The car had been driven on a trip of approximately 450 miles and was then parked in our driveway where it sat without being entered, cranked or driven for 2 weeks. At around midnight, while my family was sleeping, a neighbor came beating on our door to tell us that the car was on fire. At that point, the fire was completely involved under the hood of the car, with smoke getting into the cabin of the car. The front tires melted to the ground. The car was a total loss. My husband was able to quickly move another car parked nearby but it had slight paint blistering on the body nearest the fire due to the heat.
1992 Lincoln Town Car: fire, smoke or burning smell
55 of the 247 complaints about the 1992 Lincoln Town Car describe fire, smoke or burning smell.
- owner complaints
- 55
- of this car's complaints
- 22%
- typical mileage
- 94,000
- recalls
- 1
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall and 4 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below
Fire, smoke or burning smell by model year
What owners say
Our 1992 lincoln town car caught on fire inside our shop. The car was off with the keys removed from the ignition. Fire started in the engine compartment.
Tl*the contact owns a 1992 lincoln town car. The vehicle caught fire while parked. The contact received a recall notice in september of 2007 for the federal safety agency campaign id number 07v336000 (vehicle speed control). The ford dealer advised her to call owner connection and provide them with all the information relating to the fire. The dealer then stated that nothing could be done due to the extent of the damage. A police report was filed. The powertrain and purchase date were unknown. The current and failure mileages were 130,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 1992 lincoln town car. While driving between 25-45 MPH, the vehicle began smoking. Fifteen minutes after the vehicle had been parked, it caught fire. The vehicle was destroyed, the vehicle port was damaged, and the siding on the contact's home melted. Pictures are available of her home and the vehicle port. The vehicle was towed before she was able to take pictures. A fire report was filed. The contact received a safety recall notice for the federal safety agency campaign id number 07v336000 (vehicle speed control). The purchase date and powertrain were unknown. The current and failure mileages were 140,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 1992 lincoln town car. The contact received a recall notice in september of 2007 for the vehicle speed cruise control switch. At that time, she did not take the vehicle to the dealer to have the switch deactivated or repaired. The vehicle caught fire and the wiring harness was destroyed. The dealer stated that the only thing they could do was deactivate the switch. The recall number was unavailable. The current and failure mileages were 100,000. Updated 11/15/07
Dt*: the contact stated while the vehicle was parked, there were two loud bangs. The contact looked into the driveway, and saw that the vehicle was on fire. The flames were located on the front end of the vehicle. The vehicle burned completely, and the heat from the fire burned the side of a recreational vehicle which was parked alongside the first vehicle. There was a police report and a fire report processed at the scene. The manufacturer was notified, who stated that there was a statute of limitations on the federal safety agency recall # 99v124000 which pertains to the electrical system. The vehicle was not included in the recall due to the VIN.
Smoke! Smell of burning! Module for front passenger air bag shorted out. Air bag light on and beeper beeping.
Dt: the consumer states that their 1992 lincoln town car caught on fire and burned. This vehicle had been parked in the driveway. The fire started in the engine compartment on the front left at the vehicle speed control. There was a recall from the federal safety agency #99v124000; the owner never received the recall notice. The notice was dated may 19, 1999, this information was from ford, and the representative from ford did tell the owner that vehicle was included in the recall. The owners were unaware of the recall. The vehicle had been parked for 5 days. The cruise control had stopped working a week before the owner had left for vacation. The owner had planned on checking this after he returned. The owners were out of town when this happened. There is a fire investigation and report. The fire department did confirm that the fire started in the front left engine area. There were no prior problems with the electrical system before. The vehicle is a total lost. The fire department did not give the owners any other information on the report; they only give the reports to the insurance companies. The vehicle drove fine before the fire incident. The vehicle had all of its regular maintenance. There is no report, but the police was there. No injuries. There was other property damage to the landscaping, mobile home on the siding and canopy.*ak *nm
Dt: had parked vehicle in front of the garage and it caught on fire . The fire department came out, they thought it started from the driver's side of the vehicle. The insurance company took the vehicle for inspection. Insurance company informed consumer to contact the federal safety agency.
Dt: the contact owns a 1992 ford lincoln town car that caught on fire. The fire marshall came, and said the fire was started from the cruise control. Ford denied any wrong doing. Has a report from the independent fire investigator.
Dt: while at work about 6:45-7:00 a.m owner was informed that the car was on fire in driveway. Vehicle was regularly serviced. No recall information was received. Fire began in the engine compartment under hood. The vehicle was operating normally, and had not driven in three days. Owner stated that it was an electrical fire, but was not sure. There was a police report filed, and the fire was put out by the fire department. But owner was unsure whether or not there was an investigation on the fire. Owner has not contacted ford but will do so.
I parked 1992 lincoln town car executive series @ work @ 7:30 am on 6/1/05. About 4:30 pm on the same day, office employees notified me my car was on fire. Car was not driven or touched the entire period of elapsed time from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm. I noticed the USA today website dated 6/2/05 with an article of 1992 town cars catching on fire becasue of cruise control switch malfunction manufactured by texas instruments and ford motor co. Car appears to be totaled although local ford dealer has not confirmed this yet.
Service bulletins that may apply
- Subject on a wire harness terminal repair kit available for repairing electrical wiring harnesses
- Wiring - electrical diode identification and service replacements
- Vehicles may have a disconnect of the ignition control module (ICM) connector or moisture buildup within...
- Corrosion between the tamper sensor and the ignition switch casting may cause false activation of the...
Related recalls
Electrical system
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The speed control deactivation switch can develop a resistive short in the electrical circuit that could potentially result in an underhood fire. A fire is possible both when the vehicle is running and when the vehicle engine is off. Also, the short could disable the speed control system or cause the brake light fuse to open.
- Risk
- A fire can originate in the left front underhood area.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install a new speed control deactivation switch and connector shell. Owner notification began may 20, 1999.
Recall number 99V124000 · Recall details
Questions about the 1992 Lincoln Town Car fire or smoke
Is fire, smoke or burning smell a common problem on the 1992 Lincoln Town Car?
55 of 247 owner complaints about the 1992 Lincoln Town Car (22%) mention fire, smoke or burning smell. The model year with the most reports is 1992.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 1992 Lincoln Town Car?
There is 1 recall and 4 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 1992 Lincoln Town Car
Adaptive cruise 14Stalling 13ABS 9Sudden acceleration 6Wipers 6Engine failure 5
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