1998 Ford Crown Victoria
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
Vehicles › Ford › Crown Victoria › 1998
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
These records cover every 1998 Ford Crown Victoria. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
10 recalls name the 1998 Ford Crown Victoria. Newest first.
Dorman Products, Inc. (Dorman) is recalling certain model Dorman Steering Shafts, part number 425-359, Solutions Steering Shafts, part number 7-0359, and OE Solutions Steering Shafts, part number 425-359, manufactured April 17, 2014, to September 28, 2015. These aftermarket replacement steering shafts are sold for use in 1995-2002 Ford Crown Victoria…
If the shafts separate during vehicle operation, a loss of steering control would result, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
Dorman will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering shaft, free of charge. The recall began on October 28, 2015. Owners may contact Dorman customer service at 1-800-523-2492, option 5.
Ford IS recalling 225,000 my 1992-2003 econoline, my 1993-1995 taurus sho, my 1992-1998 crown victoria, my 1993 bronco, f-series, my 1995-1997 f-series super duty stripped chassis, my 1992-1998 mercury grand marquis, and my 1992-1995 lincoln town car vehicles. the affected vehicles were previously repaired using a wiring harness that IS not compatible with…
As a result, the fuse IS located in the output circuit rather than in the intended input power feed circuit, and may not offer the intended protection in the event of an electrical short to ground.
Dealers will install a new wiring harness, or replace the mating electrical component. the recall began on february 18, 2008. owners may contact ford at 1-800-392-3673.
On certain pickup trucks, passenger vehicles, sport utility vehicles, and motor homes chassis, the speed control deactivation switch may, under certain conditions, leak internally and then overheat, smoke, or burn.
This could result in an underhood fire.
Dealers will install a fused wiring harness. owners of the passenger cars included in this campaign will be instructed to return their vehicles to their dealers to have the speed control deactivation switch disconnected as an interim repair. as soon as repair parts are available (expected october 2007), owners will be instructed to return to the dealers for installation of a fused wiring harness. the recall began on august 13, 2007, and mailing completed by september 19, 2007. owners may contact ford at 1-888-222-2751.
Certain aftermarket fuel filters sold under the purolator brand name, p/n f65277, shipped from january 16 through june 2, 2006, for use on the above listed passenger vehicles. due to incorrect design, the quick connectors may not fully seat with the tube interface, even though the person making the connection may believe that the quick connector IS fully…
Failure of this connection could lead to fuel spillage and, in the presence of an ignition source, a fire could occur.
Ufi will notify owners and replace the filters free of charge. the recall began on august 4, 2006. owners may contact ufi filters USA at 800-230-5876.
On certain natural gas vehicles, if a flame from a vehicle interior fire becomes locally directed at the natural gas fuel tank located immediately behind the rear seat, the flame could damage the fiberglass wrap on the tank weakening the tank.
If the strength of the tank IS significantly compromised, it could rupture, increasing the risk of a fire.
Dealers will install an insulator behind the current seat back. owner notification began on january 7, 2004. owners should contact ford at 1-800-392-3673.
In order to enhance police office safety, model year 1992-2003 crown victoria police interceptor (cvpi) vehicles will be equipped with shields designed to help protect the fuel tank in high-speed rear-impact crashes. ford also will be offering an optional trunk package designed to improve the safe transport of sharp-edged, heavy equipment in these vehicles.
Some high-speed rear-impact crashes have resulted in fuel tank punctures and fires in cvpi vehicles.
Ford has advised us that shield kits have been available since late october and will be installed on police interceptor vehicles at no cost. the optional trank package will be available by the end of 2002. ford has established a new web site at www.cvpi.com to answer additional questions about the safe use of cpvi vehicles.
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. these vehicles have jacking instructions which, if followed, could cause the vehicle operator to place the jack on a frame weld when attempting to raise a rear wheel. if the vehicle IS jacked up with the jack placed on the frame weld and if the vehicle IS free to roll (wheels not blocked or chocked), the jack…
If this occurs and any portion of the operator's body IS under the vehicle, the potential for personal injury exists.
Owners will be provided with a revised jack instruction and stowage card and jack warning label, as well as a supplement to the owner guide.
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles using aftermarket driver's seat belt assemblies that were sold by ford parts departments from january 1, through june 13, 2000. these seat belt assemblies fail to comply with the requirements of fmvss no. 209, "seat belt assemblies." the equipment involved IS service stock seat belt assemblies, model nos. H 9977…
In the event of a collision, these seat belts may not restrain an occupant increasing the risk of injury.
Dealers will inspect these vehicles and replace the service seat belt assemblies that were installed in these vehicles from january 1 through june 13, 2000.
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles using aftermarket front passenger side seat belt assemblies that were sold by ford parts departments from january 1, through june 13, 2000. these seat belt assemblies fail to comply with the requirements of fmvss no. 209, "seat belt assemblies." the equipment involved IS service stock seat belt assemblies, model…
In the event of a collision, these seat belts may not restrain an occupant increasing the risk of injury.
Dealers will inspect these vehicles and replace the service seat belt assemblies that were installed in these vehicles from january 1 through june 13, 2000.
Vehicle description: certain 1996-1999 ford crown victoria police, fleet, natural gas, and 1996-1999 lincoln town car limousine vehicles that were produced with a lower control arm ball joint containing a one piece bearing; and 1990-1996 ford crown victoria police, fleet, and ngv vehicles and 1990-1996 lincoln town car limousine vehicles that have been…
If this occurs while the vehicle IS moving, reduced steering control could occur, increasing the risk of a crash.
Dealers will replace the lower control arm ball joints (2).
TL* the contact owns a 1998 ford crown victoria. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, smoke emitted from the vehicle. The contact stated that the fuse which controls the ignition coils and the powertrain control module under the dashboard blew. The vehicle was diagnosed by an independent mechanic who stated that there was an electrical short to the ground wire for the electrical system the vehicle was not repaired. Bill brown ford located at (32222 plymouth rd, livonia, mi 48150 (734) 399-4244) was contacted however, an appointment was not available to have the vehicle diagnosed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 237,000.
Had my car since 2014 I worked hard to buy it. It drove pretty decide untill electric problems started to occur. Then my passanger side wheel folded in while operating with my kids life or death situation im just a hard working father trying to provide a safe transportation for my family
TL* the contact owns a 1998 ford crown victoria. While driving approximately 45 mph, the contact noticed smoke under the hood of the vehicle. The contact coasted the vehicle to the side of the road and notice flames underneath the vehicle. The fire was extinguished by the fire department. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a towing lot. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 160,000.
Bought a set of tires from ebay / simpletire. They were listed as new without any disclaimer. Ordered them jan. 11TH 2018, and received them jan. 16TH, 2018 via fedex. Checked the dot date code and saw that all four tires are over six years old. Attempted to contact simple tire through ebay messaging and they have not replied. here IS the tire information you are requesting: hankook i*cept evo W310 235/55r17 103V XL this IS a matched set of four. The four dot are as follows: dot 5M3F eu h 3511, dot 5M3F eu h 3811, dot 5M3F eu h 3811, dot 5M3F eu h 3911 after reading all your helpful information on you website I felt they sold me expired tires. Have no choice but to use them as the tires on my wife's car are in poor condition, and we just don't have the extra money to buy more. Another concern of mine IS how many unsuspecting consumers are driving around on expired tires they in good faith bought from simpletire @ ebay?
TL* the contact owns a 1998 ford crown victoria. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 160,000.
TL* the contact owns a 1998 ford crown victoria. While driving approximately 30 mph, the vehicle overheated without warning. The failure recurred twice. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the intake manifold needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vin and failure mileage were unknown. updated 04/05/17*lj the consumer stated car overheating due to intake manifold, had to replace intake manifold. vin failure updated 7/3/18*jb *tr
Takata recall my 98 ford crown vic head lights turn on and off when I drive. It mainly turn on and off IS when I have my high beams when in motion. I dont know wat causes it it recently started happinging
My intake manifold for my thermostat IS completely broken when I looked up online to see how much the part would cost me to have fixed it said there was a recall on the part because in between the years 1997-2006 ford used generic plastic to make the part I just purchased the car off a guy like 6 months ago so if there were any recalls on the vehicle I had no idea till it broke on me and I looked it up I called a few ford dealerships and also the main ford headquarters in detroit and everyone's giving me the run around and telling me there were never any recalls on my car and that I have to pay to have it fixed meanwhile its there fault for putting the wrong part in the car in the first place I need your help getting these people to fix my car please contact me at [xxx] or if I can't be reached on that number [xxx] thank you. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(B)(6). *tr
I was a professional mechanic and went to school for it also with over ten years experience in the field ! This IS the story I decided to replace upper and lower ball joints and outer tie rod ends with upper control arm bushings and wheel bearing hub assembly's all at the same time to avoid a vehicle breakdown like what just happened ! The car had about 54000 miles on it when I did this with me knowing these parts were about to go out due to wear before 75000 miles at the latest from experience on average ! But this IS the complaint and concern ! My lower passenger front ball joint separated at about 84000 miles on the car which IS only thirty thousand miles of life on this ball joint ! Not reassuring at the least ! Even under extreme driving I have found ball joints to last at least 50000 miles before going bad ! The ball joint IS a drive works brand part #dw-k8685 advance auto parts brand but here IS the strange part they do not know who makes their parts even when you call their 1-800 # are these parts tested or built to federal safety standards these ball joints if they separate on the freeway can kill people this IS a serious subject ! I was blessed this ball joint separated at about 20 miles an hour ! Can they be tested or recalled ! *tr
1998 ford crown victoria. consumer writes in regards to vehicle cruise control failure. *smd the consumer stated for the second time, the cruise control failed. *Jb
TL* the contact owns a 1998 ford crown victoria. The contact stated that while attempting to park, the check air suspension warning lamp illuminated. The contact mentioned that the air shocks were continuously making the vehicle jerk violently and the last time the failure occurred, the rear of the vehicle dropped to the ground. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The technician diagnosed that the air suspension was defective and as a result, an air shock kit needed to be installed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but they did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 98v322000 (suspension). The vehicle was repaired. The vin was not available. The failure mileage was 60,000 and the current mileage was 65,000.
TL* the contact owns a 1998 ford crown victoria. The contact stated that while driving 45 mph, the vehicle drifted from right to left and he had difficulty steering straight. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer to have the failure diagnosed and the dealer stated that the lower ball joints and upper control arms needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 70,000 and the current mileage was 78,000. the consumer stated there was a recall on the front control arm. However, the dealer informed the consumer there was no recall for his vin. Updated 03/07/12
Heater eatc blend door motor failed. *Tr
As described in recall number 98v322000, the lower ball joint broke apart while I was driving the vehicle. This vehicle was originally titled as a fleet vehicle which was part of the recall. The manufacturer refuses to get vehicle fixed. In fact, they say that there are no recalls at all on my vehicle when in fact there are that I know have not been fixed. *tr
Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford crown victoria. The contact took the vehicle for inspection and was advised by the independent mechanic that the intake manifold gasket was leaking antifreeze. The vehicle had not been repaired at the time of the complaint. The current and failure mileages were approximately 114,000.
The spark on the engine blew out of the engine and damaged the engine
I own a 1998 ford crown victoria with a V-8 (4.6 ) that has a plastic intake manifold which IS cracked and leaking coolant . it IS unrepairable and must be replaced . this plastic should have never been used and intake manifolds are not supposed to fail like this and they should all be recalled . *Tr
As my boyfriend back my car out of the drive on april 22, 2009 between 8:30-9:00pm, the entire front end of the vehicle fell. It appeared that the shocks gave out or something. The only problems the vehicle had were coil issues but we got it taken care of. The ford company claims that the vehicle has no recall on it but I hear from autobuyguide.com that there was a recall on dec. 16, 1998 for the vehicle suspension, front, control arm, lower ball joint. Then a friend of mine told me about others who had this same problem. I want my car to be fixed. I have 2 small children and I need transportation. This a factory default, I shouldn't have to pay to fix this. Can you all help me? *Tr
Loss of rear brakes was indicated by the indicator light on the dash. Upon inspection of the hydraulic system, a rupture in the rear crossover hydraulic line that supplies fluid to the right rear wheel was discovered, resulting in loss of fluid. The rupture occurred where the line had been clamped to the under side of the rear shelf in the passenger compartment resulting in a kink in the line. This was the original hydraulic line installed at the factory. *tr
Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford crown victoria. the vehicle was taken to the dealer because the contact was informed of a safety recall. the dealer stated that the intake manifold failed. all of the engine coolant leaked from the reservoir. the copper tubing connected to the intake that went to the reservoir failed and caused the vehicle to begin steaming. the purchase date, powertrain, and recall number were unknown. the current mileage was 60,078 and failure mileage was 59,000. updated 03-25-08 *bf updated 03/25/08 *tr
We bought our 1998 crown victoria used in 2001. At the time of the sale I was asked if there was any problem with the car, and at that time I showed them that the headlights had a heavy film that caused very little light to come through. I asked them about replacing the headlights and the dealer went into the office and came back with "no"...but they would clean the outside of the glass for me. I don't know what product they used but it looked okay for right then. It didn't last and I brought the car back in and they still refused to fix the problem. I feel that the lens on the headlights have a leak in the seals, so the calcium builds up, over a short period of time,on the inside of the headlight glass. It causes us to travel at night with very dim looking headlights. Since we've had this problem, I have been noticing the different vehicles that had the same thing with their headlights....and guess what----they were all ford cars ; and I don't particularly know the 100'S of different cars and models that travel the roads these days...so I have to actually read "ford" on the car in order to know it IS one. As time went on and I traveled up and down the state of ca. I was amazed at each car I saw with heavy coated headlights was a ford...i think ford definitely has a problem but the different dealerships are ignoring the problem and making the buyers live with the problem instead of solving it. *tr
My 1998 ford crown victoria caught on fire in my driveway after sitting for 12 hours. the fire dept said it started in the electrical wiring under the hood. the car IS now completely destroyed. there IS a recall for the 98 crown victoria for this exact problem, but I am being told that my vin does not have a recall on it. ford motor company will not take any responsibility for this. I know that they are adding to the recall everyday. am I supposed to wait until my car has been added, if it ever gets added?
Intake manifold thermostat housing ( of composite material) on a 1998 ford crown victoria LX engine, cracked causing coolant to leak, and subsequently the engine to overheat. car was brought to dealership for repair at a cost of $1055.18. ford provided a recall to repair this defect to "commercial" users (police, taxis etc.), however ford did not extend this coverage to individual owners of cars beyond the 1997 model year ford crown victoria LX. *Jb
Dt*: the contact stated while driving 65 mph on normal road conditions, there was a clicking sound coming from the rear end of the vehicle coupled with a smell gas then the vehicle began to loose power. the vehicle was towed to dealer who determined the engine computer needed to be replaced. There was an action # pe02071 concerning the fuel system, gasoline: storage: tank assembly that the contact believes relates to the problems with the vehicle.*ak
Dt*: the contact stated while driving 5 mph in a parking lot the vehicle made a loud noise and dropped causing the vehicle to stop. the vehicle was towed to an independent repair shop who determined the front left tie rod fractured. the repair shop replaced the tie rod. neither the manufacturer nor the dealer has been alerted.
NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened these reviews into vehicles including this one.
On september 6, 2005, odi received a petition requesting that the agency investigate allegations of engine spark plug ejection in certain model year 1997 through 2004 ford vehicles with triton V-8 and V-10 engines.odi received a total of 474 non-duplicative complaints on the subject vehicles where the complainant, or the dealer repairing the vehicle, reported that a spark plug detached from the cylinder and/or ejected from the engine.as of december 8, 2005, odi IS not aware of any allegations where the alleged defect resulted in a loss of vehicle control, a crash, an injury, or a fatality in any of the 10,319,810 subject vehicles.in addition, odi IS aware of only two incidents where the vehicle stalled without restart.information contained in the odi consumer complaints and obtained from 72 telephone interviews with complainants showed the following:(1) 99% of the complaints were on my 1997 to 2002 subject vehicles.(2) most the complainants reported hearing a loud pop while driving or upon starting up the vehicle followed by a loud, repetitive clicking or popping sound.(3) many of the complainants reported that the popping sound was accompanied by some loss of vehicle power; however, in 99% of the incidents reported, the vehicle did not stall.in the very few incidents where the vehicle did stall, most vehicles could be restarted.(4) only a small percentage of the complainants cited that they smelled gas or a slight burning smell when the incident occurred.(5) in all but a very few incidents, vehicle damage was limited to the engine.in one incident, the complaint reported that the fuel rail was damaged and replaced after one of the spark plugs ejected from the engine; however, the complainant reported that the damage did not result in any type of fuel leak or fire.in another incident, the only incident where a fire was alleged, the complainant reported that no fluid leak was observed, but that a fire resulted after the spark plug had ejected from the engine and he had restarted the vehicle and driven to another location.none of the complainants reported any damage to the vehicle hood.(6) only two complainants reported that they observed what appeared to be some drops of fuel coming from the cylinder where the spark plug had failed or on the spark plug itself; however, each of these complainants reported that there was no smoke or flames as a result of his incident.as the petitioner noted, and odi?s analysis showed, it IS possible for a spark plug to detach from the engine cylinder threads in the subject vehicles.however, odi?s analysis of 474 complaints describing such incidents found only a very few alleged any safety-related consequences.none of these showed any evidence of a serious safety consequence.given the large population and relatively long exposure time of the subject vehicles, the complaint analysis indicates that the risk to motor vehicle safety from the alleged defect IS very low.in view of the foregoing, it IS unlikely that nhtsa would issue an order for the notification and remedy of the alleged defect at the conclusion of the investigation requested in the petition.therefore, in view of the need to allocate and prioritize nhtsa?s limited resources to best accomplish the agency?s safety mission, the petition IS denied.
In september 2002, a fuel cylinder in a natural gas powered vehicle (ngv) exploded during a fire.ford and vrtc test engineers jointly examined the incident vehicle and reviewed testing to determine whether the performance of the pressure relief valve (prd) was proper.the purpose of a prd IS to protect a compressed natural gas tank from overpressure by allowing the CNG to vent when the temperature reaches a specific point.the prd was removed from the failed tank and subjected to a yield temperature determination test. It was concluded that a direct flame (from the interior of the vehicle) onto the cylinder (located behind the rear seat in the trunk)compromised the hoop strength of the natural gas cylinder, thus allowing the cylinder to fail prior to the prd releasing at itsdesigned temperature.as a result of this testing and review of the involved vehicle, ford has developed an insulator to insulate the natural gas fuel tank from a locally directed flame projecting from the interior of the vehicle.insulators will be installed behind the back seat on subject vehicles to prevent future failures of this type. Ford's action addresses the concerns of odi.therefore, this investigation IS closed.
An explosion of a compressed natural gas (CNG) tank should not be able to occur, as the tank IS fitted with a pressure relief device (prd). This prd should release the CNG in the tank, prior to the pressure reaching the tank burst pressure.the prd did not release in the subject wisconsin police cruiser explosion.nhtsa has recovered the prd valve from the tank that exploded and testing will be necessary to establish why this tank safety valve did not release in the very high temperature fire that occurred in the police cruiser.there IS only the single known event, but due to the catastropic force of such an explosion and the potential for injury and loss of life, this investigation IS being upgraded.
The fars data shows that the risk of fire from impact in all directions in the subject vehicles IS the same as all other sedans.the subject vehicles are not over represented with respect to the risk of fire in real-world high-energy crashes.a further discussion of issues related to post crash fires in the subject vehicles IS set out in the closing report for sq 01-014 and that report IS in the docket for this petition.after reviewing the petition and its supporting materials, as well as information furnished by ford and gm, and information within the agency's possession from previous investigations and other related actions,nhtsa has concluded that futher investigation concerning post-crash fires in the subject vehicles IS not likely to lead to a decision that the vehicles contain a safety defect.
There is no summary currently available
There is no summary currently available
There is no summary currently available
There is no summary currently available
The driver's seat, of the subject split-seat configuration, IS secured to the vehicle floor pan with four bolts.a single bolt IS located at both the front and rear of each of the two seat tracks.these tracks are located on each side of the seat.if the outboard-forward bolt fails, the seat IS retained by 3 remaining bolts.when retained by 3 bolts, the rearward movement of the left side of the seat back IS limited to approximately 4 inches.this was determined by ford testing and confirmed by odi.this minimal movement should not cause a driver to experience difficulties controlling the vehicle.ford has developed a kit to repair the seat bolt boss, consisting of a large, 3/16 inch thick washer, contoured to fit inside the floor pan seat bolt boss reinforcement.this fix was added to production vehicles in september, 1997.ford IS currently preparting a technical service bulletin, to be sent to both dealer and operators of police vehicles, announcing the availability of the kit for in-sevice repairs.a safety-related defect trend has not been identified at this time and further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by nhtsa that no safety-related defect exists.the agency reserves the right to take further action on these models if warranted by the circumstances.
Technical service bulletins and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about this vehicle. Ask a dealer for the full document by its number.
Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.