1998 Lincoln Continental problems & reliability
72 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1998 Lincoln Continental. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
4 complaints report injuries (4 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1998 Lincoln Continental vehicles were involved in 7 fatal crashes with 8 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Engine and Engine Cooling → | 14 | 19% |
| Vehicle Speed Control → | 13 | 18% |
| Electrical System | 7 | 10% |
| Power Train | 7 | 10% |
| Visibility | 6 | 8% |
| Seat Belts | 5 | 7% |
| Structure | 5 | 7% |
| Air Bags | 4 | 6% |
| Equipment | 3 | 4% |
| Exterior Lighting | 3 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“I am one person among many that have been having many problems with the ford front wheel drive transmission. Bought my 98 lincoln continental with 97000 miles on it, at 109000 miles had to pay 2400 to have the transmission pulled and rebuilt. I'm 65 years old and have never even hit the passing gear. At 155000 miles…”
Unknown OR Other · filed Apr 9, 2014
“Tl* the contact owns a 1998 lincoln continental. The contact stated that the rearview mirror was defective. The mirror had a day night automatic tinting feature. The seals on the mirror failed and the fluids leaked and covered the mirror. The mirror could not longer be used and was not functional. The contact replaced…”
Visibility/wiper · filed Jul 10, 2012
“Tl* the contact owns a 1998 lincoln continental. The contact stated that the vehicle would lunge forward when the brake pedal was engaged. Neither the dealer nor manufacturer were notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 180,000 and the current mileage was 186,000.”
Power Train · filed Jul 5, 2011
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
140 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1998 Lincoln Continental. The 10 most recent:
Wds cop kit diagnostic tip - coil on plug (cop) ignition systems - engine misfire or rough running. *tt
041601 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 14, 2005
General (pcm) power train control module programming procedures. *tt
042107 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 13, 2004
General power train control module (pcm) programming procedures. *tt
04217 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 1, 2004
Engine misfire or running - coil on plug (cop) ignition systems - wds cop kit diagnostic tips. To include various 2005 models. * ar this article 04161 supersedes tsb 03-14-04.
031404 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 23, 2004
Groan/buzz/vibration when the gear selector is in park with the vehicle parked on an incline. *tt this bulletin updates previous bulletin 17358, dated 11/01/2003 to include 2005 models. *tt
17358 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 1, 2004
Malfunction indicator lamp illuminated with diagnostic trouble codes (dtcs) p0442, p0455, p0456, p0457 or p1442 or a check fuel cap lamp illuminated with dtc p0457 for the evaporative emission system. *tt
03203 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 13, 2003
Remote keyless entry (rke) - service tips. *tt
03181 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 15, 2003
New transmission cooler flusher - service tips. 2003 escort and super duty f series included. *tt
03148 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 21, 2003
Engine misfire or rough running condition with coil on plug (cop) ignition systems may be more accurately diagnosed using the optional worldwide diagnostic system (wds) coil on plug (cop) kit. 2003 super duty f series…
03144 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 21, 2003
Torque converter clutch not engaging when commanded and/or diagnostic trouble codes p0741 or p1744 stored in memory. Models from 1996 to 2003. *tt
03123 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 23, 2003
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 1998 Lincoln Continental in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 1998 Lincoln Continental?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.