Your vehicle report
2003 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
- 201
- Received Jul 2002 to Apr 2024
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Wheel bearings fail prematurely13 complaints · 6.5% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Suspension clunking or rattling noise over bumps11 complaints · 5.5% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Frame rusts and corrodes through10 complaints · 5.0% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #04V328000Certain police, commercial, and passenger vehicles sold to fleets typically input higher loads into the vehicle chassis overloading the wheel bearings and axles.
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: 14 crashes, 0 fires, 6 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 17 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 |
|---|---|
| 2002 | 5 |
| 2003 | 16 |
| 2004 | 13 |
| 2005 | 10 |
| 2006 | 17 |
| 2007 | 13 |
| 2008 | 15 |
| 2009 | 12 |
| 2010 | 12 |
| 2011 | 14 |
| 2012 | 10 |
| 2013 | 9 |
| 2014 | 10 |
| 2015 | 12 |
| 2016 | 9 |
| 2017 | 6 |
| 2018 | 4 |
| 2019 | 4 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 3 |
| 2022 | 5 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 0 |
| Total | 201 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wheel bearings fail prematurely | 13 | 6.5% | – | NHTSA recall #04V328000 |
| Suspension clunking or rattling noise over bumps | 11 | 5.5% | – | |
| Frame rusts and corrodes through | 10 | 5.0% | – | |
| Unintended acceleration despite braking | 10 | 5.0% | – | |
| Steering wheel seizes or locks suddenly | 8 | 4.0% | – | |
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 6 | 3.0% | – | |
| Tires blow out or tread separates | 6 | 3.0% | – | |
| Coil springs break and puncture tires | 4 | 2.0% | – | |
| Water leaks into cabin during rain | 4 | 2.0% | – | |
| Axle breaks while driving, wheel detaches | 4 | 2.0% | – | |
| Brake lights fail or stay on | 4 | 2.0% | – | |
| Seat belt fails to latch or retract | 3 | 1.5% | – | |
| Spark plugs blow out of cylinder head | 3 | 1.5% | – | |
| Jeep Cherokee stalls while driving | 3 | 1.5% | – | |
| Fuel tank or line leaks gasoline | 3 | 1.5% | – | |
| Brake pedal sinks due to leaking lines | 3 | 1.5% | – | |
| Steering wanders or pulls at highway speed | 3 | 1.5% | – |
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 #04V328000July 7, 200447,314 vehicles affected
suspension: rear
Certain police, commercial, and passenger vehicles sold to fleets typically input higher loads into the vehicle chassis overloading the wheel bearings and axles.
This could lead to early bearing failure and ultimately to axle shaft fracture. In the event of axle shaft fracture, the vehicle would lose drive function and would coast to a stop. Loss of drive function could lead to a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the rear wheel bearings, seals,and axle shafts. The recall began on july 15, 2004. Owners should contact Ford at 1-800-392-3673.
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 2003 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