1999 FORD CROWN VICTORIA Electrical System Problems

My 99 ford crown victoria lx has front end issues. I have had to replace the ball joints about 4 times every 2 to 3 months because the front end keeps dropping. I'm not sure if you guys know about this but I've spoken with our local Ford mechanic and a few friends who have crown Victoria's as well and said that it has been a big issue with them along with the electrical components for the turn signals

BURNING SMELL UNDER DASH)WHEN BRAKE PEDAL AND/OR DOOR WAS OPEN. EVENTUALLY, I COULDN'T START THE CAR AS THE 'BRAKE LIGHTS' WOULD NOT COME ON. I CALLED THE FORD DEALER IN A RAGE THAT THEY HAD IDIOT LIGHTS FOR EVERYTHING ELSE,. AND AS FAR AS I KNEW, HAND SIGNALS WERE STILL LEGAL, THEY TOLD ME TO TURN THE IGNITION 1 CLICK, PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL, THEN I WOULD BE ABLE TO START THE CAR. AFTER BRINGING THE CAR TO A CERTIFIED ELECTRICAL MECHANIC, HE STATED THAT FORD PUT THE SHORTEST, TIGHTEST WIRE CONNECTING THE BRAKE PEDAL AND AFTER CONSTANT APPLICATIONS THE WIRE SNAPPED. BUT THE BRAKE LIGHTS WENT OUT AGAIN, THIS TIME A DIFFERENT CONNECTION WAS BAD AND ARCHING, CAUSING THE WIRES TO BURN. HOWEVER, DURING THIS TIME, THE DOME, COURTESY, AND HEADLIGHTS WOULD COME ON/OFF PERIODICALLY AND AT ANY GIVEN TIME, AS IF IT WAS POSSESSED. I FINALLY PULLED THE INTERIOR LIGHTS OUT SO IT WOULD NOT DRAIN THE BATTERY. THE LATEST EXPERIENCE WAS THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS WOULD SHUT OFF IN THE OPEN POSITION AND THE BLINKER LIGHTS WOULD GO ON/OFF, SOMETIMES JUST ABOUT ON OR FULLY LIT. IT TURNED OUT TO BE THE BLINKER/ARM UNIT WAS BAD. SINCE THAT WAS JUST REPLACED, I AM HOPING THAT UNIT WAS THE PROBLEM AND THERE WILL BE NO MORE ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS.*AK

Mileage: 80,584

HEADLIGHTS, TAILLIGHTS AND ALL INTERIOR DASH LIGHTS FLASH OFF FOR PERIODS OF UP TO 30-45 SECONDS AT A TIME WHILE DRIVING. LIGHTING CONTROL MODULE HAS BEEN REPLACED TWICE AT SUBSTANTIAL COST. LIGHT SWITCH REPLACED TWICE. THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD AT ANY SPEED. FORD IS NON COOPERATIVE. I AM A POLICE OFFICER, THIS IS A PERSONALLY OWNED POLICE INTERCEPTOR VEHICLE. *NM

Mileage: 110,111

DT: THE CONTACT STATES WAS GOING TO A MEDICAL APPOINTMENT WHEN HE HANDED KEYS TO A VALET, ABOUT 15 MINUTES LATER, HE WAS NOTIFIED THAT CAR HAD WAS ON FIRE ON 8-10-05. HE WAS NOT HAVING ANY PROBLEMS WITH THE CAR PRIOR TO FIRE. HE DID NOT KNOW WHERE THE FIRE ORIGINATED BECAUSE THE PEOPLE WHO SAW THE FIRE SAID IT WAS HARD TO SEE WHERE IT WAS COMING FROM BECAUSE THE CAR WAS INSIDE A PARKING GARAGE. THE MOST DAMAGE OCCURRED IN THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. HE HA NOT YET NOTIFIED THE DEALER NOR THE MANUFACTURER. *AK *SC

Mileage: 105,000

(1) DRIVING ON INTERSTATE HIGHWAY CAR ENGINE SUDDENLY LOST POWER WHILE CHANGING LANE. WAS ALMOST HIT FROM BEHIND BUT LUCKILY THE OTHER CAR WAS ABLE TO STOP. (2) THE ENGINE IN MY CAR, '99 FORD CROWN VICTORIA, HAD BLOWN A SPARK PLUG.*AK (3) REPAIR INVOLVED CHANGING THE CYLINDER HEAD IN THE ENGINE OR REPLACE THE WHOLE ENGINE THAT I OPTED TO DO. AT FIRST I THOUGHT THIS IS JUST A SINGLE INCIDENT BUT I LATER LEARNED THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME MAINLY ON FORD PICK-UP TRUCKS BUT ALSO ON OTHER VEHICLES WITH THE SAME ENGINE / CYLINDER HEAD DESIGN. A FORD DEALER WHO DID THE WORK FOR REPLACING THE ENGINE SAID THEY HAVE NOT HEARD ABOUT THIS BEFORE. I HAVE LATER ALSO LEARNED THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE EXPERIENCE THE SAME WITH FORD, I.E. THEY CLAIM NOT KNOWING ABOUT THE ISSUE BUT THEY MUST AS SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE COMPLAINED ABOUT THIS. IN MY LIFETIME I HAVE ALWAYS BELIEVED THAT CAR ENGINES WEAR OUT OVER TIME. IT IS NOT A NORMAL MODE OF FAILURE THAT CAR ENGINE BLOWS SPARK PLUGS AND CAUSES THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS OF UNEXPECTED COST TO CONSUMERS LIKE ME. NEARLY $5000 'CHRISTMAS PRESENT' WAS NOT IN MY PLANS. WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO GET FORD TO STAND BEHIND THEIR PRODUCT IN THIS CASE? AS IT MIGHT NOT SOUND A SAFETY ISSUE AT FIRST JUST THINK WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN IF A SPARK PLUG BLOWS DURING A PASSING OF ANOTHER VEHICLE ON A 2-LANE HIGHWAY WHEN ANOTHER VEHICLE IS APPROACHING IN NOT SO FAR DISTANCE? IT BECOMES A SAFETY ISSUE IN A HURRY! ABOUT THIS ISSUE CAN BE READ IN THE INTERNED. JUS SEARCH BLOWN SPARK PLUG AND IT'S ALL IN FRONT OF YOU. THANK YOU, ARI ROUSU

Mileage: 139,771

I HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE "BATTERY" LIGHT. IT WOULD COME ON AND STAY ON. THE CAR WAS RETRUNED TO THE DEALER SEVERAL TIMES. THE LAST TIME THE DEALER TOLD ME THAT THEY KNEW WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS AND WOULD ORDER A PART AND THAT THE CAR WAS "SAFE" TO DRIVE IN THE MEANTIME. NOT SO. THE CAR HAD LOSS OF ELECTRICAL POWER AND ENGINE SHUTDOWN. ENGINE SHUTDOWN, LOSS OF POWER STEERING, LOSS OF HYDRAULIC BRAKE AND LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL. THE CAR WAS TOWN INTO THE DEALER THAT NIGHT. THEY DENY KNOWING THERE WOULD BE ANY "PROBLEM." SEE YOUR NHTSA RECALL NO. 94V056/FORD RECALL NO. 94S83. DIFFERENT YEAR AND REGION. SIMILAR "PROBLEM."

I HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE "BATTERY" LIGHT. IT WOULD COME ON AND STAY ON. THE CAR WAS RETRUNED TO THE DEALER SEVERAL TIMES. THE LAST TIME THE DEALER TOLD ME THAT THEY KNEW WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS AND WOULD ORDER A PART AND THAT THE CAR WAS "SAFE" TO DRIVE IN THE MEANTIME. NOT SO. THE CAR HAD LOSS OF ELECTRICAL POWER AND ENGINE SHUTDOWN. ENGINE SHUTDOWN, LOSS OF POWER STEERING, LOSS OF HYDRAULIC BRAKE AND LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL. THE CAR WAS TOWN INTO THE DEALER THAT NIGHT. THEY DENY KNOWING THERE WOULD BE ANY "PROBLEM." SEE YOUR NHTSA RECALL NO. 94V056/FORD RECALL NO. 94S83. DIFFERENT YEAR AND REGION. SIMILAR "PROBLEM."

BATTERY LIGHT COMES ON INTERMITTENTLY AND STAYS ON FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME, WHICH LEADS TO A SHUTDOWN WHILE DRIVING, VEHICLE BEEN TO THE DEALER ON TWO OCCASIONS, AND PROBLEM STILL REOCCURRING.*AK

BATTERY LIGHT COMES ON INTERMITTENTLY AND STAYS ON FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME, WHICH LEADS TO A SHUTDOWN WHILE DRIVING, VEHICLE BEEN TO THE DEALER ON TWO OCCASIONS, AND PROBLEM STILL REOCCURRING.*AK

HORN FAILED TO SOUND AFTER PRESSURE WAS APPLIED TO THE STEERING WHEEL. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED.*AK DEALER STATES THERE IS NOTHING WRONG. *JB

WHILE DRIVING, THE ENGINE SUDDENLY AND WITHOUT WARNING SHUT OFF. THIS MEANT I HAD NO POWER, NO POWER STEERING, AND NO CONTROL.THE ENGINE STARTED AGAIN WHEN I USED THE STARTER. CAR ACTED NORMALLY UNTIL THE NEXT DAY THE SAME THING OCCURRED.THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS SAFETY PROBLEM. IF IT HAPPENED IN HEAVY TRAFFIC OR THE INTERSTATE A VERY SERIOUS ACCIDENT COULD OCCUR. THE DEALER HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM AND SO REFUSES TO TAKE ANY ACTION. FORD WILL NOT AUTHORIZE ANY CORRECTIVE ACTION EITHER. I FEEL THE CARE IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE UNTIL SOME COREECTIVE ACTION IS TAKEN. *AK

DUE TO A DEFECTIVE ALTERNATOR VEHICLE SURGES FOWARDS OR BACKWARDS. WHEN OCCUPANT WAS IN REVERSE POSITION VEHICLE SUDDENLY SURGED BACKWARD, HITTING ANOTHER PERSON AND CAUSING SERIOUS INJURIES. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK