Tl* the contact owns a 2003 lincoln aviator. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, the engine warning light illuminated as the vehicle started to shake abnormally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who inspected the failure and advised that the cylinder head in the engine needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the issue who offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 92,000. Updated 8/23/12 *cn also, the ignition coils needed to be replaced. Updated 09/05/12
2003 Lincoln Aviator engine problems
17 complaints (15% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 81,000.
- owner complaints
- 17
- of this car's complaints
- 15%
- typical mileage
- 81,000
- crashes
- 0
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
- Engine3
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
0k-25k
25k-50k
50k-75k
75k-100k
100k-125k
125k-150k
150k-175k
175k-200k
200k+
Lincoln Aviator engine problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 2003 Lincoln Aviator engine
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Related investigations
Spark plug ejection from cylinder head
On september 6, 2005, odi received a petition requesting that the agency investigate allegations of engine spark plug ejection in certain model year 1997 through 2004 ford vehicles with triton v-8 and v-10 engines.odi received a total of 474 non-duplicative complaints on the subject vehicles where the complainant, or the dealer repairing the vehicle, reported that a spark plug detached from the cylinder and/or ejected from the engine.as of december 8, 2005, odi is not aware of any allegations where the alleged defect resulted in a loss of vehicle control, a crash, an injury, or a fatality in any of the 10,319,810 subject vehicles.in addition, odi is aware of only two incidents where the vehicle stalled without restart.information contained in the odi consumer complaints and obtained from 72 telephone interviews with complainants showed the following:(1) 99% of the complaints were on my 1997 to 2002 subject vehicles.(2) most the complainants reported hearing a loud pop while driving or upon starting up the vehicle followed by a loud, repetitive clicking or popping sound.(3) many of the complainants reported that the popping sound was accompanied by some loss of vehicle power; however, in 99% of the incidents reported, the vehicle did not stall.in the very few incidents where the vehicle did stall, most vehicles could be restarted.(4) only a small percentage of the complainants cited that they smelled gas or a slight burning smell when the incident occurred.(5) in all but a very few incidents, vehicle damage was limited to the engine.in one incident, the complaint reported that the fuel rail was damaged and replaced after one of the spark plugs ejected from the engine; however, the complainant reported that the damage did not result in any type of fuel leak or fire.in another incident, the only incident where a fire was alleged, the complainant reported that no fluid leak was observed, but that a fire resulted after the spark plug had ejected from the engine and he had restarted the vehicle and driven to another location.none of the complainants reported any damage to the vehicle hood.(6) only two complainants reported that they observed what appeared to be some drops of fuel coming from the cylinder where the spark plug had failed or on the spark plug itself; however, each of these complainants reported that there was no smoke or flames as a result of his incident.as the petitioner noted, and odi?s analysis showed, it is possible for a spark plug to detach from the engine cylinder threads in the subject vehicles.however, odi?s analysis of 474 complaints describing such incidents found only a very few alleged any safety-related consequences.none of these showed any evidence of a serious safety consequence.given the large population and relatively long exposure time of the subject vehicles, the complaint analysis indicates that the risk to motor vehicle safety from the alleged defect is very low.in view of the foregoing, it is unlikely that the federal safety agency would issue an order for the notification and remedy of the alleged defect at the conclusion of the investigation requested in the petition.therefore, in view of the need to allocate and prioritize the federal safety agency?s limited resources to best accomplish the agency?s safety mission, the petition is denied.
DP05005
What 2003 Lincoln Aviator owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Tl* the contact owns 2003 lincoln aviator. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle stalled with the illumination of the check engine warning light. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection where the contact was informed that the spark plugs needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred several times. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 60,000. The VIN was unavailable.
Solenoids going out on the transmission as well as the belts that hold the transmission in place. Dealer stated that this is a known problem for 2 years and that ford will not recall the product. The engine light came on during the drive and the engine has trouble shifting into gear going up a hill. Their is a leak around the oil filter which cause the overdrive light to come on durin the drive. The leak is on the 0 ring bolted onto the engine and that part including the filter and antifreeze needs to be added to the car. The car lost 3 quarts of oil and had to be replaced by the driver in order to take it to the dealer for repair. The dealer admitted this is a manufacturers defect but will not replace these parts for no charge.
At 76,000 miles began hearing a noise under the hood. It was determined by an authorized ford dealer that the idler pulleys were bad. Changed 3 pulleys and the noise was still there. Driving on a country paved road at 25 miles an hour a loud thump and the car died. Could not get it restarted. The plastic tensioner guide broke causing the timing chain to come off and broke pistons, valves and rockers. New engine from ford $8,000.... Had to replace it for $5,000 and will be trading it in immediately.
After owning a 2003 lincoln aviator close to 4 years it is now down. I took good care of this SUV and always had changed the oil with synthetic oil . With only 79,000 miles it now has a engine knock . I took it to the lincoln dealer and they said I need a new engine and it would be 8,800 dollars since my extended warranty just ran out. I have been reading other people had this experience with this SUV and year but ford does not want to correct this.
I own a 2003 lincoln aviator with 85,000 miles on it . It is a 48,000 dollar vehicle and I am less than satisfied with the way its held up . The vehicle sees synthetic oil changes every 3,000 miles . At around 79,000 the engine died on while driving on a hilly country road with my family in the car . I was able to muscle the car over to the side of the road with no power steering and limited brakes we ended up in a corn field , however there was no damage to the vehicle there was a verry unhappy farmer . The vehicle then started up and ran but was running rough with a check engine light . Brought to the dealer and was told its a common problem and needed a valve job somewhere to the tune of 5,000 dollars . I am one of at least 350 other complaints of the same problem online and would greatly appreciate it being looked into further . This vehicle has been babied since day 1 and I loved it untill now and its a shame . Along with the low compression the vehicle also developed an obnoxious knock and tick. I dont appreciate the vehicle as I did before oh and as for ford , they want nothing to do with it .
2003 aviator 4.6 v8 with 102,000 miles. Maintained maintenance which I have had vehicle for about a year. Car ran fine. All of a sudden vehicle would not start. Had to have transmission shifter cable replace. Ran okay for about 6 months than started hearing knocking sound from engine. Took to ford certified mechanic which they pulled engine apart and could not determine problem. They stated that they were not sure and contacted ford. Drove for about 3 weeks of which low oil pressure light came on and vehicle shut down in the middle of highway. Now it appears that the engine itself is the problem. $7,000 dollars which I don't have and more than vehicle is worth. I have done some researchand apparently there are alot of people who have this vehicle year/model with same similar problems.
I don't know if you can help me , but if you could point me in the right direction I would greatly appreciate it. I have a problem with ford motor corp .I want to complain about a severe engine flaw on there 2003 aviator with the 4.6 motor .I have contacted them over and over and the same response out of warranty sorry .as stated in there (tbs) report 06-5-13 cylinder 7 is the weak point of this motor , to check compression ,witch of course my engine failed as I am sure many others failed as well. This problem seems to develop between 60,000 to 80,000 mi. (according to data I collected online) and the warranty is up at 50,000. I don't believe that I, and all the others who bought this truck should pay for there mistake. So what I am asking is , if you could point me in the right direction . Who I should contact or complain to . Thank you for your time to read this . [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
My 2003 lincoln aviator acquired a crack in the engine while my wife was driving with our children. Upon further research of problem, it shows in ford's tsb's that this is a known issue with the engine. The repair will cost approx. $5000 to fix, the problem here is ford is aware but denying the problem when repairing the engine. How can they do this.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 lincoln aviator. The contact experienced a coil issue with her vehicle, in terms of misfiring. When she would accelerate, the vehicle hesitated. The dealer was initially unable to determine the cause of the failure, but after further diagnosis, discovered that two coils were defective. The coils were replaced, but the failure recurred after 30 miles. The contact returned the vehicle to the dealer. The failure occurred a total of five times and the vehicle was taken to the dealer after each occurrence. They continued to replace the coils, which did not remedy the issue. The failure occurred at all speeds and the air conditioner would shut off simultaneously. The manufacturer has not been notified. The current mileage was approximately 80,200 and failure mileage was approximately 60,000.
Questions about the 2003 Lincoln Aviator engine
Does the 2003 Lincoln Aviator have engine problems?
Owners have filed 17 complaints about the engine of the 2003 Lincoln Aviator, 15% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 2003 Lincoln Aviator engine problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 81,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2003 Lincoln Aviator engine?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
What year does the Lincoln Aviator have bad engine?
The Lincoln Aviator model years with the most engine complaints are 2004 (20 complaints) and 2003 (17 complaints).
Other 2003 Lincoln Aviator problems
Transmission 55Body 15Acceleration 11Brakes 9Electrical 8Airbags 7Visibility 7Steering 5Suspension 5Tires 5Locks 3Wheels 3Fuel system 2Lights 1Seat belts 1
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