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 1996 Lincoln Town Car owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
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.
Tl* the contact owns a 1996 Lincoln Town Car. The contact stated that the rear shocks were being replaced by a local mechanic. The dealer informed the contact that the repair was completed and the vehicle was ready. However, that same evening he informed the contact that the vehicle caught on fire and was totaled. The front of the vehicle was nothing but dust, and the rest has fire and smoke damage. The mechanic stated that a faulty cruise control switch caused the fire. The contact filed a civil law suit, and did not have access to a police or fire report. The current and failure mileages were 150,000.
1. Drivers seat belt latch is broken internally and cannot be used. To circumvent the broken latch, the front center passenger seat belt is being used. 2. Front right hand passenger seat belt can no longer be latched without first pushing the release button. 3. Cruise control automatically engaged while driving in residential area, causing a rapid acceleration of my vehicle above the speed limit. Slamming on the brakes forcefully disengaging the cruise control. One time occurrence.
Dt*: the contact stated the vehicle caught fire while parked. The fire department extinguished the flames, and a police report was taken. The speed control was the source of the fire due to overheat even though the ignition was off. There was a recall #05V017000. The vehicle was not included in the recall due to the VIN.
Tl contact owns a 1996 Lincoln Town Car. The contact had his vehicle speed control switch disconnected on 09/20/2007 by one Ford dealer, and on 03/06/2008 by another Ford dealer. The dealer returned the vehicle to him and stated that they made the final repair. Meanwhile, the brakes failed. The mechanic loosened the brake line and all of the fluid came out of the vehicle. They repaired the brakes, but the vehicle speed control still does not work. The dealer wants a $85.00 for a diagnostic to find out the cause of the failure. The dealer stated the repair was made to the vehicle speed control, but did not last. The contact stated that something had to be wrong with the vehicle speed control before the repair was made. The current and failure mileages were 22,000. Updated 03-25-08 updated 03/25/08
Tl contact owns a 1996 Lincoln Town Car. The contact received a safety recall notice in September of 2007 for NHTSA campaign id number 07V336000 (vehicle speed control). The speed control switch was disconnected in March of 2008. Once the switch was disconnected, he began hearing a buzzing sound when the brake pedal was depressed and the ABS light illuminated. When taken to the dealer, the contact was informed that the vehicle speed control had nothing to do with the buzzing sound that the brakes were making. He filed complaint number 0377821518 with Ford. The current mileage was 29,167 and failure mileage was 28,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 1996 Lincoln Town Car. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, there was smoke coming from under the hood. As a result, the contact discovered that the battery wires were burned and brake fluid had spilled. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle failed to switch gears. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the cruise control wire assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was unknown.
I received 2 recall notices this past October. The recall was to have the speed control device replaced. One for my 96 Lincoln towncar and the other for my 2000 holiday rambler (both equipped with Ford motors. I have contacted the local Ford dealer re the Lincoln right after receiving the recall notice. Was told that Ford should be sending the replacement speed control device by December. It is now the 16th of jan 2008 and alexander Ford has not received the replacement part. I would like to know why the delay.
Tl contact owns a 1996 Lincoln towncar. He received a recall notice for his cruise control (recall 07V336000) in September and had the cruise control deactivated at that time. He was told that the parts for the repair would be done in December. The final repair was performed in March 2008; however, the cruise control did not function. The dealer wanted to charge him $80 to diagnose the failure. The manufacturer was not notified. The current and failure mileages were 107,000. Updated 04/03/08.
Related recalls
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…
NHTSA investigations
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…
Acceleration complaints in other Town Car years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 1996 Lincoln Town Car?
NHTSA has 33 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 1996 Lincoln Town Car, 13% of the model year's 259 complaints. The component named most often is cruise control (10 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1996 Lincoln Town Car acceleration problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 07V-336 (vehicle speed control, Aug 3, 2007). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 1996 Lincoln Town Car acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 107,000 miles, and 14% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 5 fires and 3 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.