no report yet
Suspension: rear
Risk. THIS COULD LEAD TO EARLY BEARING FAILURE AND ULTIMATELY TO AXLE SHAFT FRACTURE.
2003 Lincoln Town CARProblems, recalls & complaints
NHTSA has logged 201 owner complaints about the 2003 Lincoln Town CAR, most often about the suspension. It is covered by 1 safety recall.
Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through April 29, 2024. Updated daily. Photo: IFCAR, Public domain.
Complaints by system
Where the 2003 Lincoln Town CAR has problems
201 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.
81Suspension1 crash/fire/injury
27Power train
18Vehicle speed control8 crash/fire/injury
16Steering
12Structure
10Air bags
10Service brakes, hydraulic
8Engine and engine cooling
8Electrical system
4513 other systems1 crash/fire/injury
| System | Complaints | Crash, fire or injury |
|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 81 | 1 |
| Power train | 27 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 18 | 8 |
| Steering | 16 | 0 |
| Structure | 12 | 0 |
| Air bags | 10 | 5 |
| Service brakes, hydraulic | 10 | 1 |
| Engine and engine cooling | 8 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 8 | 0 |
| 13 other systems | 45 | 1 |
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Complaints are submitted by the public and are not verified by NHTSA.
1 recall
2003 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.
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 suspension problems start?
71kmiles, median
Based on the odometer reading in 68 suspension complaints. 71% were reported before 100,000 miles.
2under 30k miles48under 100k miles20100k miles or more
Best & worst years
2003 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
2003 Lincoln Town CAR safety ratings
2003 Lincoln Town Car 4-DR. w/SAB in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program. Photos are from NHTSA's crash tests.
Side barrierNot rated
- Stability control: No
- Forward collision warning: No
- Lane departure warning: No
4 investigations
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal investigations that included the 2003 Lincoln Town CAR, and the recalls they led to.
- SPARK PLUG EJECTION FROM CYLINDER HEADNo recall
- INADVERTENT SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYMENTNo recall
- INADVERTENT SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYMENTNo recall
- REAR AXLE FRACTURELed to recall 04V-328
In owners' words
What Town CAR owners report
Recent suspension complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. Personal details are removed.
The contact owns a 2003 Lincoln Town Car. The contact stated while his son was driving on the highway, the accelerator pedal was slightly released; however, the vehicle stopped instantly. There was no warning light illuminated. The driver was able to drive to his destination safely. The vehicle was…
The rear-end failed does not have tempered axle There was a recall on 2003 lincolns with same problem but when I enter vin It does not pull anything up Lost control of car and had to be towed home have not had it to the dealer yet
Rear end started a sudden howell and shaking and grinding and the Abs and traction control light came on and brakes and suspension did not want to function properly while driving in traffic as quick as I could I pulled over and it looked like one tire was sticking out of the axel way far So I just…
Own a 2003 Town CAR?
Decode your VIN to see the recalls for your exact car, then confirm open recalls with NHTSA.