Ford Motor Company has decided to conduct a voluntary recall of its very own Crown Victoria police package Interceptor model because of small cracks that could form in the car’s steel wheels during high speed chases. These cracks could cause “rapid air loss,” or what the street folk call a blow-out, effectively allowing the no-goodnicks to get away and obviously putting the officer behind the wheel in an incredible amount of danger.
About 109,664 examples of the 2003 to 2005 models will be recalled, though it’s suspected that a very small percentage of active duty cop cars actually are rolling on defective wheels. Only two crashes have been connected to the issue and no officers were injured.
The 2007 Ford Crown Victoria traces its roots to the 1980 model year when Ford adopted the name for a high-line trim level on the full-size LTD sedan. As a side note, Ford also used “Crown Victoria” for a more advanced version of the mid-1950s Fairlane coupe. Soon after that 1980 model, all of Ford’s full-size sedans became known as LTD Crown Victorias. The Crown Vic’s model run has continued uninterrupted since then, with only one major makeover taking place, in 1992, which is when the “LTD” moniker was dropped.
For 2003 the Crown Victoria, may look very similar to the 2002 vehicle, but there’s been plenty of changes under the skin to keep it technically up to date. Key among them is a new, stiffer chassis that includes front frame sections designed to better absorb crash energy. Handling precision is improved via the adoption of more precise rack-and-pinion steering, plus there’s been an extensive redesign of its front and rear suspensions.