Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (struts, shocks, control arms, ball joints, springs).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1999 Lincoln Town Car owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 1999 Lincoln Town Car. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the steering wheel started pulling to the left with extreme force. The contact attempted to correct the over steering and the vehicle started pulling to the right and the left. The contact stated that an unknown warning was illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle back to his residence. The contact stated that he drove the vehicle several more times and the steering failure recurred while driving at various speeds. The contact drove the vehicle to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the ball joints, upper and lower control arms, and the steering gear needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 132,000. …
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 Lincoln Town Car. The contact stated that while making a left turn, the contact heard an abnormal sound coming from the front driver's side wheel. The contact stated that the wheel detached from the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where the driver's and passenger's side front upper control arms and ball joints were replaced. The contact called lamarque Ford located at 3101 williams blvd suite f, kenner, la 70065, [phone], and made the dealer aware of the failure. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of failure. The failure mileage was 54,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 Lincoln Town Car. While driving at an unknown speed and making a turn, the rocker arm lowered without warning. The vehicle was towed to a repair shop where the passenger side upper and lower ball joints and the passenger side outer tie rod were replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The contact mentioned that the clanking noise was still present. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 109,228. Updated 02/26/16
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 Lincoln Town Car. While driving 30 MPH, the ball joints detached from the front passenger side of the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000. The VIN was unavailable.
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 Lincoln Town Car. While driving 10 MPH, the ball joints on the vehicle became undone. In addition, the a frame detached from the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 175,000.
2 occasions where ball joint snapped and vehicle was moving and fell to ground .while my child was inside . Major electrical issues such as: odometer flashes constantly and gas gage wacked out ever since vehicle fell to ground every thing was working properly before and on the first incident is when it started and continues to get worse. Suspension and steering : also since Car fell to ground has cause steering and suspension to be almost impossible . I have had several mechanics rip me off and have spent thousands on trying to get vehicle back to the way a Lincoln should drive . And still the results are not good. I cant drive on express ways because vehicle is extremely hard to control and stay in lanes .as well on side streets/main roads . …
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 Lincoln Town Car cartier. The contact stated that while traveling 2 MPH, a loud noise emitted as the vehicle failed to accelerate. The vehicle was towed to a local repair shop where it was discovered that the passenger side ball joint needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and the failure recurred. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed that the VIN failed to qualify for repairs under NHTSA campaign id number:98V322000 (suspension:front:control arm:lower ball joint). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 167,000 and the current mileage was 173,000. Updated 11/23/12 the consumer stated the passenger lower ball joint failed as she was traveling, but no accident occurred, the vehicle was then towed to a local repair shop, where it was repaired. …
Tl contact owns a 1999 Lincoln Town Car. While driving approximately 40 MPH, the contact heard a loud crack. He pulled over but did not find the cause of the noise. The vehicle was taken to a local repair shop where the contact was advised that the front ball joints needed to be replaced. The contact called the manufacturer in regards to recall 98V322000 (suspension: front: control arm: lower ball joint) but was told that the vehicle was not included. The contact also stated that there was a crack in the intake manifold and a mechanic told him that it needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The current and failure mileages were approximately 111,500.
Tl contact owns a 1999 Lincoln Town Car. While attempting to back out of a parking space, the contact turned the wheel and the vehicle jerked and stopped moving. The vehicle was towed to a local mechanic shop to have the front driver's side control arm repaired. Through online research, he discovered NHTSA campaign id number 98V322000 (suspension:front:control arm:lower ball joint), which was similar to the failure he experienced. The dealer stated that his VIN was not included in the recall. The current mileage was 114,000 and failure mileage was 101,000. Updated 6/16/08 updated
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 Lincoln Town Car. The contact was traveling 30 MPH when an abnormal squealing was heard from the driver's side as the vehicle started to shake abnormally. The vehicle was taken to dealer who confirmed that the front end and the drivers side ball joints needed to be replaced. In addition, the dealer confirmed that the VIN failed to qualify for repairs under NHTSA campaign id number:98V322000 (suspension:front:control arm:lower ball joint). The manufacturer was not contacted and the vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 275 and the current mileage was 276.
Related recalls
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).
Suspension complaints in other Town Car years
Frequently asked questions
How common are suspension problems on the 1999 Lincoln Town Car?
NHTSA has 21 complaints about the suspension of the 1999 Lincoln Town Car, 14% of the model year's 148 complaints. The component named most often is front › control arm › lower ball joint (6 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1999 Lincoln Town Car suspension problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 98V-322 (lower ball joint, Dec 16, 1998). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 1999 Lincoln Town Car suspension problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 100,000 miles, and 6% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 0 injuries to suspension 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.