Most common 2001 Ford Crown Victoria problems
Share of the 53 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Ford Crown Victoria complaints by model year
Best Crown Victoria years: 2010, 2011, 2006. Years to avoid: 1996, 1997, 2003, 2005, 1999. Compare all years →
2001 Ford Crown Victoria recalls (4)
Fuel system, other › Storage › Tank assembly
On certain natural gas vehicles, if a flame from a vehicle interior fire becomes locally directed at the natural gas fuel tank located immediately behind the rear seat, the flame could damage the fiberglass wrap on the tank weakening the tank.
Remedy: Dealers will install an insulator behind the current seat back. Owner notification began on January 7, 2004. Owners should contact Ford at 1-800-392-3673.
Seat belts › Front › Buckle assembly
Vehicle description: passenger and sport utility vehicles, pickup trucks, and minivans. Equipped with seat belts supplied by trw. It is possible that the driver's and/or front passenger's outboard seat belt buckle May not fully latch. Ford crown victoria built at st.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the front outboard seat belt buckles and if the buckle fails the inspection process, it will be replaced. Owner notification began July 25, 2001.
Air bags › Frontal › Sensor/control module-inactive
Vehicle description: minivans and passenger vehicles. A restraint control module (rcm) or a side or front crash sensor May have been assembled with one or more of the screws that mount the circuit board in the housing missing. If some or all of the screws are missing, the performance of the occupant restrains could be affected.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the rcm and crash sensors and, if necessary, replace them.
Air bags
Certain passenger vehicles, limousines, and Mini vans were built with a newly designed restraint control module (rcm). In some cases, the rcm does not recognize certain system faults that could result in an air bag or seat belt pre-tensioner unexpectedly activating during the self-test sequence at vehicle start-up.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the rcm in these vehicles. Owner notification began September 14, 2000. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy…
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 7 possible defects involving the 2001 Ford Crown Victoria:
Post rear end collision fires
There is no summary currently available
Front seat belt buckle assembly
Under recall campaign (01V227), Ford recalled approximately 1.3 million vehicles to inspect and if necessary replace the front driver and/or passenger seat belt buckle.approximately 1.1 million owners responded by taking their vehicles to a dealer for inspection of the buckle using a specialized buckle test tool.Ford reported that 829,927 vehicles had both buckles pass the tool test and another 167,336 vehicles had…
Cng tank exploding in a fire
An explosion of a compressed natural gas (cng) tank should not be able to occur, as the tank is fitted with a pressure relief device (prd). This prd should release the cng in the tank, prior to the pressure reaching the tank burst pressure.the prd did not release in the subject wisconsin police cruiser explosion.NHTSA has recovered the prd valve from the tank that exploded and testing will be necessary to establish…
Front seat belt buckle assembly
During the initial recall campaign in 2001, the subject vehicles were inspected by Ford dealerships using a test tool that would detect a defective front seat outboard seat belt buckle assembly.approximately one million vehicles passed the inspection test for one or both front buckles.subsequent to the recall service action, odi received 15 consumer reports alleging that a passed inspection buckle subsequently…
Cng tank explosion
In September 2002, a fuel cylinder in a natural gas powered vehicle (ngv) exploded during a fire.Ford and vrtc test engineers jointly examined the incident vehicle and reviewed testing to determine whether the performance of the pressure relief valve (prd) was proper.the purpose of a prd is to protect a compressed natural gas tank from overpressure by allowing the cng to vent when the temperature reaches a specific…
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…
Fuel-fed fires
The fars data shows that the risk of fire from impact in all directions in the subject vehicles is the same as all other sedans.the subject vehicles are not over represented with respect to the risk of fire in real-world high-energy crashes.a further discussion of issues related to post crash fires in the subject vehicles is set out in the closing report for sq 01-014 and that report is in the docket for this…
What 2001 Ford Crown Victoria owners say
Engine & cooling
While driving my 2001 Ford Crown Victoria lx 4.6l v8 on May 23rd, I heard a loud boom from under the hood and a sudden loss of power. I took it to a mechanic and he said that the number 3 spark plug had blown out of the cylinder head. He charged me over 250.00 to fix it. He said that he sees this same thing on this particular motor about 8 times per year. When researching on the internet I found numerous other people across the united states that have run into the exact same thing, only to be told by Ford and repair technicians of Ford that there is not a problem. See website below where you will find hundreds of stories from consumers from all across the country: http://www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/ford_spark.html the shop that I took it to put in a heli-coil and drilled out the aluminum head. It did it 2 more times. The 3rd time he fixed it it took. …
Car was purchased 9/10/01. First problem occurred in April 2002. Car has an intermittent miss. Dealership could not find problem. In August 2002 car began shutting down while driving. This problem has continued and has happened at all different speeds. Car has been into dealership service center a total of 7 times and each time they could not replicate the problem. This is a safety problem since when the car shuts down the power steering and brakes are just about useless.
Air bags
Consumers vehicle was involved in a frontal crash while traveling approximately 45 to 50 MPH, upon impact frontal air bags failed to deploy, shoulder belt failed to restrain driver, driver experienced muscle pains in neck/shoulder, and back areas, insurance company concluded the air bag should have deployed.*akconsumer stated manufacturer and dealer are not willing to assist in finding out why the restraint system failed, consumer stated the passenger side airbag did deploy, however the driver side did not.
While traveling between 10 to 20 MPH vehicle was driven off the road, and front of vehicle struck a tree, causing damage to front end and frame. Passengers air bag deployed, but drivers air bag failed to deploy. No determination has been made as to the reason for this failure.
Steering
The steering shaft is creaking when you turn and alotta play in the steering sounds like it's about to snap it happens in the city and highway when I turn or bear left or right the pic the shaft thing on the left is a picture of the part happens when I'm in motion and even when I'm stationary and I turn the steering wheel has not caused a wreck yet but feels like it would if that part brakes.
The vehicle drift back-fourth while driving on highway. Excessive play in steering wheel,
2001 Ford Crown Victoria engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4.6L 8-cyl | 4-speed automatic | RWD | 16 / 23 / 18 |
EPA ratings. Class: Large car.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2001 Ford Crown Victoria a good car?
Based on 53 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2001 Crown Victoria rates average: 37% fewer complaints than a typical year of the Crown Victoria at the same age. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2001 Ford Crown Victoria?
The engine & cooling — 11 complaints, 21% of all complaints for this model year, most often about engine. Next are the air bags (9) and steering (7).
How many recalls does the 2001 Ford Crown Victoria have?
There are 4 recalls for the 2001 Ford Crown Victoria, the most recent from November 6, 2003 (tank assembly). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Ford Crown Victoria?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2010, 2011 and 2006. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 1996, 1997, 2003, 2005 and 1999. See the full Ford Crown Victoria years comparison.
At what mileage do 2001 Ford Crown Victoria problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 80,000 miles; 41% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
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.