1998 Lincoln Continental: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 88 complaints
88
Total Complaints
96,500mi
Median Mileage
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Top Issue
11
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

51,500 25th Percentile
96,500 Median Mileage
115,500 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
10
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
5
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
4
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM
4
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM
3
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
3
VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD
3
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
3
SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER
3
STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR
2

Severity Assessment

11
Crashes
2
Fires
5
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE AT ALMOST ANY SPEED, GOING OVER ANY KIND OF BUMP IN THE ROAD, THERE IS A THUMPING NOISE COMING FROM THE REAR END SUSPENSION. WHEN TAKEN TO DEALERSHIP, DEALER STATED THAT FORD IS AWARE OF THE PROLBEM, AND WORKING ON A SOLUTION. *AK"
"THE RIGHT REAR DOOR OF THE LINCOLN'S CHASSIS IS ENTRENCHED WITH A SPLIT. THIS ALLOWS RAIN TO LEAK IN OR AIR TO BLOW THROUGH. WILL BE TAKEN VEHICLE TO DEALER TO CHECK. *AK"
"TIMING CHAIN FAILED CAUSING ENGINE FAILURE."

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