Head-to-head reliability

FORD Crown Victoria vs Honda Accord

How the FORD Crown Victoria and Honda Accord compare on NHTSA complaints, recalls and crash reports — and which is the lower-risk used buy.

FORD Crown Victoria952 complaints · 37 recalls Fewer issues per year
Honda Accord4,169 complaints · 38 recalls

Based on NHTSA owner-complaint & recall records

Which should you buy?

FORD Crown Victoria averages fewer NHTSA complaints per year. FORD Crown Victoria has 952 complaints and 37 recalls on record; Honda Accord has 4,169 complaints and 38 recalls. Source: NHTSA owner complaints.

The numbers

Side-by-side NHTSA record

Lower is better in every category. The highlighted cell is the stronger result.

CategoryFORD Crown VictoriaHonda Accord
Total complaintsAll model years combined952 Better4,169
Safety recallsFederal recall campaigns37 Better38
Crash reportsCrash-related complaints78 Better149
Complaints per yearAveraged across model years95.2 Better416.9
Reported injuriesTied to owner complaints46 Better132
Reported deathsTied to owner complaints43 Better

Source: NHTSA owner complaints & recall records.

What actually goes wrong

The problems owners report

The most-complained-about systems on each vehicle — what fails, and what owners say in their own words.

FORD Crown Victoria

  1. 01EXTERIOR LIGHTING285
  2. 02STEERING185
  3. 03ELECTRICAL SYSTEM108
  4. 04POWER TRAIN81
  5. 05SUSPENSION75
In owners' words — EXTERIOR LIGHTING

THE LEFT TURN SIGNAL WORKS SOMETIMES BUT BLINKS RAPIDLY MOST OF THE TIME. NO BULBS ARE BURNED OUT. SOMETIMES THE DASH LIGHTS GO OUT WHEN THE HEADLIGHTS ARE TURNED ON AND THEN THE DASH LIGHTS COME BACK ON WHEN THE HEADLIGHTS ARE TURNED OFF. SOMETIMES THE DASH…

THE HEADLIGHT SOCKETS ARE MELTING, CAUSING THE BULBS TO BLOW OUT. WE HAVE REPLACED APPROXIMATELY 6 SOCKETS, MOSTLY ON THE DRIVERS SIDE, AND MULTIPLE BULBS. MHQ SAYS THIS IS COMMON. SHOULD THERE BE A RECALL? SHOULD FORD BE FIXING THIS? *TR

Honda Accord

  1. 01ENGINE876
  2. 02FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE789
  3. 03ELECTRICAL SYSTEM788
  4. 04UNKNOWN OR OTHER661
  5. 05SERVICE BRAKES569
In owners' words — ENGINE

I purchased this vehicle at 0 miles in July 2025 from Honda Accord in Pensacola Florida. I reported in July 2025 that there was a noise and I was unhappy with the vehicle and would like to exchange the vehicle within the 30 days months later, the noise got lo…

Vehicle drove normally in the morning commute. In the afternoon commute it started normally and as i approached highway speeds the alarms started showing up. the Brake, hill descent system, abs, critical failure. the vehicle started losing speed and could not…

Official recalls

Safety recalls on record

Federal recall campaigns — the defect, the risk, and the fix. Confirm any open recall was completed before you buy.

FORD Crown Victoria — 37 recalls

Steering — Rack And Pinion — Pinion Shaft
#14V704000May 2014

The defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2005-2011 Ford Crown Victoria, 2005-2011 Mercury Grand Marquis vehicles manufactured March 23, 2004, to August 30, 2011, and 2005-2011 Lincoln Town Car vehicles manufactured March 8, 2004, to August 30, 2011, and on which the upper intermedi…

The risk: Improper servicing of the upper intermediate shaft could cause the shaft to separate, which can then result in a loss of steering control, and increasing the risk of a crash.

The fix: Ford will notify the owners of vehicles whose repair records reflect that the upper intermediate steering shaft was repaired during the course of the prior recall 13V-385. Dealers will inspect and replace the upper immediate shaft if neces…

Steering
#13V385000

The defect: Ford is recalling certain model year 2005-2011 Ford Crown Victoria (including Crown Victoria Police Interceptors), Mercury Grand Marquis, and Lincoln Town Car vehicles. The affected vehicles are currently registered or were originally sold in Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinoi…

The risk: If the lower bearing separates, the vehicle may experience a loss of steering, increasing the risk of a crash.

The fix: Ford will notify owners and dealers will replace the lower intermediate shaft, free of charge. The upper intermediate shaft and steering column lower bearing will be inspected to identify any damage that may have occurred as a result of lo…

Steering — Rack And Pinion — Pinion Shaft
#14V704000May 2014

The defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2005-2011 Ford Crown Victoria, 2005-2011 Mercury Grand Marquis vehicles manufactured March 23, 2004, to August 30, 2011, and 2005-2011 Lincoln Town Car vehicles manufactured March 8, 2004, to August 30, 2011, and on which the upper intermedi…

The risk: Improper servicing of the upper intermediate shaft could cause the shaft to separate, which can then result in a loss of steering control, and increasing the risk of a crash.

The fix: Ford will notify the owners of vehicles whose repair records reflect that the upper intermediate steering shaft was repaired during the course of the prior recall 13V-385. Dealers will inspect and replace the upper immediate shaft if neces…

Steering
#13V385000

The defect: Ford is recalling certain model year 2005-2011 Ford Crown Victoria (including Crown Victoria Police Interceptors), Mercury Grand Marquis, and Lincoln Town Car vehicles. The affected vehicles are currently registered or were originally sold in Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinoi…

The risk: If the lower bearing separates, the vehicle may experience a loss of steering, increasing the risk of a crash.

The fix: Ford will notify owners and dealers will replace the lower intermediate shaft, free of charge. The upper intermediate shaft and steering column lower bearing will be inspected to identify any damage that may have occurred as a result of lo…

Honda Accord — 38 recalls

Electrical System — Propulsion System — Hybrid Management — Power Control Unit/Module (Hpcu) — Software
#25V785000

The defect: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2023-2025 Honda Accord Hybrid vehicles. Due to a software error, the integrated control module (ICM) central processing unit (CPU) may reset while driving, causing a loss of drive power.

The risk: A loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash or injury.

The fix: Dealers will reprogram the ICM CPU software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 6, 2026. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is TN2. Vehicle Identificati…

Tires — Temporary/Emergency Spare Tire
#26V366000Apr 2026

The defect: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2023-2026 CR-V Hybrid, Accord Hybrid, and 2025-2026 CR-V Fuel Cell EV vehicles. When using the tire repair kit, pressure may build within the sealant bottle, causing the bottle cap to detach.

The risk: A detached bottle cap can become a projectile and strike the user or others nearby, increasing the risk of injury.

The fix: Dealers will replace the tire repair kit nozzle or sealant bottle, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk are expected to be mailed July 27, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is availa…

Seat Belts — Rear/Other — Retractor
#21V900000

The defect: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2021 Accord Sedan, Accord Hybrid, CR-V, Ridgeline, 2022 Insight and CR-V Hybrid vehicles. The automatic locking retractor on the second-row center seat belt assembly may deactivate improperly, which can result in an unsecured child restraint sys…

The risk: An unsecured child restraint system can increase the risk of injury during a crash.

The fix: Dealers will replace the second-row center seat belt assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 14, 2022. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138.

Air Bags — Sensor — Occupant Classification — Front Passenger
#24V064000Jan 2024

The defect: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Pilot, Accord, Civic sedan, HR-V, Odyssey, 2020 Civic coupe, Fit, 2021-2022 Civic hatchback, 2021 Civic Type R, Insight, 2020-2021 CR-V, CR-V Hybrid, Passport, Ridgeline, Accord Hybrid, 2020 Acura MDX, 2022 Acura MDX, 2020-2022 Acura R…

The risk: An air bag that deploys unintentionally during a crash can increase the risk of injury.

The fix: Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 28, 2024, October 18, 2024, and August 2025. This is a phased recall. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. H…

Check the actual car

Comparing models is smart. Checking the VIN is essential.

Brand averages tell you the trend. A VIN check tells you what's wrong with the specific FORD Crown Victoria or Honda Accord in front of you — accident history, open recalls and title records.

Go deeper

Full reliability reports

FORD Crown Victoria vs Honda Accord — comparison facts
Comparison
FORD Crown Victoria vs Honda Accord
FORD Crown Victoria total complaints
952
Honda Accord total complaints
4,169
FORD Crown Victoria total recalls
37
Honda Accord total recalls
38
FORD Crown Victoria avg complaints/year
95.2
Honda Accord avg complaints/year
416.9
More reliable overall
FORD Crown Victoria
FORD Crown Victoria top complaint area
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Honda Accord top complaint area
ENGINE