2008 Ford Crown Victoria Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often report steering problems, where the steering shaft or column separates, binds, or loses power assist, and most of these reports were filed at roughly 90,000 miles or more. Unintended or stuck acceleration is the next most common theme, and a smaller group describes electrical faults in the instrument panel and lights. Some steering complaints say the failure returned after a recall-related repair.

1. 1
   Steering

   Steering shaft or column separation

   • 17 complaints (34%)
   • median 107,715 mi at 6.1 yrs old (16 state mileage)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2010–2022

   Owners describe the steering wheel spinning without moving the front wheels, or playing loosely, sometimes with a loud pop or snap. Before the failure, some report stiff or binding steering, noise under the dash, or lost power steering assist, and some describe a complete loss of steering control. According to complaints, inspections found broken or separated column parts, and a complaint says a prior recall repair replaced only the lower shaft without a retaining clip. Most steering reports were filed at roughly 90,000 miles or more, though a few were filed between about 35,000 and 42,000 miles.

   Recall 13V385000Recall 14V7040003 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether recall 13V385000 or 14V704000 and the regional corrosion program 13R01 were completed on this VIN, since a complaint says its VIN was not included in 13V385000. Have a mechanic check for steering play and for corrosion or looseness at the steering shaft joints.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I have a 2008 Ford Crown Victoria (p71) police interceptor. I am having a knocking noise when I turn the steering wheel left to right. The noise is accompanied by a wandering steering wheel when the vehicle goes over bumps. Also the steering wheel sometimes becomes hard to turn then rapidly becomes loose like something is binding up, then finally breaking free throughout the turn. This happens when taking low speed wide turns. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11048133, filed 2017-11, 130,000 miles

   “I was exiting the freeway and turned onto my street when my lower steering shaft collapsed and caused my upper bearing retaining clip to separate from the steering column causing me to lose all steering control.”

   NHTSA complaint #11175945, filed 2019-02, 162,000 miles
2. 2
   Vehicle speed control

   Unintended acceleration or stuck accelerator

   • 16 complaints (32%)
   • median 100,500 mi at 7.5 yrs old (13 state mileage)
   • 6 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2008–2018

   Owners describe the vehicle accelerating on its own, or the engine revving, even while the brake pedal was pressed. Others describe the accelerator pedal sticking to the floor, or a throttle linkage that did not return. Events are reported from low speed to highway speed, and according to complaints the dealer in some cases could not find a fault, while in others a throttle body or linkage was replaced. Reports range from under 5,000 miles to about 200,000 miles, with many filed after 100,000 miles, and several describe it happening at low speed.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Ask whether the throttle body or accelerator pedal assembly has been inspected or replaced, and whether the service bulletin on surge and brake override was applied. Have a mechanic scan for throttle-related trouble codes and check that the accelerator returns fully when released.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “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 point where the brakes were smoking. The engine overwhelmed brakes and I could not stop the vehicle- I could only slow it down. I ended up rear ending the vehicle in front of me (which had come to a stop). …”

   NHTSA complaint #10893344, filed 2016-08, 119,000 miles

   “Twice now while slowing for an intersection soon after vehicle start, the vehicle gas tried to surge forward while brakes have e been applied. The car tried to rev up to 5000rpm. Upon managing to stop car, I put it in neutral , it revved to 5000rpm then suddenly dropped back to idle. Both times have nearly ended up in vehicle going through intersections. Car drove normally after that.”

   NHTSA complaint #10855494, filed 2016-04, 100,500 miles
3. 3
   Electrical system

   Electrical faults in instrument panel and lights

   Mentioned in 4 of 43 sampled complaints

   Owners describe the instrument cluster or panel going dark or becoming intermittently inoperable, sometimes with only the turn signals still working. Others report headlights that went out in the dark, where replacing the headlights and a fuse did not stop the failure, and a visor light that stayed on and scorched the visor material. According to complaints, an owner was told the solder joints in the cluster were bad, and an independent mechanic traced the visor light problem to a failed wire harness. Where mileage is listed, these reports were filed between about 73,000 and 140,000 miles.

   What to check: Check that every instrument cluster segment, both high and low beam headlights, and the visor lights work during a walk-around. Ask whether the cluster and visor wiring have been diagnosed, since owners describe intermittent failures that returned after basic repairs.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The contact owns a 2008 Ford Crown Victoria. While driving various speeds, the instrument panel became inoperable intermittently. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000. Updated 06/29/16 updated 08/2/16.”

   NHTSA complaint #10865792, filed 2016-05, 140,000 miles

   “The contact owns a 2008 Ford Crown Victoria. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH in a dark area with the high beam headlights activated, the headlights became inoperable. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the low beam headlights were activated to continue driving. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The contact stated she replaced the headlights and the fuse but the failure continued. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 121,924.”

   NHTSA complaint #11488095, filed 2022-10, 121,924 miles

Buying note. Buyers considering this model year should ask for service records for the steering shaft recalls and bulletins, and have a mechanic check steering play and throttle response on a test drive. Electrical gauge and light faults also appear in complaints, so check the instrument cluster and lights before deciding.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 43 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.