2008 Ford Crown Victoria problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Steering (17) · Vehicle Speed Control (10) · Suspension (5)
🧭 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
43 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (2)
Steering:rack And Pinion:pinion Shaft 2014-11-05 · campaign 14V704000 · 36,888 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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.
Steering 2013-08-29 · campaign 13V385000 · 355,000 vehicles
Defect: 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 W
Risk: If the lower bearing separates, the vehicle may experience a loss of steering, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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 n
Service bulletins (18)
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.
Engine 2019-09-18 · DOR-L2Q6V-10 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this sku is a radiator fan. the customer communication requested return of unsold inventory to inspect the electrical connections. an electrical connection issue may lead to the fan not working potentially throwing a check engine light for overheating.
Equipment 2018-03-30 · SSM 47201 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
replacing the original equipment sync/navigation system with either an aftermarket sync/navigation kit or modifying original sync/navigation parts to provide additional features is not recommended nor supported on any ford, mercury or lincoln vehicle. only approved genuine ford accessories or origin
Engine And Engine Cooling:exhaust System:manifold/Header/Muffler/Tail Pipe 2016-09-21 · SSM 46085 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
the powertrain control/emissions diagnosis (pc/ed) manual has been revised for diagnosing electronic throttle bodies (etbs). the etc_act and etc_dsd pids should not used to diagnose possible etb concerns. the ids has a limited refresh rate when reading these pids and cannot display quickly enough to
Structure 2016-04-21 · TSB160072 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
inpected or repaired under 13r01 - requests for recall service action under 13s08
Steering 2016-04-21 · 16-0072 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
for 2005-2012 crown victoria, 2005-2011 grand marquis and town car vehicles, regional program 13r01 applies to vehicles not registered in corrosion states and not included in safety recall 13s08, where operation in high corrosion areas for an extended period may lead to corrosion in the lower interm
Power Train 2016-03-01 · TSB160032 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
4r75e transmission - grinding/whine/vibration/gear slippage - serrvice kit available
Showing the 6 most recent of 18 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2023-08-04 · Electrical System“complete instrument cluster failure, no lights illuminate except turn signals. speed, rpm’s, fuel level, temperature, are completely off instrument cluster is completely dark when driving at night, told that the solders on the cluster are bad. (defective?)…”
2023-05-17 · Power Train · 115,000 mi“the contact owns 2008 ford crown victoria. the contact stated that the vehicle failed to reverse while the transmission was shifted into reverse(r). the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who replaced the linkage. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 115,000. …”
2022-10-05 · Exterior Lighting:headlights · 121,924 mi“the contact owns a 2008 ford crown victoria. the contact stated while driving 55 mph in a dark area with the high beam headlights activated, the headlights became inoperable. there was no warning light illuminated. the contact stated that the low beam headlights were activated to continue driving. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer. the contac…”
2022-08-24 · Steering · 141,000 mi“the contact owns a 2008 ford crown victoria. the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist. the contact inspected the steering column underneath the hood and noticed that the steering shaft was corroded. the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or …”
2022-07-29 · Steering:linkages:knuckle:spindle:arm“the right front wheel hub broke at the weld when turning in a parking lot. the part is available for inspection. had this happened at freeway speed, the right front wheel would have departed the vehicle. the safety hazards are obvious. i attempted to contact customer service and they did not reply.there was no warning sign and the part has not bee…”
2021-05-28 · Unknown Or Other“i purchased this vehicle a week ago and i also downloaded car fax and it states my vehicle was due for a recall in 2014 but the previous owner next got it. …”
2020-07-14 · Fuel System, Gasoline:storage:auxillary Tank · 107,000 mi“2008 ford intersepter gas tank straps and tank fell. vehical was towed to a ford.…”
2020-06-22 · Steering · 166,000 mi“tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford crown victoria. the contact stated that while driving at 70 mph, the steering wheel independently turned 180 degrees. the contact regained control of the vehicle, and pulled over and parked the vehicle. the contact inspected the vehicle and became aware of a loosened steering shaft bushing. the vehicle was towed to …”
2020-03-16 · Structure:body · 45,000 mi · 🔥 fire“i drove my car to work. i parked it on the side of the street. when i got out hours later it had caught on fire.…”
2020-01-15 · Steering · 189,000 mi“noticed intermittent stiffness in the steering, an inspection by owner at the steering column determined that the bearing connecting the upper and lowers shafts had extended from its housing. it was determined this failure was consistent with a previous recall 13r01. the vehicle was taken to gillespie ford in gurnee, il, who stated the recall had…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.