2003 Ford Cvpi Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year, a police-package Crown Victoria, report cracked steel wheels and the resulting slow or sudden tire pressure loss far more than anything else; many of these cars are former fleet vehicles still carrying open wheel recalls. The second recurring theme is headlights and other exterior lights cutting out while driving, which owners usually trace to the lighting control module.

1. 1
   Wheels

   Cracked steel wheels and tire air loss

   • 63 complaints (81%)
   • median 83,470 mi at 2.5 yrs old (59 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2003–2014

   Complaints describe steel wheels developing cracks along the weld line where the rim meets the wheel disk, which lets air escape from the tire. Owners often find the problem during routine inspections or after a tire goes low, and several note that replacement wheels supplied under an earlier campaign later cracked as well. Some report vibration or shaking in the steering that balancing could not correct. Several owners of former police vehicles say dealers told them the wheel recall would not be performed because the car is no longer in police service. Reported across a wide mileage range, from under 15,000 miles up to roughly 130,000, often found incidentally during maintenance or after noticing a slow leak.

   Recall 07V079000Recall 03V279000

   What to check: Have every steel wheel inspected closely at the weld between rim and disk, ideally with the tires off the car, and ask for written proof whether the wheel recall campaigns were completed. Check tire pressures over several days and look for cracks around the bead area.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Ford recall regarding crown victoria police cars because of cracks that can develop in police cruiser wheels. I'm a pa state constable (law enforcement officer) and upon purchasing a retired pa state police vehicle the wheels on my vehicle are cracking and Ford motor co. Employee kevin employee #61151 advised there is nothing they can do at this time.”

   NHTSA complaint #10197034, filed 2007-07, 104,975 miles

   “I have steel wheels on my 2003 crown vic I received a recall notice from Ford motor company stating that my wheels were part of a safety recall, the wheels are prone to welds breaking and rusting making them loose air and impossible to balance why steering wheel shakes I have had different tires and multiple shops balance the wheels they are not able to, also they loose air all the time. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10447434, filed 2012-02, 123,000 miles
2. 2
   Exterior lighting

   Headlights cutting out while driving (lighting control

   • 9 complaints (12%)
   • median 134,699 mi at 7.2 yrs old (8 state mileage, few)
   • owner-quoted repair $500 (median of 6 quotes)
   • filed 2008–2011

   Owners describe headlights switching off without warning while driving at night, sometimes for seconds and sometimes for minutes, along with dash lights, turn signals and hazards failing. A common workaround is holding the high-beam switch to keep some light on the road. Complaints commonly attribute the problem to the lighting control module, and mention paying several hundred dollars for a replacement; in some cases a headlight switch replacement did not resolve it. Mostly reported on vehicles past 100,000 miles, often several years old, with the failure appearing intermittently at night.

   What to check: Test all exterior lighting at night, including headlights, dash lights, turn signals and hazards, and ask whether the lighting control module has been replaced and when.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “While driving at night, the headlights went off. I was able to reach my destination by holding the high beam (flash to pass) actuator on. I discovered that Ford is aware of a problem with the lighting control module. I had a mechanic replace the module at a cost of $698.22 ($558 for the part, $90 labor, and 50.22 tax). It seems to me that the lights going off while vehicle is in operation could pose a safety hazard! I will keep the old part.”

   NHTSA complaint #10241875, filed 2008-09, 101,000 miles

   “2003 crown victoria, headlights stop working while driving. It appears I need to replace the lighting control module (lcm). I see from internet searches that many many have had this same problem.this part is almost $600 from Ford. It appears that Ford has a safety issue here that they are avoiding. I'm surprised that no recall is in effect. At least Ford should offer some goodwill support to their customers by lowering the price of this part....”

   NHTSA complaint #10369070, filed 2010-12, 134,799 miles

Buying note. Check the steel wheels carefully and confirm in writing which recall campaigns were completed, since these cars were often retired fleet vehicles. Also test the lighting at night and budget for possible lighting control module or fuel-system work on a high-mileage example.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 45 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.