Attn '03 / '04 Interceptor owners

[SJSO]

Just to give you all with '03 and '04 Interceptors the heads up, back in '06, Ford came out with a recall of the steel wheels due to pin size holes in the welds of the rim. The small hole would deplete the air out of the tire and for safety reasons they recalled the rims on all the P71 '03 / certain '04 Crowns. You may want to have them inspected by your local Ford dealership to make sure it was done. What I used to look for was the rims with 7 holes in the rim. They came out with the 11 hole rim later on.

Just FYI

[Pecos Slick]

I checked with Ford about 6 months after I bought Spook back in 2007. ( I have the 7 hole rims on it ) They told me that only police cars still in service are good for the recall. Called Ford, same story.

[Jake]

They told me that only police cars still in service are good for the recall. Called Ford, same story.

Same here.

I had one crack. Didn't want to risk putting the same defective wheel back on so I got some 2002 & older wheels. Must say, they stick out a bit but look very agressive!

[JB13]

Hello I just purchased a 2003 P71 I counted the Slot from the Stem and I have 12 Slots on the Rim any Ideal On what year that is from? Thanks for the Info


EDIT: 04-10 16 inch rims My Google-fu is getting stronger

[CVP71W]

I am havng the same problems with my rims right now. I have a friend who is a State Constible and he had his 5 wheels replaced by Ford.
I looked up recalls on Fords web site and after submitting my vin number it claims there are no recalls for my car.
I did a search under Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor & stumbled upon this peice of info on wikipidia

" There were also some problems with early 2003 Police Interceptors. The newly designed steel wheels would rust prematurely, and the rack and pinion steering units would fail early (≤10,000 miles). This was not limited to the Police Interceptor; some 2004 Mercury Marauders were also affected. A recent recall (04M05) affects the steel wheels used on 2003–05 Police Interceptors.[verification needed]

Another issue with the wheels have been weld points that come loose, causing rapid air loss in tires and the potential for loss of control. A recall was issued after an investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. However, the company has created anger among civilian owners of 2003+ Police Interceptors by refusing to honor the recall unless the vehicle is still being used in fleet service. The only way this problem could be addressed is if the civilian customer complains to a dealership about air leakage problems, an inability to balance the wheels properly, or a "nibble" or excessive vibration in the steering at speed. The issue is then addressed through the "Customer Satisfaction Program" that Ford has initiated for the same wheels. Ford ultimately resolved this issue on production cars in 2006 by introducing new 17" steel wheels for their heavy duty models. These wheels may be of interest to those who have 2003–2005 Police Interceptors, 2003–2005 P70/P72 Commercial Heavy Duty models or 2003–2008 Standard (P73) models with 16" steel wheels and are concerned about the safety of these wheels. "

I'm going to my local dealership tomorrow because I have 3 wheels that loose air rapidly and I am experiancing vibrations in my front end. If they tell me their not replacing them I'm threatening them with legal action.. Recalls were designed to protect against defects no matter who owns the car fleet or civilian owned ... Keep you all informed with the out come ;o)

[Pecos Slick]

Welcome to our forum. I would remove the tire/wheel assy and check with soap and water or a water dunking to make sure that the wheel is the problem and not the tire, also mark the wheel if you find a leak. That way you won't look like a fool raising hell at the dealership when they tell you your tires are the problem. Good Luck, let us know how you get on.

[05stangkc]

CUSTOMER SATISFACTION PROGRAM
04M05 Certain 2003 through 2005 Model Year Crown Victoria Police (CVPI) and Commercial Heavy Duty (Taxi) Vehicles - Steel Wheel Additional Coverage

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Frank M. Ligon
Director
Vehicle Service and Programs
Ford Customer Service Division

Ford Motor Company
P.O. Box 1904
Dearborn, Michigan 48121

December 2004

TO: All U.S. Ford and Lincoln Mercury Dealers

SUBJECT: Customer Satisfaction Program 04M05: Certain 2003 through 2005 Model Year Crown Victoria Police (CVPI) and Commercial Heavy Duty (Taxi) Vehicles
Steel Wheel Additional Coverage

RE: Advance Notice-Customer Satisfaction Program 04M05 dated 11/4/2004
Certain 2003 through 2005 Model Year Crown Victoria Police (CVPI) and Commercial Heavy Duty (Taxi) Vehicles
Steel Wheel Additional Coverage

RE: Safety Recall 03S05 dated August 2003
Certain 2003 Crown Victoria Police (CVPI) and Commercial Heavy Duty (Taxi) Vehicles
Steel Wheel Inspection / Replacement

RE: Customer Satisfaction Program 03M03 dated August 2003
Certain 2003 Crown Victoria Police (CVPI) and Commercial Heavy Duty (Taxi) Vehicles
Steel Wheel Additional Coverage

PROGRAM TERMS

This additional coverage program extends the coverage of affected steel wheels (original equipment and replacement wheels ) to 5 years of service or 150,000 miles from the vehicle's warranty start date, whichever occurs first. This coverage will automatically transfer to subsequent owners.

VEHICLES COVERED BY THIS PROGRAM

This program covers all 2003 through 2005 Crown Victoria Police (CVPI) and Commercial Heavy Duty (Taxi) vehicles (body codes P70, P71, P72) built at the St. Thomas Assembly Plant from October 10, 2001 through December 8, 2004. Affected vehicles are identified in OASIS.

REASON FOR PROVIDING ADDITIONAL COVERAGE

In extreme usage conditions, an affected steel wheel may crack near the weld line that connects the rim to the disk, resulting in slow air loss and degraded vehicle handling. Should a wheel crack and slow air loss occur, Ford Motor Company will replace the affected wheel at no cost to the owner of the vehicle.

SERVICE ACTION

NOTE: All vehicles in Safety Recall 03S05 are now also included in Customer Satisfaction Program 04M05. If OASIS indicates that a vehicle is affected by both 03S05 and 04M05, complete Safety Recall 03S05. Program 04M05 will then apply if that same vehicle later experiences a cracked wheel within the program time/mileage limitations. Vehicles that previously had Safety Recall 03S05 completed, now have the extended coverage provided by program 04M05.

NOTE: Effective immediately, Customer Satisfaction Program 03M03 is superseded by program 04M05. Vehicles previously in program 03M03 will have identical coverage in program 04M05. Customers will not be renotified but OASIS will indicate that 03M03 has been superseded by 04M05.

If the condition described above causes a crack in a wheel manufactured from August 18, 2001 through November 19, 2004 , the dealer will install a new steel wheel of revised design at no charge to the owner of the vehicle. Please note that effective March 16, 2006 prior approval is no longer required before replacing a wheel.

Customer symptoms of a cracked wheel may include:

Repeated slow air leak
Nibble in the steering
Difficulty in balancing the tire & wheel assembly (rim lateral run-out)
If a vehicle experiences a cracked wheel, an inspection should be performed on all remaining wheels on that vehicle to determine if any 03S05-affected wheels manufactured from August 18, 2001 through September 22, 2002 are on the vehicle. If found, replace all steel wheels manufactured from August 18, 2001 through September 22, 2002 with the appropriate wheel as specified in Attachment II.

FLEET MOVEMENT OF 03S05-AFFECTED WHEELS TO OTHER VEHICLES

Because CVPI and taxi fleets frequently substitute wheel and tire assemblies among vehicles, you may encounter 03S05-affected wheels on 04M05-eligible vehicles. Wheels affected by Safety Recall 03S05 are eligible for replacement when found on 04M05-eligible vehicles. This will allow Ford to more efficiently remove from the marketplace those wheels affected under 03S05.

If a fleet informs you that they have moved wheels from vehicles affected by Safety Recall 03S05 to vehicles built after September 30, 2002, dealers may, at fleet request, perform a one-time inspection of all five wheels to determine if any wheels from the Safety Recall are now on vehicles outside the Safety Recall affected vehicle range. This also would identify wheels moved from an uncompleted 03S05 vehicle to a completed 03S05 vehicle. This one-time inspection may be performed even without any report of a cracked wheel. See Attachment II for claim preparation and labor information.



NOTE:
Program 04M05 (like 03M03), allows for replacement of an affected wheel only after the dealer has verified a crack, except if a wheel affected by 03S05 is found. If you encounter 03S05-affected wheel(s) on a 04M05-eligible vehicle, replace the wheel(s) immediately. Please have the date code(s) for affected wheels as well as the VIN of the vehicle involved.


DISABLING OF AFFECTED STEEL WHEELS

All replaced steel wheels must be rendered unusable by cutting a gouge no less than 12mm (1/2-inch) in the wheel from the valve stem hole using an air chisel with a sharp bit. Refer to Attachment III for detailed disabling procedure.

CAUTION: Under no circumstances are removed wheels to be re-used on any vehicle.

RETURN OF AFFECTED STEEL WHEELS

Affected steel wheels are subject to random selection for return to the Ford Warranty Parts Analysis Center (WPAC). Refer to your daily PEARS register for part disposition and return instructions. Return wheels to the Ford WPAC, 15090 Commerce Drive North, Dearborn, MI 48120. Follow normal shipping instructions described in Warranty and Policy Manual. Returned steel wheels not disabled in accordance with the procedure detailed in Attachment III, and returned non-affected wheels, are subject to chargeback.

ATTACHMENTS

Attachment I: Administrative Information
Attachment II: Labor Allowances and Parts Ordering Information
Attachment III: Technical Information
Attachment IV: Program Flow Chart
Customer Notification Letter:




Prior Approval
Warranty Claim Questions
General Field Service Action Questions/Comments
_________________________