1997 Lincoln Town Car problems & reliability
314 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1997 Lincoln Town Car, alongside 4 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.
6 complaints report injuries (8 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1997 Lincoln Town Car vehicles were involved in 21 fatal crashes with 17 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 | 87 | 28% |
| Suspension | 50 | 16% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 43 | 14% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 39 | 12% |
| Steering | 22 | 7% |
| Exterior Lighting | 17 | 5% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 17 | 5% |
| Electrical System | 16 | 5% |
| Visibility | 16 | 5% |
| Air Bags | 9 | 3% |
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 90,000 miles (middle 50% between 73,000 and 114,493 miles), based on 126 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“This has happened to me 3 times in the past 3 months. While driving interstate highway at night and traveling 65 to 70 miles per hr., without any warning or symptoms, the headlights turn off. They then turn on and off a few times and then seem to correct themselves and stay on. This happens on trips after 1 hour or…”
Electrical System · filed Oct 2, 2022
“The contact owns a 1997 Lincoln Town Car. The contact stated while driving at 40 MPH, another vehicle crashed into the front passenger side of the vehicle. The vehicle that crashed into the contact was driving at approximately 55 MPH. The air bags failed to deploy. There were no injuries reported. The vehicle was not…”
Air Bags · filed Jul 7, 2022
“Tl* the contact owns a 1997 lincoln town car. While driving approximately 60 mph, the steering ability became loose and the contact lost control. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined that the steering column failed and needed replacement. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for…”
Steering · filed May 22, 2019
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- SPARK PLUG EJECTION FROM CYLINDER HEAD
Defect Petition DP05005 · opened Sep 22, 2005 · closed Jan 4, 2006
- REAR BRAKE LINE FAILURE
Engineering Analysis EA03012 · opened Jul 25, 2003 · closed Apr 11, 2005 · led to recall 05V086000
- REAR BRAKE LINE FAILURE
Recall Query RQ03004 · opened Mar 11, 2003 · closed Jul 25, 2003
- BALL JOINT SEPARATION
Recall Query RQ03002 · opened Jan 3, 2003 · closed Jun 3, 2003
- SPEED CONTROL DEACTIVATION SWITCH FIRES
Engineering Analysis EA02025 · opened Sep 6, 2002 · closed Jun 30, 2004
- FUEL-FED FIRES
Defect Petition DP02007 · opened Aug 22, 2002 · closed Dec 4, 2002
- POST REAR END COLLISION FIRES
Investigation SQ01014 · opened Nov 27, 2001 · closed Oct 3, 2002 · led to recall 02I003000
Technical service bulletins
134 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1997 Lincoln Town Car. The 10 most recent:
Ford/lincoln mercury: certain 1992-2001 model year crown victoria, grand marquis, and town car vehicles registered in the states of wisconsin and connecticut upgrade modifications for high speed rear impacts. *pe
CSP 08B04 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 15, 2008
Some 1997-2008 vehicles equipped with a 4.6l 2v, 5.4l 2v, or 6.8l 2v engine--spark plug thread repair procedure--not covered under new vehicle limited warranty. *nj this includes f-53 motorhome chassis. Updated 2/23/10…
07212 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 1, 2007
Customer satisfaction program 05b31 - information only. A possibility that during a high speed / high energy rear collision, certain components have an increased risk of puncturing the fuel tank on vehicles with limo…
0531 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 8, 2007
Extended coverage program 05n04 - extended coverage for composite intake manifold. This program is being provided as a settlement to a class action lawsuit. The terms of the settlement extend the coverage of the…
05N04 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 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
Malfunction indicator lamp (mil) on with diagnostic trouble codes (dtcs) p0420 and/or p0430. *tt
03245 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 8, 2003
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
Malfunction indicator lamp (mil) on with diagnostic trouble codes (dtcs) p0420 (catalyst system efficiency below threshold - bank 1) and/or p0430 (catalyst system efficiency below threshold - bank 2). *tt
17310 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 1, 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 1997 Lincoln Town Car has 4 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 1997 Lincoln Town Car?
- · 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 90,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.