What breaks most · 1998 to 2018 model years
Lincoln Navigator problems by year
Owners have filed 964 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Lincoln Navigator across model years 1998 to 2018. Three years stand out: 1998 for tires complaints, 1999 for tires complaints and 2003 for suspension complaints. The quietest years are 2014, 2016 and 2015.
- Years to check closely: 1998, 1999, 2003
- Fewest complaints: 2014, 2016, 2015
- Complaints on file
- 9641998 to 2018, all trims
- Worst year
- 1998192 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 6580 fires · 95 injuries · 18 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 76kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 67Across 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 192 | 14 | 6 | Tires (48) | |
| 131 | 7 | 7 | Tires (29) | |
| 109 | 9 | 7 | Tires (42) | |
| 80 | 6 | 6 | Tires (23) | |
| 32 | 2 | 4 | Air bags (7) | |
| 123 | 6 | 1 | Suspension (38) | |
| 75 | 3 | 0 | Suspension (21) | |
| 46 | 4 | 0 | Suspension (12) | |
| 56 | 5 | 3 | Suspension (15) | |
| 43 | 2 | 2 | Fuel system (7) | |
| 25 | 2 | 2 | Brakes (4) | |
| 9 | 0 | 1 | Electrical system (3) | |
| 11 | 3 | 0 | Brakes (3) | |
| 7 | 0 | 0 | Electrical system (2) | |
| 8 | 0 | 3 | Powertrain and transmission (3) | |
| 5 | 1 | 0 | Body and structure (2) | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | Unknown or other (1) | |
| 3 | 1 | 4 | Engine (1) | |
| 2 | 0 | 4 | Wipers and visibility (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 5 | Electrical system (1) | |
| 4 | 0 | 12 | Unknown or other (2) |
What fails on the 1998 Lincoln Navigator
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tires | 25% |
48 | 2 | — |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 13% |
25 | 4 | Shop suspension parts for the 1998 Lincoln Navigator |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 11% |
22 | 1 | Shop steering parts for the 1998 Lincoln Navigator |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 11% |
21 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 1998 Lincoln Navigator |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 9% |
18 | 1 | Shop speed control and throttle parts for the 1998 Lincoln Navigator |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 8% |
16 | 3 | Shop powertrain and transmission parts for the 1998 Lincoln Navigator |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 8% |
16 | 0 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 1998 Lincoln Navigator |
| Wheels | 8% |
15 | 2 | — |
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.
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The air compressor continues to fail, this causes the back of the vehicle to drop way down. If this happens while the vehicle is traveling on the freeway i am afraid that the vehicle can flip over with myself and my baby.
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#1 spark plug on 1999 navigator blew out on rt 80 in pa 400 miles from my home. I had to rent a u-haul truck and trailer to tow my navigator home at the cost of $600. I had to leave my race car and trailer in pa. I don't know how i am going to go get it. I have no tow vehicle.
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This is a common problem that needs to be fixed it's all over the internet. The suspension system on these are always messed up please fix this. *kb
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 30, 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 Navigator years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 1998, 1999, 2003 carry the most filings on the Lincoln Navigator. The 1998 alone has 192 complaints, led by tires.
What is the most common Lincoln Navigator problem?
On the 1998 model year, the most-reported component is tires with 48 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Lincoln Navigator problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Lincoln Navigator complaints that include mileage is about 76,000 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.