Adam-12 (1968)

S5E17 The Beast

Malloy and Reed are assigned an aging cruiser that's nearing its retirement with 300 miles to go. They quickly discover the vehicle is highly unreliable, with the accelerator randomly surging and the glove compartment door constantly dropping onto Reed's knees. While trying to sneak up on a prowler—who turns out to be an old resident—the water hose breaks. Their faulty taillights prevent them from ticketing a citizen for a similar issue, and when a distributor cap fails, they can't respond to another call. After finally capturing a suspect, the brakes give out, and the car crashes into a light pole. Later, while investigating a truck at a warehouse, Malloy spots a small flaw in the burglars' seemingly perfect plan, leading to the arrest of a whole gang.