1990 LINCOLN TOWN CAR — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 208 complaints · 4 recalls
Most-reported system: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM (59 complaints · 28.4%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 22
  • Fires 65
  • Injuries 14
  • Deaths 0
Compare with 1989 →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution ELECTRICAL SYSTEM appears in 59 of 208 owner complaints (28.4%) in this vehicle snapshot. ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 59 complaints, 28.4% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 59 · 28.4% · 1 crash reports 39 fire reports ENGINE: 29 complaints, 13.9% of reports ENGINE 29 · 13.9% · 19 fire reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: 15 complaints, 7.2% of reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 15 · 7.2% · 8 crash reports SERVICE BRAKES: 12 complaints, 5.8% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 12 · 5.8% · 1 crash reports 2 fire reports FUEL SYSTEM: 9 complaints, 4.3% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 9 · 4.3% · 1 crash reports 4 fire reports AIR BAGS: 8 complaints, 3.9% of reports AIR BAGS 8 · 3.9% · 6 crash reports STRUCTURE: 8 complaints, 3.9% of reports STRUCTURE 8 · 3.9% VISIBILITY: 8 complaints, 3.9% of reports VISIBILITY 8 · 3.9% · 1 crash reports STEERING: 7 complaints, 3.4% of reports STEERING 7 · 3.4% UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 166 complaints, 79.8% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 166 · 79.8% · 15 crash reports 50 fire reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 59 28.4% 1 crashes · 39 fires
ENGINE 29 13.9% 0 crashes · 19 fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 15 7.2% 8 crashes · 0 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 12 5.8% 1 crashes · 2 fires
FUEL SYSTEM 9 4.3% 1 crashes · 4 fires
AIR BAGS 8 3.9% 6 crashes · 0 fires
STRUCTURE 8 3.9% 0 crashes · 0 fires
VISIBILITY 8 3.9% 1 crashes · 0 fires
STEERING 7 3.4% 0 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 166 79.8% 15 crashes · 50 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Jan 1995; the first recall shown was reported in Jul 1990. 1995-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 1995-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 1995-Q3: 14 owner reports 14 1995-Q4: 21 owner reports 21 1996-Q1: 13 owner reports 13 1996-Q2: 11 owner reports 11 1996-Q3: 13 owner reports 13 1996-Q4: 11 owner reports 11 1997-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 1997-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 1997-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 1997-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 1998-Q1: 7 owner reports 7 1998-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 1998-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 1998-Q4: 7 owner reports 7 1999-Q1: 10 owner reports 10 1999-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 1999-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 1999-Q4: 7 owner reports 7 2000-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2000-Q2: 8 owner reports 8 2000-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2000-Q4: 6 owner reports 6 2001-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2001-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2001-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 2001-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2002-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2002-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2002-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2003-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2003-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2003-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2004-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2005-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2005-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2006-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Jul 1990 Jan 2006 Recall campaign 90V133000 ◆ Recall campaign 90V133000 Recall campaign 90V134000 ◆ Recall campaign 90V134000 Recall campaign 95V091000 ◆ Recall campaign 95V091000 Recall campaign 98V322000 ◆ Recall campaign 98V322000 Investigation PE91018 ● Investigation PE91018 Investigation EA91021 ● Investigation EA91021
  • Campaign 95V091000 was reported 99 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 98V322000 was reported 1,273 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
1995-Q1 Owner reports 5
1995-Q2 Owner reports 5
1995-Q3 Owner reports 14
1995-Q4 Owner reports 21
1996-Q1 Owner reports 13
1996-Q2 Owner reports 11
1996-Q3 Owner reports 13
1996-Q4 Owner reports 11
1997-Q1 Owner reports 6
1997-Q2 Owner reports 6
1997-Q3 Owner reports 6
1997-Q4 Owner reports 1
1998-Q1 Owner reports 7
1998-Q2 Owner reports 4
1998-Q3 Owner reports 5
1998-Q4 Owner reports 7
1999-Q1 Owner reports 10
1999-Q2 Owner reports 6
1999-Q3 Owner reports 1
1999-Q4 Owner reports 7
2000-Q1 Owner reports 3
2000-Q2 Owner reports 8
2000-Q3 Owner reports 1
2000-Q4 Owner reports 6
2001-Q1 Owner reports 6
2001-Q2 Owner reports 2
2001-Q3 Owner reports 6
2001-Q4 Owner reports 1
2002-Q1 Owner reports 1
2002-Q2 Owner reports 3
2002-Q3 Owner reports 3
2003-Q1 Owner reports 1
2003-Q2 Owner reports 1
2003-Q3 Owner reports 2
2004-Q4 Owner reports 1
2005-Q1 Owner reports 1
2005-Q2 Owner reports 2
2006-Q1 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 90V133000
Recall campaign 1 90V134000
Recall campaign 1 95V091000
Recall campaign 1 98V322000
Defect investigation 1 PE91018
Defect investigation 1 EA91021
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (4)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 90V133000

    Report date
    Component:
    EQUIPMENT
    Consequence:
    LIMOUSINES WOULD NOT COMPLY WITH FMVSS 110 AND CONSUMERMIGHT UNKNOWINGLY OVERLOAD THE VEHICLE BECAUSE OF PLACARD MISINFORMATION.
    Remedy:
    INSTALL REVISED TIRE PLACARDS.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 90V134000

    Report date
    Component:
    EQUIPMENT
    Consequence:
    VEHICLES WOULD NOT COMPLY WITH 49 CFR PART 567.
    Remedy:
    INSTALL REVISED CERTIFICATION LABELS.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 95V091000

    Report date
    Component:
    LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES
    Consequence:
    THIS CONDITION CAN REDUCE THE DRIVER'S VIEW OF THE ROAD INCREASING THE POTENTIAL OF A VEHICLE ACCIDENT.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW HOOD INNER PANEL REINFORCEMENT AND A NEW, GALVANIZED HOOD LATCH STRIKER PLATE.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  4. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 98V322000

    Report date
    Component:
    SUSPENSION
    Consequence:
    IF THIS OCCURS WHILE THE VEHICLE IS MOVING, REDUCED STEERING CONTROL COULD OCCUR, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE LOWER CONTROL ARM BALL JOINTS (2).
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-21
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 208 complaints · page 1 of 9

No complaints match the current filters.
EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources