Head-to-head reliability
FORD Crown Victoria vs Toyota Camry
How the FORD Crown Victoria and Toyota Camry compare on NHTSA complaints, recalls and crash reports — and which is the lower-risk used buy.
Based on NHTSA owner-complaint & recall records
FORD Crown Victoria averages fewer NHTSA complaints per year. FORD Crown Victoria has 952 complaints and 37 recalls on record; Toyota Camry has 2,021 complaints and 28 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.
| Category | FORD Crown Victoria | Toyota Camry |
|---|---|---|
| Total complaintsAll model years combined | 952 Better | 2,021 |
| Safety recallsFederal recall campaigns | 37 | 28 Better |
| Crash reportsCrash-related complaints | 78 Better | 175 |
| Complaints per yearAveraged across model years | 95.2 Better | 202.1 |
| Reported injuriesTied to owner complaints | 46 Better | 160 |
| Reported deathsTied to owner complaints | 4 | 1 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
- 01EXTERIOR LIGHTING285
- 02STEERING185
- 03ELECTRICAL SYSTEM108
- 04POWER TRAIN81
- 05SUSPENSION75
“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”
Toyota Camry
- 01POWER TRAIN369
- 02UNKNOWN OR OTHER317
- 03ENGINE307
- 04SERVICE BRAKES284
- 05ELECTRICAL SYSTEM224
“I turned into a restaurant’s parking lot, found a spot and slowly drove into the lot, I eased off the gas pedal and gently applying the brake as the lot has a slight downward slope. When I reach the chunk (the parking block), I added more force to the brake,…”
“Grinding noise coming from front end upon acceleration. Brought to dealership who confirmed noises coming from transmission. Transmission needs to be replaced per dealer recommendation. Recalls on 2021 Toyota Camry for same issue. Transmissions on backorder a…”
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
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…
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…
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…
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…
Toyota Camry — 28 recalls
The defect: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Avalon, Avalon Hybrid, Corolla, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, RAV4, RAV4 Hybrid, Lexus ES350, Lexus RX350, Lexus RX450H, 2021 Sienna Hybrid, Lexus ES250, 2020-2022 Camry, Camry Hybrid, and ES300H vehicles. A short cir…
The risk: An air bag that does not deploy during a crash increases the risk of injury.
The fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the sensor as necessary, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed in February 2024. Some final remedy owner letters were mailed October 31, 2024. Letters will continue…
The defect: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2023 Camry and Camry Hybrid vehicles. The lug nuts that attach the wheels to the vehicle may be loose, which can result in wheel detachment.
The risk: A wheel that detaches from a moving vehicle can cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Dealers will inspect and tighten the lug nuts, and replace any damaged components, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed on…
The defect: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2023-2024 Camry and Camry Hybrid vehicles. The second-row center and right-side seats may have insufficiently welded head restraint brackets. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle…
The risk: A head restraint bracket that is insufficiently welded may not properly restrain an occupant during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
The fix: Dealers will replace the 60% rear seat-back frame sub-assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 19, 2024. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 24TB0…
The defect: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2023-2024 Camry and Camry Hybrid vehicles. The second-row center and right-side seats may have insufficiently welded head restraint brackets. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle…
The risk: A head restraint bracket that is insufficiently welded may not properly restrain an occupant during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
The fix: Dealers will replace the 60% rear seat-back frame sub-assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 19, 2024. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 24TB0…
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 Toyota Camry in front of you — accident history, open recalls and title records.
Go deeper
Full reliability reports
- Comparison
- FORD Crown Victoria vs Toyota Camry
- FORD Crown Victoria total complaints
- 952
- Toyota Camry total complaints
- 2,021
- FORD Crown Victoria total recalls
- 37
- Toyota Camry total recalls
- 28
- FORD Crown Victoria avg complaints/year
- 95.2
- Toyota Camry avg complaints/year
- 202.1
- More reliable overall
- FORD Crown Victoria
- FORD Crown Victoria top complaint area
- EXTERIOR LIGHTING
- Toyota Camry top complaint area
- POWER TRAIN