1986 Ford Crown Victoria: common problems

Owners of the 1986 Ford Crown Victoria filed 27 complaints with NHTSA, most often about electrical system and seat belts. Details by component below, with sources.

Key figures

Owner complaints: 27
involving a crash: 1

What fails most often

1 Electrical system 52% of all complaints
2 Seat belts 15% of all complaints
3 Engine and cooling 11% of all complaints
4 Steering 7% of all complaints
5 Vehicle speed control 7% of all complaints
6 Powertrain 4% of all complaints
7 Structure 4% of all complaints

Circle size and colour show each component’s share of NHTSA complaints. Schematic only, not a drawing of the exact model.

Electrical system: 14 complaints (52% of all).
Seat belts: 4 complaints (15% of all).
Engine and cooling: 3 complaints (11% of all).
Steering: 2 complaints (7% of all).
Vehicle speed control: 2 complaints (7% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.

Symptoms owners describe

How many of the 27 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).

smoke, burning smell, fire11 · 41%
stalls while driving4 · 15%
seat belts3 · 11%
hesitation when accelerating1 · 4%
knocking, grinding or other noise1 · 4%
infotainment or screen glitches1 · 4%
steering or power steering problems1 · 4%
windows, sunroof1 · 4%

Components owners complain about

Component	Owner complaints	involving a crash
Electrical system	14	0
Seat belts	4	0
Engine and cooling	3	0
Steering	2	0
Vehicle speed control	2	1
Powertrain	1	0
Structure	1	0

What owners report

Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.

Vehicle was parked, grandson got into vehicle to sit on passenger side, touched gear shift, vehicle suddenly accelerated across st into neighbor's yard.
Vehicle speed control · crash · 1996-05-15 · NHTSA complaint #984568
While driving and without any indication vehicle would stall. After vehicle sat for 1/2 hour it would restart. Dealer has been contacted. Please provide further information.
Engine and cooling · 2001-08-30 · NHTSA complaint #895488
Engine stalled while traveling 70 mph on a very busy highway. My husband barely got the car pulled over with out an accident. There was no power steering or brakes. The car is parked. My husband was an ase certified technician for 20 years. He said the tfi module is the failed part.
Electrical system · 2001-01-18 · NHTSA complaint #738968
Going at any speed, when I make a right turn, the engine stalls and you can hear a whining noise when the wheels turn. . Have been to 2 mechanics and everything checks out good on analyzer. Help please! Before I have accident.
Electrical system · 2000-12-13 · NHTSA complaint #737431
When I apply the brakes, let my windows up or down or adjust my seat (electric), there is interference with the radio and that tells me something is wrong in the electrical system. Also, the right rear window has refused to let up 3 times. After approximately 2-3 months, I am able to raise the window.
Electrical system · 2000-09-11 · NHTSA complaint #730132
Vehicle caught on fire in the steering column area. The manufacturer had an investigator out to inspect the vehicle.
Steering · 1997-10-31 · NHTSA complaint #818088
Driving about 60 mph when vehicle suddenly stopped; had to restart vehicle; driving & it stopped again; happened 2 more times afterwards; took to dealer & was informed that it was engine; replaced 2 valves and some other parts.
Engine and cooling · 1997-04-10 · NHTSA complaint #810895
While driving vehicle started smelling smoke and got out and the steering column caught on fire due to a faulty ignition switch.
Structure · 1996-09-30 · NHTSA complaint #801386

When owners complained

NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.

19953
199614
19974
20003
20013

Comparison

By complaint count this model year ranks 7,189 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 20% most complained about).

On average one model year of the Crown Victoria has 94 complaints (33 years in the data). This year has 27, below average.

What to check before buying

Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
Seat belts. Belt pretensioners after airbag deployment, SRS codes.
Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
Steering. Steering play, power assist, rack and tie rods after a wheel impact.

Other years of this model

Questions and answers

What are the most common problems with the 1986 Ford Crown Victoria?

Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: electrical system, seat belts, engine and cooling. Total complaints: 27. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: smoke, burning smell, fire (41%), stalls while driving (15%), seat belts (11%).

How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1986 Ford Crown Victoria?

NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.

Should I buy a 1986 Ford Crown Victoria from a US auction?

Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.

Other 1986 models

Read also

Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.