What breaks most · 1990 to 2020 model years
Lincoln Continental problems by year
Owners have filed 1,386 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Lincoln Continental across model years 1990 to 2020. Three years stand out: 1991 for engine and cooling complaints, 1994 for engine and cooling complaints and 1990 for engine and cooling complaints. The quietest years are 2018, 2001 and 2002.
- Years to check closely: 1991, 1994, 1990
- Fewest complaints: 2018, 2001, 2002
- Complaints on file
- 13861990 to 2020, all trims
- Worst year
- 1991203 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 7160 fires · 69 injuries · 7 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 72kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 50Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 158 | 5 | 5 | Engine and cooling (40) | |
| 203 | 6 | 3 | Engine and cooling (56) | |
| 126 | 3 | 3 | Engine and cooling (44) | |
| 121 | 3 | 4 | Engine and cooling (73) | |
| 190 | 12 | 5 | Engine and cooling (85) | |
| 70 | 5 | 2 | Exterior lighting (12) | |
| 48 | 3 | 3 | Suspension (13) | |
| 96 | 5 | 2 | Visibility (15) | |
| 72 | 8 | 2 | Engine and cooling (14) | |
| 42 | 6 | 3 | Suspension (12) | |
| 63 | 6 | 4 | Air bags (16) | |
| 32 | 1 | 2 | Suspension (8) | |
| 33 | 4 | 1 | Speed control and throttle (6) | |
| 75 | 1 | 4 | Body and structure (20) | |
| 19 | 1 | 2 | Latches and locks (5) | |
| 32 | 2 | 3 | Latches and locks (8) | |
| 7 | 0 | 2 | Backup camera and sensors (2) |
What fails on the 1991 Lincoln Continental
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 28% |
56 | 0 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 1991 Lincoln Continental |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 22% |
44 | 0 | Shop suspension parts for the 1991 Lincoln Continental |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 20% |
41 | 0 | Shop powertrain and transmission parts for the 1991 Lincoln Continental |
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 17% |
34 | 1 | Shop brakes (hydraulic) parts for the 1991 Lincoln Continental |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 11% |
23 | 0 | Shop body and structure parts for the 1991 Lincoln Continental |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 10% |
20 | 1 | Shop steering parts for the 1991 Lincoln Continental |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 9% |
19 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 1991 Lincoln Continental |
| Equipment and infotainment | 7% |
15 | 0 | — |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
Intermittently vehicle will stall and die without warning. Dealer has determined that engine interlock was the cause of vehicle's unexpected shutdown. Manufacturer has been notified. *ak
-
1) sudden rough running engine 2) blown head gasket with gray/white smoke from both exhaust pipes 3) no correction done so far. Parked car and trying to determine proper step to correct the problem. *nm
-
Had motor mounts recall done, mounts are cracked again. Tt consumer believes that mtor mounts failed again because dealer failed to provide reinforcement as described int he recall notification no reinforcement plates were installed on the first recall which could have resulted in an accident.*jb
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Lincoln Continental years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 1991, 1994, 1990 carry the most filings on the Lincoln Continental. The 1991 alone has 203 complaints, led by engine and cooling.
What is the most common Lincoln Continental problem?
On the 1991 model year, the most-reported component is engine and cooling with 56 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Lincoln Continental problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Lincoln Continental complaints that include mileage is about 72,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.