2001 LINCOLN TOWN CAR — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 158 complaints · 6 recalls
Most-reported system: AIR BAGS (47 complaints · 29.8%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 21
  • Fires 4
  • Injuries 20
  • Deaths 0
Compare with 2000 →
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 AIR BAGS appears in 47 of 158 owner complaints (29.8%) in this vehicle snapshot. AIR BAGS: 47 complaints, 29.8% of reports AIR BAGS 47 · 29.8% · 7 crash reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: 21 complaints, 13.3% of reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 21 · 13.3% · 6 crash reports VISIBILITY: 14 complaints, 8.9% of reports VISIBILITY 14 · 8.9% ENGINE: 11 complaints, 7.0% of reports ENGINE 11 · 7.0% · 1 crash reports 1 fire reports SERVICE BRAKES: 10 complaints, 6.3% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 10 · 6.3% · 3 crash reports STEERING: 8 complaints, 5.1% of reports STEERING 8 · 5.1% ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 7 complaints, 4.4% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 7 · 4.4% · 2 fire reports SUSPENSION: 5 complaints, 3.2% of reports SUSPENSION 5 · 3.2% · 1 crash reports STRUCTURE: 4 complaints, 2.5% of reports STRUCTURE 4 · 2.5% UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 89 complaints, 56.3% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 89 · 56.3% · 11 crash reports 1 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)
AIR BAGS 47 29.8% 7 crashes · 0 fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 21 13.3% 6 crashes · 0 fires
VISIBILITY 14 8.9% 0 crashes · 0 fires
ENGINE 11 7.0% 1 crashes · 1 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 10 6.3% 3 crashes · 0 fires
STEERING 8 5.1% 0 crashes · 0 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 7 4.4% 0 crashes · 2 fires
SUSPENSION 5 3.2% 1 crashes · 0 fires
STRUCTURE 4 2.5% 0 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 89 56.3% 11 crashes · 1 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 Oct 2000; the first recall shown was reported in Sep 2000. 2000-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2001-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2001-Q3: 7 owner reports 7 2001-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2002-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2002-Q2: 8 owner reports 8 2002-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2002-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2003-Q1: 10 owner reports 10 2003-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2003-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2003-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2004-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2004-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2004-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2004-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2005-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2005-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2005-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2005-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2006-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2006-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2006-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2007-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2007-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2007-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2007-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2008-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2008-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2008-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2008-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2009-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2009-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2009-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2010-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2010-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2010-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2011-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2012-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2012-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2013-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2013-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2013-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2014-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2014-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2015-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2015-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2015-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2016-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2016-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2016-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2017-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2018-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2019-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2020-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2021-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2022-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 Owner reports Sep 2000 Oct 2022 Recall campaign 00V270000 ◆ Recall campaign 00V270000 Recall campaign 00V412000 ◆ Recall campaign 00V412000 Recall campaign 00V356000 ◆ Recall campaign 00V356000 Recall campaign 01V227001 ◆ Recall campaign 01V227001 Recall campaign 01V258000 ◆ Recall campaign 01V258000 Recall campaign 15E082000 ◆ Recall campaign 15E082000 Investigation SQ01014 ● Investigation SQ01014 Investigation PE03011 ● Investigation PE03011 Investigation EA03014 ● Investigation EA03014 Investigation RQ04011 ● Investigation RQ04011 Investigation EA05004 ● Investigation EA05004 Investigation DP05005 ● Investigation DP05005
  • Campaign 00V412000 was reported 16 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 01V258000 was reported 69 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2000-Q4 Owner reports 4
2001-Q2 Owner reports 4
2001-Q3 Owner reports 7
2001-Q4 Owner reports 4
2002-Q1 Owner reports 4
2002-Q2 Owner reports 8
2002-Q3 Owner reports 3
2002-Q4 Owner reports 5
2003-Q1 Owner reports 10
2003-Q2 Owner reports 5
2003-Q3 Owner reports 2
2003-Q4 Owner reports 5
2004-Q1 Owner reports 4
2004-Q2 Owner reports 3
2004-Q3 Owner reports 3
2004-Q4 Owner reports 4
2005-Q1 Owner reports 1
2005-Q2 Owner reports 4
2005-Q3 Owner reports 2
2005-Q4 Owner reports 5
2006-Q1 Owner reports 3
2006-Q3 Owner reports 3
2006-Q4 Owner reports 1
2007-Q1 Owner reports 1
2007-Q2 Owner reports 5
2007-Q3 Owner reports 1
2007-Q4 Owner reports 2
2008-Q1 Owner reports 5
2008-Q2 Owner reports 1
2008-Q3 Owner reports 1
2008-Q4 Owner reports 2
2009-Q1 Owner reports 2
2009-Q2 Owner reports 2
2009-Q4 Owner reports 1
2010-Q1 Owner reports 2
2010-Q2 Owner reports 1
2010-Q4 Owner reports 1
2011-Q1 Owner reports 2
2011-Q3 Owner reports 1
2011-Q4 Owner reports 2
2012-Q1 Owner reports 1
2012-Q2 Owner reports 2
2012-Q3 Owner reports 1
2013-Q1 Owner reports 1
2013-Q2 Owner reports 2
2013-Q4 Owner reports 1
2014-Q1 Owner reports 1
2014-Q2 Owner reports 2
2014-Q3 Owner reports 2
2014-Q4 Owner reports 1
2015-Q1 Owner reports 2
2015-Q3 Owner reports 2
2015-Q4 Owner reports 2
2016-Q1 Owner reports 1
2016-Q3 Owner reports 1
2016-Q4 Owner reports 1
2017-Q2 Owner reports 3
2018-Q2 Owner reports 1
2019-Q2 Owner reports 1
2020-Q2 Owner reports 1
2021-Q3 Owner reports 1
2022-Q4 Owner reports 2
Recall campaign 1 00V270000
Recall campaign 1 00V412000
Recall campaign 1 00V356000
Recall campaign 1 01V227001
Recall campaign 1 01V258000
Recall campaign 1 15E082000
Defect investigation 1 SQ01014
Defect investigation 1 PE03011
Defect investigation 1 EA03014
Defect investigation 1 RQ04011
Defect investigation 1 EA05004
Defect investigation 1 DP05005
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (6)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 00V270000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    THIS CONDITION COULD RESULT IN PERSONAL INJURY.
    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 WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT FORD AT 1-800-392-3673.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 00V356000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    THE VEHICLE WEIGHT COULD EXCEED THE MAXIMUM LOAD RATING FOR THE TIRE, INCREASING THE RISK OF PREMATURE TIRE WEAR OR BLOWOUT.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL REPLACE ALL 5 TIRES (INCLUDING THE SPARE TIRE) WITH MICHELIN TIRES (225/70R16 107T REINFORCED WHITE SIDEWALL) WITH A SUFFICIENTLY HIGHER LOAD RATING. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN JANUARY 10, 2001. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT FORD AT 1-800-248-0186.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 00V412000

    Report date
    Component:
    AIR BAGS
    Consequence:
    IN SOME CASES, LESS THAN THE INTENDED LEVEL OF PROTECTION IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE RCM AND CRASH SENSORS AND, IF NECESSARY, REPLACE THEM.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  4. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 01V227001

    Report date
    Component:
    SEAT BELTS
    Consequence:
    IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, THE RESTRAINT SYSTEM MAY NOT PROVIDE ADEQUATE OCCUPANT PROTECTION, INCREASING THE RISK OF PERSONAL INJURY TO THE SEAT OCCUPANT.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE FRONT OUTBOARD SEAT BELT BUCKLES AND IF THE BUCKLE FAILS THE INSPECTION PROCESS, IT WILL BE REPLACED. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN JULY 25, 2001. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT FORD AT 1-866-436-7332.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  5. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 01V258000

    Report date
    Component:
    VISIBILITY
    Consequence:
    LOSS OF VISIBILITY WHILE DRIVING INCREASES THE RISK OF A CRASH.
    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. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT FORD AT 1-866-436-7332.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  6. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 15E082000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    If the shafts separate during vehicle operation, a loss of steering control would result, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
    Remedy:
    Dorman will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering shaft, free of charge. The recall began on October 28, 2015. Owners may contact Dorman customer service at 1-800-523-2492, option 5.
    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 158 complaints · page 1 of 7

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