Total Complaints
24 filings
FORD CROWN VICTORIA · model year
1985 FORD CROWN VICTORIA
24 NHTSA complaints, 1 crash report for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1985FORDCROWN VICTORIA carries 24 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 1 crash, 9 fires, 2 injuries, and 1 fatality. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 1985 CROWN VICTORIA is electrical system:ignition:switch with 5 filings, followed by vehicle speed control (4) and engine and engine cooling:engine:gasoline (3). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.
NHTSA currently has 3 investigation files overlapping the 1985 CROWN VICTORIA. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
24
Complaints
1
Crashes
9
Fires
2
Injuries
1
Deaths
Crashes Reported
1 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
Complaints vs. fleet median (215)
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
Complaints by Component
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH | 5 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 4 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE | 3 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION | 3 |
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:PARK/NEUTRAL START INTERLOCK SWITCH | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:INTERIOR/UNDER DASH | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 |
| STEERING: STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR | 1 |
| SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD | 1 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 |
| SEAT BELTS:FRONT:WEBBING | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20070620SEAT BELTS:FRONT:WEBBING
WEBBING ON FRONT SEAT BELTS IS SHREDDING. COULD CAUSE INJURY OR DEATH IN AN ACCIDENT. *AK
20030430UNKNOWN OR OTHER
CONTACTED FORD HEADQUARTERS THEY TOLD ME IT IS BEING APPEALED AND NHTSA HAS TO BE CONTACTED IF THERE IS A RECALL I ALSO SAW IT ON THE NEWS IN THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER. *AK *NLM **DIMSII IVOQ ENTRY POSTED AFTER 12/12/02 CUT-OVER TO ARTEMIS*734301
Mileage: 77,825
20020722ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
CONTACTED FORD HEADQUARTERS THEY TOLD ME IT IS BEING APPEALED AND NHSTA HAS TO BE CONTACTED IF THERE IS A RECALL I ALSO SAW IT ON THE NEWS IN THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER. NO AFETY DEFECT LISTED. *AK
20001127VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
ON THE FAILURE DATE SPECIFIED, I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AT ABOUT 65 MILES PER HOUR WHILE USING THE CRUISE CONTROL. FOR SOME REASON I DO NOT PRESENTLY RECALL, I NEEDED TO DISENGAGE THE CRUISE CONTROL. I STEPPED ON THE BRAKE TWO OR THREE TIMES AND THE CAR CONTINUED AT HIGH SPEED. THEN I PUT THE CAR'S TRANSMISSION INTO NEUTRAL AND JIGGLED THE GAS PEDAL A FEW TIMES, THEN THE ENGINE SPEED RETURNED TO NORMAL. A SIMILAR MALFUNCTION OF THE THROTTLE OCCURED DURING THE PRECEDING WEEK A COUPLE OF TIMES, BUT NO MAJOR PROBLEM; SINCE AT THOSE TIMES I WAS DRIVING AT A SLOW SPEED AND THE TRAFFIC WAS LIGHT. BUT THEY TOO COULD HAVE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. MY CAR HAS BEEN SERVICED EVERY 3,000 MILES SINCE I PURCHASED IT.*AK
20001115ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH
CAR STALLS AT ANY GIVEN TIME OR SPEED. MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT PROBLEM WAS CAUSED BY TWO PIECES OF METAL THAT CONNECT IGNITION SWITCH, AND DO NOT STAY CONNECTED, THAT'S WHY VEHICLE STALLS.*AK IGNITION SWITCH HAVE BEEN REPLACED FIVE TIMES. IT APPEARS THE PROBLEM IS DUE TO MANUFACTURER DEFECT. *YH
20001114ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
IGNITION MODULE FAILED CAUSING THE ENGINE TO STALL. *SLC
20001114VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
CHOKE THERMOSTAT FAILS CAUSING THE THROTTLE TO STICK AND THE ENGINE TO RUN WIDE OPEN. *SLC
20001025ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
CONTACTED FORD HEADQUARTERS THEY TOLD ME IT IS BEING APPEALED AND NHSTA HAS TO BE CONTACTED IF THERE IS A RECALL I ALSO SAW IT ON THE NEWS IN THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER
20001018ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 35MPH ON HIGHWAY COMING INTO TOWN. AND VEHICLE SHUT OFF WITHOUT PRIOR NOTICE. NO BRAKES/NO POWER STEERING, VEHICLE HAD TO BE TOWED TO DELL'S SERVICE CENTER. SERVICE CENTER REPLACED THE IGNITION MODULE AND DISTRIBUTOR PICK UP, AND THEY ARE FORD PARTS.*AK
20000922ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
ENGINE QUIT AND WILL NOT START, HAVE REPLACED MANY PARTS AND HASN'T HELPED. *AK
19990630FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD
VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN THE CARPORT, AND CONSUMER NOTICED THAT VEHICLE WAS ON FIRE DUE TO ELECTRICAL WIRING HARNESS FAILURE. ALSO, CONSUMER'S HOUSE CAUGHT ON FIRE, AS WELL AS THE OTHER VEHICLES CAUGHT ON FIRE. DEALER WAS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. *AK
19990120VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
VEHICLE EXPERIENCED SUDDEN ACCELERATION RESULTING IN VEHICLE COLLISION.
19980826POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
TRANSMISSION OVER DRIVE FAILED.
19970828FireENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
VEHICLE FIRE. (OHIO STATE POLICE REPORT)
19961204SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY
THE PASSENGER'S SIDE SEAT BELT BUCKLE IS HARD TO OPEN. *AK
19960725FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH
CAR WAS SITTING IN A PARKING LOT AND THE VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE CAUSED BY THE INGNITION SWITCH. *AK
19960712FireSTEERING: STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR
SMOKE COMING FROM THE STEERING COLUMN TURNING INTO FLAMES. *AK
19960601FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM
ELECTRICAL FIRE. *SD
19960422FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH
PARKED IN GARGE VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE. DESTROYING A SEGMENT OF THE HOUSE. *AK
19960418FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH
NOTICED THE HORN BLOWING, THEN NOTICE INSIDE OF THE VEHICLE ON FIRE IN THE STEERING AND DASH AREA, FIRE DEPT SAID ELECTRICAL FIRE. *AK
Compare 1985FORDCROWN VICTORIA to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1985 FORD CROWN VICTORIA have?▼
The 1985 FORD CROWN VICTORIA has 24 NHTSA complaints, 1 crashes, 9 fires, 2 injuries, and 1 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1985 FORD CROWN VICTORIA?▼
The most-complained component for the 1985 FORD CROWN VICTORIA is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH with 5 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL and ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE.
Is the 1985 FORD CROWN VICTORIA safe to buy?▼
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?▼
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.
Vehicle Safety Guides
Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.