Window & Wiper complaints by model year
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (power windows, windshield, wipers, mirrors, sunroof).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
The contact owns a 2005 Lincoln Town Car. The contact stated that the windshield wipers became inoperable. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 92,000. The consumer stated wipers are only turned on when raining, back warning only works when backing up, and unsure when the air bag light came on.
Tl-the contact owns a 2005 Lincoln Town Car. The contact stated that the windshield wiper motor failed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 70,000. Djr
2004 Lincoln Town Car purchased new from dealer with defective wheel bearings. When we purchased the Car it had loud cabin noise, the dealer informed us that the outside noise was caused by the rear window and a specialist was brought in two days later to align the window. Cabin noise continued until the bearings gave out at 98,709 miles. As per the window that was align, it is now the only window that you can open but not close.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Lincoln Town Car. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the windshield wiper failed and detached from the vehicle. The contact also noticed the front driver side wheel was missing two lug nuts. The vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 82,000.
We were traveling the I-40 in az behind a tractor/trailer rig. The rig threw up a rock. It hit our Car. We looked at our windshield thinking the rock hit there and saw nothing so we proceeded. Later, we heard a strange sound. I looked in the rear view mirror and saw something fly off. We stopped and discovered part of our sunroof had broken apart and flew off. We duct tapped the remaining sunroof and proceeded at a very slow speed. It occurred to us if a motorcycle or convertible would have been behind us they could have been hit by the glass. Thank god, they weren't there. We could hear pieces of the glass falling on the sunshield. Thankfully, we weren't cut. The dealer told us that sunroof glass isn't laminated or of the quality of windshield glass. Is it possible to require a disclaimer or a safer glass for sunroofs?
Dt*: the contact stated while driving 30 MPH on a city street, smoke erupted from all of the air vents on the dash, and from underneath the hood. There were no visible flames present. The contact turned the engine off, which stopped the smoke. Afterwards, as soon as the engine was restarted, smoke was again present. The vehicle was towed to a dealer, who determined the windshield wiper motor shorted out and needed to be replaced. There was a NHTSA recall, # 01V258000, regarding the windshield wiper/washer motor. The vehicle was not included in the recall due to the VIN. The manufacturer was alerted.
On wipers the intermediate dont work and when washer fluid sprayed cant shut wipers off 2 now on wheels constantly loosing air due to rims peeling and the inside rims are peeling causing tire not to hold air and 3 front end wobbles and raddles had new tierods and ball joints wondering if any recalls were due to be done and previous owner neglected to get done please help
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 Lincoln Town Car. The contact stated that the windshield wiper motor had to be replaced multiple times. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 120,000. Updated 12/30/15 the consumer was informed his VIN was not included in the recall. Updated 04/07/16.
Related recalls (1)
Visibility › Windshield wiper/washer › Motor
Vehicle description: passenger cars, sport utility vehicles, and light and medium duty pickup trucks. A switch located in the plastic cover of the wiper motor gear case could malfunction and overheat, potentially resulting in loss of intermittent wiper function, loss of wiper park function, complete loss of wiper function, or…
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the date code on the wiper motor. Motors built with the suspect time frame will have the wiper motor gear case cover replaced. Owner notification began August 20, 2001.
Frequently asked questions
Which Lincoln Town Car years have window & wiper problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 1999 (16), 2001 (16), 1997 (14), 1998 (13) and 2000 (9) model years. Window & Wiper complaints make up 11% of all complaints for the 1999.
Is there a recall for Lincoln Town Car window & wiper problems?
Yes — 1 recall, including 01V-258 (motor, Aug 8, 2001). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Lincoln Town Car window & wiper problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 96,000 miles; 21% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the windshield (19 mentions), followed by the windshield wiper/washer (12).
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.