What breaks most · 1990 to 2011 model years
Lincoln Town Car problems by year
Owners have filed 2,989 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Lincoln Town Car across model years 1990 to 2011. Three years stand out: 1997 for engine and cooling complaints, 1996 for engine and cooling complaints and 1992 for electrical system complaints. The quietest years are 2009, 2008 and 2002.
- Years to check closely: 1997, 1996, 1992
- Fewest complaints: 2009, 2008, 2002
- Complaints on file
- 29891990 to 2011, all trims
- Worst year
- 1997314 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 276320 fires · 217 injuries · 4 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 82kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 100Across 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 209 | 22 | 4 | Electrical system (63) | |
| 155 | 20 | 5 | Brakes (hydraulic) (41) | |
| 249 | 11 | 4 | Electrical system (73) | |
| 176 | 13 | 4 | Electrical system (43) | |
| 155 | 15 | 5 | Engine and cooling (23) | |
| 165 | 16 | 9 | Brakes (hydraulic) (49) | |
| 259 | 9 | 10 | Engine and cooling (90) | |
| 314 | 10 | 8 | Engine and cooling (87) | |
| 154 | 7 | 8 | Engine and cooling (32) | |
| 148 | 18 | 6 | Air bags (29) | |
| 108 | 11 | 9 | Electrical system (18) | |
| 161 | 21 | 6 | Air bags (54) | |
| 65 | 14 | 1 | Air bags (20) | |
| 201 | 14 | 1 | Suspension (81) | |
| 83 | 18 | 0 | Speed control and throttle (19) | |
| 119 | 17 | 3 | Speed control and throttle (34) | |
| 143 | 12 | 2 | Air bags (58) | |
| 84 | 19 | 3 | Speed control and throttle (32) | |
| 20 | 7 | 3 | Speed control and throttle (5) | |
| 5 | 0 | 3 | Speed control and throttle (2) | |
| 13 | 0 | 3 | Steering (5) | |
| 6 | 2 | 3 | Steering (4) |
What fails on the 1997 Lincoln Town Car
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 28% |
87 | 0 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 1997 Lincoln Town Car |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 16% |
50 | 2 | Shop suspension parts for the 1997 Lincoln Town Car |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 14% |
43 | 3 | Shop speed control and throttle parts for the 1997 Lincoln Town Car |
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 12% |
39 | 1 | Shop brakes (hydraulic) parts for the 1997 Lincoln Town Car |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 7% |
22 | 2 | Shop steering parts for the 1997 Lincoln Town Car |
| Exterior lightingHeadlights, tail lights and bulbs | 5% |
17 | 0 | Shop exterior lighting parts for the 1997 Lincoln Town Car |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 5% |
17 | 0 | Shop fuel system parts for the 1997 Lincoln Town Car |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 5% |
16 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 1997 Lincoln Town Car |
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.
-
I was driving as usual and the intake manifold cracked or had been cracking over time. The engine made a ping noise and the coolant was leaking down into the engine. The engine light came on immediately. The manifold, thermostat, and gaskets had to be repaired. The cost for this repair was over $1,200.00.
-
I've owned a 96 lincoln town car for about 2 years now and the intake manifold cracked recently what can i do about that cause i've just recently heard about the recall and i don't want to have to worry about that constantly happening, is there any thing i can do.
-
Our 1992 lincoln town car caught on fire inside our shop. The car was off with the keys removed from the ignition. Fire started in the engine compartment.
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 Town Car years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 1997, 1996, 1992 carry the most filings on the Lincoln Town Car. The 1997 alone has 314 complaints, led by engine and cooling.
What is the most common Lincoln Town Car problem?
On the 1997 model year, the most-reported component is engine and cooling with 87 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Lincoln Town Car problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Lincoln Town Car complaints that include mileage is about 82,000 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.