Tl* the contact owns a 1999 lincoln continental. The contact was driving at 45 MPH when the front driver side tire failed. The vehicle was towed to a local mechanic who performed a diagnostic and located the failure at the front tie rod and ball joint, the mechanic advised that the components had failed, causing the tire to wear prematurely and split in half. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and the current mileage was 135,000.
Lincoln Continental ball joint problems
26 of the 1,387 owner complaints about the Lincoln Continental describe ball joint or control arm failure, most of them for the 1990 model year.
- owner complaints
- 26
- worst model year
- 1990
- typical mileage
- 125,000
Is there a fix? No recall or service bulletin covers this area of the car yet.
By model year
- 20021
- 20011
- 19992
- 19982
- 19973
- 19953
- 19941
- 19932
- 19912
- 19909
Often reported together
Power steering loss 3Coil spring 2Check engine light 2Grinding brakes 2Wipers 1Transmission failure 1Stalling 1
What owners say
As I was backing the car up the tie rod/steering assembly disengaged (unscrewed) from the rack&pinyon (passenger side) causing loss of steering. The tie rod I stress again unscrewed from the rack. I was fortunate this took place at a slow speed. I feel that if this occurred at highway speeds it could have resulted in a serious or fatal crash. My mechanic replaced the tie rods on both sides with new ones and I have the old part on hand. Looks like the safety pin that holds the tie rod to the rack wore and allowed the tie rod to unscrew its self from the rack.
Tl*the contact owns a 1999 lincoln continental. The contact stated that the front coil spring corrosion caused the tie rods to corrode and puncture the tire which made it impossible to drive the vehicle. The dealer advised the contact that there were no related recalls. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 125,000. Updated 11/15/10 *cn updated 11/24/10
2002 lincoln continental broken steering/control arm. Consumer states that manufacturer does not make these parts anymore and want the consumer to get it fixed with junk parts. Consumer states that is against their warranty. *kb the consumer believed the problem he experienced was due to some bad repairs. When the dealer installed a front right axle and rotated the tires, those repairs caused the tires/wheels to tilt inward, which caused the tires to wear. *jb updated
Tl*the contact owns a 2001 lincoln continental. While driving 45 MPH or greater, the vehicle veered to the right. The mechanic stated that the rear upper ball joint failed and the part was unavailable. The manufacturer stated that the wait could be 2-6 months. The contact felt that the wait time for the part was unacceptable. The mechanic was able to locate one part; however, as of november 1, 2007, the mechanic had not repaired the vehicle. The current and failure mileages were 79,000.
When turning there's a groaning noise. Left outer tie rod seized to a lubrication issue. Dealership replaced the both outer tie rods.
The tie rod on the left front wheel separated, which caused consumer to loose control of the steering wheel.
The consumer has experienced the following: recall head mount , subframe, air bag suspension system, air shock, rear stabilizer and rear shock sensors-bouncing/bobbing in the front of the vehicle, right rear tire, left rear air strut-was blown and was dragging down in back, a conversion of suspension was done to convert to coil springs and replace all 4 struts and hardware, recall brake & motor mount-brake grinding, head gasket, and inner tie rod. (recall #'s 94v129000 & 97v019000) scc
Strut towers are welded so alignment cannot be done, wears tires and ball joints, dealer and ford refused to repair, or make good, this problem is with ranger as well as taurus and extends to 99 from 95, most front wheels drives have this problem, a recall is warranted and class action ought to be sought, thousands of dollars were spent to correct this defect.
Vehicle not heating, cold air was coming out of heater, and vehicle threatened to stall. It was taken to repair shop, and a tsb was found on blown gaskets. There was an extended gold warranty issued in 1998 for lincoln, continentals 1993- 1995. Repairmen called to see if consumer's vehicle would be covered, only 1994-1995 would be repaired free, 1993 vehicles weren't covered. *ak consumer has had several problems with vehicle: driver's side heated mirror failed, 02 sensor failed and was replaced, transmission pan gasket replaced, outer tie rod ends and front sway bar links and bushings replaced, left front inside door handle replaced, vehicle would not come out of park, brake light switch replaced, suspension pump replaced, reserve tank replaced, right and left air bags replaced, shocks replaced, distributor cap replaced, spark plugs replaced, left door actuator replaced, blower motor speed controller replaced, replaced front brake pads, replaced rear brake pads, machined rotors, replaced rear brake calipers, replaced front brake rotors, serpentine belt replaced, serpentine belt tensioner replaced, check engine light illuminated, front and rear motor mounts replaced, cylinder head bolts replaced, rear suspension failed, and from the head gasket failure dealer would not reimburse consumer.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the Lincoln Continental ball joint
Which Lincoln Continental years have ball joint or control arm failure problems?
The model years with the most reports are 1990 (9 complaints), 1995 (3 complaints) and 1997 (3 complaints).
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