Acceleration complaints by model year
| Year | Complaints | Share of year's complaints | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 11 | 22% | 119,000 miles |
| 2007 | 8 | 16% | 81,000 miles |
| 2006 | 9 | 17% | 105,000 miles |
| 2005 | 11 | 6% | 33,000 miles |
| 2004 | 4 | 3% | 75,000 miles |
| 2003 | 11 | 4% | 14,000 miles |
| 2002 | 6 | 10% | 25,000 miles |
| 2001 | 5 | 9% | 80,000 miles |
| 2000 | 6 | 7% | 1,000 miles |
| 1999 | 5 | 4% | 150,000 miles |
| 1998 | 2 | 2% | — |
| 1997 | 23 | 8% | 98,000 miles |
| 1996 | 19 | 7% | 161,000 miles |
| 1995 | 16 | 6% | 118,000 miles |
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 Ford Crown Victoria. While driving 30 MPH and approached a stop sign, the accelerator pedal was depressed and became stuck to the floorboard. As a result, the vehicle accelerated uncontrollably and crashed into an electric pole. The front air bags deployed. The contact sustained unknown injuries that required medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an impound lot, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 164,446.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 Ford Crown Victoria. While depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle accelerated independently and crashed into a tree. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was not filed and there were no injuries. The vehicle was towed to an auto service. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 103,000.
My 2007 Crown Victoria has had a worsening unintended acceleration issue over the past year. When hitting hard bumps the car will suddenly begin revving my itself (normal RPM is 600 idling in drive and 800 idling in neutral) when this issue occurs it will sit around 1k rpm in drive (pushing against the brakes so I must hold them down very hard) and will shoot up to 2k rpm in neutral. when the issue is occurring it drives the car forward with no user input. this issue has been becoming more and more frequent with it happening up to 5 times in a 15 minute drive. It is very unsafe and has caused me to hit a parking pole before as I could not slow the car down fully.
I drive a Ford "program car" - a used 2007 Crown Victoria (a former rental vehicle). On the day of my accident - after pulling onto a busy street from a parking lot - I almost immediately applied my brakes because I was coming up to a red light where several cars had already come to a stop ahead of me. At first my car slowed normally but, as I applied the brakes to come to a complete stop, the engine began to rev' up. I tried tapping the brake to see if this would help to disengage the throttle's revving. It didn't help. I kept trying this. I had little time to come to a stop before hitting the car in front of me so I really "stood" on the brakes. Unfortunately, I hit the back bumper of the car in front of me. Luckily, there was no visible damage to either car and no one was hurt. …
The contact owns a 2006 Ford Crown Victoria. The contact stated that while reversing, the vehicle was sluggish. The contact applied more pressure to the accelerator pedal; however, the vehicle unintendedly shifted into drive (D), accelerated, and struck the rear of a parked, unoccupied vehicle while blocking oncoming traffic. The contact stated that upon shifting into reverse (R) a second time and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle reversed, but the failure recurred, and the vehicle struck the rear of the unoccupied vehicle, pushing it into another parked and unoccupied vehicle. No warning light was illuminated. No injuries were reported. No Police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was then driven to AAMCO Transmissions, where the failure was confirmed, but the cause of the failure was not determined upon inspection. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Ford Crown Victoria. The contact stated that the vehicle revved up to 5,000 rpms when the accelerator pedal was depressed. The failure occurred randomly. In addition, the rear wheels spun while the vehicle was idling at a traffic light. The vehicle was held by the dealer for three months and the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The manufacturer instructed the dealer to replace the sensor in the throttle body control, but the repair did not remedy the failure. The contact stated that the only thing that stopped the failure was by placing the vehicle in neutral and continuously attempting to turn the ignition off. The failure mileage was 82,000.
I bought Ford Victoria Crown model 2005 from an individual on dec. 2009. It was police car. After I bought the car within a months time I hit another vehicle. I lost control and the brake didn't work. It didn't stop by hitting once, it was amazing hitting back again and again. My car or even the other car didn't have any body damage and after 1 hour I started driving and on my way home the same thing happened. I got out of the road but no accident. I took the car to the garage and I paid $800.00 for the maintenance. I used the car for a taxi cab. Again I have another problem with this car. I had to take a customer to the airport and before I got there, smoke was coming out and I stopped the car in the airport garage. This time it became completely out of service and I had the vehicle towed to the garage. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Ford Crown Victoria. While driving 65 MPH with the cruise control activated, the vehicle accelerated independently without warning. The contact mentioned that the brakes failed to engage. In order to stop the vehicle, the ignition key had to be turned to the off position. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but was not inspected or diagnosed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 88,000.
Related recalls (2)
Vehicle speed control › Cruise control
Ford is recalling 225,000 my 1992-2003 econoline, my 1993-1995 taurus sho, my 1992-1998 crown victoria, my 1993 bronco, f-series, my 1995-1997 f-series super duty stripped chassis, my 1992-1998 Mercury grand marquis, and my 1992-1995 Lincoln town car vehicles.
Remedy: Dealers will install a new wiring harness, or replace the mating electrical component. The recall began on February 18, 2008. Owners May contact Ford at 1-800-392-3673.
Vehicle speed control
On certain pickup trucks, passenger vehicles, sport utility vehicles, and motor homes chassis, the speed control deactivation switch May, under certain conditions, leak internally and then overheat, smoke, or burn.
Remedy: Dealers will install a fused wiring harness. Owners of the passenger cars included in this campaign will be instructed to return their vehicles to their dealers to have the speed control deactivation switch disconnected…
NHTSA investigations
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…
Blow back during refueling
There is no summary currently available
Inertia fuel shut off switch
There is no summary currently available
Frequently asked questions
Which Ford Crown Victoria years have acceleration problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 1997 (23), 1996 (19), 1995 (16), 2003 (11) and 2005 (11) model years. Acceleration complaints make up 8% of all complaints for the 1997.
Is there a recall for Ford Crown Victoria acceleration problems?
Yes — 2 recalls, including 08V-051 (cruise control, Feb 4, 2008); 07V-336 (vehicle speed control, Aug 3, 2007). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Ford Crown Victoria acceleration problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 91,000 miles; 33% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the cruise control (22 mentions), followed by the accelerator pedal (9).
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.