"How reliable is the 1996 Lincoln Town Car?"

"Based on 316 NHTSA complaints, the 1996 Lincoln Town Car has a median complaint mileage of 92551 miles. The most common issue is Manifold/Header/Muffler/Tail Pipe."

"What are common problems with the 1996 Lincoln Town Car?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 1996 Lincoln Town Car is Manifold/Header/Muffler/Tail Pipe, accounting for a significant portion of the 316 total complaints filed."

1996 Lincoln Town Car: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 316 complaints

316

Total Complaints

92,551mi

Median Mileage

Manifold/Header/Muffler/Tail Pipe

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

72,072 25th Percentile

92,551 Median Mileage

121,815 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Manifold/Header/Muffler/Tail Pipe

Vehicle Speed Control

Gasoline

Engine And Engine Cooling

Lower Ball Joint

Hoses, Lines/Piping, And Fittings

Cruise Control

Headlights

Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip

Engine

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"LUBE AND REPOSITION GAS TANK AND EXHAUST HANGERS, REMOVE REAR WHEEL TO GET TO FRAME AREA, FINALLY FIX SHIMMY LEFT SIDE BODY GROMMET, BODY TOO CLOSE TO FRAME. BODY WAS RESTED ON FUEL LINES, REMOVED BODY MOUNT BUSHINGS, RETORQUED BODY MOUNT BOLT.*JB"

"FAILURE OF THE HORN, HORN DOES NOT WORK IN COLD WEATHER. TT"

"THE REAR SEAT BELTS ARE TOO SHORT TO FIT AN AVERAGE ADULT. BECAUSE THEY ARE SO SHORT, THEY ARE CHOKING THE PASSENGERS THAT USE THEM. PLEASE DESCRIBE. *AK"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

Manifold/Header/Muffler/Tail Pipe 42 complaints

25th: 75,500 mi Median: 93,000 mi 75th: 106,801 mi

Vehicle Speed Control 22 complaints

25th: 35,175 mi Median: 72,000 mi 75th: 173,750 mi

Engine And Engine Cooling 16 complaints

25th: 70,750 mi Median: 87,450 mi 75th: 106,250 mi

Lower Ball Joint 14 complaints

25th: 77,588 mi Median: 98,500 mi 75th: 127,500 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 29 NC: 24 MI: 23 FL: 22 NY: 21 NJ: 16 OH: 15 TX: 15 IL: 15 GA: 14

Who Files Complaints?

19.6%

Original Owners

80.4%

Second+ Owners

Lincoln Town Car — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1990	267	100,500	Gasoline	30
1991	278	83,100	Latch	30
1992	312	96,000	Gasoline	11
1993	226	100,000	Vehicle Speed Control	17
1994	212	111,000	Vehicle Speed Control	21
1995	241	103,733	Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip	17
1997	394	90,575	Manifold/Header/Muffler/Tail Pipe	14
1998	194	84,000	Engine And Engine Cooling	7
1999	203	90,000	Air Bags	24
2000	147	65,000	Electrical System	18
2001	207	85,500	Air Bags	31
2002	70	48,940	Air Bags	17
2003	242	68,800	Rear	15
2004	99	66,000	Vehicle Speed Control	22
2005	161	64,500	Vehicle Speed Control	23
2006	206	62,780	Air Bags	20
2007	114	60,000	Vehicle Speed Control	29
2008	31	53,900	Vehicle Speed Control	9

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28