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Problems with 2003 Ford Crown Victoria EXTERIOR LIGHTING

On average, the 2003 Ford Crown Victoria starts to “feel” problems with the EXTERIOR LIGHTING and its various aspects after 118 112 miles.

Components Affected by EXTERIOR LIGHTING Issues

We have classified the 75 complaints from 2003 Ford Crown Victoria about EXTERIOR LIGHTING into the following categories.

HEADLIGHTS 11

Recently reported EXTERIOR LIGHTING problems on 2003 Ford Crown Victoria

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford crown victoria. the contact stated that while driving approximately 50 mph, the headlights suddenly stopped illuminated. the failure occurred intermittently. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for a diagnostic test. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 153,000.

Headlights shut off while driving at night, no way to illuminate the roadway. hour later they came back on. failure continues intermittently for a month now lights do not work at all. major safety issue. had mechanic review and told lcm needed replaced, this part failure also causes the digital climate control to not operate (meaning no defroster, no heat, no a/c), the dome lights, and vanity lights not to work. only way to drive at night is to hold the flash to pass on constantly which again is a hazard with both hands unable to be on the steering wheel. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford crown victoria. the contact stated that the low-beam headlight failed. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was confirmed that the control module for the low beam headlights failed and would need replacing. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and the current mileage was 70,700.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford crown victoria. the contact stated that the headlights would fail sporadically and without warning. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was not included in any recalls. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and the current mileage was 140,000.

I recently began having headlight and parklight/ taillight trouble when my headlights started to shut off while i was driving. i own a 2003 ford crown victoria i still had my dash lights and tail lights working. apparently it is some sort of design flaw in the lcm and it only applies to the low beams and constant on high beam function. the flash to pass function will still work though when it was malfunctioning. it seems to be on the lcm or lighting control module. or the bcm. *tr

The contact owns a 2003 ford crown victoria. the contact stated that while driving at unknown speeds, both of the headlights failed without warning. the failure would occur intermittently, the lights would occasionally illuminate but would fail again within a few minutes. the lighting control module was replaced once and at a later date it failed again.the manufacturer stated that there were no recalls on the vehicle and would not provide any assistance. search of the internet indicated that this problem has been reported numerous times in the model year that the contact drives in addition to other model years. the failure mileage was approx. 210,655. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford crown victoria. the contact was driving 65 mph when both headlights failed. the dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the light control module would need to be replaced. there were no recalls for the failure. the manufacturer was not contacted. the failure mileage was 80,000.

I own a 2003 ford crown victoria police interceptor, over the last several months the headlights will shut off randomly. from researching online it seems this is a very widespread/well known problem. why hasn't there been a recall on the defective part? *tr

2003 ford crown victoria lighting control module fails without warning and causes headlights to go out. cost to repair seems to be $500. for the module and $200-300 for installation. after researching the internet for a reason, it seems to be a very common problem for this module to fail. *tr

2003 crown victoria lsx, 41,541 miles, well maintained. headlights turned on during night driving will shut off on their own without notice while vehicle is traveling along the roadway. no warning. just darkness where there was light. a very dangerous situation that forces a pull off to the side of the roadway with or without a shoulder for emergency stopping. the headlights return to their on position without doing anything manually to the switches or ignition. time frame for this automated off and on operation varies. no set pattern observed for this occurrence. mechanic relates that the light control module, (lcm) will need replacement. for a component inside the passenger compartment that is not exposed to the elements, on a vehicle with under 42,000 miles, this is an unacceptable out of warranty cost to be born by myself and others for a safety issue that seems to be caused by a computer board relay that is defective. the replacement part is several hundred dollars. i could see the headlamps themselves burning out, or a fuse, but not a component that is needed to make them light up in the first place. as of this time, i understand that your department has not issued a recall for this defective item that is central for the safe operation of this vehicle during the hours after dusk and before dawn. seems that the problem was built into the vehicle by running the headlamp controller through a defective circuit board that is part of a overly expensive total part called the lcm. night driving requires illumination properly controlled by the driver and vehicle systems. not rocket science, just lights on and lights off when switched. control by the night illumination system to toggle the lights on and off when the switch is in an on position is a defect that must be addressed. until it is, the replacement part needed is also defective. the original factory part is still installed and may be inspected. air and oil filters have been replaced. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford crown victoria. the contact stated while driving at speeds of 45 mph, the headlights failed and reset themselves within seconds. the failure would occur intermittently. the dealer advised replacing the relay control module. the manufacturer advised that there were no recalls for the failure and any repairs would be at the expense of the contact. the vehicle was left with the dealer where he was awaiting repairs. the failure and current mileages were 105,000. updated 11/12/10 *cn the consumer stated the headlights would fail at times. the consumer stated he took the lighting control module apart and found the relays that controlled the headlights melted the solder on the circuit board creating an intermittent connection. the consumer stated he compared the relay with another relay and found his relay to be significantly smaller. updated 11/24/10

Lighting control module (lcm) failure exactly as described by others reporting the same problem. the lcm had to be replaced and the second one failed as well and is currently being replaced. this is an expensive part and causes a very dangerous situation as it happens intermittently until it completely fails. it should be noted that the a/c fan operation is also tied to the same relay that fails in the lcm. ford claims there's been no recall on this failure. my cv is the sport lx and had under 46000 miles when it happened the first time and less than 48000 the second time. our other cv of the same year is the digital model cv. *tr

The headlights in my 2003 ford crown victoria randomly turn off and back on without warning. they can stay off for hours at a time. sometimes they are off, sometimes they are on and using the headlight switch does nothing to correct issue. i took the vehicle to a ford dealership and was told it is the lighting control modular which is going to be $700 just for the part. also, i purchased an additional warranty on the vehicle which is valid for another 7 months and the warranty company is trying to deny the claim. i cannot find a recall from ford for this defect. the vehicle has approximately 70,000 miles. i have seen numerous postings for the same issue. the consumer should not have to pay for this defective part since clearly it is a widespread issue and is a safety hazard when driving at night. *tr

Lighting control module failed, causing loss of headlights. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford crown victoria. the contact was driving at night approximately between 55-60 mph. the headlights spontaneously turned on and off without assistance. the contact replaced the relay control module. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was 120,000. the current mileage was 120,100.

Headlights on my 2003 ford crown victoria turned off without warning while driving at night. main light switch does not have affect. all other lights work correctly. unable to turn headlights on. they came on after about 10 min. tapping lcm seems to make the lights to turn on. it appears to be safety hazard.*tr

I have a 2003 crown victoria. while driving the vehicle the headlights will turn off automatically. after several minutes the lights will then come back on. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford crown victoria. the contact was driving approximately 45 mph at night. the headlights were activated and suddenly, they became inoperative. there was extreme difficulty with visibility. the high/low beam selector was depressed. the contact replaced the headlights and headlamps less than a month before the repeated failure occurred. an authorized dealer has been notified of the malfunction. the failure mileage was 108,000. the current mileage was 110,000. the vin was unavailable.

Ford crown victoria 2003 light control module thermal-sensitive failure at night. headlights failed to switch back on after car was stopped briefly in cold conditions. unable to restore headlights in automatic or manual modes. had to drive 6 blocks on parking lights only. second failure required that car be driven at night with momentary-closure high beam switch manually engaged to provide some headlights. that evening headlights started working again after car parked in warm garage. all other running lights ok. car taken to ford dealer which replaced lcm module for $722.00. both extended repair warranty carrier and ford customer service refused to refund any portion of the repair. ford customer service stated that "if this was a problem, there would have been a recall notice, but there wasn't one". this is both a costly burden to the consumer and a safety issue. there is no way to override a sudden lcm failure to restore headlights, as the dashboard headlight switch operates through the lcm in all modes. i find that the nhtsa just closed a case involving 306 ford lcm failures between 2003 and 2005. this problem continues as both a cost burden and safety problem, strongly calling for a reopening of this case in behalf of the consumer. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford crown victoria. the contact stated that while driving at unknown speeds, both of the headlights failed without warning. the failure would occur intermittently. when driving over a pothole or bumpy road surface, the lights would occasionally illuminate but would fail again within a few minutes. the vehicle was taken to a local repair shop where the turn signal switch was replaced; however, the failure persisted. the lighting control module was replaced at a later date and the contact did not experience the failure after the switch was replaced. the manufacturer stated that there were no recalls on the vehicle and would not provide any assistance. the current mileage was approximately 185,000 and the failure mileage was 179,000.

My 2003 ford crown victoria's head lights do not work. every person i have spoken to with similar cars have had headlight failure. the problem is a lcm computer that controls the lights and is $500. *tr

Headlamps turned off while driving at night. they stayed off for about 60 seconds then came back on. this happened about 5 times in 20 mile trip. *tr

Heating and defrost failed. ford service co wanted a $1000 to look at it. i didn't have them look at it. now, i only drive it in the summer months. this vehicle has an original 70,000 miles on it and now the headlights only work intermittently. in 2010 i had to have the gas tank replaced. i have read several reports on 2003 crown vic with the same problems. i live in the south, lots of rain and humidity. defrost is a must as well as headlights. i do not understand why ford is giving the option to as to whether or not they will fix their defects or pass them on to the consumer. i have a 1995 nissan, 140000 miles. the body is falling apart, but the engine runs like a sewing machine and all the electrical works, even the windows. made in the usa... sad. *tr

Lighting control module failed....head lights went out in dark on hwy. unable to get lights on safety hazard. had to use flasher to approach pull off area. still unable to get lights on. family member came, followed to get car & passengers to safety. *tr

2003 ford crown victoria headlamps shut off while driving on interstate at 70 mph was told by ford motor company no recall exists for (lcm) unit {lighting control module} that is defective and headlamps can go off at anytime & will not work in manual or automatic operation positions, this could lead to a serious accident! *tr

I have had the headlights go out while driving on 3 occasions. if i pulled back on the flash to pass bright light lever, the lights would stay on as long as i held the lever back. turning the light switch to auto to the left or always on to the right did not turn the lights back on. stop the car shut it off and turn back on after a minute may start the lights burning again. headlights in these instances did not stay on very long after starting down the road but stayed on to complete the trip after shut off and restart. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford crown victoria. the contact stated that the headlights dim without warning. the failure has been occurring for approximately one month. the headlamp control module is the cause of the failure. the contact feels that the manufacturer should be responsible for replacing the module due to multiple complaints for this failure. the vin was unknown. the current and failure mileages were 160,000.

My name is matthew and i own a 2003 ford crown victoria lx sport. in early january i had a minor front end collision with a deer. my insurance provider replaced a headlamp, park lamp and a header (front panel that connects to the grille. in early february i was driving after dark and the headlamps shutoff, the park lamps stayed on but the two white headlamps shut off and wouldn't come back on. i played with the switch, high beams and finally turned the car off. upon restarting it the car the automatic lights came back on. in the past 6 months the problem has gone from a once a month occurrence to a permanent problem to the effect that the lights stay on for less then 2 minutes after the car is started. after that i must hold the wand back to turn on the headlamps the duration of my drive. the lights do not come back on at all. consequently it is hard to drive and control such a large car with only one hand and i feel that its unsafe to drive a car with the condition of the headlights. originally i thought this may be a headlight switch and am in the process of replacing it but my mechanic said not to bother because it was a light control module that was causing the problem....$480.00 for a safety part that under no circumstances should have problems. i highly doubt that hitting the deer ruined the module because the problem didn't start until a month after i had my accident and the impact was very light. unfortunately i'm not the only crown victoria owner that has had this problem and that makes me wonder why the ford motor company has not yet issued a recall. *tr

While driving down the road, with my 10 month old son in back, my headlights turned off randomly as i was going around a sharp corner, i slammed my brakes on in order to not go off road, but still ended up with two tires off road. i cannot drive at night, and after doing research found that there is a lighting control module issue, thinking that this is a safety hazard i figured that ford would have a recall on it, went on their site and they said i do not have any recalls listed for my car, and the repair will cost me 300+. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford crown victoria police interceptor. while driving at night the headlights stopped working without warning. the failure also occurred when it was foggy or raining. sometimes the lights would turn back on. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection. since he could not leave the vehicle over-night, the vehicle was not inspected. he had not spoken with the manufacturer to-date. the vehicle has not been repaired to-date. the current mileage was approximately 136,435. the failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

The headlight relay on the lighting control module (lcm) part number nec-eq1-11111s overheats and fails suddenly, shutting off headlights which could lead to a crash. this is an apparent problem on 2003 ford crown victoria passenger and police interceptor models. this happened to me. researching on internet, apparently it is a common failure that gearheads are advised to "modify" their 2003 as soon as they get it by replacing this relay on the lcm (if they know how to solder.) apparently, it is a 10a relay, with 8+amps going through it and it overheats and fries the relay. don't know if this overheating condition enough to cause further damage or fire. it is apparently an $600-$800 fix at the dealer if you aren't' a gearhead to replace the whole lcm (although if apparently replaced with the same relay - same problem will develop). the fact that the headlights both go out suddenly is dangerous. to drive i had to pull back on the bright lights handle on the steering column to see, and this resulted in a ticket from police, but it was this or nothing to get home. car now in driveway. replaced the switch in steering column first, but this didn't solve problem. found out i have to learn to figure out how to solder or shell out big $$$ to fix. *tr

While drive the crown victoria i hear a clicking sound, the headlights goes off. it does not comes back on i have to hold the switch on bright lights to see in the night when this happens. i have search on line and i notice it is a constant problem that have occurred with other crown victoria drivers. why do we have to pay for having this malfunction fix when it is a factory fault? *tr

First taka take airbag on jan.1st 2008 i'm hit a deer and i'm had to replace my whole front even the hood the ,airbag light came on in fact it is still on but the bag did not deploy. the lights inside my truck stays on for 30 minutes and the alarm will not set after the vehicle is shut off. my suspension system on the passenger side sounds as if the brake caliber is loose when moving you can hear it when turning i took off the wheel, and i can not find the problem

While driving car home at night the headlights quit. lights came back on after car was stopped for 10 minutes. car was driven again a couple of times and headlights failed again. lights come back on after 5-10 minutes. no longer drive car at night due to concern for safety. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford crown victoria. the cruise control would not work. on several occasions, after driving 14 miles, the key would become very hot which was noticed when it was removed from the ignition. the electrical windows would not go up or down properly as they should and activate either very slowly or very quickly. the front driver's seat would not go back and forth as it should and either moves very slowly or not at all. this is the second time that the contact has experienced electrical failure with the windows and the seat. she also stated that the head light switch works intermittently and must be held in order for it to activate. the current mileage was 38,000 and the failure mileage was unavailable.

All ford vehicles do not have day time driving lights.as a safety group you, know that vehicles with day time driving lights get in to less accidents. and how many pedestrian are injured or killed each year because they did't see the vechicle. it is the law in canada. what about us here in the usa?*ak

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