Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2002 Lincoln LS owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I was driving down the highway at 50 MPH when I heard a loud noise coming from the back passenger side. Then I felt the car go out of control and I managed to safely get the car to the shoulder. My passenger door side airbag came out. When I got out of the car my tire was almost completely of the rim. I had my car towed to the repair shop and they said I needed a new axle, wheel bearing, control arm, rotor, rim and tire. Upon further inspection they realized the rim went through the underside of trunk and damaged battery and electrical components. They estimated it would cost about $3,000 to fix not including the body damage. I just replaced the right front hub assembly and control arm in feb. 2011. I have replaced engine coils and valve covers numerous times.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Lincoln LS. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 45 MPH, the ball joint was loosen causing the contact to loose control of the steering. In addition, the vehicle was overheating. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the lower control arm needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however, three months later the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 212,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Lincoln LS. The contact stated that the transmission was slipping out of gear. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who replaced the transmission. In addition, the vehicle was overheating without warning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who replaced the thermostat, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 125,000.
Making a soft right turn at speed of 10mph, engine failed, shifted into n to restart the vehicle while moving without power steering, rear-ended a front vehicle. Engine started without a problem and hasnt happened since. Damage to front vehicle was at $310. Damage to LS was at $960.
My car has numerous parts that tear up repeatedly, within a 6 months time. Valve cover gasket had replaced twice within a 6 months time. The coil packs go up very often. I had panel buttons just tear up for no reason three times! Wheel caps replaced numerous times. Overheating issues, door locking issues, battery replaced twice within 2 years time. Ac issues, (I never used my ac..at all) . This car has a lot of problems on the t.s.bulletin. I contacted Ford in reference to the multiple issues I was having with the car, the company representatives told me to take the complaint to the establishment of which I had been dealing with. Then they said Lincoln is an independent owned establishment so I am totally confused by this whole ordeal, they know that they have had a lot of multiple problems out of that car. And they refuse to recall some of those (as I would say) hazardous issues. …
My 2002 Lincoln LS v8 has broken down in numerous ways. All ignition coils have had to be replaced, two window motors, airbag connector clip, my tie rod ends are bad, my car has actually shut off completely while driving up the 15 north three times while my son was in the car with me and now my transmission has completely stopped working. When it came to fixing the airbag connector problem Lincoln told me it was fixed and I went to pick up my car and it was still doing the same thing the three beeps so they fixed it for free and then told me my instrument panel on one side was burned out but the lights seems to work on it when I turn them on. They wanted to charge me 800 dollars for that but I refused. The ignition coil replacement was roughly 1000 dollars and I am waiting on my estimate for my transmission. Both window motors were 200 dollars a piece. …
I am concerned that there was a recall on the 2003 Ford thunderbird as well as "some lincolns" for valve cover leaking oil into the spark plugs. This causes the vehicle to burn oil and fill the cabin with bad gases. It requires a consumer to spend appr. $700.00 to fix; replacing the valve cover gasket and probably needing the spark plugs that are filled with and burning oil replaced on top of this cost. The 2002 Lincoln LS has this exact same problem, made at the same assembly plant with the same parts the year prior to the recall but I was told by Ford customer relations that not enough people complained to include this particular vehicle. The current recall/ "customer satisfaction program" through Ford motor is: 07m07 and it requires Ford to fix the problem 10 years or up to 100K miles. …
Purchased 2002 Lincoln LS with the v8 motor and got extended warranty from mepco " vcs premier" ultimate warrant corp. For past 2-3 years this car has been in shop over 6 times; 3 times for overheating. First 2 times of overheating they stated the fan clutch was bad and replaced it and it seemed to not run hot as often but still had symptoms.. Now we are waiting to find out what the new problem is; in the meantime the warranty is about to expire and I feel I have a lemon car and the warranty has yet paid me back for past few repairs to this car owing us 726.17 and if they don't fix the problem I am going to end up with a car note in repairs on this car soon...
2002 LS overheated. Dealership replaced thermostat for $130. Drove the car less than a mile from the dealership and it overheated again. Took it back to Ford and they now said the hydraulic cooling fan (hcf) is bad. They said it tested good when replacing thermostat. How can the hcf just go bad? The car still overheats even with the new fan. The new fan with labor will cost me $1000. Plus the engine still overheats. Why did they not see this when they did the diagnostics testing? My LS is still overheating and $1130 spent and they don't know what to do. Why?
Vehicle had burning oil smell coming from engine compartment , valve cover gaskets were leaking oil into spark plug wells, requiring spark plug replacement and possible coil pack damage if not gaskets not replaced. This just after a 60,000 multi-point inspection, oil change, air filter change, fuel filter change and fuel induction svc at another Lincoln dealer. Lincoln should recall all LS's and replace the gaskets at no cost in order to prevent vehicle stalling at highway speeds, as coil packs and plug damage can occur and cause loss of power.
Engine complaints in other LS years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2002 Lincoln LS?
NHTSA has 29 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2002 Lincoln LS, 24% of the model year's 121 complaints. The component named most often is engine (14 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2002 Lincoln LS engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 2002 Lincoln LS. 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 2002 Lincoln LS engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 58,000 miles, and 30% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 0 fires and 1 injury to engine & cooling 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.