2002 Ford Crown Victoria Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often describe fuel tank concerns, such as fire or explosion risk in a collision and gasoline leaks, along with engine stalls, spark plugs blowing out, and sudden acceleration or cruise control faults. Wheel cracks or separation, steering problems, and electrical fires or smoke appear in smaller groups. Where mileage is recorded, reports are spread widely, and many complaints do not list mileage at all.

1. 1
   Fuel system

   Fuel tank leak or fire-risk concerns

   • 7 complaints (12%)
   • typically at 1.5 yrs old
   • filed 2002–2003

   Owners describe concern that the fuel tank could burn, explode, or be damaged in a collision or vehicle fire, and some describe asking for a plastic shield around the tank that they say was not installed. Some describe a gasoline leak from the tank neck that reached the tires and rear brakes, and a dealer also reported a faulty fuel pump. According to complaints, the manufacturer has said tank changes apply mainly to police and fleet models, and some owners were told civilian vehicles have a different design. All of these were filed in 2002 or 2003, and none list mileage.

   Recall 03V472000

   What to check: Ask whether the car is a natural gas model, since the tank-fire recall (03V472000) covers certain natural gas vehicles, and whether any fuel tank shield or retrofit mentioned in complaints was installed. Look for fuel odor or wet spots near the tank, the rear brakes, and the filler neck during an inspection, and ask whether the fuel pump has been checked.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The consumer was concerned with the gas tank problem with the 2002 Crown Victoria. The service manager told the consumer that the civilian vehicles, as opposed to the police and taxi models, were not of the same design thus not subject to the gas tank problem.”

   NHTSA complaint #10021575, filed 2003-06

   “When starting the vehicle a noise was heard coming from the fuel tank area. Dealer found a leak in the neck of the fuel tank which leaked gasoline onto the tires, and the rear driver's side brakes. Also, fuel pump was faulty.”

   NHTSA complaint #10042330, filed 2003-10
2. 2
   Engine cooling

   Engine stalls, misfires, or spark plugs blow out

   • 7 complaints (12%)
   • median 78,109 mi at 8.6 yrs old (6 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2004–2022

   Owners describe a spark plug blowing out of its cylinder, sometimes at highway speed, followed by loss of power, and in other cases a stall while driving or an engine that needed many restart attempts. Repairs described include thread repair of damaged spark plug holes, new coils, and replaced plugs, and a broken coil mount and a fractured manifold are also reported. According to complaints, a dealer could not reproduce some stalls, and owners have sometimes paid for coils and thread-repair kits themselves. Where mileage is recorded, these reports range from about 40,000 to 118,000 miles.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether the spark plug thread repair bulletin (10023943) and the coil-on-plug misfire bulletin (10018745) have been checked, and whether any cylinder head or plug-hole repairs were done. During a test drive or inspection, check for misfiring or stalling and confirm the check engine light is off.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I had been driving 250 miles or so and drove down a long winding incline, as the road flattened out I heard a noise from the engine compartment. The noise sounded like a hole in the first part of the exhaust system. I found a safe place to pull over and turned off the vehicle. There was a slight odor of natural gas as this vehicle is fueled with natural gas. After the odor passed, I opened the hood to find that the #2 ignition coil mount was broken, and the coil and spark plug assembly were loose in the spark plug well. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10423166, filed 2011-09, 116,954 miles

   “Replaced spark plugs at 75000 miles with bosch premium plugs. Approximately 3 months later spark plug number 7 (3rd from front on passenger side) blew out, causing damage to the cylinder threads. Helicoil was installed and new spark plug installed. Approximately 3 months later spark plug number 6(second from front passenger side) blew out causing the same damage.”

   NHTSA complaint #10104205, filed 2004-12, 75,000 miles
3. 3
   Vehicle speed control

   Sudden acceleration or cruise control faults

   • 7 complaints (12%)
   • median 25,000 mi at 2.6 yrs old (5 state mileage, few)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2002–2009

   Owners describe the car accelerating on its own or unexpectedly, including while parking, while braking, or at low speed, sometimes leading to a collision. Other complaints describe cruise control that does not disengage, or disengages over bumps and leads to sudden slowing at highway speed, and a complaint says the brake and accelerator pedals are placed too close together, which led to pressing the wrong pedal. A complaint notes that the dealer had been told about the problem on earlier occasions without a service visit. Where mileage is recorded, these reports fall between about 17,000 and 33,000 miles.

   What to check: Ask whether the cruise control and brake switches have been inspected, and whether any unintended acceleration complaint has been raised with the dealer. During a test drive in an empty, safe area, confirm the cruise control disengages when the brake or the cancel control is used and that the car slows normally when the brake is pressed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “During highspeed interstate highway travel with cruise control engaged, every time car hit a sharp bump in the road, the cruise control would disengage causing unexpected deceleration, causing dangerous situation from highspeed traffic approaching from behind. This is a continueing, ongoing problem.”

   NHTSA complaint #10068341, filed 2004-05, 17,200 miles

   “While parking vehicle experienced sudden acceleration when shiftiting from drive. As a result the consumer's vehicle collided with two other vehicles which damaged front end.”

   NHTSA complaint #10037733, filed 2004-01, 25,000 miles
4. 4
   Wheels

   Wheels crack, separate, or lose air

   Mentioned in 4 of 47 sampled complaints

   Owners describe cracked rims that lead to a constant leak or tire deflation, and a left rear wheel that separated from the car and damaged the vehicle. Complaints also describe vibration from cracked rear wheels after a set of wheels was replaced, and a mechanic said the wheels needed replacing. According to complaints, a mechanic traced a constant leak to the rims rather than the tires and could not repair them. Where mileage is given, it is about 15,000 miles at the time of failure, and most entries have no mileage on record.

   What to check: Check all four wheels and rims for cracks, bends, or air leaks, including the rear wheels, and ask whether any wheels were replaced and by whom. Ask whether any steel-wheel recall mentioned in the complaints has been checked on this vehicle.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Recall 03v279000 subject: steel wheels: after having all the wheels replaced the consumer noticed that the rear wheels were cracked. While driving the vehicle vibrated uncontrollably. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection. The mechanic informed the consumer that the wheels were crack and needed to be replaced. Please provided further details.”

   NHTSA complaint #10087800, filed 2004-08

   “2002 Ford Crown Victoria left rear wheel separated from the vehicle. The vehicle was damaged as a result of the wheel coming off. Ohio traffic crash report# 10-89-0577.”

   NHTSA complaint #10213958, filed 2008-01
5. 5
   Steering

   Steering stiffens, has play, or feels misaligned

   Mentioned in 4 of 47 sampled complaints

   Owners describe power steering that catches so the wheel will not turn smoothly, a steering failure that makes the wheel tight, and steering that has play when driving above about 50 mph. A complaint describes the steering column sitting off-parallel so the car seems pointed toward the right side of the road, and says dealer-lot vehicles showed a similar setup. Some owners say they repaired the steering themselves or could not afford a dealer visit, and a report notes the manufacturer was not notified. Where mileage is recorded, these reports fall between about 120,000 and 140,000 miles.

   What to check: Have the steering checked for play, binding, or a stiff wheel at low and highway speeds, including the power steering pump and fluid level. Ask whether the steering column alignment and the driver seat position were checked, since a complaint describes the column as off-parallel.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Bought the car from a fellow friend he advised me that the car has had a issue with the steering where the steering wheel has play to it and its very dangerous when I drive over 50mph im scared I may crash cause the car moves left to right, and the ABS brakes have a problem the brake jump when I hit them idk what to do im low on funds and I want to know if this is a defect these cars are known for steering and brakes defects.....”

   NHTSA complaint #10631810, filed 2014-09, 120,898 miles

   “Power steering started catching and couldn't turn the steering wheel smoothly. Hit a curb with my tire and almost hit another car. Still jamming but I don't have enough money to take it into a dealership. Help!”

   NHTSA complaint #10610431, filed 2014-07, 138,000 miles

Buying note. Prospective buyers may want to confirm whether the car is a natural gas model, whether any fuel tank or spark plug repair records exist, and to check wheels and steering during an inspection. Given the mix of fuel, engine, and wheel complaints in this group, a pre-purchase inspection by a shop familiar with this model is a practical step.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 47 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.