Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (service brakes, ABS, rotors and pads, parking brake).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2005 Lincoln Town Car owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Lincoln Town Car. The contact called in regards to having a brake failure. The contact stated while approaching a red light and depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle failed to stop causing the vehicle to hit a truck and the curb. The vehicle was able to stop after depressing the brake pedal multiple times. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that no air bags deployed. A police report was filed. The contact stated no injury were sustained. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic for body damage estimate and repairs. The contact stated a local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired as of yet. The vehicle was not deemed a total loss. The manufacturer was contacted, case was filed, and referred to contact NHTSA. The failure mileage was approximately 126,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Lincoln Town Car. While attempting to stop the vehicle, the brake pedal was depressed and the vehicle inadvertently accelerated. The vehicle came to a stop at an extended distance. On another occasion, the brake pedal was depressed and the contact struck a guardrail in order to avoid crashing into another vehicle. There were no injuries. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was taken to gateway Ford Lincoln Nissan (located at 1055 w andrew johnson hwy, greeneville, tn 37745, [phone]) to be diagnosed, but the mechanic was unable to retrieve a fault code or duplicate the failure. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 93,000.
I just purchased a used 2005 Lincoln. The 1st day of/during driving it, I had the same problem when moving my right foot onto the brake pedal to stop. Doing so, 3 different times, the vehicle leapt forward. (I've heard of this happening in the past to older folks driving into buildings.) I have come to be aware that when moving the right foot from the accelerator to the brake pedal via rolling on the heel of your foot, that the right outter edge of your shoe-sole contacts the accelerator at the same time when applying the brake pedal to slow or stop the vehicle. No uploads or additional documents provided.
I was driving my 2005 Lincoln Town Car signature series approximately twenty five miles per hour. When I approached a stop sign that another driver was already stopped at, my brakes completely failed, with the pedal going all the way to the floor, causing me to hit the back of the other person's vehicle. I then threw my Car into park to speak with the driver of the other vehicle. The brakes seemed to work after that but now I'm completely paranoid that this will happen again at some point! Nobody seems to be able to tell me what's wrong with my brakes!
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Lincoln Town Car. The contact stated that the vehicle was equipped with a power adjustable foot pedal switch. While driving approximately 30 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed and the vehicle continued to accelerate. The vehicle eventually came to a stop. The contact stated that the failure was related to the foot pedal switch. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated the vehicle performed as designed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 6,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Lincoln Town Car. While attempting to slow down, the brake pedal failed to respond and the engine began to rev without warning. The contact mentioned that an abnormal noise was heard coming from the rear driver side tire before the brakes became operable. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed, but the cause of the failure was not determined. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 67,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Lincoln Town Car. The contact stated that while applying the brakes, the vehicle crashed into the preceding vehicle. The police were contacted and there were no injuries reported from either party. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where they advised her that they were unable to diagnose the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000. Updated 12/16/11 upated 12/23/11
I took delivery of my new Town Car and on the short drive home, I rear ended a Car stopped at a traffic light. I saw the light was red and began by stop normally and then realized that the Car was not stopping. I pressed harder on the brakes and the engine revved faster, the anti-lock brakes would grab and release and then I struck the stopped Car. The impact did not set off the air bags but did considerable damage to the bumpers of both cars. I thought perhaps the accelerator had stuck and took my Car in to the dealer, but they could find nothing wrong. Apparently my foot was on the brake and the accelerator when I tried to stop. A friend who has the same model Town Car as I have said that this happened to him 4 times when his Car was new. My son's wife has a 2004 expedition and he says that he hates to drive it because the brake and accelerator are too close together. …
After being parked in parking lot - engine turned off, no radio playing, etc. We started the vehicle up, backed up, braked, put in drive and accelerated at which time the vehicle immediately accelerated out of control. Brakes would not stop the Car. The Car continued to accelerate faster and faster. We ran over a couple of islands, pulled fire hydrant out of the ground, ran into a wall, vehicle continued to accelerate and it seared from the wall, accelerating faster we knocked 6 parked cars out of the way like they were boxes all the while braking to no avail vehicle continuing to accelerate faster headed across the parking lot toward a chain link fence we threw the gear shift into park about the same time we hit the fence. The vehicle balked and came to stop in about 50 feet in an adjacent parking lot on the other side of the fence ripping about 50 feet of the fence with it. …
The vehicle engine accelerates for no reason when I apply the brakes to stop and tries to move foward requiring me to reapply my foot on the brake pedal with force and put the transmission in nutrual to stop the forward or reverse motion of the vehicle. I had taken delivery of this vehicle on December 16, 2004 and have as of this date have driven it less then 2800 miles due to a major safety defect. I have taken this vehicle to the dealer service center to rectify this problem 3 times, I have also advised them in writing that, this problem makes the vehicle unsafe to drive on the road, and they advisedd me that, since this problem does not appear as an error code in the computer system they are unable to find or repair this. In essence they are unwilling to investigate this problem beyond attaching it to a computer to see if it shows any error code. …
Brake complaints in other Town Car years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 2005 Lincoln Town Car?
NHTSA has 24 complaints about the brakes of the 2005 Lincoln Town Car, 20% of the model year's 119 complaints. The component named most often is pedals and linkages (5 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2005 Lincoln Town Car brake problems?
No. NHTSA lists no brakes recall for the 2005 Lincoln Town Car, though it has 3 recalls for other components. 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 2005 Lincoln Town Car brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 53,000 miles, and 35% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 6 crashes, 0 fires and 5 injuries to brakes 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.