1996 FORD CVPI Recalls, Complaints & Safety

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY

Defect Description

IN ORDER TO ENHANCE POLICE OFFICE SAFETY, MODEL YEAR 1992-2003 CROWN VICTORIA POLICE INTERCEPTOR (CVPI) VEHICLES WILL BE EQUIPPED WITH SHIELDS DESIGNED TO HELP PROTECT THE FUEL TANK IN HIGH-SPEED REAR-IMPACT CRASHES. FORD ALSO WILL BE OFFERING AN OPTIONAL TRUNK PACKAGE DESIGNED TO IMPROVE THE SAFE ... Read more

Consequence

SOME HIGH-SPEED REAR-IMPACT CRASHES HAVE RESULTED IN FUEL TANK PUNCTURES AND FIRES IN CVPI VEHICLES.

Remedy

FORD HAS ADVISED US THAT SHIELD KITS HAVE BEEN AVAILABLE SINCE LATE OCTOBER AND WILL BE INSTALLED ON POLICE INTERCEPTOR VEHICLES AT NO COST. THE OPTIONAL TRANK PACKAGE WILL BE AVAILABLE BY THE END OF 2002. FORD HAS ESTABLISHED A NEW WEB SITE AT WWW.CVPI.COM TO ANSWER ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS ABOUT THE... Read more

350,000 vehicles affected

Manufacturer: FORD MOTOR COMPANY

Complaint Statistics

2 total complaints 1 crashes

Top Reported Components

Component	Complaints
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE	1
STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS	1

Incident date: Jun 12, 2009

I JUST PURCHASED A 1996 FORD CROWN VICTORIA PI. WHILE CHECKING UNDER THE CAR, I DISCOVERED THE FRAME WAS RUSTING AWAY IN THE AREA OF THE IDLER ARM & WHERE THE RIGHT SWAY BAR BUSHING IS ATTACHED (THE PIECE THAT HOLDS THAT IN PLACE IS GONE AS THERE'S NOTHING TO ATTACH IT TO). I TOOK THE CAR TO A B... Read more

Incident date: Jul 10, 2003

MY CAR OVERHEATED AND SHUT OFF, WHEN I GOT IT TO A REPAIR STATION, I WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS THE INTAKE MANIFOLD, WHICH I HAVE IN MY POSSESSION. ANYWAY, I HAD TO HAVE MY CAR TOWED, TO THE NEAREST PLACE TO HAVE IT REPAIRED TO THE COST OF $125.00. THIS HAPPENED ON A SUNDAY, IT TOOK A WEEK TO HAVE THE I... Read more

Crash

NHTSA Safety Investigations, FORD CVPI

Investigations opened by NHTSA into potential safety defects. These are separate from recalls and may or may not result in a recall.

EA, Closed , Model Year: 2003

FRACTURE OF THE STEEL WHEEL RIM

FRACTURE (CRACKING) OF THE SUBJECT VEHICLE (SV) WHEEL, WHICH WAS PREVIOUSLY INVESTIGATED UNDER PRELIMINARY EVALUATION PE03-009 (SAFETY RECALL 03V-279), OCCURS IN THE MODEL YEAR (MY) 2003 TO 2005 POLICE INTERCEPTOR VEHICLES ONLY; CIVILIAN SPECIFICATION AND OTHER MY VEHICLES ARE UNAFFECTED BY THIS CON... DITION.FOR THE AFFECTED SUBJECT WHEELS, A FATIGUE CRACK OCCURS IN THE HEAT AFFECTED ZONE OF THE RIM MATERIAL ADJACENT TO THE CIRCUMFERENTIAL WELD THAT ATTACHES THE RIM TO THE OUTBOARD WHEEL DISC.THE CRACK INITIATES UNDER THE OUTBOARD TIRE BEAD NEAR THE HEEL (WHERE AIR LEAKAGE CANNOT BE ASSURED) AND SUBSEQUENTLY GROWS CIRCUMFERENTIALLY THROUGH CYCLIC BENDING AS THE WHEELS ROLLS.ALTHOUGH THE VAST MAJORITY OF RIM CRACKS EITHER PRESENTED NO SYMPTOMS OR WERE DETECTED SAFELY VIA RECURRING SLOW AIR LEAKAGE, ODI IDENTIFIED 6 INCIDENTS WHERE RAPID AIR LEAKAGE LEADING TO A FULL OR PARTIAL DEFLATION OF THE TIRE WAS ALLEGED.FOR THESE WHEELS, EVIDENCE INDICATED THAT MULTIPLE CRACKS HAD FORMED IN DIFFERENT AREAS OF THE RIM AND SUBSEQUENTLY GROWN TOGETHER.TWO OF THE INCIDENTS RESULTED IN A CRASH, ONE DURING A HIGH SPEED PURSUIT.ALTHOUGH THE MINORITY OF CASES, FORD?S ASSESSMENTS OF FIELD RETURN WHEELS SHOWED THAT MULTIPLE CRACKS EXIST IN APPROXIMATELY 17 PERCENT OF THE CRACKED WHEELS REPLACED UNDER A FORD EXTENDED WARRANTY PROGRAM.IN A WHEEL WITH MULTIPLE CRACKS, AS THE AREA BETWEEN THE CRACKS IS REDUCED BY GROWTH A HIGH STRESS CONDITION (SUCH AS WOULD OCCUR IN AN AGGRESSIVE VEHICLE MANEUVER DURING A HIGH-SPEED PURSUIT) MAY CAUSE THE CRACKS TO JOIN TOGETHER RAPIDLY.IF THE CRACKS ARE OF SUFFICIENT SIZE, THE STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY OF THE RIM MAY BE COMPROMISED RESULTING IN RAPID AIR LOSS AND RIM DEFORMATION.FOR POLICE VEHICLES USED AT HIGH SPEED, RAPID DEFLATION AND LOSS OF RIM STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY AFFECTS VEHICLE CONTROL AND MAY INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH.FATIGUE IS THE FUNDAMENTAL FRACTURE MECHANISM; THEREFORE, WHEEL FRACTURE CAN BE EXPECTED TO OCCUR (AND AT AN INCREASED INCIDENCE LEVEL) AS LONG AS THE AFFECTED WHEELS REMAIN IN SERVICE.IN DECEMBER 2004 (WITHIN MY 2005 SV PRODUCTION) FORD INTRODUCED A SHOT PEEN PROCESS INTO THE MANUFACTURE OF SV WHEELS.SHOT PEEN WHEELS, WHICH ARE IDENTIFIED BY UNIQUE PART NUMBER STAMPINGS, HAVE NOT EXHIBITED FRACTURE IN POLICE SERVICE TO DATE.UNDER 07V-079, FORD WILL INSPECT SVS REGISTERED FOR POLICE USE AND REPLACE EARLIER DESIGN LEVEL WHEELS WITH SHOT PEEN WHEELS.POLICE AGENCIES SHOULD BE ADVISED THAT MY 2005 VEHICLES BUILT AFTER DECEMBER 2004 ARE NOT WITHIN THE SCOPE OF THIS RECALL (SINCE THEY WERE ORIGINALLY MANUFACTURED WITH SHOT PEEN WHEELS).AGENCIES SHOULD BE DILIGENT IN ENSURING THAT NON-SHOT PEEN WHEELS ARE REMOVED FROM OUT-OF-SCOPE VEHICLES OR OTHER WHEEL SUPPLY INVENTORIES.Read more

FORD CVPI - All Years Overview

Complete safety history for the FORD CVPI across all model years (1992, 2005).

19 Total Recalls

153 Total Complaints

1 Investigations

2 Reported Crashes

2 Reported Fires

0 Reported Deaths

FORD CVPI - Year by Year

Compare recalls and complaints across model years. Click any year to see full details.

Year	Recalls	Complaints
2005	2	22	View
2004	2	22	View
2003	4	85	View
2002	1	3	View
2001	1	1	View
2000	1	4	View
1999	1	6	View
1998	1	5	View
1997	1	1	View
1996 (current)	1	2
1995	1	1	View
1994	1	1	View
1993	1	0	View
1992	1	0	View

Other FORD Models

Model	Recalls	Complaints
MUSTANG	1,104	11,600	View
RANGER	928	10,371	View
F-350 SD	776	2,363	View
F-450 SD	692	624	View
F-150	692	46,142	View
F-250 SD	638	3,635	View
EXPLORER	624	42,549	View
F-550 SD	578	603	View

Vehicle Safety

Consumer Safety

Infrastructure

Public Health

1996 FORD CVPI