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2003 Ford Crown VictoriaProblems, recalls & complaints

NHTSA has logged 249 owner complaints about the 2003 Ford Crown Victoria, most often about the exterior lighting. It is covered by 5 safety recalls, and for recall 15V-861 the manufacturer reports only 40% of affected cars repaired.

2003 Ford Crown Victoria
28
CarFlaw IndexYear to avoid2.6× the Crown Victoria median · #6 of 27 years by complaints
Safety recalls5Lowest repair rate 40%Owner complaints24925 with a crash, fire or injuryTypical failure mileage116kExterior lighting, median miles

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through March 27, 2026. Updated daily. Photo: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Public domain.

Complaints by system

Where the 2003 Ford Crown Victoria has problems

249 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.

Box size = number of complaints naming that system. Darker = larger share. One complaint can name more than one system.
Complaints by system
SystemComplaintsCrash, fire or injury
Exterior lighting964
Wheels420
Suspension273
Power train251
Electrical system203
Steering110
Vehicle speed control112
Tires94
Fuel system, gasoline82
13 other systems476

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Complaints are submitted by the public and are not verified by NHTSA.

5 recalls

2003 Ford Crown Victoria recalls and how many were fixed

Each ring shows the share of affected cars repaired, from the manufacturer’s latest quarterly report to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.

40%repaired · 2018 Q3

Exterior lighting: headlights

Recall 15V-861 · Dec 22, 2015 · 296,004 vehicles · 119,249 repaired

Risk. A loss of headlights can reduce driver visibility and increase the risk of a crash.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

–no report yet

Wiring: interior/under dash

Recall 05V-206 · May 9, 2005 · 132,800 vehicles

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

Problem, fix and repair progress →

–no report yet

Storage: tank assembly

Recall 03V-472 · Nov 6, 2003 · 4,218 vehicles

Risk. IF THE STRENGTH OF THE TANK IS SIGNIFICANTLY COMPROMISED, IT COULD RUPTURE, INCREASING THE RISK OF A FIRE.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

Show 1 more recall
–no report yet

Wheels

Recall 03V-279 · Aug 5, 2003 · 29,946 vehicles

Risk. THE CRACKS CAN ULTIMATELY RESULT IN RAPID AIR LOSS FROM THE TIRE AND COULD AFFECT VEHICLE CONTROL, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

Recalls apply to specific cars. To see whether a recall is still open on yours, enter the 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with Ford.

Mileage at failure

When do exterior lighting problems start?

116kmiles, median

Based on the odometer reading in 72 exterior lighting complaints. 32% were reported before 100,000 miles.

median0k50k100k150k200k+
3under 30k miles23under 100k miles49100k miles or more
Best & worst years

2003 vs. every other Crown Victoria year

Bars show complaints per model year. Colors show the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the Crown Victoria median. How we score

'83'84'85'86'87'88'89'90'91'92'93'94'95'96'97'98'99'00'01'02'03'04'05'06'07'08'09'10'11
  • Avoid
  • Caution
  • Solid
  • Best
  • Not rated
NHTSA crash tests

2003 Ford Crown Victoria safety ratings

2003 Ford Crown Victoria 4-DR. in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program. Photos are from NHTSA's crash tests.

2003 Ford Crown Victoria frontal crash test, NHTSA
Frontal crashNot rated
2003 Ford Crown Victoria side barrier test, NHTSA
Side barrierNot rated
  • Stability control: No
  • Forward collision warning: No
  • Lane departure warning: No
9 investigations

NHTSA defect investigations

Federal investigations that included the 2003 Ford Crown Victoria, and the recalls they led to.

  1. SPARK PLUG EJECTION FROM CYLINDER HEADDP05005 · closed Jan 4, 2006
    No recall
  2. Loss of headlamp/exterior lightingDP15002 · closed Aug 11, 2015
    No recall
  3. CNG TANK EXPLOSIONEA03001 · closed Nov 19, 2003
    Led to recall 03V-472
  4. CNG TANK EXPLODING IN A FIREPE02071 · closed Jan 27, 2003
    No recall
  5. FRACTURE OF THE STEEL WHEEL RIMPE03009 · closed Aug 8, 2003
    Led to recall 03V-279
  6. REAR AXLE FRACTUREPE04010 · closed Jul 8, 2004
    Led to recall 04V-328
  7. LOSS OF HEADLIGHT FUNCTIONPE08066 · closed Mar 24, 2009
    No recall
  8. Loss of headlightsPE15028 · closed Jan 8, 2016
    Led to recall 15V-861
  9. FRACTURE OF THE STEEL WHEEL RIMRQ04007 · closed Dec 20, 2004
    No recall
In owners' words

What Crown Victoria owners report

Recent exterior lighting complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. Personal details are removed.

I'm having problems with the lighting control module my high beam lights stop working. I see this year (2003) Ford crown Victoria has a recall for the lighting control module but mines isn't listed when I put in my VIN number and I wanted to see if mines can be listed. Also I would like to know why…
Complaint 11727583 · Mar 27, 2026
The contact's father owns a 2003 Ford Crown Victoria. The contact stated that the headlamps would flash and failed to turn on or to turn off as intended. The contact stated that the failure initially occurred intermittently, but the headlights had become completely inoperable. The vehicle was not…
Complaint 11701850 · Nov 28, 2025
I brought this vehicle into the dealership for safety recall 15s39. There were no problems with the vehicle prior to taking it in. When I received the vehicle back from the dealer they had admitted to not completing all the steps in the safety recall. Now that I have the vehicle the dealer returned…
Complaint 11659563 · May 7, 2025

Own a 2003 Crown Victoria?

Decode your VIN to see the recalls for your exact car, then confirm open recalls with NHTSA.