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2000 Lincoln Continental problems

The most common problem on the 2000 Lincoln Continental is airbags. It has 1.9 times the complaints of a typical Continental model year.

Typical year1.9x the typical complaints
Owner complaints
63
Recalls
3
Service bulletins
74
Worst area
Airbags
Fuel economy
18mpg

The worst 2000 Lincoln Continental problems

Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.

Problems by type

Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.

  • Airbags
    16
  • Suspension
    12
  • Visibility
    11
  • Electrical
    9
  • Tires
    7
  • Transmission
    7
  • Brakes
    5
  • Engine
    5
  • Steering
    4
  • Acceleration
    3
  • Fuel system
    3
  • Seat belts
    3
  • Body
    2
  • Locks
    2
  • Seats
    2
  • Lights
    1

Specific symptoms reported on the 2000 Lincoln Continental

Coil spring 5

Recalls 3

Air bags: frontalReported April 9, 2003 · 43,459 vehicles affected
What is wrong
On certain passenger vehicles, the driver and/or passenger side air bag could deploy as a result of underbody impacts near the sensors, such as those occurring from pieces of gravel or debris thrown from the wheels while the vehicle is being operated at moderate to high speed or being accelerated.
Remedy
Dealers will recalibrate the air bag sensors. Owner notification began march 31, 2003. Owners may contact lincoln at 1‑800‑521‑4140.

Recall number 03V144000 · Recall details

Visibility: windshield wiper/washer: motorReported August 8, 2001 · 1,083,000 vehicles affected
What is wrong
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 ignition of the plastic cover material. Switch malfunction is most likely to occur when the intermittent setting of the wipers is being used, or when snow or ice obstructs the blades from returning to the "parked" position at the bottom of the windshield. These vehicles were built at the following assembly plants: atlanta plant from 2/11/00 through 7/31/00; chicago plant from 2/14/00 through 8/4/00; kansas city plant from 2/26/00 to 9/4/00; kentucky truck plant from 2/18/00 to 8/31/00; michigan truck plant from 2/23/00 through 8/3/00; norfolk plant from 2/21/00 through 7/27/00; wayne stamping and assembly plant from 2/25/00 through 8/15/00; and wixom plant from 2/15/00 through 8/8/00.
Risk
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.

Recall number 01V258000 · Recall details

Seat belts: front: anchorageReported September 20, 1999 · 25,306 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The seat belt retractor may have a pin shaft in the switchable elr/alr mechanism that is incorrectly formed. In some circumstances, the switching mechanism could become nonfunctional, preventing the seat belt webbing from being extracted from the retractor. It is also possible that malfunction of the mechanism could prevent the belt from being switched into the alr mode. The elr mechanism is not affected by this condition.
Risk
If the mechanism malfunctions and does not allow the webbing to be extracted, the lap and shoulder belt could not be worn by a vehicle occupant. In the event that the mechanism does not allow the alr mode to be engaged, the operator may be unable to properly install a child seat in that seating position.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect the lap and shoulder belt assemblies. Assemblies with julian date codes of 200 through 223 are suspect and will be replaced.

Recall number 99V250000 · Recall details

See all 3 recalls for the 2000 Lincoln Continental

Defect investigations

Inadvertent side air bag deploymentOpened April 27, 2001, closed April 15, 2003

On april 9, 2003, odi received from ford an owner letter and dealer notice, both dated march 2003.the owner letter states that ford will conduct a product improvement campaign of certain my 1999-2000 lincoln continental vehicles equipped with side air bags (all my 1999 vehicles and my 2000 vehicles manufactured prior to 3/1/00; total of approximately 42,000 vehicles).the letter states that the side air bags in these vehicles can deploy in certain types of underbody impacts from pieces of gravel or debris.the letter states that owners who operate their vehicles in such driving conditions should take their vehicles to a dealer to have recalibrated crash sensors installed at no cost.the recalibrated sensor reduces the possibility of inadvertent side air bag deployment.see the federal safety agency's safety improvement campaign no. 03v‑144 for more information.the action taken by ford appears sufficient to resolve the issues raised by this investigation.accordingly, this investigation is closed.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by the federal safety agency that no safety-related defect exists.the agency will take further action if warranted by the circumstances.

EA01012

Inadvertent side air bag deploymentOpened October 16, 2000, closed April 27, 2001

There is no summary currently available

PE00042

Technical service bulletins for the 2000 Lincoln Continental 74

Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.

See all 74 bulletins for the 2000 Lincoln Continental

2000 Lincoln Continental fuel economy

Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.

EngineDriveCityHighwayCombined
4.6L 8‑cylFWD152318

What 2000 Lincoln Continental owners say

Most recent owner complaints, unedited.

Filed Oct 1, 2024 · Electrical · 137,070 miles · OH · fire

The contact owns a 1979 Lincoln Continental. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked and turned off, there was smoke coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that the rear end near the driver's side of the vehicle had caught on fire. The vehicle was extinguished by the Fire Department. A fire report was filed, and a fire report number was provided; however, the cause for the failure was not yet determined. A Police report was not filed. No injuries were sustained. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was towed to an impound lot. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 137,070. The VIN was invalid.

Filed Nov 8, 2018 · Airbags · OK

Takata recall

Filed Mar 31, 2014 · Electrical, Suspension · 105,000 miles · SC

A neighbor pointed out that the automobile was sitting several inches lower than normal closer to ground while parked in driveway. I began to check on this every time I went to use the car. Sometimes vehicle was normal height, sometimes lower. I noticed that, sometimes, when I turned the ignition key there was sound heard like a fan operating. I asked questions of people who had owned similar models and was told that there was a problem in this model showing up 4 to 8 years after manufacture. This model has a ride control which involves three "ride control" settings. As cars age there are air bags under the car which control the feel of car (plush, normal, firm) and they adjust accordingly. Before I start the car, if it sits low, turning the ignition key causes the ride mechanism to raise the car frame a few inches above the tires. Sometimes in cold weather this does not seem to operate and a message shows "check ride control". The store that does routine service regularly tells me that this is a problem in lincoln/fords and that repairs often cost $2000 or more. The car now has about 114,000 miles on it and this problem occurs more often. I believe this has become a safety issue, and I have been told that I am not the only owner having this problem. The car was purchased from another owner, whom I know, in about 2008. He had purchased it from a ford dealer as a "program car" I believe in 2001.

Filed Mar 20, 2014 · Acceleration · 50,000 miles · OH

Tl* the contact owns a 2000 lincoln continental. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH, the engine rpms increased excessively as the vehicle suddenly accelerated without warning. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic where it was diagnosed that the control valve needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. The approximate failure mileage was 50,000 and the current mileage was 165,000.

Filed Apr 26, 2013 · Engine · 106,000 miles · PA · fire

Tl* the contact owns a 2000 lincoln continental. The contact stated that smoke emitted from under the hood while the vehicle was parked. The contact attempted to open the hood to inspect the vehicle and found that the engine was on fire. The fire department was called to assist. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not inspected to determine the cause of the failure. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure and current mileage was 106,000.

Filed Sep 13, 2012 · Airbags · ND

I was entering the vehicle from the driver's side when the airbag spontaneously depoloyed, striking me in the face & arm.

Filed May 1, 2012 · Acceleration · 106,000 miles · TX · crash · 1 injury

Tl* the contact owns a 2000 lincoln continental. The contact stated that the accelerator pedal became stuck and caused the vehicle to rapidly accelerate to 90 MPH. The contact was attempting to exit a highway off-ramp but was unable to slow the speed of the vehicle. The brakes were applied but the vehicle was unresponsive and crashed into a tree. The contact did not recall the details of the crash. The contact sustained injuries to the neck, back and received burns to the face. The vehicle was not inspected to determine the cause of the failure. The failure and current mileage was 106,000. Updated 07/05/12

Filed Mar 29, 2012 · Suspension · 90,000 miles · IL

Tl* the contact owns a 2000 lincoln continental. The contact stated that while driving 25 MPH, there was a loud popping noise. The contact then noticed that the front passenger coil spring fractured and had punctured the front passenger side tire. The vehicle was then towed to an independent mechanic where the manufacturer was contacted but did not acknowledge the failure. The vehicle was neither diagnosed nor repaired. The failure and the current mileage was 90,000.

Filed Oct 14, 2011 · Seat belts · 137,100 miles · PA

Tl* the contact owns a 2000 lincoln continental. The contact stated that the middle rear seat belt failed to unlock and remained in the locked position. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the manufacturer was contacted. The manufacturer confirmed that the VIN did not qualify for repairs under the federal safety agency campaign id number:99v250000 (seat belts:front:anchorage). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were 137,100. Updated 11/10/11

Filed Aug 11, 2011 · 42,000 miles · CA

Tl* the contact owns a 2000 lincoln continental. The contact stated that the air conditioner was malfunctioning and he was unable to adjust the temperature when the blower was set to high. Whenever the air conditioner was turned off, hot air would blow from the vents, making it unbearable to drive. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer, who diagnosed that the blending gate in the air conditioner needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, but did not offer any assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 42,000 and the current mileage was 61,000. The VIN was not available.

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Questions about the 2000 Lincoln Continental

Is the 2000 Lincoln Continental reliable?

Owners have filed 63 complaints about the 2000 Lincoln Continental, 1.9 times a typical Continental model year.

What is the most common problem with the 2000 Lincoln Continental?

Airbags, with 16 complaints. Next is suspension (12).

How many recalls does the 2000 Lincoln Continental have?

3 recalls, covering air bags, visibility and seat belts.

Was there a recall on the 2000 Lincoln Continental airbags?

Yes, 1 recall: 03V144000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.

What year does the Lincoln Continental have bad airbags?

The Lincoln Continental model years with the most airbags complaints are 2000 (16 complaints), 1991 (11 complaints) and 1990 (10 complaints).

What gas mileage does the 2000 Lincoln Continental get?

Official estimates for the 2000 Lincoln Continental range from 18 mpg combined. The most efficient version (4.6L 8-cyl, FWD) gets 15 city and 23 highway.

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