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2003 Ford Crown Victoria Recalls & Complaints

7

open safety recalls on record

Critical

303 owner complaints filed · Severity Index 0.26 · updated 2026-08-07

The recalls

Critical06E056000

Fuel System, Gasoline

FAILURE OF THIS CONNECTION COULD LEAD TO FUEL SPILLAGE AND, IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE, A FIRE COULD OCCUR.

Remedy & full details

UFI WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE FILTERS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 4, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT UFI FILTERS USA AT 800-230-5876.

CERTAIN AFTERMARKET FUEL FILTERS SOLD UNDER THE PUROLATOR BRAND NAME, P/N F65277, SHIPPED FROM JANUARY 16 THROUGH JUNE 2, 2006, FOR USE ON THE ABOVE LISTED PASSENGER VEHICLES. DUE TO INCORRECT DESIGN, THE QUICK CONNECTORS MAY NOT FULLY SEAT WITH THE TUBE INTERFACE, EVEN THOUGH THE PERSON MAKING THE CONNECTION MAY BELIEVE THAT THE QUICK CONNECTOR IS FULLY ATTACHED.

Critical05V206000

Electrical System:Wiring:Interior/Under Dash

IF THIS OCCURS, THE INSULATOR MIGHT EXPERIENCE CHARRING OF THE OUTER LAYER, BURNING ODOR, OR SMOKE WHICH MAY ULTIMATELY RESULT IN A FIRE.

Remedy & full details

DEALERS WILL REMOVE THE EXISTING DASH INSULATOR AND INSTALL A REVISED DESIGN INSULATOR PAD FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JUNE 3, 2005. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FORD AT 1-800-392-3673.

ON CERTAIN POLICE INTERCEPTORS (CVPI) AND COMMERCIAL HEAVY DUTY (TAXI) VEHICLES, AT EXTREMELY HIGH OPERATING TEMPERATURES, THE SOUND INSULATING PANEL, LOCATED UNDER THE VEHICLE POSITIONED BETWEEN THE EXHAUST SYSTEM AND THE UNDERBODY, COULD SAG AND POSSIBLY CONTACT THE SURFACE OF THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER.

Critical03V472000

Fuel System, Other:Storage:Tank Assembly

IF THE STRENGTH OF THE TANK IS SIGNIFICANTLY COMPROMISED, IT COULD RUPTURE, raises the risk of A FIRE.

Remedy & full details

DEALERS WILL INSTALL AN INSULATOR BEHIND THE CURRENT SEAT BACK. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON JANUARY 7, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT FORD AT 1-800-392-3673.

ON CERTAIN NATURAL GAS VEHICLES, IF A FLAME FROM A VEHICLE INTERIOR FIRE BECOMES LOCALLY DIRECTED AT THE NATURAL GAS FUEL TANK LOCATED IMMEDIATELY BEHIND THE REAR SEAT, THE FLAME COULD DAMAGE THE FIBERGLASS WRAP ON THE TANK WEAKENING THE TANK.

Serious15V861000

Exterior Lighting:Headlights

loss of headlights can reduce driver visibility and raises the risk of a crash.

Remedy & full details

Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the LCM, free of charge. The recall began April 14, 2017. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15S39.

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2003-2005 Ford Crown Victoria and Mercury Grand Marquis vehicles manufactured October 3, 2001, to August 2, 2005. The affected vehicles have a lighting control module (LCM) that may fail, resulting in a loss of headlights.

Serious03V279000

Wheels

THE CRACKS CAN ULTIMATELY RESULT IN RAPID AIR LOSS FROM THE TIRE AND COULD AFFECT VEHICLE CONTROL, raises the risk of A CRASH.

Remedy & full details

DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND REPLACE THE FOUR ROAD WHEELS AND SPARE WHEEL WITH THE MANUFACTURING DATE CODES OF AUGUST 18, 2001 THROUGH SEPTEMBER 22, 2002. IN ADDITION, FORD IS PROVIDING EXTENDED WARRANTY COVERAGE FOR WHEELS ON 2003 CROWN VICTORIA POLICE INTERCEPTOR AND TAXIS BUILT FROM OCTOBER 1, 2002 THROUGH APRIL 29, 2003. THESE WHEELS ARE EXHIBITING CRACKS AT A SUBSTANTIALLY LOWER RATE THAN THOSE WHEELS INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON AUGUST 8, 2003. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT FORD AT 1-800-392-3673.

ON CERTAIN POLICE AND TAXI VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH STEEL WHEELS, SOME OF THE WHEELS MAY DEVELOP CRACKS IN THE RIM NEAR THE WELD LINE THAT CONNECTS THE RIM TO THE DISK.

Serious02I003000

Fuel System, Gasoline:Storage:Tank Assembly

SOME HIGH-SPEED REAR-IMPACT CRASHES HAVE RESULTED IN FUEL TANK PUNCTURES AND FIRES IN CVPI VEHICLES.

Remedy & full details

FORD HAS ADVISED US THAT SHIELD KITS HAVE BEEN AVAILABLE SINCE LATE OCTOBER AND WILL BE INSTALLED ON POLICE INTERCEPTOR VEHICLES AT NO COST. THE OPTIONAL TRANK PACKAGE WILL BE AVAILABLE BY THE END OF 2002. FORD HAS ESTABLISHED A NEW WEB SITE AT WWW.CVPI.COM TO ANSWER ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS ABOUT THE SAFE USE OF CPVI VEHICLES.

IN ORDER TO ENHANCE POLICE OFFICE SAFETY, MODEL YEAR 1992-2003 CROWN VICTORIA POLICE INTERCEPTOR (CVPI) VEHICLES WILL BE EQUIPPED WITH SHIELDS DESIGNED TO HELP PROTECT THE FUEL TANK IN HIGH-SPEED REAR-IMPACT CRASHES. FORD ALSO WILL BE OFFERING AN OPTIONAL TRUNK PACKAGE DESIGNED TO IMPROVE THE SAFE TRANSPORT OF SHARP-EDGED, HEAVY EQUIPMENT IN THESE VEHICLES.

Serious04V328000

Suspension:Rear

THIS COULD LEAD TO EARLY BEARING FAILURE AND ULTIMATELY TO AXLE SHAFT FRACTURE.

Remedy & full details

DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE REAR WHEEL BEARINGS, SEALS,AND AXLE SHAFTS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 15, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT FORD AT 1-800-392-3673.

CERTAIN POLICE, COMMERCIAL, AND PASSENGER VEHICLES SOLD TO FLEETS TYPICALLY INPUT HIGHER LOADS INTO THE VEHICLE CHASSIS OVERLOADING THE WHEEL BEARINGS AND AXLES.

Complaint volume

303 this model-year 8 median, same year

Volume alone is not a fault rate — popular vehicles attract more reports. Read it next to the severity mix below.

What owners reported happened

19Crashes
6Fires
6Injuries
0Deaths

Across 303 complaints. Severity Index 0.26.

Severity Index weights each complaint's reported outcome (death ×10, injury ×4, fire ×3, crash ×2) and divides by total complaints. It measures how severe reports are, not how often faults occur.

What owners report most

Exterior Lighting85 · 28%Wheels24 · 8%Wheels · Rim18 · 6%Electrical System17 · 6%Suspension · Rear14 · 5%Suspension12 · 4%Exterior Lighting · Headl…11 · 4%Steering10 · 3%
  1. Exterior Lighting — 85 reports
  2. Wheels — 24 reports
  3. Wheels:Rim — 18 reports
  4. Electrical System — 17 reports
  5. Suspension:Rear — 14 reports
  6. Suspension — 12 reports
  7. Exterior Lighting:Headlights — 11 reports
  8. Steering — 10 reports
  9. Power Train — 9 reports
  10. Tires — 8 reports

What to do

  1. Find your 17-character VIN on the driver's door jamb or the base of the windscreen.
  2. Check it against NHTSA's official lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls — the authoritative record for your exact car.
  3. Book the repair with any franchised dealer. Safety recall work is free, with no time limit and regardless of who owns the car now.

Other model years

1995 (12) · 1996 (12) · 1997 (11) · 1998 (10) · 1999 (8) · 2000 (10) · 2001 (7) · 2002 (5) · 2003 · 2004 (3) · 2005 (6) · 2006 (3) · 2007 (4) · 2008 (3) · 2009 (2) · 2010 (2) · 2011 (2)

Numbers in brackets are open recall campaigns for that year.

Questions

Does an open recall mean the car is unsafe to drive?

Not usually. NHTSA issues a "do not drive" or "park outside" advisory when a defect is dangerous enough to keep you out of the car — those are flagged Critical above. Everything else should be repaired promptly but is not an immediate stop-driving order.

Do I pay for recall repairs?

No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to fix a safety recall free of charge, including parts and labour, whether or not you are the original owner.

Why are there complaints but no recalls?

Complaints are unverified reports filed by owners. They can prompt an investigation, but many never become recalls — either the fault isn't safety-related or it isn't widespread.