2003 Ford Crown Victoria Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Crown Victoria years
- Far more complaints than other years 4th of 17 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 5 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 249 complaints with NHTSA about the 2003 Ford Crown Victoria. That ranks 4th out of 17 Crown Victoria model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is exterior lighting (96 complaints, 39%), typically at around 116,000 miles. Complaints mention 16 crashes, 4 fires, 6 injuries. There are 5 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 9 defect investigations involving it.
- 249owner complaints
- 5safety recalls
- 9NHTSA investigations
- 16complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2003 Ford Crown Victoria problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exterior Lighting problems | 96 | 39% | 116,000 | “lighting control module” (28%) | — |
| Wheels | 42 | 17% | 51,472 | — | — |
| Suspension | 27 | 11% | 82,722 | — | — |
| Power Train | 25 | 10% | 68,354 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 20 | 8% | 77,000 | — | — |
| Steering | 11 | 4% | 131,000 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 11 | 4% | 13,500 | — | — |
| Tires | 9 | 4% | 172,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 8 | 3% | 56,500 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 7 | 3% | 35,200 | — | — |
| Engine | 6 | 2% | 161,500 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 6 | 2% | 40,000 | — | — |
| Visibility | 5 | 2% | 44,500 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 4 | 2% | 151,000 | — | — |
| Seats | 4 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Structure | 4 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 4 | 2% | 120,972 | — | — |
| Equipment | 2 | 1% | 41,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Air | 2 | 1% | 7,450 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 2 | 1% | 107,550 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 1 | 0% | 83,400 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 1 | 0% | 4,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2003 Ford Crown Victoria recalls (5)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Exterior lighting:headlights
Problem: 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.
Risk: A loss of headlights can reduce driver visibility and increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Electrical system:wiring:interior/under dash
Problem: 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.
Risk: If this occurs, the insulator might experience charring of the outer layer, burning odor, or smoke which may ultimately result in a fire.
Fix: 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.
Suspension:rear
Problem: Certain police, commercial, and passenger vehicles sold to fleets typically input higher loads into the vehicle chassis overloading the wheel bearings and axles.
Risk: This could lead to early bearing failure and ultimately to axle shaft fracture. In the event of axle shaft fracture, the vehicle would lose drive function and would coast to a stop. Loss of drive function could lead to a crash.
Fix: 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.
Fuel system, other:storage:tank assembly
Problem: 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.
Risk: If the strength of the tank is significantly compromised, it could rupture, increasing the risk of a fire.
Fix: 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.
Wheels
Problem: 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.
Risk: The cracks can ultimately result in rapid air loss from the tire and could affect vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Loss of headlights (PE15028) — opened Aug 10, 2015, closed Jan 8, 2016, led to recall 15V861000.
- Loss of headlamp/exterior lighting (DP15002) — opened Apr 1, 2015, closed Aug 11, 2015.
- Loss of headlight function (PE08066) — opened Nov 26, 2008, closed Mar 24, 2009.
- Spark plug ejection from cylinder head (DP05005) — opened Sep 22, 2005, closed Jan 4, 2006.
- Fracture of the steel wheel rim (RQ04007) — opened Aug 2, 2004, closed Dec 20, 2004.
- Rear axle fracture (PE04010) — opened Jan 22, 2004, closed Jul 8, 2004, led to recall 04V328000.
- Fracture of the steel wheel rim (PE03009) — opened Feb 25, 2003, closed Aug 8, 2003, led to recall 03V279000.
- Cng tank explosion (EA03001) — opened Jan 27, 2003, closed Nov 19, 2003, led to recall 03V472000.
- Cng tank exploding in a fire (PE02071) — opened Oct 1, 2002, closed Jan 27, 2003.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
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…
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…
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…
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Crown Victoria. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact became aware that both headlights were inoperable. The contact stated that the headlights failed to function properly and had become inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the…
When driving at night and early mornings my head lights and tail lights will randomly go out when my light switch is set to automatic. I can turn it on manually and then I have head lights and brakes but no running tail lights. Which is a major problem and safety hazard.
Other Ford Crown Victoria years
← 2002 Crown Victoria · 2004 Crown Victoria →
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 Crown Victoria | 23 | 2 |
| 2010 Crown Victoria | 12 | 2 |
| 2009 Crown Victoria | 44 | 2 |
| 2008 Crown Victoria | 50 | 3 |
| 2007 Crown Victoria | 50 | 4 |
| 2006 Crown Victoria | 53 | 2 |
| 2005 Crown Victoria | 193 | 5 |
| 2004 Crown Victoria | 138 | 2 |
| 2003 | 249 | 5 |
| 2002 Crown Victoria | 58 | 2 |
| 2001 Crown Victoria | 53 | 4 |
| 2000 Crown Victoria | 85 | 7 |
| 1999 Crown Victoria | 134 | 5 |
| 1998 Crown Victoria | 119 | 7 |
| 1997 Crown Victoria | 288 | 8 |
| 1996 Crown Victoria | 276 | 9 |
| 1995 Crown Victoria | 250 | 8 |
See all Ford Crown Victoria problems by year, every Ford model, or the Ford VIN decoder.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2003 Ford Crown Victoria?
Owners most often report exterior lighting, wheels, suspension problems. The top one, exterior lighting, accounts for 96 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2003 Ford Crown Victoria?
Yes, 5 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2003 Ford Crown Victoria a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Crown Victoria model years, the 2003 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.