The contact owns a 1996 Lincoln Town Car. The contact stated while the vehicle was turned on and he was shifting the vehicle from park(P) to drive(D), with his foot on the brake pedal, the vehicle lunged forward at high speed. The contact stated that the acceleration was extreme. The contact observed smoke coming from the rear tires as the vehicle accelerated. The contact was able to safely stop the vehicle after approximately 50 feet but had to depress the brake pedal with force. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was not turned off but was shifted to park(P). The contact had tested and shifted the vehicle from park (P), drive (D), neutral (N) and reverse (R) and the vehicle reacted normally to each gear change. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000. The contact stated that the vehicle was sold to the mechanic who repaired it.
1996 Lincoln Town Car acceleration problems
33 complaints (13% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 107,000.
- owner complaints
- 33
- of this car's complaints
- 13%
- typical mileage
- 107,000
- crashes
- 0
- recalls
- 1
Which part fails
- Cruise control9
- Accelerator pedal3
- Cables1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
Lincoln Town Car acceleration problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 1996 Lincoln Town Car acceleration
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
Vehicle speed control
- What is wrong
- On certain pickup trucks, passenger vehicles, sport utility vehicles, and motor homes chassis, the speed control deactivation switch may, under certain conditions, leak internally and then overheat, smoke, or burn.
- Risk
- This could result in an underhood fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install a fused wiring harness. Owners of the passenger cars included in this campaign will be instructed to return their vehicles to their dealers to have the speed control deactivation switch disconnected as an interim repair. As soon as repair parts are available (expected october 2007), owners will be instructed to return to the dealers for installation of a fused wiring harness. The recall began on august 13, 2007, and mailing completed by september 19, 2007. Owners may contact ford at 1‑888‑222‑2751.
Recall number 07V336000 · Recall details
Related investigations
Fuel-fed fires
The fars data shows that the risk of fire from impact in all directions in the subject vehicles is the same as all other sedans.the subject vehicles are not over represented with respect to the risk of fire in real-world high-energy crashes.a further discussion of issues related to post crash fires in the subject vehicles is set out in the closing report for sq 01-014 and that report is in the docket for this petition.after reviewing the petition and its supporting materials, as well as information furnished by ford and gm, and information within the agency's possession from previous investigations and other related actions,the federal safety agency has concluded that futher investigation concerning post-crash fires in the subject vehicles is not likely to lead to a decision that the vehicles contain a safety defect.
DP02007
What 1996 Lincoln Town Car owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
As per recall cruise control neithrt starts or works on highway
1. Drivers seat belt latch is broken internally and cannot be used. To circumvent the broken latch, the front center passenger seat belt is being used. 2. Front right hand passenger seat belt can no longer be latched without first pushing the release button. 3. Cruise control automatically engaged while driving in residential area, causing a rapid acceleration of my vehicle above the speed limit. Slamming on the brakes forcefully disengaging the cruise control. One time occurrence.
Tl* the contact owns a 1996 lincoln town car. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, there was smoke coming from under the hood. As a result, the contact discovered that the battery wires were burned and brake fluid had spilled. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle failed to switch gears. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the cruise control wire assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was unknown.
Tl* the contact owns a 1996 lincoln town car. The contact stated that smoke was seen coming from under the hood. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be repaired and was parked in the mechanic's repair shop when the vehicle caught on fire. The fire spread quickly and destroyed the repair shop building as well as several other businesses, resulting in over 7 million dollars worth of damage. The fire marshall informed the contact that the fire was caused by the parked vehicle being inside the building. The fire occurred prior to the announcement of the federal safety agency campaign number 07v336000 (vehicle speed control). The contact indicated that the vehicle exhibited the same defect that was listed in the recall campaign. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 196,000.
Lincoln town car went on fire in garage from cruise control switch. Total house fire.
Tl*the contact owns a 1996 lincoln town car. The contact received a safety recall notice in september of 2007 for the federal safety agency campaign id number 07v336000 (vehicle speed control). The speed control switch was disconnected in march of 2008. Once the switch was disconnected, he began hearing a buzzing sound when the brake pedal was depressed and the ABS light illuminated. When taken to the dealer, the contact was informed that the vehicle speed control had nothing to do with the buzzing sound that the brakes were making. He filed complaint number 0377821518 with ford. The current mileage was 29,167 and failure mileage was 28,000.
1996 lincoln town car with recall on speed control. Consumer states that they disconnected the cruise control but have not repaired the problem. He would like the problem repaired with the replacement part.
Tl*the contact owns a 1996 lincoln town car. The contact received a recall notice for the vehicle speed control in july of 2007. The vehicle has still not been repaired. There had been no failure to date. The recall number was unknown. The failure mileage was 300,000.
1996 lincoln town car recall for speed control deactivation switch. I have a letter from the manufacturer that states that there are parts available for this repair but have yet to receive a call from the dealer, I'm told I'm on the list.. How long should this take?
Questions about the 1996 Lincoln Town Car acceleration
Does the 1996 Lincoln Town Car have acceleration problems?
Owners have filed 33 complaints about the acceleration of the 1996 Lincoln Town Car, 13% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 1996 Lincoln Town Car acceleration problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 107,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 1996 Lincoln Town Car acceleration?
Yes, 1 recall: 07V336000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
What year does the Lincoln Town Car have the most acceleration problems?
The Lincoln Town Car model years with the most acceleration complaints are 1997 (42 complaints), 1992 (39 complaints) and 1993 (37 complaints).
Other 1996 Lincoln Town Car problems
Engine 90Brakes 30Suspension 24Electrical 19Steering 18Seat belts 15Lights 14Fuel system 10Airbags 9Visibility 8Locks 6Body 4Seats 2Transmission 2Wheels 2
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 1996 Lincoln Town Car?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history