Your vehicle report

1999 Lincoln Town CAR

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
148
Received Sep 1998 to Sep 2024
Official recalls listed
5
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
    Airbags fail to deploy in crashes18 complaints · 12% of this vehicle’s complaints
  2. 2
    Airbag warning light stays on9 complaints · 6.1% of this vehicle’s complaints
  3. 3
    Vehicle catches fire from wiring9 complaints · 6.1% of this vehicle’s complaints
See all reported problems

Official NHTSA records

Recalls to check

  • Recall #00V356000Vehicle description: certain limousines stretched over 60 inches fail to comply with the requirements of FMVSS no. 109, "new pneumatic tires," and no. 110, "tire selection and rims."
  • Recall #00V200000Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. These vehicles have jacking instructions which, if followed, could cause the vehicle operator to place the jack on a frame weld when attempting to raise a rear wheel. If the vehicle is jacked up with the jack placed on the frame weld and if the vehicle is free to roll (wheels not blocked or chocked), the jack could yield and the vehicle may drop suddenly.
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: 18 crashes, 7 fires, 14 people injured, 0 deaths.

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 11 listed problems by system.

Engine & powertrain

Brakes

Electrical & lights

Airbags, belts & seats

Steering, suspension & tires

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

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

Complaint history

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

Complaints received about the 1999 Lincoln Town CAR
17
Show as a table
YearComplaints
19982
199917
200010
20017
200211
200311
200417
200510
20065
200710
20084
20090
20105
20112
20123
20134
20148
20156
20163
20171
20184
20192
20203
20210
20221
20231
20241
20250
2026 (to Oct 2026)0
Total148

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
Airbags fail to deploy in crashes1812%–
Airbag warning light stays on96.1%–
Vehicle catches fire from wiring96.1%–
Plastic intake manifold cracks and leaks coolant74.7%–
Tires blow out or tread separates64.0%–NHTSA recall #00V356000
Water leaks into cabin during rain53.4%–
Side mirrors give poor rear visibility42.7%–
Heater blows cold air, defroster fails42.7%–
Seat belt fails to latch or retract32.0%–NHTSA recall #00V157001, #00V157002
Brake pedal sinks due to leaking lines32.0%–
Fuel pump fails and engine stalls32.0%–

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 #00V356000December 12, 200010,000 vehicles affected

    tires

    Vehicle description: certain limousines stretched over 60 inches fail to comply with the requirements of FMVSS no. 109, "new pneumatic tires," and no. 110, "tire selection and rims."

    The vehicle weight could exceed the maximum load rating for the tire, increasing the risk of premature tire wear or blowout.

    Remedy

    Dealers will replace all 5 tires (including the spare tire) with michelin tires (225/70R16 107T reinforced white sidewall) with a sufficiently higher load rating. Owner notification began january 10, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact Ford at 1-800-248-0186.

  • NHTSA recall #00V200000July 18, 2000875,000 vehicles affected

    equipment: mechanical: integrated jack/leveler/stabilizer

    Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. These vehicles have jacking instructions which, if followed, could cause the vehicle operator to place the jack on a frame weld when attempting to raise a rear wheel. If the vehicle is jacked up with the jack placed on the frame weld and if the vehicle is free to roll (wheels not blocked or chocked), the jack could yield and the vehicle may drop suddenly.

    If this occurs and any portion of the operator's body is under the vehicle, the potential for personal injury exists.

    Remedy

    Owners will be provided with a revised jack instruction and stowage card and jack warning label, as well as a supplement to the owner guide.

  • NHTSA recall #00V157001June 12, 20001,167 vehicles affected

    seat belts: front: anchorage

    Vehicle description: passenger vehicles using aftermarket driver's seat belt assemblies that were sold by Ford parts departments from january 1, through june 13, 2000. These seat belt assemblies fail to comply with the requirements of FMVSS no. 209, "seat belt assemblies." the equipment involved is service stock seat belt assemblies, model nos. H 9977, h 9979, t 9063, and t 9217, built by trw vehicle safety systems, inc. (trw) manufactured from june 1, 1998 through may 21, 2000. Some of these seat belt assemblies may have been installed as service replacement equipment on the vehicles involved in the recall.

    In the event of a collision, these seat belts may not restrain an occupant increasing the risk of injury.

    Remedy

    Dealers will inspect these vehicles and replace the service seat belt assemblies that were installed in these vehicles from january 1 through june 13, 2000.

  • NHTSA recall #00V157002June 12, 20001,129 vehicles affected

    seat belts: front: anchorage

    Vehicle description: passenger vehicles using aftermarket front passenger side seat belt assemblies that were sold by Ford parts departments from january 1, through june 13, 2000. These seat belt assemblies fail to comply with the requirements of FMVSS no. 209, "seat belt assemblies." the equipment involved is service stock seat belt assemblies, model nos. H 9977, h 9979, t 9063, and t 9217, built by trw vehicle safety systems, inc. (trw) manufactured from june 1, 1998 through may 21, 2000. Some of these seat belt assemblies may have been installed as service replacement equipment on the vehicles involved in the recall.

    In the event of a collision, these seat belts may not restrain an occupant increasing the risk of injury.

    Remedy

    Dealers will inspect these vehicles and replace the service seat belt assemblies that were installed in these vehicles from january 1 through june 13, 2000.

  • NHTSA recall #98V322000December 16, 1998175,000 vehicles affected

    suspension: front: control arm: lower ball joint

    Vehicle description: certain 1996-1999 Ford crown victoria police, fleet, natural gas, and 1996-1999 Lincoln Town Car limousine vehicles that were produced with a lower control arm ball joint containing a one piece bearing; and 1990-1996 Ford crown victoria police, fleet, and ngv vehicles and 1990-1996 Lincoln Town Car limousine vehicles that have been serviced with either a ball joint containing the one-piece bearing or a front lower control arm containing a ball joint with a one-piece bearing. The one-piece bearing within the lower control arm ball joint Can weaken slowly during use and eventually crack. This could result in separation of the ball and cap of the joint, allowing the control arm to drop to the ground.

    If this occurs while the vehicle is moving, reduced steering control could occur, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Remedy

    Dealers will replace the lower control arm ball joints (2).

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 1999 Lincoln Town CAR.

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