Your vehicle report
1999 Lincoln Town CAR
The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.
Your vehicle at a glance
Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.
- Owner complaints
- 148
- Received Sep 1998 to Sep 2024
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Airbags fail to deploy in crashes18 complaints · 12% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Airbag warning light stays on9 complaints · 6.1% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Vehicle catches fire from wiring9 complaints · 6.1% of this vehicle’s complaints
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.
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 identifiedComplaint 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.
Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.
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.
Show as a table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 1998 | 2 |
| 1999 | 17 |
| 2000 | 10 |
| 2001 | 7 |
| 2002 | 11 |
| 2003 | 11 |
| 2004 | 17 |
| 2005 | 10 |
| 2006 | 5 |
| 2007 | 10 |
| 2008 | 4 |
| 2009 | 0 |
| 2010 | 5 |
| 2011 | 2 |
| 2012 | 3 |
| 2013 | 4 |
| 2014 | 8 |
| 2015 | 6 |
| 2016 | 3 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 4 |
| 2019 | 2 |
| 2020 | 3 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 0 |
| Total | 148 |
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.
| Problem | Complaints | Share | Share ratio | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 18 | 12% | – | |
| Airbag warning light stays on | 9 | 6.1% | – | |
| Vehicle catches fire from wiring | 9 | 6.1% | – | |
| Plastic intake manifold cracks and leaks coolant | 7 | 4.7% | – | |
| Tires blow out or tread separates | 6 | 4.0% | – | NHTSA recall #00V356000 |
| Water leaks into cabin during rain | 5 | 3.4% | – | |
| Side mirrors give poor rear visibility | 4 | 2.7% | – | |
| Heater blows cold air, defroster fails | 4 | 2.7% | – | |
| Seat belt fails to latch or retract | 3 | 2.0% | – | NHTSA recall #00V157001, #00V157002 |
| Brake pedal sinks due to leaking lines | 3 | 2.0% | – | |
| Fuel pump fails and engine stalls | 3 | 2.0% | – |
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