Ford Crown Victoria Recalls

On certain police, fleet, natural gas, and limousine vehicles, 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. If this occurs while the vehicle is moving, reduced steering control could occur, increasing the risk of a crash.

Certain passenger vehicles have jacking instructions, which if followed, could cause the vehicle operator to place the jack on a frame weld when attempting to raise a rear wheel. If the vehicle is jacked up with the jack placed on the frame weld and if the vehicle is free to roll (wheels not blocked or chocked), the jack could yield and the vehicle may drop suddenly. If this occurs and any portion of the operator's body is under the vehicle, the potential for personal injury exists.

Certain passenger vehicles and minivans 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. This condition could result in personal injury.

On certain 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 restraint could be affected, providing less than the intended level of protection in the event of a crash.

On certain 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 outboard front passenger's seat belt buckle may not fully latch In the event of a crash, the restraint system may not provide adequate occupant protection, increasing the risk of personal injury to the seat occupant. The vehicles equipped with these belts include Ford Crown Victorias built at St. Thomas Assembly Plant from 4/17/00 - 5/29/01; Mercury Grand Marquis built at St. Thomas Assembly Plant from 4/17/00 - 5/29/01; Lincoln Town Cars built at Wixom Assembly Plant from 3/27/00 - 5/30/01; Lincoln Navigators built at Michigan Truck Plant from 4/11/00 - 5/31/01; Ford Windstars built at Oakville Assembly Plant from 3/23/00 - 5/30/01; Ford Rangers built at Twin Cities Plant from 3/28/00 - 5/30/01 and also at the Edison Plant from 3/13/00 - 5/25/01; Ford F-150 trucks built at the Norfolk Plant from 4/18/00 - 5/25/00, at the Onta...

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. If the strength of the tank is significantly compromised, it could rupture.

On certain passenger vehicles, a windshield wiper control module may not be capable of carrying the current required during high load conditions on the wipers (i.e., ice, snow or other debris), and could potentially result in inoperative wipers with no advance warning.

Ford is recalling certain model year 2005-2011 Ford Crown Victoria (including Crown Victoria Police Interceptors), Mercury Grand Marquis, and Lincoln Town Car vehicles. The affected vehicles are currently registered or were originally sold in Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. Severe corrosion can seize the lower intermediate shaft which may cause the upper intermediate shaft to collapse and the steering column lower bearing to separate.

CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 212, 'WINDSHIELD MOUNTING.' THE WINDSHIELD MAY NOT BE PROPERLY SECURED TO THE VEHICLE BODY.