Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2000 Lincoln LS owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Randomly when applying the brakes the car accelerates instead of stopping. This is referred to as unintended acceleration. In some cases this happened on the freeway and others on city streets at very low speeds. Attached is my correspondence with Ford over this matter. As you will see from the correspondence, these incidents occurred soon after I bought the vehicle in 2000 (first incident was in 2001) up until most recently, 2/28/2015. I'm uploading three documents: 1 - my initial to Ford dated 08/23/2015 summarizing the entire episode of incidents 2 - the response letter from Ford date 8/27/2015 3 - my final letter to Ford dated 10/25/2015 asking them to pick up the car from my house.
On Saturday February 06,2016 at 12 a.m. I started my car and it sounded normal. When I placed my car in reverse it started to idle very highly and was reading 3000 RPM although I was still holding my foot on the brake. I placed the car in park and turned it off. I started the car again and it sounded normal until I placed it in drive and started accelerating. The car was pulling as if it wanted to take off during braking. When I removed my foot from the brake pedal the car accelerated on it's own. I drove 1.3 miles never once placing my foot on the gas pedal. Every time I came to a red light the car was reluctant to stop. There is nothing in the way of the gas or brake pedal and upon exiting the vehicle there was a smell of plastic or rubber burn off. This started in an emergency room parking lot and continued through the city streets until I arrived home. …
Transmission is faulty e-code pops check transmission and Ford doesn't know how to fix it come on! I was pulling out of a side street and I was pasted by a semi that with conditions barely missed t boning me cuz of this faulty whatever u wanna call it! I can't even check the [redacted] fluid! It costs $120 just to check it! It blows my mind u ca this car is considered safe and that this transmission issue hasn't been taken care of! People will die or I'm sure already have, the transmission is what drives the wheels how is it safe that u can't control ur speed! The thing acts different every day. Some days OK some days lagging and slow and some days the [redacted] thing takes off like I dumped the clutch and gunned it but I barely pushed the pedal! I've never been so dissatisfied and disappointed with laws rules regulations or whatever! …
Engine has developed an inconsistant misfire at idle, during acceleration, and when it lobs along in overdrive. Recently the the engine stalled while passing a slow moving vehicle on a 2 lane road. I coasted to the shoulder and restarted the vehicle without any problem, however it still continued to mis-fire at random. Sometimes during a turn at intersections it stalls and then regains power and lunges forward (almost like a transmission slip). Dealer can not determine the problem(s), thus they can not fix it. The last time I took the car in for service one of the sales staff informed me that Lincoln has been aware of problems with the LS-v8 for a while. That's great, put some more poor performing, unsafe cars out there to sell to unsuspecting consumers! …
My 2000 Lincoln LS v8 frequently accelerates on it's own. There is no response to braking and putting it in park or neutral, the RPM rises to 3K. It only stops eventually on its own or after it's been turned off for a little while. Recently, this has caused the temperature gauge to red-line. The engine does not actually overheat, but the car reacts as such and power to the engine is reduced. My local Lincoln dealer has attempted to repair the vehicle 3 times without success. They were only able to reproduce the behavior on one occasion, but still could not identify the problem. I've read a few related complaints from other LS owners regarding this unexpected acceleration. This could possibly hit someone or something when attempting to come to a stop. The brakes need to be applied really hard to bring to a stop when this occurs.
On three occasions, my 2000 Lincoln LS (v6) had a sudden acceleration. The first two incidents happened on the highway. The last incident was on 03-29-04 in the city limit. I was driving down the street doing about 30 MPH when the traffic light turned red and the cars in front of me came to a stop. When I began to take my foot off of the accelerator, I felt the accelerator pedal go downward. The car began to increase speed without my foot on the accelerator. I placed my foot firmly on the brake pedal but the car would not stop. I tried pressing the brake pedal down as much as I could but the car would not stop. I shift the gear into park and then the car stopped.
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 Lincoln LS. While slowing down the vehicle, it surged and accelerated unexpectedly several times and the tachometer increased. The contact constantly had to apply the brake pedal to slow down the vehicle due to the failure. The vehicle was taken to dean arbour Ford of west branch (3382 m-55, west branch, mi, [phone]), but the cause of the failure was unknown. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was awaiting to determine if they had a remedy to provide to the dealer. The failure mileage was not available. Consumer stated engine randomly revs from 2,000 to 3,000 RPM.
Concerns of the locations of the brake and accelerator pedals on 2000 Lincoln LS. When brake are depressed, it is easy to hit the accelerator pedal as well. When this happened the consumer had to turn off the ignition while keeping pressure on both pedals. If both pedals were release at the same time the vehicle would lurch forward. The vehicle lurch once which resulted in the vehicle hitting the consumer's garage door and right turn signal lens. The manufacturer was contacted but there has been no follow-up correspondence.
Vehicle experienced problems with sudden acceleration and jumping out of gear. Provide further details. Consumer ended up going through back wall of garage on one occasion, consumer states sometimes the rear tires would spin out of control even with foot on brake and the only way to stop sudden acceleration was to turn the ignition off, dealer convinced cosumer to lease another LS, however consumer is concerned what will happen with the other vehicle, if it would be sold and someone could be harmed.
I just purchased a used 2000 Lincoln LS; my line to my acceleration failed due to line broke and I was almost hit by a vehicle that ran the light as I was pressing my brakes; and I was missed by inches; I was cleared by carfax on this vehicle. This need to be checked on the piece broke under the hood that hold this line my vehicle is parked in store lot until I take it back to dealer where I purchased it.
Acceleration complaints in other LS years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2000 Lincoln LS?
NHTSA has 22 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2000 Lincoln LS, 6% of the model year's 354 complaints. The component named most often is linkages (3 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2000 Lincoln LS acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 2000 Lincoln LS, though it has 1 recall for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2000 Lincoln LS acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 63,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 6 crashes, 0 fires and 0 injuries to speed control & acceleration problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.