"How reliable is the 1998 Ford Crown Victoria?"

"Based on 138 NHTSA complaints, the 1998 Ford Crown Victoria has a median complaint mileage of 88772 miles. The most common issue is Gasoline."

"What are common problems with the 1998 Ford Crown Victoria?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 1998 Ford Crown Victoria is Gasoline, accounting for a significant portion of the 138 total complaints filed."

1998 Ford Crown Victoria: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 138 complaints

138

Total Complaints

88,772mi

Median Mileage

Gasoline

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

62,500 25th Percentile

88,772 Median Mileage

127,456 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Gasoline

Manifold/Header/Muffler/Tail Pipe

Rear

Electrical System

Headlights

Tires

Suspension

Engine

Engine And Engine Cooling

Lower Arm

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM ACTIVATES AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, WHEN REAR BRAKES ARE APPLIED LIGHTLY, CAR SLOWS DOWN."

"WHILE VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN THE GARAGE OVERNIGHT IT CAUGHT ON FIRE IN ENGINE COMPARTMENT. FIRE WAS PUT OUT BY THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. WHAT CAUSED THE FIRE HAS NOT BEEN DETERMINED. OWNER IS WORKING WITH DEALERSHIP ON REPAIRS OR REPLACEMENT.*AK"

"MOTOR STALLED AT BOTTOM OF THE HILL WHEN MANUALLY GOING FROM SECOND TO DRIVE. WHEN RESTARTING THE MOTOR IT THREW ME ACROSS THE HIGHWAY INTO THE OPPOSITE LANE OF TRAFFIC."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

Manifold/Header/Muffler/Tail Pipe 9 complaints

25th: 57,750 mi Median: 75,281 mi 75th: 105,000 mi

Electrical System 6 complaints

25th: 89,000 mi Median: 160,000 mi 75th: 180,000 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 24 TX: 15 FL: 10 CT: 9 NY: 6 MI: 6 LA: 5 GA: 5 IL: 5 NC: 4

Who Files Complaints?

44.2%

Original Owners

55.8%

Second+ Owners

Ford Crown Victoria — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1990	58	-	Vehicle Speed Control	7
1991	70	-	Vehicle Speed Control	9
1992	482	103,500	Vehicle Speed Control	22
1993	247	114,800	Vehicle Speed Control	18
1994	252	112,000	Vehicle Speed Control	27
1995	318	95,500	Linkages	22
1996	358	108,000	Carburetor System	17
1997	340	86,000	Manifold/Header/Muffler/Tail Pipe	10
1999	174	80,584	Hub	9
2000	103	86,158	Tank Assembly	7
2001	70	80,000	Frontal	11
2002	71	50,000	Electrical System	11
2003	302	95,171	Exterior Lighting	19
2004	175	91,000	Exterior Lighting	4
2005	240	80,000	Exterior Lighting	17
2006	65	107,000	Steering	15
2007	74	101,225	Steering	9
2008	64	97,000	Steering	13
2009	59	91,609	Steering	8
2011	32	37,002	Steering	3

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28