Ford Motor Company: Suspension › Front › Control Arm › Lower Ball Joint
Ford Motor Company reported this defect to federal regulators on Dec 16, 1998 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 175,000. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
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 SERVICED WITH EITHER A BALL JOINT CONTAINING THE ONE-PIECE BEARING OR A FRONT LOWER CONTROL ARM CONTAINING A BALL JOINT WITH A ONE-PIECE BEARING. THE ONE-PIECE BEARING WITHIN THE LOWER CONTROL ARM BALL JOINT CAN WEAKEN SLOWLY DURING USE AND EVENTUALLY CRACK. THIS COULD RESULT IN SEPARATION OF THE BALL AND CAP OF THE JOINT, ALLOWING THE CONTROL ARM TO DROP TO THE GROUND.
The risk
IF THIS OCCURS WHILE THE VEHICLE IS MOVING, REDUCED STEERING CONTROL COULD OCCUR, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE LOWER CONTROL ARM BALL JOINTS (2).
20 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 Ford Crown Victoria | 134 | 8 | 4 | 6 |
| 1999 Lincoln Town Car | 148 | 6 | 7 | 18 |
| 1998 Ford Crown Victoria | 119 | 10 | 6 | 3 |
| 1998 Lincoln Town Car | 154 | 8 | 7 | 7 |
| 1997 Ford Crown Victoria | 288 | 11 | 15 | 9 |
| 1997 Lincoln Town Car | 314 | 8 | 6 | 10 |
| 1996 Ford Crown Victoria | 276 | 12 | 16 | 13 |
| 1996 Lincoln Town Car | 259 | 10 | 11 | 9 |
| 1995 Ford Crown Victoria | 250 | 12 | 11 | 15 |
| 1995 Lincoln Town Car | 165 | 9 | 10 | 16 |
| 1994 Ford Crown Victoria | 192 | 7 | 14 | 20 |
| 1994 Lincoln Town Car | 155 | 5 | 26 | 15 |
| 1993 Ford Crown Victoria | 182 | 9 | 11 | 14 |
| 1993 Lincoln Town Car | 176 | 4 | 56 | 13 |
| 1992 Ford Crown Victoria | 310 | 9 | 24 | 18 |
| 1992 Lincoln Town Car | 249 | 4 | 93 | 11 |
| 1991 Ford Crown Victoria | 55 | 4 | 5 | 8 |
| 1991 Lincoln Town Car | 155 | 5 | 14 | 20 |
| 1990 Ford Crown Victoria | 43 | 3 | 7 | 7 |
| 1990 Lincoln Town Car | 209 | 4 | 64 | 22 |
What this page is, and what to do next
A recall is not an opinion. It is a Part 573 report a manufacturer is required by federal law to file once it decides a defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety, and it commits them to repairing the vehicle at no cost to the owner. The three passages above are the manufacturer’s own wording as published by NHTSA.
This page describes the campaign. It cannot tell you whether one particular car has already been through the shop — that is tracked by VIN, and only the manufacturer knows it. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a franchised dealer, quoting campaign number 98V322000.
Full record for the 1999 Ford Crown Victoria → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →