Most common 1996 Lincoln Town Car problems
Share of the 259 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Lincoln Town Car complaints by model year
Best Town Car years: 2009, 2011, 2010. Years to avoid: 1997, 1996, 2003, 1998, 2001. Compare all years →
1996 Lincoln Town Car recalls (8)
Vehicle speed control
On certain pickup trucks, passenger vehicles, sport utility vehicles, and motor homes chassis, the speed control deactivation switch May, under certain conditions, leak internally and then overheat, smoke, or burn.
Remedy: Dealers will install a fused wiring harness. Owners of the passenger cars included in this campaign will be instructed to return their vehicles to their dealers to have the speed control deactivation switch disconnected…
Air bags › Frontal › Driver side › Inflator module
Equipment description: passenger vehicles that have had the driver's air bag module replaced after April 5, 2000. The replacement driver's air bag module inflator May have insufficient welds that could prevent proper inflation of the air bag.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the driver's air bag module. Owner notification began October 5, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not…
Seat belts › Front › Anchorage
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles using aftermarket driver's seat belt assemblies that were sold by Ford parts departments from January 1, through June 13, 2000. These seat belt assemblies fail to comply with the requirements of FMVSS no.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect these vehicles and replace the service seat belt assemblies that were installed in these vehicles from January 1 through June 13, 2000.
Seat belts › Front › Anchorage
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles using aftermarket front passenger side seat belt assemblies that were sold by Ford parts departments from January 1, through June 13, 2000. These seat belt assemblies fail to comply with the requirements of FMVSS no.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect these vehicles and replace the service seat belt assemblies that were installed in these vehicles from January 1 through June 13, 2000.
Suspension › Front › Control arm › Lower ball joint
Vehicle description: certain 1996-1999 Ford crown victoria police, fleet, natural gas, and 1996-1999 Lincoln town car limousine vehicles that were produced with a lower control arm ball joint containing a one piece bearing; and 1990-1996 Ford crown victoria police, fleet, and ngv vehicles and 1990-1996 Lincoln town car…
Remedy: Dealers will replace the lower control arm ball joints (2).
Steering › Linkages
The pitman arms were not fully lubricated at the assembly plant. The "ball joint" at the outer end of the pitman arm can become contaminated and corrode.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the vehicles and if the joint is found to have significant wear, the arm will be replaced. Those pitman arms not replaced will have the "ball joint" fully greased.
Show 2 more recalls
Seat belts › Rear/other
The elr/alr feature is used to accommodate child restraints. When servicing the rear belt assemblies, wrong parts could have been used which do not contain the automatic locking feature.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the rear belt assemblies with the appropriate design retractor and tongue assemblies.
Latches/locks/linkages › Doors › Latch
When in the secondary latched position, the driver door latches May open when subjected to transverse loads less than that specified in FMVSS no. 206, "door locks and door retention components."
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the driver door latch.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 6 possible defects involving the 1996 Lincoln Town Car:
Post rear end collision fires
There is no summary currently available
Rear brake line failure
Odi has received 40 complaints alleging rear brake line failure in the subject vehicles, including 8 that have been received this year.an additional 192 reports and 478 warranty claims have been received from Ford.a leak in the rear brake line can cause extended stopping distance.a search of odi's complaint database for peer vehicle complaints, using the same brake line failure criteria as for the subject vehicles…
Ball joint separation
See attached report.
Rear brake line failure
In a letter dated February 25, 2005, Ford motor company (Ford) notified odi that it would be conducting a customer satisfaction program (Ford no. 04b26) to correct a rear brake line chafing concern in approximately 44,000 model year (my) 1997 Ford crown victoria and grand marquis non-fleet vehicles equipped with electronic traction control that werebuilt after March 19, 1997.these vehicles have an additional rear…
Speed control deactivation switch fires
Based on the low rate of fire incidents (2.5 incidents per 100,000 vehicles sold) where failure of the scds is involved and the age of the vehicles ? 7 to 11 years ? A safety-related defect trend has not been identified and further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that no safety-related defect exists.the agency reserves…
Fuel-fed fires
The fars data shows that the risk of fire from impact in all directions in the subject vehicles is the same as all other sedans.the subject vehicles are not over represented with respect to the risk of fire in real-world high-energy crashes.a further discussion of issues related to post crash fires in the subject vehicles is set out in the closing report for sq 01-014 and that report is in the docket for this…
What 1996 Lincoln Town Car owners say
Engine & cooling all 90 →
Tl* the contact owns a 1996 Lincoln Town Car. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH there was smoke emitting from the engine. The vehicle was maneuvered to the side of the road where the contact observed that anti-freeze was covering the engine. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who stated that the intake manifold was cracked and would needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 101,000. Updated 10/24/2014 the consumer stated that the defective plastic intake manifold was covered in a class action lawsuit. The consumer believes that even though the date of the coverage expired the vehicle should still be covered. Updated 04/16/2015
My complaint is about the intake manifold on the 1996 Lincoln Town Car. I am a avide Car person and I have worked on Car all my life. I have come across a problem that I have found out a lot of people are having. The intake manifold on the 4.6 liter engine. This engine is common in the big Ford Car. My Car developed this problem after 136,000 miles. So when I started looking for the part I had a problem finding it. After a long search I started getting the samething, we are out of the part, and the people that had the part wanted just as much or more than the part cost new. Then I was told by a person at the junk yard that I should check to see if there was a recall because he stated that he gets a lot of calls on this same part. I called Ford and found out that there was an extended warranty on the part, seven years. My warranty expired last year. …
Speed control & acceleration all 33 →
The contact owns a 1996 Lincoln Town Car. The contact stated while the vehicle was turned on and he was shifting the vehicle from park(P) to drive(D), with his foot on the brake pedal, the vehicle lunged forward at high speed. The contact stated that the acceleration was extreme. The contact observed smoke coming from the rear tires as the vehicle accelerated. The contact was able to safely stop the vehicle after approximately 50 feet but had to depress the brake pedal with force. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was not turned off but was shifted to park(P). The contact had tested and shifted the vehicle from park (P), drive (D), neutral (N) and reverse (R) and the vehicle reacted normally to each gear change. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. …
Tl* the contact owns a 1996 Lincoln Town Car. The contact stated that smoke was seen coming from under the hood. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be repaired and was parked in the mechanic's repair shop when the vehicle caught on fire. The fire spread quickly and destroyed the repair shop building as well as several other businesses, resulting in over 7 million dollars worth of damage. The fire marshall informed the contact that the fire was caused by the parked vehicle being inside the building. The fire occurred prior to the announcement of NHTSA campaign number 07V336000 (vehicle speed control). The contact indicated that the vehicle exhibited the same defect that was listed in the recall campaign. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 196,000.
Brakes all 30 →
Tl* the contact owns a 1996 Lincoln Town Car. While attempting to drive the vehicle and shift the gear into drive with the brake pedal depressed. The pedal traveled to the floorboard and all the warning indicators illuminated. When the contact poured brake fluid into the reservoir and depressed the brake pedal, smoke appeared from the engine compartment near the master cylinder. The contact also stated that the brake line corroded. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.
On four separate occasions the consumer experienced a loss of braking due to four different sections of the metal brake line due to exterior corrosion. Each time the vehicle was taken to a repair shop to have the brake line replaced. The dealer was notified. The vehicle struck the rear of a utility truck due to the brake failure. The air bag did not deploy. The first failure occurred in 2001. The brake pedal had gone to the floor upon application with no braking effect on either axle. Each failure occurred by ruptured steel brake line due to external rust.
1996 Lincoln Town Car engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4.6L 8-cyl | 4-speed automatic | RWD | 15 / 23 / 18 |
EPA ratings. Class: Large car.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 1996 Lincoln Town Car a good car?
Based on 259 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 1996 Town Car rates avoid: 2.4× as many complaints as a typical year of the Town Car at the same age. It is one of the Town Car years we suggest avoiding. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 1996 Lincoln Town Car?
The engine & cooling — 90 complaints, 35% of all complaints for this model year, most often about exhaust system › manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe. Next are the speed control & acceleration (33) and brakes (30).
How many recalls does the 1996 Lincoln Town Car have?
There are 8 recalls for the 1996 Lincoln Town Car, the most recent from August 3, 2007 (vehicle speed control). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Lincoln Town Car?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2009, 2011 and 2010. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 1997, 1996, 2003, 1998 and 2001. See the full Lincoln Town Car years comparison.
At what mileage do 1996 Lincoln Town Car problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 92,000 miles; 9% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
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.