2003 FORD CROWN VICTORIA Complaints

DRIVING FROM WALMART AND MY HEADLIGHTS WENT OUT WHEN I TURNED MY LEFT DIRECTIONAL NOW AFTER 10 MINS OF HAVING HEADLIGHTS ON THEY TURN OFF ON THEIR OWN. I HAD THIS CAR FOR ALMOST 1 YEAR. *JS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 FORD CROWN VICTORIA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AXLE SHAFT FRACTURED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER WHERE THE TECHNICIAN VERIFIED THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT THE AXLE SHAFT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURE WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 98,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 101,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 FORD CROWN VICTORIA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS FAILED. THE CONTACT HAD TO USE THE HIGH BEAM. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER TO HAVE A DIAGNOSTIC PERFORMED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 104,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 FORD CROWN VICTORIA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT WITH THE HEADLIGHTS ACTIVATED, BOTH HEADLIGHTS INTTERMITTENLY AND INDEPENDENTLY FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING WHERE THE CONTACT WAS AWAITING DIAGNOSIS OF THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 97,000.

SUDDEN HEADLIGHT FAILURE AT NIGHT ON FREEWAY. REPEATED INTERMITTENT HEADLIGHT FAILURES. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS AND POTENTIALLY FATAL FLAW IN THE LIGHTING CONTROL MODULE (LCM). AFTER REVIEWING SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ONLINE IT SEEMS THAT THIS PART IS DEFECTIVE AND OVERHEATS CAUSING FAILURE. IT IS EXPENSIVE TO REPAIR AND FORD OFFERS NO ASSISTANCE ASIDE FROM SELLING AN EXPENSIVE REPLACEMENT PART WHICH HAPPENS TO BE THE SAME DEFECTIVE PART AS WAS ORIGINALLY INSTALLED.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 FORD CROWN VICTORIA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT UPON INSPECTION, IT WAS FOUND THAT THE STEERING SHAFT WAS CORRODED. THE FAILURE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR WAS THE VEHICLE REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 139,000.

STEERING THE VEHICLE BECAME HARD WHEN MAKING TURNS, AS IF THE POWER STEERING WAS NOT OPERATING. AFTER MAKING TURNS, THE WHEELS DID NOT STRAIGHTEN BY THEMSELVES, AND TURNING THEM BACK HAD TO BE DONE MANUALLY, AS IF NO POWER STEERING WAS INSTALLED ON THE VEHICLE AND IT WAS STANDING STILL. I SEE THAT THE RECENT RECALL IS ONLY FOR 2005-2001 CROWN VICTORIAS (AND SIMILAR PANTHER PLATFORM VEHICLES), BUT THIS FAILURE ALSO OCCURRED MY 2003. A VIEW UNDER THE HOOD SHOWED THAT THE STEERING COLUMN UNIVERSAL JOINTS, LOCATED IN 2 PLACES ON THE SHAFT, WERE RUSTED AND DRY. AFTER FIRST APPLYING SILICONE SPRAY TO LOOSEN THEM UP (WHICH RELIEVED THE APPEARANCE OF POWER STEERING FAILURE), I APPLIED VERY GENEROUS AMOUNTS OF LITHIUM GREASE TO BOTH JOINT LOCATIONS. THE PROBLEM HAS BEEN CORRECTED, BUT POSSIBLY ONLY TEMPORARILY IF THE SHAFT ACTUALLY NEEDS TO BE REPLACED LIKE ON THE 2005-2011 VEHICLES. I REPORT THIS TO SHOW THAT THE PROBLEM MAY BE LARGER THAN ONLY WITHIN THE SELECTED RANGE OF VEHICLES. *TR

AFTER DARK, WHILE DRIVING ON A DIVIDED STATE HIGHWAY, THE HEADLIGHTS UNEXPLAINABLE TURNED OFF, BUT RETURNED AFTER A COUPLE OF MINUTES OF TURNING THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH ON AND OFF, AND ACTIVATING THE HIGH BEAMS. OVER THE FOLLOWING MONTH, THEY WOULD SOMETIMES FAIL TO COME ON WHEN I TURNED ON THE SWITCH, BUT WOULD COME ON AFTER A FEW MINUTES OF SWITCH JIGGLING, HIGH-BEAM INDICATOR CLICKING AND ROAD VIBRATION. (HIGH BEAMS WOULD, HOWEVER, ACTIVATE IF I HELD THE LEVER BACK AS IF TO FLASH THEM.) THEY ALSO CONTINUED TO FAIL WHILE DRIVING. UNABLE TO FIND A RECALL, AND NO KNOWLEDGE THAT THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM, I WAS GOING TO REPLACE THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH. HOWEVER, AFTER RESEARCH, I BECAME AWARE THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM. THE CAUSE IS A FAILED HEADLIGHT RELAY IN THE LIGHT CONTROL MODULE ("LCM") UNDER THE DASHBOARD, WHICH IS NOT A DEALER SERVICEABLE PART. DEALER REPAIR OF THIS COMMON PROBLEM (SEE THE OTHER COMPLAINTS TO NHTSA) CONSISTS OF REPLACEMENT OF THE ENTIRE LCM PLUS LABOR COSTS. I REPAIRED THE PROBLEM BY REMOVING THE LCM AND REPLACING THE RELAY (APPROXIMATELY $6 FOR THE PART) ON THE PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD. PROBLEM IS NOW SOLVED - FOR ME. THESE HEADLIGHT RELAYS APPEAR TO BE LACKING IN DURABILITY, NOT DESIGNED FOR EXTENDED OPERATION. *TR

I SAW SIMILAR REPORTS OF THIS FAILURE AND DECIDED TO ADD TO THE # OF COMPLAINTS, AS I EXPERIENCED THIS, TOO. UPON ACCELERATION UP A HILL, AIR FLOW THROUGH VENTS (A/C OR HEAT) WOULD STOP AND GO TO DEFROST, THEN RETURN AFTER CAR BEGAN "CRUISING" AGAIN. OVER TIME, AIR FLOW DEFAULTED TO ALWAYS BEING DEFROST. (I HAD HEARD THAT THIS DEFAULT POSITION UPON FAILURE WAS A SAFETY MANDATE.) WITHOUT A RECALL, THE COST WAS FULLY MINE, SO I CONSIDERED ALTERNATIVES. A DEALER SERVICE FOR THIS PROBLEM (REPLACE THE DASHBOARD'S ELECTRONIC AUTOMATIC TEMPERATURE CONTROL UNIT OR "EATC") WOULD HAVE BEEN MEGABUCKS (I HEARD $800 FOR THE UNIT, ITSELF) FOR PARTS AND LABOR. A REBUILT EATC BY MAIL ORDER (REBUILD MINE OR SWAP FOR MINE) WOULD HAVE BEEN $250-400 FOR THE PART ALONE. THE PROBLEM IS FAILED ORIGINAL O-RINGS ON THE VACUUM ACTUATORS WITHIN THE EATC; NOT A DEALER-OFFERED REPAIR. I REPAIRED IT MYSELF. I ORDERED 5/52" ID X 9/32" OD SILICONE O-RINGS (4 NEEDED, 1 FOR EACH ACTUATOR) AND REPLACED THEM ON THE NOZZLE OF EACH VACUUM ACTUATOR, REASSEMBLED AND REMOUNTED THE ACTUATORS, RECONNECTED THE VACUUM HOSES AND REINSTALLED THE EATC UNIT INTO THE DASHBOARD. AFTER MORE THAN 3 YEARS, THE EATC NOW CONTINUES TO OPERATE PROPERLY. COST OF PARTS (O-RINGS, SILICONE SPRAY AND DIELECTRIC GREASE) WAS ABOUT $30 AND 1 1/2 HOURS OF MY TIME. IT APPEARS TO BE AN EXTREMELY COMMON PROBLEM WITH A SIMPLE, ALBEIT VERY EXPENSIVE, CORRECTION, IF DONE BY THE DEALER. *TR

HEADLIGHTS RANDOMLY QUIT WORKING FOR EXTENDED PERIODS OF TIME. I HAD A MECHANIC INSTALL A NEW LCM (LIGHTING CONTROL MODULE) AND THE LIGHTS NOW WORK BUT IT HAS CAUSED OTHER WIRING PROBLEMS. *TR