"How reliable is the 2001 Lincoln Continental?"

"Based on 38 NHTSA complaints, the 2001 Lincoln Continental has a median complaint mileage of 79000 miles. The most common issue is UNKNOWN OR OTHER."

"What are common problems with the 2001 Lincoln Continental?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2001 Lincoln Continental is UNKNOWN OR OTHER, accounting for a significant portion of the 38 total complaints filed."

2001 Lincoln Continental: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 38 complaints

Total Complaints

79,000mi

Median Mileage

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

42,000 25th Percentile

79,000 Median Mileage

142,250 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

SUSPENSION

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

SUSPENSION:FRONT:SPRINGS:COIL SPRINGS

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:INTERIOR/UNDER DASH

STEERING

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:PARK/NEUTRAL START INTERLOCK SWITCH

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"JUST BOUGHT A 2001 LINCOLN CONTINENTAL. JUST ONE SMALL POTENTIAL SAFETY PROBLEM. EMERGING FROM THE FRONT OF THE CENTER CONSOLE ARE TWO BLACK ELECTRICAL OR MECHANICAL CABLES, EACH ABOUT ONE-QUARTER OF AN INCH IN DIAMETER., THAT GO UP INTO THE BOTTOM OF THE DASHBOARD. THEY OBSTRUCT THE TOP OF THE ACCE..."

"CANNOT READ THE INSTRUMENT PANEL IN BRIGHT SUNLIGHT. THIS INCLUDES THE SPEEDOMETER AS WELL AS THE OTHER INFORMATION.*AK"

"WHEN USING CRUISE CONTROL AND DRIVING DOWN HILL VEHICLE WILL NOT MAINTAIN SPEED, VEHICLE WILL INCREASE SPEED DEPENDING ON DOWN GRADE, 20 MPH NOT UNCOMMON, DEALER TOLD CONSUMER LINCOLN HAD CHANGED DESIGN ON CRUISE CONTROL IN 1998, ALL LINCOLN VEHICLES HAVE THIS "FEATURE".*AK *JB"

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