2003 Ford Crown Victoria: recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns for the 2003 Ford Crown Victoria. The newest campaign is 15V861000. NHTSA received the report on 22 Dec 2015. The NHTSA record gives the component Exterior Lighting / Headlights. NHTSA has 249 complaints on file for this model year. 9 NHTSA investigations name this model year.

The NHTSA recall file shows no do-not-drive advisory and no park-outside advisory on these campaigns.

This page cannot show if a recall applies to one vehicle. The NHTSA VIN lookup shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle.

Remedy of the newest campaign, 15V861000, in the NHTSA record

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.

NHTSA VIN lookup

Complaint information entered into NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation vehicle owner's complaint database is used with other data sources to identify safety issues that warrant investigation and to determine if a safety-related defect trend exists.
NHTSA publishes these words. Source: NHTSA Datasets and APIs, section Complaints, read on 1 Oct 2026. Complaint file through 30 Sep 2026. Recall file through 30 Sep 2026.

Since the last update

No tracked figure of this page changed in a data update. What the log tracks

All updates to the register

Recall campaigns

5 campaigns, newest first. 510,282 units in total.

15V86100022 Dec 2015Exterior Lighting / Headlights
05V2060009 May 2005Electrical System / Wiring / Interior/Under Dash
04V3280007 Jul 2004Suspension / Rear
03V4720006 Nov 2003Fuel System, Other / Storage / Tank Assembly
03V2790005 Aug 2003Wheels

15V861000Received 22 Dec 2015. 296,004 units.
Exterior Lighting / Headlights
Defect, in the NHTSA record
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.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
A loss of headlights can reduce driver visibility and increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
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.
Report filed by Ford Motor Company. Manufacturer campaign number 15S39. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 14 Apr 2017.
05V206000Received 9 May 2005. 132,800 units.
Electrical System / Wiring / Interior/Under Dash
Defect, in the NHTSA record
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.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
If this occurs, the insulator might experience charring of the outer layer, burning odor, or smoke which may ultimately result in a fire.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
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.
Report filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY. Manufacturer campaign number 05S32. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 3 Jun 2005.
04V328000Received 7 Jul 2004. 47,314 units.
Suspension / Rear
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Certain police, commercial, and passenger vehicles sold to fleets typically input higher loads into the vehicle chassis overloading the wheel bearings and axles.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
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.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
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.
Report filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY. Manufacturer campaign number 04S16. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 15 Jul 2004.
03V472000Received 6 Nov 2003. 4,218 units.
Fuel System, Other / Storage / Tank Assembly
Defect, in the NHTSA record
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.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
If the strength of the tank is significantly compromised, it could rupture, increasing the risk of a fire.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
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.
Report filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY. Manufacturer campaign number 03S08. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 7 Jan 2004.
03V279000Received 5 Aug 2003. 29,946 units.
Wheels
Defect, in the NHTSA record
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.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
The cracks can ultimately result in rapid air loss from the tire and could affect vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
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.
Report filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY. Manufacturer campaign number 03S05. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 8 Aug 2003.

The campaign number opens the NHTSA record. Each quotation is the text of the NHTSA recall file.

Recall campaign: One recall in the NHTSA recall file, with one campaign number. A campaign can name many makes, models and model years.

Units: The number of vehicles or products that a recall can include. The manufacturer or the firm reports the number to the agency.

Complaints by component

249 complaints, 303 component mentions.

A complaint can name more than one component. Each component that a complaint names is one component mention. The figure per 1,000 component mentions shows how many of each 1,000 mentions name the component.

2003 Ford Crown Victoria
All 2003 vehicles

2003 Ford Crown Victoria: complaints by component, per 1,000 component mentions
Component	2003 Crown Victoria	All 2003 vehicles	Crown Victoria, all years	Mentions
Exterior Lighting	316.8	34.6	97.8	96
Wheels	138.6	10.9	21.6	42
Suspension	89.1	59	80.4	27
Power Train	85.8	118.5	63.1	26
Electrical System	69.3	122.8	98.8	21
Steering	36.3	48.1	110.6	11
Vehicle Speed Control	36.3	41.3	73.2	11
Tires	29.7	20.1	16.1	9
Engine and Engine Cooling	29.7	74.5	106.6	9
Fuel System, Gasoline	26.4	35.2	59.6	8

The table shows the 10 components with the most mentions, of 23.

Complaints that report a crash: 16
Complaints that report a fire: 4
Injuries in the complaints: 6
Deaths in the complaints: 0
Date of the newest complaint: 27 Mar 2026

These figures are the entries of the persons who sent the complaints.

Complaint: A report about a possible safety problem that a person sends to NHTSA. This site shows the number of complaints and not their text.

Complaints about the 2003 Ford Crown Victoria, by the year NHTSA received them. The largest year is 2003, with 30 complaints.

Investigations

NHTSA investigations that name the 2003 Ford Crown Victoria
Number	Type	Subject	Component	Opened	Closed	Campaign
PE15028	Preliminary evaluation	Loss of headlights	Exterior Lighting	10 Aug 2015	8 Jan 2016	15V861000
DP15002	Defect petition	Loss of headlamp/exterior lighting	Exterior Lighting	1 Apr 2015	11 Aug 2015
PE08066	Preliminary evaluation	LOSS OF HEADLIGHT FUNCTION	Exterior Lighting / Headlights	26 Nov 2008	24 Mar 2009
DP05005	Defect petition	SPARK PLUG EJECTION FROM CYLINDER HEAD	Engine and Engine Cooling / Engine	22 Sep 2005	4 Jan 2006
RQ04007	Recall query	FRACTURE OF THE STEEL WHEEL RIM	Wheels	2 Aug 2004	20 Dec 2004
PE04010	Preliminary evaluation	REAR AXLE FRACTURE	Power Train / Axle Assembly / Axle Shaft	22 Jan 2004	8 Jul 2004	04V328000
PE03009	Preliminary evaluation	FRACTURE OF THE STEEL WHEEL RIM	Wheels	25 Feb 2003	8 Aug 2003	03V279000
EA03001	Engineering analysis	CNG TANK EXPLOSION	Fuel System, Gasoline / Storage / Tank Assembly	27 Jan 2003	19 Nov 2003	03V472000
PE02071	Preliminary evaluation	CNG TANK EXPLODING IN A FIRE	Fuel System, Gasoline / Storage / Tank Assembly	1 Oct 2002	27 Jan 2003

Investigation: A study of a possible safety defect by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation with no closing date in the NHTSA file is open.

Other model years

The number under each year is the number of recall campaigns.

A year without a link has fewer than 2 campaigns and fewer than 25 complaints. It has no page.

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Official channels

NHTSA VIN lookupNHTSA shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle from its VIN or its license plate.
NHTSA: report a safety problemThe NHTSA form for a complaint about a vehicle, a tire, a child seat or equipment.
NHTSA page of the 2003 Ford Crown VictoriaThe recalls, the complaints and the investigations that NHTSA shows for this model year.

Cite this page

Recall Register. 2003 Ford Crown Victoria: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/ford/crown-victoria/2003/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through 30 Sep 2026.

Sources

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Licence: US government work, public domain
Recall file through: 30 Sep 2026
Complaint file through: 30 Sep 2026
First complaint in the file: 1 Jan 1995
Manufacturer in the recall file: Ford Motor Company

The NHTSA record is the authority. A complaint count is the number of different complaint numbers for the make, the model and the model year. How the register is made. Report an error.

Questions

How many units are in the recall campaigns for the 2003 Ford Crown Victoria?: 510,282 units in 5 campaigns. A campaign can name other models and model years, and its units include them.
How many recall campaigns does the Ford Crown Victoria have for all model years?: NHTSA lists 47 recall campaigns for the Ford Crown Victoria, model years 1980 to 2011. 5 of them name the 2003 model year.
Which component do the complaints about the 2003 Ford Crown Victoria name most often?: Exterior Lighting: 96 of 303 component mentions, or 316.8 per 1,000. For all 2003 vehicles the figure is 34.6 per 1,000.
Is an NHTSA investigation of the 2003 Ford Crown Victoria open?: No. Each of the 9 investigations that name this model year has a closing date in the NHTSA file.