2003 Ford Crown Victoria problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Exterior Lighting (80) · Wheels (24) · Wheels:rim (18)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Ford Crown Victoria model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
177 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (1)
Exterior Lighting:headlights 2015-12-22 · campaign 15V861000 · 296,004 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Service bulletins (118)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Structure 2020-07-13 · TSB 20-2233 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this article supersedes tsb 19-2026 to update the vehicle model years affected. some 2000 and newer ford/lincoln/mercury vehicles equipped with aluminum body panels may exhibit corrosion concerns appearing as bubbled and/or peeling paint with or without accompanying white dust. panel replacement is
Structure 2019-02-07 · TSB 19-2026 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some 2000 and newer ford, lincoln and mercury vehicles equipped with aluminum body panels may exhibit corrosion concerns appearing as bubbled and/or peeling paint with or without accompanying white dust. panel replacement is recommended. follow the service procedure steps to correct the condition
Structure 2019-02-07 · TSB 19-2026 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some 2000 and newer ford, lincoln and mercury vehicles equipped with aluminum body panels may exhibit corrosion concerns appearing as bubbled and/or peeling paint with or without accompanying white dust. panel replacement is recommended. follow the service procedure steps to correct the condition
Electrical System 2015-06-01 · ASI-45182 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
summary to be provided on a future date.
Equipment:other:owners/Service/Other Manual 2014-04-11 · CSP-14N01 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
ford: see document search button for owner letter. information regarding the lighting control module extended warranty coverage, for some vehicles, to 15 years or 250,000 miles, whichever occurs first. model 2003-2005 victoria, grand marquis. *pe
Exterior Lighting 2014-04-11 · CSP-14-N-01 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
ford: the lighting control module has extended warranty coverage, on certain vehicles, due to a possible crack on solder joint that connects relay to circuit board. model 2003-2005 crown victoria, grand marquis. *pe
Showing the 6 most recent of 118 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-03-27 · Exterior Lighting“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 wasn't it listed on the recall list because this i…”
2025-11-28 · Exterior Lighting“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 taken to the dealer. the vehicle was not diagnosed o…”
2025-05-07 · Exterior Lighting“ 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 it to me with the following issues: all of the in…”
2025-04-29 · Exterior Lighting“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 dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the l…”
2024-06-20 · Exterior Lighting“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.…”
2023-04-21 · Engine And Engine Cooling · 70,000 mi“the contact owns a 2003 ford crown victoria. the contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the contact smelled an abnormal coolant odor. the contact inspected the vehicle and noticed there was corrosion and a crack near the intake and radiator hose. no warning lights were illuminated. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it…”
2021-01-08 · Steering · 142,000 mi“my 2003 crown vic has a horrible time steering i've watched several videos that depicts exactly the same issue. you however do have a recall out for this make just starting at 2005. i find it hard to believe that i am the only one that's made a complaint. pls get this fixed im 67 and with cancer my only way of getting around. please contact me a…”
2020-08-25 · Wheels · 117,000 mi“these particular wheels on the crown victoria police interceptor were known to crack, and leak air, causing an accident. they were recalled by ford, but the police department that purchased this vehicle, yavapai-apache police in camp verde, az, never had them replaced. i am constantly adding air to my tires. luckily i haven't had a blowout. i would…”
2020-07-31 · Exterior Lighting · 200,000 mi“a couple of years ago while on vacation 200 miles from home with my family the headlights suddenly went out. after a little inspection i found we still had flash to pass high beams. the next day (july 3rd) i went to the local dealer and the parts houses and no one had a replacement. as a former usaf jet engine mechanic i went back to the camper a…”
2020-03-04 · Exterior Lighting · 120,000 mi“on april 14th 2017 a recall was issued (recall id = 264137) on 2003-2005 ford crown victoria's manufactured october 3rd, 2001 through august 2nd, 2005. nhtsa campaign # = 15v861000. the recall was on the affected component, exterior lighting, headlights. i have a ford crown victoria that was manufactured in may of 2002 that has the exact same issue…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.