1998 Lincoln Town Car problems & reliability
154 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1998 Lincoln Town Car, alongside 5 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.
3 complaints report injuries (3 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1998 Lincoln Town Car vehicles were involved in 12 fatal crashes with 9 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 → | 32 | 21% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic → | 19 | 12% |
| Suspension → | 19 | 12% |
| Visibility → | 16 | 10% |
| Electrical System → | 15 | 10% |
| Structure → | 14 | 9% |
| Steering → | 13 | 8% |
| Exterior Lighting → | 12 | 8% |
| Power Train → | 11 | 7% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 7 | 5% |
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 84,000 miles (middle 50% between 62,500 and 123,000 miles), based on 58 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Makes loud popping noise when the wheel is turned to the extreme right or left whether the car is being driven or standing still. Occasionally, the ignition won't turn on and the steering wheel is locked, closing the entire system.”
Power Train · filed Apr 9, 2018
“The cruise control module stopped working on my vehicle and now I'm told it can't be replaced. Subsequently, the radio & a/c stopped working. This cruise control module had to be replaced because of it's ability to spontaneously combust the car in flames as it did on my 1996 lincoln town car. Why doesn't the…”
Electrical System · filed Nov 15, 2013
“Vehicle began to over heat.once it got hot, the power of car is,was lost. After happening a few times,I found a very small [pin size] hole in the thermastate recieving unit.this is a part of the manifold it self. All attemps to repair this problem has failed.! Trying to fix this proved impossible.this part is in fact…”
Engine and Engine Cooling · filed Jun 23, 2013
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
- 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
- FUEL SPIT BACK DURING REFUELING
Engineering Analysis EA99010 · opened Apr 9, 1999 · closed May 4, 1999
- FUEL SPIT BACK DURING REFUELING
Preliminary Evaluation PE98052 · opened Sep 25, 1998 · closed Apr 9, 1999
Technical service bulletins
194 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1998 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
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
Multiple driveability concerns under acceleration caused by ignition coil. *tt
17871 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 1, 2004
Various intermittent/constant electrical concerns. *tt
17828 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 1, 2004
Transmission failure where there is a large amount of metal or debris in the pan. *tt
17810 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 1, 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 1998 Lincoln Town Car has 5 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 1998 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 84,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.