Airbag complaints by model year
| Year | Complaints | Share of year's complaints | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 2 | 33% | 92,000 miles |
| 2010 | 1 | 8% | 110,000 miles |
| 2009 | 1 | 20% | 13,000 miles |
| 2008 | 1 | 5% | 487,000 miles |
| 2007 | 12 | 14% | 70,000 miles |
| 2006 | 58 | 41% | 72,000 miles |
| 2005 | 22 | 18% | 65,000 miles |
| 2004 | 2 | 2% | 26,000 miles |
| 2003 | 10 | 5% | 60,000 miles |
| 2002 | 20 | 31% | 68,000 miles |
| 2001 | 54 | 34% | 89,000 miles |
| 2000 | 17 | 16% | 30,000 miles |
| 1999 | 29 | 20% | 102,000 miles |
| 1998 | 1 | 1% | — |
| 1997 | 9 | 3% | 100,000 miles |
| 1996 | 9 | 3% | 81,000 miles |
| 1995 | 12 | 7% | 135,000 miles |
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (front, side and curtain air bags, sensors and inflators).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 Lincoln Town Car. While backing out of the driveway at approximately 5 MPH, a snap sound was heard and the steering wheel fractured. The steering wheel moved in circles and the contact lost control of the vehicle. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle crashed into a ditch. The air bags did not deploy. There were no injuries and a police report was not filed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that there were no recalls. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 81,000. ..updated 11/17/16 the consumer stated her husband fixed the steering problem on his own and at his expense. Updated 12/15/16.8jb
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 Lincoln Town Car. The contact stated that while driving at 15 MPH and attempting to accelerate, the accelerator pedal became stuck causing the vehicle to lunge forward and crash into bushes. The air bags failed to deploy. A police report was not filed and no injuries were reported. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 319,000.
Want to report similar problem others seem to be reporting. When starting the car you hear 5 chimes/beeps repeating five times. The airbag light remains lit the entire time. On extended trips the chimes/beeps comes on again roughly every thirty minutes. Being directly linked to the airbag I'm surprised to find that this has yet to be recalled especially since many other towncar owners are reporting the exact same problem. I discovered that others were having similar issues when I was looking for a replacement seat belt because ours is sluggish to retract, you have to help it back to starting position.
Seatbelt / airbag warning light indicator is warning about either faulty sensor or faulty belt tensioner. Began while in parked poison and continues periodically when in motion, regardless of speed. Cost to repair is exorbitant, nearly half the value of the Car and is not guaranteed to work is last. The airbags will likely not worth in the event of accident but no way to tell unless there is an accident. Serious fault regarding required safety equipment with this make/model year. Mileage is 170,100. Also, the passenger side floorboard, especial in backseat become saturated when it rains. Floor plugs are intact, the water is entering from poor design feature where the windshield/engine meet and supposedly slow for water to be channeled away from engine to ground but is actually channelling along the side into the passenger cabin footwell. …
We have contacted Ford motor company and they still refuse to do a recall on our 2005-Lincoln Town Car.,why is this not being fixed? We have spent $1200 dollars to locate the problem and have one seat belt replaced,and airbag inflator. After replacing one side, the other side now needs replacing,which there was not another part available. So now it's all disconnected,and all we have for safety is the seat belts,which Ford said that would be safe enough. I find this unacceptable by this company and will never buy another Ford product... Why hasn't your organization done something to secure our safety? We can't even take the grand-kids in our Car ,because of this safety -hazard. We have filled a complaint with your organization last year,when is this going to be rectified ? Please notify us as to what you are going to do about this? Help!
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Lincoln Town Car. The contact stated that while driving 10 MPH, the vehicle rolled into incoming traffic as a result another vehicle crashed into the front driver's side of the vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. The contact sustained severe head injuries. The contact was taken from the scene my paramedics. A police report was filed. The contact was treated for brain damage, intermittent amnesia and was paralyzed from the waist down. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 190,000. Updated 09/05/14 updated 09/12/2014
Takata recall as an 83 year old senior citizen, just recently widowed in May 2015, I was forced to purchase another Lincoln, because of the airbag in my 2003 Lincoln did not function at all doing a head on collision, hitting a concrete wall
I had a front end collision in my 2003 Lincoln Town Car and neither the drivers side nor passenger side air bags deployed. It was not until the Car had stopped and I was getting out of the Car that the drivers airbag deployed. The passenger side never inflated. The impact to my vehicle was so severe that the front end is completely gone and the hood was crumpled back to the windshield. The engine was pushed up against the firewall. Why did my airbags not inflate????!!!!!
Related recalls (4)
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…
Air bags › Frontal › Sensor/control module-inactive
Vehicle description: minivans and passenger vehicles. A restraint control module (rcm) or a side or front crash sensor May have been assembled with one or more of the screws that mount the circuit board in the housing missing. If some or all of the screws are missing, the performance of the occupant restrains could be affected.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the rcm and crash sensors and, if necessary, replace them.
Air bags
Certain passenger vehicles, limousines, and Mini vans were built with a newly designed restraint control module (rcm). In some cases, the rcm does not recognize certain system faults that could result in an air bag or seat belt pre-tensioner unexpectedly activating during the self-test sequence at vehicle start-up.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the rcm in these vehicles. Owner notification began September 14, 2000. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy…
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 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…
Frequently asked questions
Which Lincoln Town Car years have airbag problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2006 (58), 2001 (54), 1999 (29), 2005 (22) and 2002 (20) model years. Airbag complaints make up 41% of all complaints for the 2006.
Is there a recall for Lincoln Town Car airbag problems?
Yes — 4 recalls, including 01V-318 (inflator module, Oct 3, 2001); 00V-412 (sensor/control module-inactive, Dec 6, 2000); 00V-270 (air bags, Sep 13, 2000). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Lincoln Town Car airbag problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 79,000 miles; 28% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the frontal (52 mentions), followed by the side/window (39).
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.