Most common 1997 Lincoln Town Car problems
Share of the 314 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 →
1997 Lincoln Town Car recalls (6)
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).
Air bags › Frontal
Two bolts that attach the driver air bag to the steering wheel were not installed during vehicle assembly.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the vehicles and install any bolts that are missing.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 7 possible defects involving the 1997 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…
Spark plug ejection from cylinder head
On September 6, 2005, odi received a petition requesting that the agency investigate allegations of engine spark plug ejection in certain model year 1997 through 2004 Ford vehicles with triton v-8 and v-10 engines.odi received a total of 474 non-duplicative complaints on the subject vehicles where the complainant, or the dealer repairing the vehicle, reported that a spark plug detached from the cylinder and/or…
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 1997 Lincoln Town Car owners say
Engine & cooling all 92 →
Tl* the contact owns a 1997 Lincoln Town Car. The contact stated that while traveling an unknown rate of speed, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact stated that upon further inspection of the vehicle, it was noticed that the plastic piece associated with the intake manifold fractured. Also, the contact mentioned that the temperature reader and additional components May have been damaged due to the failure. The vehicle was towed to the contacts residence and was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was not included in NHTSA campaign id number: 10V638000 (engine and engine cooling). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 98,000.
Tl contact owns a 1997 Lincoln Town Car. While driving approximately 65 MPH, the engine overheated and a large amount of white smoke expelled from the exhaust. The warning indicator illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and inspected under the hood. He noticed that the coolant was extremely low and allowed the engine to cool completely. He then added water to the radiator reservoir. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and he stated that the failure was related to a blown head gasket. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 105,000 and current mileage was 107,000. Updated 10-29-08 updated 10/30/08.
Suspension all 50 →
Ball joint separated from control arm causing control arm to drop to the ground. The same as your recall98v322000 but calling Lincoln they said that my Car was not part of the recall. Even though it did exactly what the recall said.
On December 14, 2001, while parking my Car with my granddaughter buckled in her Car seat in the back, I suddenly heard a loud crashing sound and felt the jolt of the entire right side of my Car collapsing. I immediately removed myself and my granddaughter from the Car only to see that the suspension on the right side of the Car had simply fallen off. As a mechanic in my younger years it was very obvious that my grand daughter and I would have been severely injured-even killed- had this occurred on the highway. There were no warning signs at all. In over 50 years as a safe driver and operating a variety of trucks and automobiles, I have never before encountered such a defect with such high potential for lethality. …
Brakes all 44 →
Tl* the contact owns a 1997 Lincoln Town Car. The contact stated that when the brake pedal was applied, it traveled to the floorboard. The contact noticed that there was premature rust and corrosion on the brake lines causing them to fracture. The vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 98i001000 (service brakes, hydraulic). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 44,000. Updated 12/10/15
Life threatening complete brake failure complete loss of brake fluid because of brake line ruptures (both systems) while applying brakes abruptly to avoid an accident. Brake line failure was due to use of cheap uncoated steel brake lines that weakened over the years due to rust. Fortunately, this brake failure occurred at 25mph, just moments after I applied normal braking from 65mph to proceed through a toll booth. If this complete brake failure occurred while braking for the toll booth most likely this brake system failure would have resulted in severe injury and/or death. These inferior uncoated brake lines should have never been allowed to be installed in this vital safety system (brakes) in the first place . And now ...they should be recalled and replaced with superior brake lines under a manufacturer recall program to prevent future severe collisions and loss of life.
1997 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 1997 Lincoln Town Car a good car?
Based on 314 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 1997 Town Car rates avoid: 2.9× 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 1997 Lincoln Town Car?
The engine & cooling — 92 complaints, 29% of all complaints for this model year, most often about exhaust system › manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe. Next are the suspension (50) and brakes (44).
How many recalls does the 1997 Lincoln Town Car have?
There are 6 recalls for the 1997 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 1997 Lincoln Town Car problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 90,000 miles; 8% 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.