Problems · NHTSA complaints

1997 Lincoln Town Car problems

Owners filed 317 complaints about the 1997 Lincoln Town Car with NHTSA between Dec 1996 and Oct 2022. The most-cited component is engine and engine cooling (87).

Complaints
317
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
10
Reported by owners
Fires
6
Reported by owners
Injuries
8
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
01 —By component

Complaints by component

One complaint can cite several components
  1. Engine and engine cooling87
  2. Suspension51
  3. Vehicle speed control42
  4. Service brakes, hydraulic39
  5. Steering22
  6. Exterior lighting17
  7. Fuel system, gasoline17
  8. Electrical system16
  9. Visibility15
  10. Air bags9
  11. Tires9
  12. Structure8
  13. Engine5
  14. Equipment5

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 11, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
02 —Trend

When complaints were filed

Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
View as table
Model yearComplaints filed per calendar year
19961
199714
199821
199928
200017
200124
200230
200323
200441
200523
200618
200719
200828
20093
20107
20114
20121
20132
20144
20154
20162
20170
20180
20191
20200
20210
20222

Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.

03 —Owner reports

Top problems in owners’ words

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first

Engine and engine cooling

87 reports1 fire
“THE OIL PAN RUSTED THROUGH AND CAUSED ALL THE OIL TO LEAK OUT ONTO THE GROUND. THE CRUISE CONTROL COMPUTER KEEPS CAUSING THE CAR TO TAKE OFF OR NOT EVEN WORK AT ALL WHEN U SET IT, WHEN THE CAR TAKES OFF AFTER SETTING IT THE GAS PEDDLE GOES ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR AND IT WILL NOT DEACTIVATE UNLESS YOU SHUT THE CAR OFF WHILE DRIVING. *TR”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Dec 20, 2011Engine and engine cooling, Vehicle speed controlODI 10440817

Suspension

51 reports2 crashes1 related recall
“BALL JOINT SEPARATED FROM CONTROL ARM CAUSING CONTROL ARM TO DROP TO THE GROUND. THE SAME AS YOUR RECALL98V322000 BUT CALLING LINCOLN THEY SAID THAT MY CAR WAS NOT PART OF THE RECALL. EVEN THOUGH IT DID EXACTLY WHAT THE RECALL SAID. *TR”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Aug 20, 2014SuspensionCrash reportedODI 10626547

Vehicle speed control

42 reports3 crashes3 fires1 related recall
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 LINCOLN TOWN CAR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE HORN AND CRUISE CONTROL WERE INOPERATIVE. A LOCAL MECHANIC DIAGNOSED THAT THE HORN WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. NEITHER THE DEALER NOR THE MANUFACTURER WERE NOTIFIED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 58,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 60,000.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jan 26, 2012Vehicle speed control, Electrical systemODI 10445472

Service brakes, hydraulic

39 reports1 crash1 related recall
“FORD LINCOLN -- TOWN CAR, YEAR MODEL 1997. BRAKE LINE (TUBING) BETWEEN POINT OF DISTRIBUTION FROM MASTER CYLINDER/BOOSTER TO REAR AXLE. ALSO BRAKE LINE BETWEEN REAR WHEELS (FASTENED TO OUTSIDE OF REAR AXLE HOUSING). THIS BRAKE LINE TUBING IS OF INFERIOR METAL COMPOSITION PRONE TO RUSTING IN NORTHERN CLIMATES WHERE WINTER SALT IS SPREAD ON ROAD SURFACES. CASE IN POINT: WHEN THE CAR WAS PARKED ON THE PARKING LOT, EVERYTHING WAS FINE. WHEN CAR WAS RESTARTED AFTER A SHORT DURATION OF BEING PARKED, UPON PRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL, ALL BRAKE FLUID SQUIRTED ONTO PAVEMENT. ROOT CAUSE: THE CORRODED BRAKE LINE BURST SOMEWHERE, APPROXIMATELY, UNDER THE DRIVER'S SEAT ON THE ROADSIDE (BOTTOM SIDE) OF THE FLOOR BOARD. THIS NECESSITATES THE REPLACEMENT OF THE ENTIRE BRAKE LINE TUBING STRETCH (AS PER DESIGN) IN EXCESS OF $1,200, PARTS AND LABOR INCLUDED. THIS BURST OF FLUID COULD HAVE OCCURRED ANYWHERE. SINCE THE INCIDENT OCCURRED AT A TIME AND A PLACE FROM WHERE IT WAS POSSIBLE TO DRIVE THE CAR A SHORT DISTANCE TO ITS HOME PARKING POSITION USING ONLY THE EMERGENCY BRAKE, WHERE NEEDED, AT A SPEED OF NO HIGHER THAN 10 -15 MPH. A PRIVATE RESEARCH INDICATED THAT THIS PROBLEM IS…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jul 16, 2010Service brakes, hydraulicODI 10343582

Steering

22 reports2 crashes1 related recall
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 LINCOLN TOWN CAR. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, THE STEERING ABILITY BECAME LOOSE AND THE CONTACT LOST CONTROL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DETERMINED THAT THE STEERING COLUMN FAILED AND NEEDED REPLACEMENT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING OR REPAIRS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 300,000.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled May 22, 2019SteeringODI 11209325

Exterior lighting

17 reports
“I WAS TRAVELING AT 9:30 PM WHEN THE HEADLIGHTS WENT OUT FOR ABOUT 45 SECONDS AND THEN CAME BACK ON. TRAVELED ABOUT A MILE, WHEN THEY WENT OUT AGAIN, CAN ON, THEN STARTED RAPIDLY FLASHING. I PULLED OVER AND IT ABOUT A MINUTE BEFORE THEY RETURNED TO NORMAL. THIS HAPPENED THREE TIMES THAT NIGHT BEFORE I ARRIVED HOME. THESE HEADLIGHT PROBLEM HAS HAPPENED FIVE TIMES SINCE THE FIRST OCCURRENCE. I RARELY DRIVE AT NIGHT. ..UPDATED 06/26/14 *BF”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jun 12, 2014Exterior lightingODI 10605275
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 11, 2026

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.