no report yet
Vehicle speed control
Risk. THIS COULD RESULT IN AN UNDERHOOD FIRE.
1997 Lincoln Town CARProblems, recalls & complaints
NHTSA has logged 314 owner complaints about the 1997 Lincoln Town CAR, most often about the engine and engine cooling. It is covered by 6 safety recalls.
Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through October 2, 2022. Updated daily.
Complaints by system
Where the 1997 Lincoln Town CAR has problems
314 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.
87Engine and engine cooling2 crash/fire/injury
50Suspension2 crash/fire/injury
43Vehicle speed control6 crash/fire/injury
39Service brakes, hydraulic1 crash/fire/injury
22Steering2 crash/fire/injury
17Exterior lighting
17Fuel system, gasoline
16Visibility
16Electrical system
5313 other systems6 crash/fire/injury
| System | Complaints | Crash, fire or injury |
|---|---|---|
| Engine and engine cooling | 87 | 2 |
| Suspension | 50 | 2 |
| Vehicle speed control | 43 | 6 |
| Service brakes, hydraulic | 39 | 1 |
| Steering | 22 | 2 |
| Exterior lighting | 17 | 0 |
| Fuel system, gasoline | 17 | 0 |
| Visibility | 16 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 16 | 2 |
| 13 other systems | 53 | 6 |
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Complaints are submitted by the public and are not verified by NHTSA.
6 recalls
1997 Lincoln Town CAR recalls and how many were fixed
Each ring shows the share of affected cars repaired, from the manufacturer’s latest quarterly report to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
no report yet
Driver side: inflator module
Risk. IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, THE DRIVER'S AIR BAG MAY NOT PROPERLY DEPLOY WHICH COULD POTENTIALLY RESULT IN LESS THAN THE INTENDED LEVEL OF OCCUPANT PROTECTION.
no report yet
Front: anchorage
Risk. IN THE EVENT OF A COLLISION, THESE SEAT BELTS MAY NOT RESTRAIN AN OCCUPANT INCREASING THE RISK OF INJURY.
no report yet
Front: anchorage
Risk. IN THE EVENT OF A COLLISION, THESE SEAT BELTS MAY NOT RESTRAIN AN OCCUPANT INCREASING THE RISK OF INJURY.
Show 2 more recalls
no report yet
Control arm: lower ball joint
Risk. IF THIS OCCURS WHILE THE VEHICLE IS MOVING, REDUCED STEERING CONTROL COULD OCCUR, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
no report yet
Air bags: frontal
Risk. IN THE EVENT OF A FRONTAL COLLISION, THE AIR BAG MODULE WOULD STAY IN POSITION DURING DEPLOYMENT.
Recalls apply to specific cars. To see whether a recall is still open on yours, enter the 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with Lincoln.
Mileage at failure
When do engine and engine cooling problems start?
91kmiles, median
Based on the odometer reading in 56 engine and engine cooling complaints. 70% were reported before 100,000 miles.
Only 40% of complaints for this model year include a mileage.
1under 30k miles39under 100k miles17100k miles or more
Owner-reported costs
What owners say repairs cost
Dollar amounts owners wrote in their complaints when describing a repair or a quote. These are not price estimates; a system is shown only when at least 8 owners mentioned a cost.
Engine and engine cooling
12 owners mentioned a cost$988median
Middle half: $900 – $1,100
If a problem is covered by a recall, the dealer fixes it for free. Some manufacturers also reimburse owners who paid for a repair before a recall was announced.
Best & worst years
1997 vs. every other Town CAR year
Bars show complaints per model year. Colors show the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the Town CAR median. How we score
'83'84'85'86'87'88'89'90'91'92'93'94'95'96'97'98'99'00'01'02'03'04'05'06'07'08'09'10'11
- Avoid
- Caution
- Solid
- Best
- Not rated
NHTSA crash tests
1997 Lincoln Town CAR safety ratings
1997 Lincoln Town Car 4-DR. in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program. Photos are from NHTSA's crash tests.
- Stability control: No
- Forward collision warning: No
- Lane departure warning: No
7 investigations
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal investigations that included the 1997 Lincoln Town CAR, and the recalls they led to.
- FUEL-FED FIRESNo recall
- SPARK PLUG EJECTION FROM CYLINDER HEADNo recall
- SPEED CONTROL DEACTIVATION SWITCH FIRESNo recall
- REAR BRAKE LINE FAILURELed to recall 05V-086
- BALL JOINT SEPARATIONNo recall
- REAR BRAKE LINE FAILURENo recall
- POST REAR END COLLISION FIRESLed to recall 02I003000
In owners' words
What Town CAR owners report
Recent engine and engine cooling complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. Personal details are removed.
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…
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 LINCOLN TOWN CAR. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH, THE ENGINE BEGAN TO MISFIRE. THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL UNTIL THE ENGINE WAS TURNED OFF. THE FAILURE RECURRED WHENEVER THE VEHICLE WAS IN OPERATION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO…
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 LINCOLN TOWN CAR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN DRIVING AT LOW SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY STALLED. THE CONTACT SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL AND RESTARTED THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE OCCURRED SEVERAL TIMES. THE CONTACT INFORMED THE DEALER OF THE FAILURE WAS TOLD THERE WERE NO…
Own a 1997 Town CAR?
Decode your VIN to see the recalls for your exact car, then confirm open recalls with NHTSA.