle speed control278 10%
- Fuel system253 9.4%
Example complaints
One per model year, chosen for length and detail. Personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
2006: “The car dealership didn't tell us that this car have no air bag and also nothing was checking or change on the car. We paid for the car at 2700 and the electric and the radiator are bad and also the AC unit is bad they don't have no anti-theft system and much more we just don't have the money to fix it no more you already put 5,000 plus $2,700”
NHTSA complaint #11377044, filed 2020-11, 130,000 miles2005: “When your on the highway sometimes it feels like the steering wheel floats away and like you already have lost steering controls but they come back. I have a sheet from when I got the recall for the headlights, that said 13r01 for the steering column shaft. I haven't gotten that fixed or remedied so I'm confused as to why it says the work order isn't outstanding.”
NHTSA complaint #11325358, filed 2020-05, 126,021 miles1999: “When driving on the interstate at 75 MPH the exterior lights as well as the dash lights shut off. They then came back on after about a minute and a half. The lights intermittently shut off and come back on at random. I can be on the interstate or on a city street. I can be going forward or backwards when this happens. This is a huge safety issue.”
NHTSA complaint #11189980, filed 2019-03, 155,000 milesOther Ford models
38,924 complaintsFord Explorer
34,638 complaintsFord Escape
27,553 complaintsFord Fusion
22,450 complaintsFord Focus
22,108 complaintsFord Taurus
18,165 complaintsFord Windstar
14,152 complaintsFord Edge
14,109 complaints
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 30, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Methodology