Your vehicle report
2005 Ford Crown Victoria
The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.
Your vehicle at a glance
Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.
- Owner complaints
- 193
- Received Mar 2005 to Feb 2026
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Headlights dim or fail at night89 complaints · 46% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Steering wanders or pulls at highway speed12 complaints · 6.2% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Unintended acceleration despite braking9 complaints · 4.7% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #15V861000Ford 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.
- Recall #14V704000Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2005-2011 Ford Crown Victoria, 2005-2011 Mercury Grand Marquis vehicles manufactured March 23, 2004, to August 30, 2011, and 2005-2011 Lincoln Town Car vehicles manufactured March 8, 2004, to August 30, 2011, and on which the upper intermediate shaft was serviced during the course of safety recall 13V-385. The prior repairs may not have been correctly performed.
BrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
No problems currently meet BrakeNews’s flagging criteria. This is not a safety rating.
How flags are identifiedComplaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 13 crashes, 2 fires, 10 people injured, 1 death.
Explore by system
Where do owners report problems?
Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.
Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.
Showing all 11 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
Brakes
Electrical & lights
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
Body, doors & glass
Driver assistance
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Other
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Complaint history
When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.
Show as a table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2005 | 6 |
| 2006 | 9 |
| 2007 | 7 |
| 2008 | 6 |
| 2009 | 16 |
| 2010 | 15 |
| 2011 | 21 |
| 2012 | 22 |
| 2013 | 24 |
| 2014 | 15 |
| 2015 | 12 |
| 2016 | 9 |
| 2017 | 10 |
| 2018 | 3 |
| 2019 | 6 |
| 2020 | 3 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 3 |
| 2023 | 4 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 1 |
| Total | 193 |
Problems owners report
Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.
| Problem | Complaints | Share | Share ratio | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Headlights dim or fail at night | 89 | 46% | – | NHTSA recall #15V861000 |
| Steering wanders or pulls at highway speed | 12 | 6.2% | – | |
| Unintended acceleration despite braking | 9 | 4.7% | – | |
| Steering wheel seizes or locks suddenly | 8 | 4.2% | – | NHTSA recall #13V385000 |
| Seat belt fails to latch or retract | 5 | 2.6% | – | |
| Suspension clunking or rattling noise over bumps | 5 | 2.6% | – | |
| Airbag warning light stays on | 4 | 2.1% | – | |
| Horn fails with airbag warning light | 3 | 1.6% | – | |
| Frame rusts and corrodes through | 3 | 1.6% | – | |
| Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips | 3 | 1.6% | – | |
| Brake lights fail or stay on | 3 | 1.6% | – |
AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.
Recalls
NHTSA recall #15V861000December 22, 2015296,004 vehicles affected
exterior lighting: headlights
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.
A loss of headlights can reduce driver visibility and increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy
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 recall #14V704000November 5, 201436,888 vehicles affected
steering: rack and pinion: pinion shaft
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2005-2011 Ford Crown Victoria, 2005-2011 Mercury Grand Marquis vehicles manufactured March 23, 2004, to August 30, 2011, and 2005-2011 Lincoln Town Car vehicles manufactured March 8, 2004, to August 30, 2011, and on which the upper intermediate shaft was serviced during the course of safety recall 13V-385. The prior repairs may not have been correctly performed.
Improper servicing of the upper intermediate shaft could cause the shaft to separate, which can then result in a loss of steering control, and increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Ford will notify the owners of vehicles whose repair records reflect that the upper intermediate steering shaft was repaired during the course of the prior recall 13V-385. Dealers will inspect and replace the upper immediate shaft if necessary free of charge. The recall began November 17, 2014. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 14S25.
NHTSA recall #13V385000August 29, 2013355,000 vehicles affected
steering
Ford is recalling certain model year 2005-2011 Ford Crown Victoria (including Crown Victoria Police Interceptors), Mercury Grand Marquis, and Lincoln Town Car vehicles. The affected vehicles are currently registered or were originally sold in Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. Severe corrosion can seize the lower intermediate shaft which may cause the upper intermediate shaft to collapse and the steering column lower bearing to separate.
If the lower bearing separates, the vehicle may experience a loss of steering, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Ford will notify owners and dealers will replace the lower intermediate shaft, free of charge. The upper intermediate shaft and steering column lower bearing will be inspected to identify any damage that may have occurred as a result of lower intermediate shaft corrosion, and repaired or replaced as necessary. If the steering column lower bearing has separated, a retainer clip will be installed. The recall began on October 23, 2013. Owners may contact Ford at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's recall number is 13S08.
NHTSA recall #05V518000November 9, 200598,836 vehicles affected
electrical system: 12v/24v/48v battery: cables
On certain passenger vehicles, the battery cable includes a fusible link that may contact and subsequently chafe on a #2 cross member attaching bolt.
This condition may result in heat damage and could lead to a fire.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect the fusible link and position it away from the cross member bolt. If the fusible link has already chafed and copper wires have been exposed, the fusible link will be replaced. The recall began on november 18, 2005. Owners may contact Ford at 1-800-392-3673, or Lincoln/mercury at 1-800-521-4140.
NHTSA recall #05V206000May 9, 2005132,800 vehicles affected
electrical system: wiring: interior/under dash
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.
If this occurs, the insulator might experience charring of the outer layer, burning odor, or smoke which may ultimately result in a fire.
Remedy
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.
Other model years
About this data
NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 2005 Ford Crown Victoria.
Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.
Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN