Car Problem DataNHTSA records

1998 Ford Cvpi

Routine

Owners filed 3 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the electrical system › ignition. It has been recalled 1 time.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Electrical System › Ignition2
000
Engine and Engine Cooling › Exhaust System › Manifold/Header/Muffler/Tail Pipe1
000

1 safety recall

Part 573 reports
Fuel System, Gasoline › Storage › Tank Assembly02I003000
Filed Oct 15, 2002350,000 vehiclesFord Motor Company

Defect. 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.

Risk. SOME HIGH-SPEED REAR-IMPACT CRASHES HAVE RESULTED IN FUEL TANK PUNCTURES AND FIRES IN CVPI VEHICLES.

Remedy. 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.

What owners reported

Newest filings
Electrical System › Ignition
Filed Mar 12, 2007155,000 milesOK

IN AUGUST 2006, SECOND SPARK PLUG BLOW OUT. NO WARNING, HAPPENED AT A STOP LIGHT. SUDDEN LOUD BANG STARTLED DRIVER IN NEXT LANE. DRIVER SWERVED AND RAN TWO VEHICLES OVER THE CURB. LUCKILY NO INJURIES OR DAMAGE. WAS IN A SCHOOL ZONE AT A TIME WHEN CHILDREN WERE LEAVING SCHOOL. THIS IS A POLICE INTERCEPTOR. DEPARTMENTS ACROSS THE NATION DEPEND ON THIS TYPE OF VEHICLE TO SAVE LIVES. *JB

Electrical System › Ignition
Filed Dec 1, 200598,500 milesMA

2 BLOWN SPARK PLUGS IN P71 MODEL 1998 FORD CROWN VICTORIA. SPARK PLUGS WERE REPLACED AND IGNITION COILS BECAUSE SPARK PLUG BLEW RIGHT UP INTO IGNITION COIL AND DESTROYED THEM. ONE WAS REPLACED BY A MECHANIC AND THE OTHER WAS REPLACED BY ME. *NM

Engine and Engine Cooling › Exhaust System › Manifold/Header/Muffler/Tail Pipe
Filed Sep 3, 200590,000 milesPA

MY 1998 FORD CROWN VICTORIA POLICE INTERCEPTOR WAS PURCHASED FROM A INDEPENDENT DEALER IN FEB. 2005, MICHIGAN. I HAD NO PROBLEM UNTIL JULY/AUGUST THEN HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE INTAKE MANIFOLD LEAKING COOLANT. I RECEIVED NO NOTICE OF THE FORD RECALL AND BY THIS TIME I WAS TOLD BY FORD, AND A FORD LINCOLN MERC. DEALER THAT MY WARRANTY WAS UP THREE MONTHS AGO. MY WHOLE PROBLEM COULD HAVE BEEN FIXED BY FORD AND THEY REFUSED. THEIR MISTAKE BUT MY PROBLEM NOW. IS THIS A FAIR WAY TO TREAT A FORD CUSTOMER?*JB

3 of 3 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 2003
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
200520200Routine
200417210Routine
200378400Routine
20022100Routine
20011100Routine
20004110Routine
19994100Routine
1998 — this page3100Routine
19971100Routine
19962100Routine
19951100Routine
19941100Routine
19930100Routine
19920100Routine

Compare every Cvpi year →

Other Ford models

All Ford models →
F-150 38,064Explorer 34,456Escape 27,307Fusion 22,369Focus 22,083Taurus 16,891Windstar 14,153Edge 13,982Expedition 9,315Mustang 8,877

Reading this record

No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.

Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

Recall repairs are free for as long as the recall stands. Check whether a specific car still has open work at NHTSA's VIN lookup.

Most recent recall on file: Oct 15, 2002. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.