1999 Lincoln Continental problems & reliability
42 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1999 Lincoln Continental, alongside 1 safety recall campaign. 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.
2 complaints report injuries (2 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1999 Lincoln Continental vehicles were involved in 7 fatal crashes with 4 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Suspension → | 12 | 29% |
| Air Bags | 9 | 21% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 5 | 12% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 4 | 10% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 4 | 10% |
| Exterior Lighting | 2 | 5% |
| Power Train | 2 | 5% |
| Steering | 2 | 5% |
| Equipment | 1 | 2% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 1 | 2% |
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
“[xxx] vehicle impounded in austin texas was not able to get back. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr”
Service Brakes · filed Mar 21, 2015
“Tl* the contact owns a 1999 lincoln continental. The contact heard a loud abnormal noise coming from the vehicle while it was parked. After inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed that the coil spring fractured and punctured the front driver side tire. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer…”
Suspension · filed Sep 24, 2014
“Put car into reverse, and tire immediately blew out for no apparent reason. Upon further investigation, front left spring had fractured and broke. Spring had punctured tire sidewall once being put into reverse and busted off plastic stabilizer link. Had this happened while traveling at highway speed, it would have…”
Suspension · filed Mar 30, 2014
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- INADVERTENT SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT
Engineering Analysis EA01012 · opened Apr 27, 2001 · closed Apr 15, 2003 · led to recall 03V144000
- INADVERTENT SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT
Preliminary Evaluation PE00042 · opened Oct 16, 2000 · closed Apr 27, 2001
Technical service bulletins
105 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1999 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
Rear window defroster grid/integral antenna diagnosis and repair - terminal tab repair. *tt
04189 · 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
Rear window defroster grid/integral antenna diagnosis and repair - terminal tab repair. *tt
041514 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 9, 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
Inoperative electric rear window defroster (heated backlite) grid lines, integral antenna concerns. *tt
031501 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 12, 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
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
The 1999 Lincoln Continental has 1 NHTSA recall campaign — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
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 1999 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.