2000 Lincoln Continental problems & reliability
63 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2000 Lincoln Continental, alongside 2 safety recall campaigns. 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.
7 complaints report injuries (7 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2000 Lincoln Continental vehicles were involved in 4 fatal crashes with 2 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Air Bags → | 16 | 25% |
| Suspension → | 12 | 19% |
| Visibility → | 11 | 17% |
| Electrical System | 9 | 14% |
| Power Train | 7 | 11% |
| Tires | 7 | 11% |
| Equipment | 5 | 8% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 5 | 8% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 4 | 6% |
| Steering | 4 | 6% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 86,500 miles (middle 50% between 50,000 and 106,000 miles), based on 33 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The contact owns a 1979 Lincoln Continental. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked and turned off, there was smoke coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that the rear end near the driver's side of the vehicle had caught on fire. The vehicle was extinguished by the Fire Department. A fire report was…”
Electrical System · filed Oct 1, 2024
“A neighbor pointed out that the automobile was sitting several inches lower than normal closer to ground while parked in driveway. I began to check on this every time I went to use the car. Sometimes vehicle was normal height, sometimes lower. I noticed that, sometimes, when I turned the ignition key there was sound…”
Suspension · filed Mar 31, 2014
“Tl* the contact owns a 2000 lincoln continental. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 mph, the engine rpms increased excessively as the vehicle suddenly accelerated without warning. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic where it was diagnosed that the control valve needed to be replaced. The…”
Vehicle Speed Control · filed Mar 20, 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
74 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2000 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
Safety belt retraction speed. *tt
042421 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 7, 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
Malfunction indicator lamp (mil) illuminated - system lean diagnostic trouble codes (dtc's) - service tips. Various models including 2004 f-series. *tt
04174 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 6, 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
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 2000 Lincoln Continental has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns — 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 2000 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.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 86,500 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.