Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data
Data refreshed
Our database contains 42 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1988 Ford Crown Victoria, most frequently naming the electrical, seat belts and engine categories. 2 safety recalls have been issued covering this model year; 2 NHTSA investigations name it; and 27 manufacturer communications are on file.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
When owners filed reports about this model year
| Month | Complaints filed | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|
| Feb 1995 | 1 | 1 |
| Sep 1995 | 1 | 2 |
| Oct 1995 | 2 | 4 |
| Feb 1996 | 3 | 7 |
| Apr 1996 | 5 | 12 |
| May 1996 | 3 | 15 |
| Jun 1996 | 2 | 17 |
| Jul 1996 | 1 | 18 |
| Aug 1996 | 3 | 21 |
| Oct 1996 | 1 | 22 |
| Nov 1996 | 1 | 23 |
| Apr 1997 | 2 | 25 |
| Sep 1997 | 2 | 27 |
| Nov 1997 | 1 | 28 |
| Jun 1998 | 2 | 30 |
| Aug 1998 | 1 | 31 |
| Nov 1998 | 1 | 32 |
| Nov 1999 | 1 | 33 |
| Oct 2000 | 1 | 34 |
| Dec 2000 | 1 | 35 |
| Jan 2001 | 2 | 37 |
| Aug 2002 | 1 | 38 |
| Sep 2002 | 1 | 39 |
| May 2003 | 1 | 40 |
| Mar 2010 | 1 | 41 |
| Jun 2010 | 1 | 42 |
Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
2 campaigns cover this model year
Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.
Check a VIN on NHTSA.govELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR
NHTSA inquiries naming this vehicle. An investigation is not a finding of a defect.
BRAKE LINE PUNCTURES
There is no summary currently available
ENGINE COMP FIRES
There is no summary currently available
Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words
I RAN OVER A PIECE OF STRUCTURAL STEEL ON THE FREEWAY AND WRECKED THE RIGHT REAR TIRE AND WHEEL. I FOUND THAT I COULD NOT REMOVE THE WHEEL LUG NUTS USING THE LUG WRENCH FURNISHED WITH THE CAR. I SUCCEEDED IN CHANGING THE TIRE BY USING THE BREAKER BAR INCLUDED WITH MY HALF INCH DRIVE SOCKET SET THAT I HAPPENED TO HAVE IN THE TRUNK. TWENTY YEARS LATER FORD WAS STILL FURNISHING WITH THEIR CARS SHORT ARM (EFFECTIVE LENGTH ABOUT 9 INCHES) LUG WRENCHES THAT COULD NOT POSSIBLY BE USED TO CHANGE A TIRE. *TR
1988 FORD CROWN VICTORIA 5.0 LITER 302 CUBIC INCH ENGINE (FUEL INJECTED). SECOND GENERATION (2G) ALTERNATOR CAUGHT ON FIRE. *TR
NHTSA# 96-V-071-000: THE IGNITION SWITCH COULD EXPERIENCE AN INTERNAL SHORT CIRCUIT. CONSUMER STATES HAS THE SAME PROBLEM. A RECALL HAS BEEN ISSUED ON SIMILAR MAKES AND MODELS, HOWEVER THIS VEHICLE IS NOT INCLUDE DUE TO VIN# DEALER NOTIFIED. *TR
CAR ALMOST GOT ME KILLED. THE THROTTLE WENT TO THE FLOOR AND WOULDN'T LET UP. TO KEEP FROM CRASHING INTO OTHERS WAS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE. I HAD TO PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL AND RUIN THE TRANSMISSION BEFORE THE CAR WOULD STOP.*AK
CONSUMER WAS INFORMED THAT THE OIL PAN WAS CORRODING AND IN DANGER OF LEAKING, THE OIL PAN GASKET BLEW OUT AND WAS LEAKING OIL. *SLC
VEHICLE STALLS WHEN IT COMES TO A STOP. HAS HAPPENED NUMEROUS TIMES OVER THE YEARS. *AK
IGNITION MODULE ASSEMBLY FAILED CAUSING ENGINE TO STALL, ONCE STALLED THE ENGINE WOULD CRANK BUT NOT START. NLM
DEFECTIVE IGNITION MODULE CAUSED VEHICLE TO STALL IN AN INTERSECTION. NLM
A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.
VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:MOTOR
TRANSFER SERVICE TIPS FOR THE FRONT WIPER MOTOR MOUNT BRACKET AND DEPRESSED PARK OUTPUT ARM. *TT
VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM:HEATER CORE
SOME VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT HEATER CORE LEAKS. *SLC
INFORMATION REGARDING TRANSMISSION FLUID USAGE CHARTS. *SLC
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:COOLING UNIT AND LINES
SUBJECT REGARDING CONTAMINATION FROM PRIOR TRANSMISSION CONCERNS OR EXCESS WEAR MAY BE TRAPPED IN THE TRANSMISSION FLUID COOLING SYSTEM. *TT
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
INFORMATION REGARDING THE NEW TRANSMISSION COOLER FLUSHER- SERVICE TIP. *MJS
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING
SUBJECT ON A WIRE HARNESS TERMINAL REPAIR KIT AVAILABLE FOR REPAIRING ELECTRICAL WIRING HARNESSES. *TT
Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.
Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model
| Year | Complaints | Recalls | Investigations | Issue Index |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2011 | 23 | 2 | 0 | 41.9 |
| 2010 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 53.4 |
| 2009 | 44 | 2 | 0 | 50.1 |
| 2008 | 50 | 3 | 3 | 63.9 |
| 2007 | 50 | 4 | 4 | 68.7 |
| 2006 | 53 | 3 | 3 | 64.4 |
| 2005 | 193 | 6 | 7 | 61.5 |
| 2004 | 138 | 3 | 6 | 56.9 |
| 2003 | 249 | 7 | 9 | 62.7 |
| 2002 | 58 | 5 | 3 | 67.1 |
| 2001 | 53 | 7 | 7 | 66.5 |
| 2000 | 85 | 10 | 5 | 58.5 |
| 1999 | 134 | 8 | 7 | 60.7 |
| 1998 | 119 | 10 | 9 | 62.4 |
| 1997 | 288 | 11 | 10 | 62.7 |
| 1996 | 276 | 12 | 10 | 63.9 |
| 1995 | 250 | 12 | 7 | 64.4 |
| 1994 | 192 | 7 | 4 | 65.9 |
| 1993 | 182 | 9 | 10 | 65.4 |
| 1992 | 310 | 9 | 10 | 65.8 |
| 1991 | 55 | 4 | 2 | 64.8 |
| 1990 | 43 | 3 | 3 | 67.7 |
| 1989 | 72 | 2 | 3 | 67.0 |
| 1988Viewing | 42 | 2 | 2 | 65.0 |
| 1987 | 41 | 4 | 3 | 70.4 |
| 1986 | 27 | 1 | 3 | 65.6 |
| 1985 | 21 | 0 | 2 | 57.4 |
| 1984 | 6 | 1 | 2 | — |
| 1983 | 5 | 2 | 2 | — |
| 1982 | 3 | 0 | 1 | — |
| 1981 | 2 | 0 | 1 | — |
| 1980 | 2 | 0 | 1 | — |
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.