What breaks most · 1994 to 2005 model years
Ford CVPI problems by year
Owners have filed 134 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Ford CVPI across model years 1994 to 2005. Three years stand out: 2003 for wheels complaints, 2005 for exterior lighting complaints and 2004 for wheels complaints. The quietest years are 1994, 1995 and 1997.
- Years to check closely: 2003, 2005, 2004
- Fewest complaints: 1994, 1995, 1997
- Complaints on file
- 1341994 to 2005, all trims
- Worst year
- 200378 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 22 fires · 1 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 87kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 17Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 1 | Speed control and throttle (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | Fuel System, Diesel (1) | |
| 2 | 1 | 1 | Engine and cooling (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | Steering (1) | |
| 3 | 0 | 1 | Engine and cooling (3) | |
| 4 | 0 | 1 | Exterior lighting (2) | |
| 4 | 0 | 1 | Suspension (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | Brakes (hydraulic) (1) | |
| 2 | 0 | 1 | Engine and cooling (1) | |
| 78 | 1 | 4 | Wheels (63) | |
| 17 | 0 | 2 | Wheels (9) | |
| 20 | 0 | 2 | Exterior lighting (6) |
What fails on the 2003 Ford CVPI
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wheels | 81% |
63 | 1 | — |
| Exterior lightingHeadlights, tail lights and bulbs | 10% |
8 | 0 | Shop all exterior lighting parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Tires | 6% |
5 | 0 | — |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 4% |
3 | 0 | Shop all electrical system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 4% |
3 | 0 | Shop all fuel system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 1% |
1 | 0 | Shop all suspension parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 1% |
1 | 0 | Shop all steering parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
Headlights go off while driving. Lcm is bad, $500.00 for part. Very very dangerous situation. I was expecting to see a recall notice. This is the second lcm for me! *kb
-
I am having a problem with our 2005 crown vic headlights going out without warning while driving. Windshield wipers only works on high.
-
2004 crown victoria transmission slips. *ts the dealer replaced the reverse clutch. The second time the transmission failed, it would not shift into overdrive. *jb
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Ford CVPI years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2003, 2005, 2004 carry the most filings on the Ford CVPI. The 2003 alone has 78 complaints, led by wheels.
What is the most common Ford CVPI problem?
On the 2003 model year, the most-reported component is wheels with 63 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Ford CVPI problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Ford CVPI complaints that include mileage is about 87,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.