Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1997 Ford Crown Victoria owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl contact owns a 1997 Ford Crown Victoria. While driving approximately 45 MPH, the engine warning light illuminated on the instrument control panel. The engine then began to overheat. The contact pulled over to further inspect the vehicle and noticed steam near the engine. The vehicle was towed to a dealer and they stated that because the intake manifold was made out of plastic, it failed. The contact would have to pay over $3,000 to have the engine replaced. The vehicle has not been repaired. The failure and current mileages were 91,000.
The car has a fiber glass intake and my car has about 75,000 miles..a fiberglass intake is a defected product for this part of a engine,because of the heat.I bought this car new and even paid for the extended warrenty..Ford motor co. Should replace this defect part,,for free..I had to park my car over 3 years ago..
Tl contact owns a 1997 Ford Crown Victoria. While driving 50 MPH, the contact noticed smoke coming from the vents. She pulled over and exited the vehicle before it caught fire. The vehicle did not have insurance and was taken to the junk yard. The current and failure mileages were 100,000.
We were traveling on I-15 in a remote area of utah. When our car's intake manifold ruptured but didn't know it at the time and lost all of the coolant -stranding us. The failure of the manifold LED us to be towed to beaver and then from beaver to st. George utah. We learned the Ford motor company knew there was a problem with this particular engine 4.6 liter and it happen quite frequently. They were replacing the defective manifold on an as needed basis. We left the car to be repaired at the st. George Ford dealership and had to rent another car. St george Ford told me that they would put on a new manifold which was not all plastic, but that they would not help me off set the cost of replacement. St. George Ford said because I had more then 75,000 miles on the car, that they wouldn't help with the expense of the $1093.00 repair plus $ 347.00 towing fee. …
The following is a well known and well documented design Crown Victoria 4.6 engine failure, which Ford has ignored and claimed it is "investigating" for the ordinary consumer, while providing extended warranties for police cars and taxis. Obviously, they don't want to lose this fleet market. There have even been news stories on this via nbc. The failure relates to a plastic intake manifold cracking prematurely, causing complete loss of coolant fluids, extreme consequent engine overheating, and resultant catastrophic engine failure. They sell the replacement and re-engineered part for nearly 600 dollars and charge almost 500 dollars additional to install it. This is a non-moving part which should not fail under normal use! There is even an entire aftermarket business making these parts as a replacement for less money...although I suspect most folks just pay Ford to do the repair. …
I was referred by mr. Michael j. Sacks at [email] his response: it sounds like you are getting the run around and I would recommend you contact NHTSA in washington dc if the company is not willing to follow through with recalls. Website is www.NHTSA.gov problem details: recently I received an estimate for work for $899.14 to fix a cracked manifold along with gaskets, and seals on my 1997 Ford Crown Victoria, that I purchased from a used car dealership in baltimore, md in 2003. This piece was originally recalled by Ford company, but never replaced by it's original owner, nor the dealership that I purchased the vehicle from. When this breakdown occurred I contacted the company where I purchased my extended warranty from in September of 2005. The claim was denied because they do not cover items that were recalled. …
The manifold in my 1997 Crown Victoria cracked. I understand that this is a defect particular to the 4.6 liter engine which my car has. My car is low mileage (about 47,000) is six years old and I am the second owner having had it for 4 years. I have had regular service by the dealer from whom the car was purchased. I understand that the manifold on this particular size engine has been found defective in other model cars and although a recall was issued my VIN no. Does not match a specific list and therefore, I have to cover the $1000 expense. I will not buy another Ford when I sell the one I now own and I will strongly encourage others not to buy any model car with this engine. I plan to file a small claims lawsuit against Ford when I have all the repairs completed. Fortunately, I had only driven a mile from home and my husband was with me when this occurred. …
Dt: the vehicle is a 1997 Ford Crown Victoria. On 6-12-05 the consumer was driving on route i40 when he smelled an odor coming from the vehicle. He called the highway patrol which arranged to have him towed to barstow. The vehicle broke down because the plastic intake manifold cracked. The vehicle lost all the coolant which caused the engine to overheat. When the mechanic from castners auto service 214 south bradford avenue, placentia, ca 92870 telephone # [phone] was removing the spark plugs he noticed that there was aluminum flaking on them. There was no compression. He replaced the engine and all the parts that went with it on 6-15-05 through 6-30-05. Mechanic told the consumer that it would cost more to repair the engine than to buy a new one. The replaced engine was Ford manufactured. Consumer has not contacted the manufacturer as of now. Vehicle was manufactured in October 1996.
(1) we were driving on the freeway and my car sounded like something exploded and it got so hot and lost all of the fluids in the car. (2). We had to get it off the freeway and have it towed into mccoy mills Ford. The intake manifold, was made of plastic and it cracked and the car was burning hot. It could have very easily caused and accident. Defect in the intake manifold. It was replaced , total expense - $1028.54. They would not replace it free, but I feel Ford should have to refund me for fixing it, since it was a defect and made from plastic. I didn't think to ask for old parts. The service man told me it was made of plastic and that they were using metal now. I also found out that a lot of the police cars, the Crown Victoria's, have done the very same thing. I would like to know if a lawsuit has been started against Ford, if so, I would like to join it.
Tl* - the contact states that there was a recall on his 1997 Crown Victoria. The contact said that 8:20 am on 12/19/06 while attempting to pass another vehicle when he notice a large trail of steam and smoke coming from the rear of his vehicle. The contact pulled to side of road and steam and smoke stopped, at which time he opened hood of vehicle and noticed coolant running on top of the engine. Contact called the Ford dealership of kansas. The Ford dealership informed contact that the intake radiator had cracked. The representative then asked questions regarding the problem and told him that there was a recall on the intake fuel manifold but, that the recall had expired in 2004. The representative also told the contact that the intake had to have a crack in it in order for them to have repairs done.
NHTSA investigations
Speed control deactivation switch fires
Based on the low rate of fire incidents (2.5 incidents per 100,000 vehicles sold) where failure of the scds is involved and the age of the vehicles ? 7 to 11 years ? A safety-related defect trend has not been identified and further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that no safety-related defect exists.the agency reserves…
Spark plug ejection from cylinder head
On September 6, 2005, odi received a petition requesting that the agency investigate allegations of engine spark plug ejection in certain model year 1997 through 2004 Ford vehicles with triton v-8 and v-10 engines.odi received a total of 474 non-duplicative complaints on the subject vehicles where the complainant, or the dealer repairing the vehicle, reported that a spark plug detached from the cylinder and/or…
Engine complaints in other Crown Victoria years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 1997 Ford Crown Victoria?
NHTSA has 85 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 1997 Ford Crown Victoria, 30% of the model year's 288 complaints. The component named most often is exhaust system › manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe (37 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1997 Ford Crown Victoria engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 1997 Ford Crown Victoria, though it has 8 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 1997 Ford Crown Victoria engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 84,000 miles, and 4% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 5 fires and 0 injuries to engine & cooling problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.