1997 Lincoln Town Car: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 394 complaints
394
Total Complaints
90,575mi
Median Mileage
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE
Top Issue
14
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

73,000 25th Percentile
90,575 Median Mileage
117,964 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE
39
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
33
SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER BALL JOINT
23
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
19
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS
17
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:CARBURETOR SYSTEM
15
SUSPENSION:FRONT
14
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
12
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
11
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:CRUISE CONTROL
11

Severity Assessment

14
Crashes
6
Fires
14
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"MICHELIN TIRES CAUSE VEHICLE TO RIDE BUMPY."
"VEHICLE IS UNSTABLE ON THE HIGHWAY."
"WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE BEGAN SWERVING ACROSS THE ROAD. TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER AND THEY REPLACED THE STEERING BOX. THEN VEHICLE STARTED DOING IT AGAIN, AND THEY TOOK IT TO THE DEALER, ENGINEER TOLD THE CONSUMER THAT IT WAS HIS DRIVING HABITS THAT WAS CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO SWERVE...."

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

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