The contact owns a 2011 Ford Crown Victoria. The contact stated while driving 40 mph, the steering wheel started clicking and making an abnormal popping sound. The contact stated that the steering wheel was difficult to maneuver. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated he was able to continue to drive the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the intermediate steering shaft needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact that the VIN was not included in the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 14V704000 (Steering) or 13V385000 (Steering). The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 160,000.
Ford Crown Victoria steering noise problems
11 of the 2,855 owner complaints about the Ford Crown Victoria describe clunking or noise when steering, most of them for the 2008 model year.
- owner complaints
- 11
- worst model year
- 2008
- typical mileage
- 95,254
Is there a fix? There are 3 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
- 20111
- 20101
- 20083
- 20071
- 20011
- 19991
- 19961
- 19952
Often reported together
What owners say
My vehicle has the same issue that is reported under the recall list as far as steering it is popping and actually getting stuck when turning, the gas pedal vibrates while turning and the dealer said it was recalled but not my for my VIN after I took it to them.
I have a 2008 ford crown victoria (p71) police interceptor. I am having a knocking noise when I turn the steering wheel left to right. The noise is accompanied by a wandering steering wheel when the vehicle goes over bumps. Also the steering wheel sometimes becomes hard to turn then rapidly becomes loose like something is binding up, then finally breaking free throughout the turn. This happens when taking low speed wide turns. After inspecting the steering components I noticed my excessive play where tje intermittent steering shaft attatches to the rack n pinion. I think my upper shaft may have been replaced before since it is not nearly as corroded as the lower intermittent shaft. I can rotate the whole shaft about a quarter turn in either direction while the car parked and at the end of each turn the knock resonates near the lower intermediate steering shaft knuckle to where it connects into tje pinion gear of the rack n pinion. Now, I inspected all steering and suspension components and they are all in good shape....no play anywhere 8n the system besides the "recalled" steering shaft! I have two kids and if I get into an accident and they get hurt because a "recalled" part didnt get replaced by ford when it should have(for free) I will never forgive the company responsible. Honoring a free replacement for an obviously poorly engineered and defective factory part seems to be tje rigjt thing to do.....so where is my recall and why doesnt it show up when I search my cars VIN no??? This needs to be fixed before someone gets seriously injured or even dies. I dont make a lot of money and this needs to be fixed for free lile it was on all the other vehicles. It drives lile new besides the scary knock and wandering steering. It's just ridiculous not to recall this part!
Note: this is a police car. Officer was driving approximately 40mph when suddenly, without warning, the steering wheel had a lot of play in it, which became more apparent when the steering wheel did a complete 360 degree turn while the vehicle kept going straight. He was able to turn the wheel hard enough at the last second and landed onto a homeowners driveway. Unit was towed to the fleet department where the unit is based. Officer did not have any warning that this was about to happen, no popping, grinding or hard steering prior to the event. I am the lead fleet technician, ase master and advanced certified & 30 years experience. Findings upon inspection: I found the splined steering shafts in the column had separated and the light green plastic bushing at the lower section of the column was broken, the splined black hard plastic on the splined shaft was chewed up on the end (unknown if these occurred after shaft separation). After inspection, the column was reassembled and bench tested. No problem was noted. No visible cracks, abnormal wear or looseness noted. New ford steering column and clock-spring installed, alignment and unit was put back in service. The faulty column is on hand.
When making turns steering wheel would make clicking sounds. Had mechanic check and he found that the inner shaft of the steering column had slipped down. *tr updated 04/24/13
Driver felt resistance in steering and heard noise under dash. Drove car for some until it would not shift into park then brought in for service. Technician examining vehicle noticed small plastic parts on floor under steering column and found the lower bushing out of tube. Steering shaft was still connected.
While parking consumer heard a clunk noise and steering became very loose, and front wheels would not turn. Cause unknown.
The steering wheel makes noise, the dealer adjusted it. Nlm
Intertia fuel cut-off activated after rumble strips and a pothole while on interstate exit ramp. Dealer replaced front disk pads that were "mismatched" and occasionally caused loss of control during moderately hard braking. Steering wheel makes creaking noise that could/possibly be a sign that air bag circuit may not function reliably if needed.
While driving out of the yard and turning the steering wheel column, can hear a popping noise. Also, when driving on the highway and parking the hood latch popped open, and the dealer won't repair the vehicle, due to lack of any recall.
Related recalls
Steering: rack and pinion: pinion shaft
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2005-2011 Ford Crown Victoria, 2005-2011 Mercury Grand Marquis vehicles manufactured March 23, 2004, to August 30, 2011, and 2005-2011 Lincoln Town Car vehicles manufactured March 8, 2004, to August 30, 2011, and on which the upper intermediate shaft was serviced during the course of safety recall 13V‑385. The prior repairs may not have been correctly performed.
- Risk
- Improper servicing of the upper intermediate shaft could cause the shaft to separate, which can then result in a loss of steering control, and increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Ford will notify the owners of vehicles whose repair records reflect that the upper intermediate steering shaft was repaired during the course of the prior recall 13V‑385. Dealers will inspect and replace the upper immediate shaft if necessary free of charge. The recall began November 17, 2014. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 14S25.
Recall number 14V704000 · Recall details
Steering
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Risk
- If the lower bearing separates, the vehicle may experience a loss of steering, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Ford will notify owners and dealers will replace the lower intermediate shaft, free of charge. The upper intermediate shaft and steering column lower bearing will be inspected to identify any damage that may have occurred as a result of lower intermediate shaft corrosion, and repaired or replaced as necessary. If the steering column lower bearing has separated, a retainer clip will be installed. The recall began on October 23, 2013. Owners may contact Ford at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's recall number is 13S08.
Recall number 13V385000 · Recall details
Steering: linkages
- What is wrong
- The pitman arms were not fully lubricated at the assembly plant. The "ball joint" at the outer end of the pitman arm can become contaminated and corrode.
- Risk
- Such corrosion can result in abnormal wear of the joint, resulting in separation of the joint. Loss of steering control can occur increasing the risk of a vehicle accident.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the vehicles and if the joint is found to have significant wear, the arm will be replaced. Those pitman arms not replaced will have the "ball joint" fully greased.
Recall number 96V135000 · Recall details
Questions about the Ford Crown Victoria steering noise
Which Ford Crown Victoria years have clunking or noise when steering problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2008 (3 complaints), 1995 (2 complaints) and 1996 (1 complaints).
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