2003 Ford Cvpi problems & reliability
78 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2003 Ford Cvpi, alongside 3 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
1 complaint report injuries (1 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Wheels | 63 | 81% |
| Exterior Lighting | 8 | 10% |
| Tires | 5 | 6% |
| Electrical System | 3 | 4% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 3 | 4% |
| Steering | 1 | 1% |
| Suspension | 1 | 1% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 85,333 miles (middle 50% between 68,182 and 105,002 miles), based on 71 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“I just read about the steering column recall on the crown vic, cvpi, and grand marquis 2005-2011 and I am not sure why the 2003-2004 models are not included. They have the same issues described in this recall. I had my 2003 cvpi in the shop less than a month ago due to some steering issues I'm having (a lot of noise…”
Wheels · filed Sep 3, 2013
“I have steel wheels on my 2003 crown vic I received a recall notice from ford motor company stating that my wheels were part of a safety recall, the wheels are prone to welds breaking and rusting making them loose air and impossible to balance why steering wheel shakes I have had different tires and multiple shops…”
Wheels · filed Feb 10, 2012
“Headlights go off while driving. Lcm is bad, $500.00 for part. Very very dangerous situation. I was expecting to see a recall notice. This is the second lcm for me! *kb”
Exterior Lighting · filed Jul 21, 2011
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- FRACTURE OF THE STEEL WHEEL RIM
Engineering Analysis EA04034 · opened Dec 21, 2004 · closed Mar 8, 2007 · led to recall 07V079000
- FRACTURE OF THE STEEL WHEEL RIM
Recall Query RQ04007 · opened Aug 2, 2004 · closed Dec 20, 2004
Safety recalls
The 2003 Ford Cvpi has 3 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2003 Ford Cvpi?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 85,333 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.