1999 FORD CROWN VICTORIA Complaints

I HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE "BATTERY" LIGHT. IT WOULD COME ON AND STAY ON. THE CAR WAS RETRUNED TO THE DEALER SEVERAL TIMES. THE LAST TIME THE DEALER TOLD ME THAT THEY KNEW WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS AND WOULD ORDER A PART AND THAT THE CAR WAS "SAFE" TO DRIVE IN THE MEANTIME. NOT SO. THE CAR HAD LOSS OF ELECTRICAL POWER AND ENGINE SHUTDOWN. ENGINE SHUTDOWN, LOSS OF POWER STEERING, LOSS OF HYDRAULIC BRAKE AND LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL. THE CAR WAS TOWN INTO THE DEALER THAT NIGHT. THEY DENY KNOWING THERE WOULD BE ANY "PROBLEM." SEE YOUR NHTSA RECALL NO. 94V056/FORD RECALL NO. 94S83. DIFFERENT YEAR AND REGION. SIMILAR "PROBLEM."

CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 65MPH ON THE HIGHWAY. WHILE DRIVING NOTICED A SMELL COMING FROM UNDERNEATH THE DASHBOARD. ALSO, BRAKE PEDAL WENT ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE FLOOR. DEALERSHIP WAS AWARE OF PROBLEM.*AK

BATTERY LIGHT COMES ON INTERMITTENTLY AND STAYS ON FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME, WHICH LEADS TO A SHUTDOWN WHILE DRIVING, VEHICLE BEEN TO THE DEALER ON TWO OCCASIONS, AND PROBLEM STILL REOCCURRING.*AK

HORN FAILED TO SOUND AFTER PRESSURE WAS APPLIED TO THE STEERING WHEEL. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED.*AK DEALER STATES THERE IS NOTHING WRONG. *JB

CONSUMER STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS RATED AT 28 MPG BUT IT NEVER GOT BETTER THAN 21 MPG WHILE DRIVING WITH CRUISE CONTROL ON DURING A TRIP. *YD

REAR BUMPER HAS A LARGE VERTICAL CRACK IN IT WHERE EXHAUST PIPE COMES FROM UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE. CONSUMER FEELS THAT HEAT FROM EXHAUST PIPE HAS CAUSED THIS CRACK, AND CHANGED STABILITY OF THE BUMPER. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION / ATTACHMENTS.*AIK

HAD TO POST ON THIS BLUE OVAL NEWS WEB SITE SIMPLY BECAUSE OF THE AMOUNT OF EDUCATED CONSUMERS WHO UTILIZE BLUE OVAL NEWS RESEARCHING PRIOR TO THEIR VEHICLE PURCHASES. BESIDES THE KNOWN ISSUE OF THE DREADED PLASTIC RESIN INTAKE MANIFOLDS CRACKING ON THE 4.6L SOHC ENGINE ON THE FORD CROWN VICTORIA THERE IS A MORE CATASTROPHIC QUALITY ISSUE WITH THE CROWN VICTORIA AND THAT IS THE TORQUE CONVERTER SHUDDER ON THE CROWN VICTORIA 4R70W TRANSMISSION. STARTING WITH THE '92 MODEL YEAR AND IT'S AODE AND NOW THE 4R70W WHICH REPLACED THE AODE STARTING IN '98 FORD HAS KNOWN OF QUALITY ISSUES OF THEIR TRANSMISSIONS WHICH MANIFESTS ITSELF AS A HORRIBLE SHUDDER OR VIBRATION AS THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTS FROM 3RD GEAR GOING INTO 4TH GEAR (USUALLY TRANSITIONING FROM 40 TO 50 MPH!). I PURCHASED MY '99 CROWN VIC AND IT HAS PROVIDED ME RELIABLE TRANSPORTATION UNTIL JUST RECENTLY. I PICKED UP THIS HORRIBLE SHUDDER JUST 6 WEEKS PRIOR TO MY 3YR/36K FORD WARRANTY RUNNING OUT. WHEN THIS PROBLEM FIRST OCCURRED WITH HAVING JUST 22K ON THE ODOMETER AND 6 WEEKS LEFT ON THE WARRANTY I QUICKLY BROUGHT THE CAR IN FOR WARANTY WORK. UNIVERSAL FORD IN LONG ISLAND CITY, NY VALIDATED THAT INDEED THERE WAS A SHUDDER AND REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION WITH A REBUILT TRANSMISSION. I DROVE THE "REPAIRED" VEHICLE FROM NYC TO LEESBURG, VIRGINIA BUT ON THE RETURN TRIP THE SHUDDER CAME BACK WORSE THAN EVER. I MANAGED TO LIMP THE CAR BACK HOME AND THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN AT UNIVERSAL FORD SINCE. FOR THOSE OF YOU CONSIDERING A CROWN VICTORIA PERFORM YOUR "DUE DILIGENCE" AND VISIT SOME OF THE OTHER IMPARTIAL CROWN VIC WEB SITES (WWW.CORRAL.NET BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY WWW.CROWNVIC.NET) SEARCHING ON "TRANNY SHUDDER". FORD HAS KNOWN OF THIS PROBLEM OVER 5 YEARS BUT HASN'T PUBLICALLY MADE IT WIDELY KNOWN ALONG WITH THEIR PLASTIC RESIN INTAKE MANIFOLD DEBACLE. I'VE OWNED OVER A DOZEN CROWN VICTORIAS IN MY LIFE AND STARTING WITH THE '92 MODEL YEAR WHEN THEY TRANSITIONED OVER FROM THE OLD PUSHROD-8 5.0L ENGINE TO THEIR NEW 4.6L SOHC T

THE CAR WAS PARKED WHEN I NOTICED THE MISSING PIECES OF TREAD. UPON CLOSER EXAMINATION OF THE TIRE, I NOTICED THAT THE SOME OF THE TREAD WAS SEPARATED FROM THE TIRE. ALSO SOME OF THE STEEL BELTS WAS SHOWING. I DROVED TO THE NEAREST GOODYEAR DEALER AND THEY INDICATED THAT THERE WAS 25% TREAD LEFT AND THE AMOUNT TO REPLACE THE TIRE WAS OVER $112.00. I WENT TO ANOTHER STORE AND PURCHASED ANOTHER BRAND OF TIRE WHICH WAS LESS EXPENSIVE THAN THE AMOUNT QUOTED BY THE GOODYEAR DEALER. I CONTACTED THE GOORYEAR CUSTOMER SERVICE AND THEY ALSO SAID THAT IT WAS AN EXPENSIVE TIRE AND THAT THEIR POLICY WAS TO PRORATE THE TIRE. I AM GLAD THAT I NOTICED THIS BEFORE GOING ON A LONG DISTANCE TRIP THIS WEEKEND. I HAVE 2 CONCERNS - 1..I NEED TO REPORT THE TIRE DEFECT TO SOMEBODY. 2. I THINK THAT SIMILIAR TO THE FIRESTONE SITUATION, GOODYEAR SHOULD AT LEAST PAY FOR PART OF THE TIRE REPLACEMENT, NOT JUST PRORATED BASED ON AN ARTIFICIALLY HIGH LIST PRICE. RECALL . *AK (DOT NUMBER: POXO BMER TIRESIZE: P225/60R16)

VEHICLE STALLS AT ANY SPEED AND ANY TIME. VEHICLE TAKEN TO DEALER 3 TIMES. DEALER SAID INERTIA SWITCH WAS DEFECTIVE ,AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED.*AK

INTERMITTENTLY HEADLIGHTS BECOME INOPERABLE, OBSTRUCTING VIEW OF THE DRIVER. DEALER HAS INSPECTED VEHICLE SEVERAL TIMES, AND HAS REPLACED VARIOUS PARTS, HOWEVER THE PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. PLEASE PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.*AK