1995 Ford Crown Victoria Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year write most often about the front suspension and steering: lower ball joints that come apart and pitman arms that wear, usually at low speed but with a sudden loss of steering. The next largest group covers brake lines rusting through with fluid loss, followed by speed-control switch overheating, cruise control faults and ABS that cycles on its own. Many of these cars were police or fleet vehicles, and mileage at the time of the report is commonly in the 80,000 to 140,000 range.

1. 1
   Suspension

   Front lower ball joint comes apart

   • 90 complaints (36%)
   • median 116,000 mi at 14.0 yrs old (13 state mileage)
   • 4 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1995–2019

   Complaints describe the front lower ball joint separating, often at low speed while pulling out of a driveway, parking lot or side street: the front corner drops, the tire folds inward and steering is lost. Several owners mention a squeak or clunk from the front end beforehand, and some report a wheel coming loose while driving slowly. A number of owners say the dealer or manufacturer declined help because the VIN was not covered by the related suspension campaign. Reported from roughly 45,000 to 190,000 miles in the sample, many between 80,000 and 150,000, and usually at low speed during a turn.

   Recall 98V322000

   What to check: Have a shop put the car on a lift and check the lower ball joints for play, torn boots, rust or a squeak on turns. Ask whether the joints have ever been replaced and whether this VIN was included in the ball joint campaign.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I have a 1995 Ford Crown Victoria with 83,000 miles on it. The control arm dropped and hit the road, causing loss of steering. Lucky for us we were going slow turning into a place of business, if we were going fast it could have been bad news. This car started a squeak on the front a little while ago, I guess it had something to do with it. I have noticed alot of 90's and some 2000's model fords have this same squeak. I contacted Ford, and they said there was no recall on my model, I told them there should be.”

   NHTSA complaint #10395970, filed 2011-04, 83,000 miles

   “1995 Crown Victoria had a blow out on the expressway at 55 MPH at about midnight after picking up our grandson from the airport don't know for sure if ball joint broke first or tire did my husband managed to get the car to the side of the road without hitting any thing. This happened may 24th 2009 the other ball joint just broke today august 16 2010 car was going about 5mph when it happened today. What are the odds this was just a coincidences or this was a defect in manufacturing someone could have been killed. We were lucky.”

   NHTSA complaint #10349772, filed 2010-08, 94,000 miles
2. 2
   Brakes

   Brake lines rust through and fluid leaks out

   Mentioned in 10 of 60 sampled complaints

   Owners describe steel brake lines rusting through along the frame rail, above the rear axle or under the hood, with fluid loss and a pedal that goes soft or sinks to the floor. Several had little or no braking while pulling out of a driveway or while driving and had to downshift or use neutral to stop. One complaint notes the line runs inside the frame channel, so the body had to be lifted to make the repair; others found the corrosion during routine service before the line failed. Mostly reported between about 45,000 and 145,000 miles, with several owners pointing to road salt and winter driving.

   What to check: Inspect the steel brake lines along the frame rails, above the rear axle and under the hood for rust, damp spots or seepage, and ask whether any lines have been replaced. Watch the fluid level and the brake warning light over the first few weeks of ownership.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “First related symptom: few years ago brake lines rusted under the hood. Original remedy: I have painted them to protect them from further rust. Current issue: 12/26/2008 brake light switched on during drive to work. 12/26/2008 brake pedal got soft on the way back to home. 12/27/2008 I have checked the brake fluid. It was low. I have bought and add more fluid (car was not moved this day). While fluid was added I started the engine and in park gear I have pumped the brake pedal. It remained soft. Fluid got low again... …”

   NHTSA complaint #10253079, filed 2008-12, 130,000 miles

   “The brake fluid in my 1995 Ford Crown Victoria had to be topped off last week. The red brake light came on indicating the fluid was low. After filling the fluid and driving the car, the pedal felt a little on the soft side, but no light. On my way to work today, I was 2 miles from home and went to apply the brakes. I had no brakes whatsoever. The pedal did have some feel to it, but there was absolutely no brakes. Luckily, I veered off the road avoiding a collision with a car, and had to downshift the car to get it to slow down. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10178995, filed 2007-01, 117,200 miles
3. 3
   Vehicle speed control

   Speed control switch overheats or burns

   Mentioned in 8 of 60 sampled complaints

   Complaints describe the speed-control deactivation switch on the brake master cylinder leaking and overheating, in some cases smoking or burning the wiring after the car had been parked for a few minutes. Owners also report cruise control that quits, will not engage, or fails again after the recall repair was performed, and a few describe the engine speeding up on its own with the brakes not responding. Some owners say the dealer had no parts or refused to do the work. Mileage varies widely, from about 50,000 to over 200,000; the fire reports occurred shortly after driving or while the car was parked.

   Recall 08V051000Recall 07V336000

   What to check: Ask whether the speed-control recall was completed and whether the harness was replaced with the correct part for this vehicle. Look for a wet or discolored switch on the master cylinder and confirm the cruise control engages and releases cleanly on a test drive.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “July 2006 my Crown Victoria caught on fire due to a brake switch and cruise control wiring problem I notified Ford motor company to see if there was any recall or problem with such happenings they told me no. August 2007- I received a recall notice for my Crown Victoria that this problem does exist= I almost lost my car to this fire I had it repaired at my mechanic in july they same day the fire happened I had it flatbedded to his garage. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10207474, filed 2007-10, 125 miles

   “Steering wheel is loose, feels like it could come. Air bag light is on, cruise controlnot working correctly. All these things are safety related and should be fixed. I think steering wheel should be repaired free of charge, since it's a major problem.”

   NHTSA complaint #10945351, filed 2017-01, 118,000 miles
4. 4
   Steering

   Worn pitman arm leaves steering loose

   Mentioned in 7 of 60 sampled complaints

   Owners report the pitman arm joint wearing or pulling out of the drag link, leaving the steering loose, vague or briefly unresponsive, sometimes with a popping noise on turns. Some complaints were filed by police departments that lost steering control while driving, and others were found during routine greasing when the joint was already loose. Several owners say the dealer could not confirm or perform the related steering-linkage campaign. Mileage is not recorded on most of these older filings; where listed it runs from about 50,000 to 140,000 miles.

   Recall 96V135000

   What to check: Check the pitman arm and drag link for play, corrosion or a dry joint, and have someone rock the steering wheel while you watch for movement. Ask whether the steering-linkage campaign was performed on this VIN.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Bearing in the pitman arm of the steering system may become excessively worn allowing the pitman arm to separate from the center link of the steering system without warning. Driver would likely experience loss of steering control of vehicle - as per recall. Two hours after scheduled appointment time for recall service, owner was informed that repairs could not be performed because they had no information on the recall.”

   NHTSA complaint #531979, filed 1996-09

   “During routine maintenance, when pitman arm was greased, joint popped out about 1/2 inches pe96-029. Vehicle is maintained per factory specifications by contracted vendor.”

   NHTSA complaint #984180, filed 1996-05
5. 5
   Brakes

   ABS cycles on its own and braking weakens

   • 12 complaints (5%)
   • median 107,603 mi at 11.4 yrs old (4 state mileage, few)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1996–2008

   Complaints describe the ABS pump running or cycling whenever the brakes are applied, regardless of speed or road surface, with a pedal that surges and stopping distance that feels longer on smooth dry pavement. Owners and dealers traced it to sensors and the steel tone ring rusting in the brake system, and some report the ABS light staying on after repeated shop visits. Others note the front rotors and pads wore quickly and the brakes made a grinding noise. Reported from about 20,000 to 100,000 miles, in normal dry-road braking.

   What to check: On a test drive, brake firmly on dry pavement and check that the pedal feels steady and the ABS light is off. Ask whether the ABS sensors and tone rings have been replaced or cleaned and whether the system was scanned for stored codes.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Constant ABS failure caused by sensor and steel ring rust in brake system. Problem causes activation of ABS system without regard to speed, conditions or any braking effectiveness. Abs pump may run at any time the brakes are applied causing increased stopping distance on smooth dry roads.”

   NHTSA complaint #10120186, filed 2005-05, 98,007 miles

   “Abs light sensor keeps coming on. Vehicle has been in/out of dealer's shop, and the condition would return within a day or as much as four days. Dealer keeps charging consumer every time he brings the vehicle back.”

   NHTSA complaint #827984, filed 1998-09

Buying note. This is an old design, so condition matters far more than the badge: have the front ball joints, pitman arm and steel brake lines inspected before buying, and ask for paperwork on the ball joint and speed-control recalls. A well-maintained car with those items already addressed is a different proposition from one that has not been checked.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.