Your vehicle report

1991 Lincoln Continental

The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.

NHTSA data through October 2026View original NHTSA data Change vehicle

Your vehicle at a glance

Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.

Owner complaints
203
Received Jan 1995 to Dec 2006
Official recalls listed
3
Naming this model year; check your VIN for applicability
BrakeNews flagged problems
0
Statistical signals, not official defect findings or recalls

Owner reports

Most reported problems

  1. 1
    Suspension struts and shocks wear out early24 complaints · 12% of this vehicle’s complaints
  2. 2
    Head gasket leaks coolant into engine23 complaints · 11% of this vehicle’s complaints
  3. 3
    Vehicle catches fire from wiring22 complaints · 11% of this vehicle’s complaints
See all reported problems

Official NHTSA records

Recalls to check

  • Recall #98V323000Vehicle description: passenger vehicles originally sold or currently registered in connecticut, delaware, district of columbia, illinois, indiana, iowa, kansas, kentucky, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, nebraska, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, virginia, west virgnia, and wisconsin. The rear lower subframe mount plate nut can experience stress corrosion cracking if subjected to long term exposure to road salts. This can result in fracture and loss of the structural integrity of the subframe mount attachment. Detachment of the body mounts at the rear corners of the subframe, which supports the engine and transmission, allows the rear corners of the subframe to drop.
  • Recall #97V025000Vehicle description: vehicles equipped with 3.8L engines and originally sold or currently registered in the following states: alaska, colorado, iowa, idaho, illinois, indiana, kansas, massachusetts, maine, michigan, minnesota, missouri, montana, north dakota, nebraska, new hampshire, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, south dakota, vermont, wisconsin, and wyoming. Water can accumulate within the speed control cable conduit. If enough water accumulates, it could freeze within a low area of the cable routing when exposed to a long term cold soak at temperatures at least several degrees below freezing.
View recall details

BrakeNews signals

Flagged complaint patterns

Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.

No problems currently meet BrakeNews’s flagging criteria. This is not a safety rating.

How flags are identified

Complaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 6 crashes, 19 fires, 8 people injured, 1 death.

Explore by system

Where do owners report problems?

Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.

Schematic car with five system shortcutsGeneric side view, with the front on the left. Numbered links explore engine, brakes, steering, electrical, and body complaints. Text controls below provide the same choices.12345FRONTSCHEMATIC VIEW

Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.

View selected problems

Showing all 20 listed problems by system.

Engine & powertrain

1 more problem

Brakes

Electrical & lights

Airbags, belts & seats

Steering, suspension & tires

3 more problems

Body, doors & glass

Driver assistance

No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.

Other

Complaint history

When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.

Complaints received about the 1991 Lincoln Continental
46
Show as a table
YearComplaints
199529
199633
199720
199824
199946
200027
200110
20022
20034
20045
20052
20061
20070
20080
20090
20100
20110
20120
20130
20140
20150
20160
20170
20180
20190
20200
20210
20220
20230
20240
20250
2026 (to Oct 2026)0
Total203

Problems owners report

Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.

ProblemComplaintsShareShare ratioStatus
Suspension struts and shocks wear out early2412%–
Head gasket leaks coolant into engine2311%–
Vehicle catches fire from wiring2211%–
Transmission fails or loses power while driving178.4%–
Seat belt fails to latch or retract104.9%–
Front brake rotors warp and wear early104.9%–NHTSA recall #91V134000
Steering wheel shakes violently at highway speed83.9%–
Air conditioner blows hot air or fails83.9%–
Brake pedal sinks due to leaking lines63.0%–
Tie rod ends break or come loose63.0%–
Power steering rack leaks fluid63.0%–
Anti-lock brakes fail or lock up63.0%–
Rear door latch fails to open or close52.5%–
Airbags fail to deploy in crashes52.5%–
Steering wanders or pulls at highway speed52.5%–
Paint peels off roof and hood42.0%–
Frame rusts and corrodes through42.0%–NHTSA recall #98V323000
Tires blow out or tread separates42.0%–
Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips42.0%–
Unintended acceleration despite braking42.0%–

AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.

Recalls

  • NHTSA recall #98V323000December 16, 19982,697,000 vehicles affected

    structure: frame and members

    Vehicle description: passenger vehicles originally sold or currently registered in connecticut, delaware, district of columbia, illinois, indiana, iowa, kansas, kentucky, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, nebraska, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, virginia, west virgnia, and wisconsin. The rear lower subframe mount plate nut Can experience stress corrosion cracking if subjected to long term exposure to road salts. This Can result in fracture and loss of the structural integrity of the subframe mount attachment. Detachment of the body mounts at the rear corners of the subframe, which supports the engine and transmission, allows the rear corners of the subframe to drop.

    If both rear corners drop, steering would become suddenly very difficult, affecting vehicle control and increasing the risk of a crash.

    Remedy

    Dealers will install subframe rear mount bolts, reinforcement plates, and plate nuts.

  • NHTSA recall #97V025000February 26, 1997212,700 vehicles affected

    vehicle speed control

    Vehicle description: vehicles equipped with 3.8L engines and originally sold or currently registered in the following states: alaska, colorado, iowa, idaho, illinois, indiana, kansas, massachusetts, maine, michigan, minnesota, missouri, montana, north dakota, nebraska, new hampshire, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, south dakota, vermont, wisconsin, and wyoming. Water Can accumulate within the speed control cable conduit. If enough water accumulates, it could freeze within a low area of the cable routing when exposed to a long term cold soak at temperatures at least several degrees below freezing.

    Driver control of vehicle speed using the speed control system or the accelerator control system would be diminished increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.

    Remedy

    Dealers will add a boot to the speed control cable.

  • NHTSA recall #91V134000August 6, 1991325,000 vehicles affected

    service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: disc: rotor

    Front disc brake rotors of the subject vehicles may experience severe corrosion if operated in areas where calcium chloride and sodium chloride are used extensively.

    Severely corroded rotors may fracture or separate nearthe inner edges of the brake discs resulting in reduced braking effectiveness,higher than normal pedal efforts, loud grinding noises, and moderate pulls whenthe brakes are applied. Reduced braking effectiveness may increase minimumstopping distances, possibly resulting in an accident.

    Remedy

    Replace front brake rotors with full cast front brake rotors.

Other model years

About this data

NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 1991 Lincoln Continental.

Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.

Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN