general problems of the 2004 Ford Crown Victoria

Tl the contact owns a 2004 Ford Crown Victoria. While driving at unknown speeds, the steering wheel became extremely stiff. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who stated that the steering shaft and steering linkage needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and did not assist. The failure mileage was 83,000.

I was driving and all the sudden I start hearing this real loud noise coming from passenger rear and all my brake lights abs lights and traction lights came on . Well I was told it was wheel seals come to gind out there is a bit grove out of shaft wherr bearing rides. And shaft is very week.

Tl the contact owns a 2004 Ford Crown Victoria. While driving various speeds, the steering wheel seized while turning right or left. The contact mentioned that the failure occurred periodically. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic for diagnostic testing or repairs. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that there was no recall on the vehicle. The failure mileage was 96,000.

Vehicle became increasingly hard to steer at all speeds over a period of several months. The steering wheel would bind and become stiff at multiple positions during turns, but could still be steered with additional effort. During low speed turning it would take an unreasonable amount of effort to steer the vehicle. Investigation and inspection revealed that the multiple universal joints on the steering linkages in the engine compartment were heavily rusted and corroded, resulting in poor movement and the stiff steering. Linkages were cleaned and lubricated and steering returned to normal. During repair it was noticed that the exhaust heat shield was also heavily corroded and beginning to separate from the mounting hardware. If the heat shield separates from the exhaust manifold it will interfere with the steering linkages. The heat shield was removed. I believe that other model years were recalled for both of these issues. According to NHTSA there are no recalls on my vehicle.

Tl- the contact owns a 2004 Ford Crown Victoria. The contact stated that while driving at 55 mph, when the vehicle's steering seized without warning. The contact stated that the failure had recurred several times after, intermittently. The vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed and was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 140,000. Wh.

The contact owns a 2004 Ford Crown Victoria. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 70 mph, the steering wheel became loose. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was confirmed that the steering shaft needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 140,000.

Tl - the contact owns a 2004 Ford Crown Victoria. The contact stated that upon making a turn, the steering wheel seized making the vehicle difficult to control. The contact mentioned that the failure would occur when making a turn at various speeds. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the lower steering shaft needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure and current mileage was 160,000. Dr.

Beginning in summer 2013, steering became noticeably tighter when making slow speed turns. November 2013 the vehicle was brought to a Ford dealership to have an alignment due to tires continuously wearing on inside walls, which I suspect is due to the steel wheel recall (NHTSA campaign number: 07v079000) but Ford will not honor if the car is in private posession. After the vehicle was serviced, I was advised the steering shaft was severely corroded. Upon research, I discovered other owners experincing the same issues. Ford issued a recall (Ford recall #13s08) to inspect and replace the upper and lower steering shaft only for 2005-2011 models. The dealership advised me to contact Ford directly, and I did. I expressed my concerns that this in an immediate safety concern and feel that it should be included in the recall. I was advised by Ford that they spoke with the service manager at my dealership and verified that my car is indeed having issues that are exactly like the recall included. I was told that my car was not included in a recall and that they would keep my information on file for them to review in the event of a future recall. I am having an independent mechanic replace the upper and lower shaft as soon as possible because of the high chance it could become disengaged and render the vehicle inoperable. I strongly urge the NHTSA to investigate this and other cases of 2004 Crown Victoria (cvpi) owners who complain of both the steering issue and the recall that Ford fails to fix on the steel wheels. The vehicle is no longer in fleet use, but that does not make the underlying problem of the defective steel wheels not the responsibility of Ford. They need to inspect and replace the wheels just as they would for any other recall regardless of the current owner, how a recall should work.

The contact owns a 2004 Ford Crown Victoria. While driving at various speeds, the steering wheel seized and required excessive force to maneuver. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 118,565.

The contact owns a 2004 Ford Crown Victoria. The contact stated that while driving 55 mph, the head lights failed. The contact also stated that a few months later, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection where they stated that the steering shaft needed to be replaced and that they could not determine the cause of the headlight failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 68,000.

The steering coulumn tightens up periodicly, results in hard steering, have been using wd40 to loosen up , noticed recall for 2005 model years and up. Blower moter shuts down periodicly resulting in loss of vision from lack of defrosters, problem is a hard to reach connector plug underneath hood,tried cleaning,will not clear problem,no corossion noticed. Headlights repaird under recall, lighting controll module replaced.

Driving s on m-10 from I-94 to I-75 entrance ramp. I entered the ramp at 25- 30 mph when the steering locked up, I could not turn the wheel. Before I knew it I hit the curb and then rolled over approx. 3 times down an embankment and finally hitting a concrete barrier which stopped the car. After the accident the heat shield from the drivers side exhaust manifold was found under the car, you could see it rusted off and you could see the marks on it where it jambed the steering shaft and the engine block (still have the part). Because of the cost cutting in materials in the manufacturing of this heat shield out of sheet metal and not out of stainless steel it is the cause of this accident. Now because of this inferior design and the accident it caused, I'm dealing with tbi, ptsd, pba, neck injury, lower back injury (which is affecting my legs making it difficult to walk). A few days before the accident I graduated with a bachelors degree in marketing, but now because of my injuries I am unable to work. This needless accident has caused me financial hardship, I lost my home, unable to pay my student loans, unable to pay my bills. This all stems from someone at Ford's deciding to cut costs in the manufacturing of the heat shield out of sheet metal instead out of stainless steel. Ford should have realized that a majority of these Crown Victoria's are owned in areas where salt is used in the winter. You would think Ford's being located in dearborn, michigan would use common sense in their design of this part, knowing salt is heavily used in snow removal in michigan. They saved a few dollars, but in doing so they ruined my life !! I just wonder how many accidents where caused by this poor design? I wonder how many other lives have been ruined and don't realize it was caused by this defected design. I was just lucky to find the part to show what caused this accident. . . Updated 05/20/14.