Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (front, side and curtain air bags, sensors and inflators).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2002 Lincoln Town Car owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Lincoln Town Car. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH, the steering wheel suddenly became loose as the vehicle became uncontrollable without warning. The vehicle also went airborne, rolled over and spun three times before coming to a stop. The front windshield was fractured and the rear windshield became detached from the vehicle. None of the air bags deployed. Three occupants and a pet dog were severely injured and were transported to the hospital for treatment. A police report was filed of the incident. The vehicle was destroyed and was inspected for the cause of the steering or air bag failures. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 129,000. Updated 08/06/13 the consumer stated the vehicle was inspected by herndon and associates egineering firm. The report was sent to Ford, which Ford dissmissed in four (4) days. …
On 01/12/2019 I was traveling straight down a level country road with 1 passenger in the front passenger seat at about 45 MPH when for no reason the passenger side air bag deployed without any warning. After regaining control of the vehicle we pulled to the side of the road and took a few minutes to calm down and figure out what just happened and clear all the smoke from the interior of the vehicle from the air bag. My friend in the passenger seat was sore but not injured and both our ears were ringing. It sounded like a gun fired in the Car. I call Lincoln customer service and was told there was not any recalls on the vehicle and due to its age they would not provide any assistance to get it repaired. The side of the passenger seat is all tore apart.
Dt*: the contact stated while turning left, the vehicle was hit in the passenger side between the tire and the door however the air bag did not deploy. There was no indication before the crash that the air bag would not deploy other than the contact stated the air bag light had been illuminating intermittently for some time. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an independent repair shop who determined the vehicle was totaled however; no determination was made as to why the air bag did not deploy.
Frontal collision 50mph, none of the airbags deployed on my 2002 Lincoln towncar. My insurance co. Said Car is total loss accident & not repairable, when I contacted to my local Ford/Lincoln dealer & the company itself, I ask my Car is total loss & none of the airbags deployed, they said someone will get back to you soon, after 6 months no one get back to me, but insurance co paid the Car.
Dt*: the contact stated while driving 55mph, the vehicle was hit from the rear causing it to hit a metal fence. Neither air bag deployed. The dealership advised the contact to notify Ford motor company, which has not been done. The vehicle had extensive damage. Seat belts were in use, however injuries were sustained and there was a police report filed.
Dt*: the contact stated while driving 30 MPH on a dry highway, another vehicle hit the contact's vehicle head on causing extensive damage to the front end. Neither the passenger nor driver's side front air bag deployed. There were minor injuries sustained and a police report was taken. Seat belts were worn during the incident and functioned properly.
While driving at 45 MPH the vehicle was involved in a frontal collision. The front air bags failed to deploy and as a result the passenger sustained a painful bruise over the left anterior rib cage. There was sufficient frontal impact but the driver believes the air bag failure May be due to the positioning of the air bag sensor.
Takata recall ? My wife and friend driving 30 MPH in no traffic, and the drivers seat air bag deployed. There was no impact to the vehicle. She said it sounded like a gun shot and the yellow bag came out of the drivers seat. Driving straight ahead on a country road.
(1) 2002 Lincoln Town Car, VIN# [redacted] with approximately 76,000 miles and out original warranty. No previous warnings were given. (2) passenger side air bag inadvertently deployed without being involved in an accident or impact. This incident occurred while driving approximately 45 MPH on a gravel county road in cotton county, oklahoma. When the air bag deployed, it fried the sensor assembly control and the sab sensor. It also ripped the passenger side seat back and side of seat. Estimate at body shop came up with $1,506.00 damages and I had to pay them $ 73.98 to run test on air bag system. At present, none of the other air bags are working now because of this failure. This according to Ford dealer service and body shops. (3) extended warranty with different company than Ford. …
Dt*: the contact stated the passenger side air bag deployed for the 2nd time. On each incident, the contact was driving 40-45 MPH on a dry country road. The dealership determined that gravel caused the deployment. The dealership also said there was a ding on the belly pan of the body of the vehicle. The contact stated there are no marks on the vehicle. There were no lights illuminated in the vehicle prior to either incident. The passenger was injured when the air bag deployed. Updated 09/05/06.
NHTSA investigations
Inadvertent side air bag deployment
Odi has identified 173 complaints alleging inadvertent or non-crash deployment of side air bags on model year (my) 1999-2003 Lincoln town cars.most of the complaints allege that one of the side air bags deployed while driving without any impact.analysis showed that my 2001 through early my 2003 town cars have much higher complaint and warranty claim rates (138 complaints and 120 warranty claims) than the remaining…
Inadvertent side air bag deployment
This investigation identified a total of 182 reports alleging inadvertent or non-crash deployment of the side air bags.the data examined during the investigation suggest that the side air bag crash sensing system's algorithm May recognize certain non-crash incidents as deployable events.odi has not, however, identified any failed component that relates to the alleged defect in the subject vehicles.also, odi has not…
Airbag complaints in other Town Car years
Frequently asked questions
How common are airbag problems on the 2002 Lincoln Town Car?
NHTSA has 20 complaints about the air bags of the 2002 Lincoln Town Car, 31% of the model year's 65 complaints. The component named most often is frontal (7 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2002 Lincoln Town Car airbag problems?
No. NHTSA lists no air bags recall for the 2002 Lincoln Town Car. 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 Town Car airbag problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 68,000 miles, and 20% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 8 crashes, 0 fires and 12 injuries to air bags 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.