This has happened to me 3 times in the past 3 months. While driving interstate highway at night and traveling 65 to 70 miles per hr., without any warning or symptoms, the headlights turn off. They then turn on and off a few times and then seem to correct themselves and stay on. This happens on trips after 1 hour or more. Has never occurred on shorter trips under 1 hour. Very dangerous and scary when it is so dark you can't see to pull over off the highway and also worried about vehicles approaching from behind not being able to see you in time. I replaced the headlight switch last week thinking that was the problem, but it happened again last night on my trip back from N.Y.
The worst 1997 Lincoln Town Car 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.
- Engine91
- Suspension50
- Brakes44
- Acceleration42
- Steering23
- Fuel system17
- Lights17
- Electrical16
- Visibility16
- Airbags10
- Tires9
- Body8
- Seat belts4
- Transmission3
- Seats2
- Wheels1
Specific symptoms reported on the 1997 Lincoln Town Car
Ball joint 33Adaptive cruise 19Overheating 17Stalling 17Headlights 15ABS 7Pulling 7Brake failure 6Check engine light 6
Recalls 6
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
Air bags: frontal: driver side: inflator module
- What is wrong
- Equipment description: passenger vehicles that have had the driver's air bag module replaced after april 5, 2000. The replacement driver's air bag module inflator may have insufficient welds that could prevent proper inflation of the air bag.
- Risk
- In the event of a crash, the driver's air bag may not properly deploy which could potentially result in less than the intended level of occupant protection.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the driver's air bag module. Owner notification began october 5, 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 01V318000 · Recall details
Seat belts: front: anchorage
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles using aftermarket driver's seat belt assemblies that were sold by ford parts departments from january 1, through june 13, 2000. These seat belt assemblies fail to comply with the requirements of fmvss no. 209, "seat belt assemblies." the equipment involved is service stock seat belt assemblies, model nos. H 9977, h 9979, t 9063, and t 9217, built by trw vehicle safety systems, inc. (trw) manufactured from june 1, 1998 through may 21, 2000. Some of these seat belt assemblies may have been installed as service replacement equipment on the vehicles involved in the recall.
- Risk
- In the event of a collision, these seat belts may not restrain an occupant increasing the risk of injury.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect these vehicles and replace the service seat belt assemblies that were installed in these vehicles from january 1 through june 13, 2000.
Recall number 00V157001 · Recall details
Seat belts: front: anchorage
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles using aftermarket front passenger side seat belt assemblies that were sold by ford parts departments from january 1, through june 13, 2000. These seat belt assemblies fail to comply with the requirements of fmvss no. 209, "seat belt assemblies." the equipment involved is service stock seat belt assemblies, model nos. H 9977, h 9979, t 9063, and t 9217, built by trw vehicle safety systems, inc. (trw) manufactured from june 1, 1998 through may 21, 2000. Some of these seat belt assemblies may have been installed as service replacement equipment on the vehicles involved in the recall.
- Risk
- In the event of a collision, these seat belts may not restrain an occupant increasing the risk of injury.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect these vehicles and replace the service seat belt assemblies that were installed in these vehicles from january 1 through june 13, 2000.
Recall number 00V157002 · Recall details
Suspension: front: control arm: lower ball joint
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: certain 1996-1999 ford crown victoria police, fleet, natural gas, and 1996-1999 lincoln town car limousine vehicles that were produced with a lower control arm ball joint containing a one piece bearing; and 1990-1996 ford crown victoria police, fleet, and ngv vehicles and 1990-1996 lincoln town car limousine vehicles that have been serviced with either a ball joint containing the one-piece bearing or a front lower control arm containing a ball joint with a one-piece bearing. The one-piece bearing within the lower control arm ball joint can weaken slowly during use and eventually crack. This could result in separation of the ball and cap of the joint, allowing the control arm to drop to the ground.
- Risk
- If this occurs while the vehicle is moving, reduced steering control could occur, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the lower control arm ball joints (2).
Recall number 98V322000 · Recall details
Air bags: frontal
- What is wrong
- Two bolts that attach the driver air bag to the steering wheel were not installed during vehicle assembly.
- Risk
- In the event of a frontal collision, the air bag module would stay in position during deployment. However, the module could leave the steering wheel cavity following air bag deployment.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the vehicles and install any bolts that are missing.
Recall number 96V231000 · Recall details
See all 6 recalls for the 1997 Lincoln Town Car
Defect 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
Rear brake line failure
In a letter dated february 25, 2005, ford motor company (ford) notified odi that it would be conducting a customer satisfaction program (ford no. 04b26) to correct a rear brake line chafing concern in approximately 44,000 model year (my) 1997 ford crown victoria and grand marquis non-fleet vehicles equipped with electronic traction control that werebuilt after march 19, 1997.these vehicles have an additional rear brake line and a mastic patch causing reduced clearance from a stiffening rib in the floor pan.odi?s analysis showed higher complaint and warranty rates related to rear brake line failures in this population than in other subject vehicles and peer mid-sized passenger cars that were evaluated during the investigation.vehicles involved in ford?s program will have the rear brake lines inspected for contact with the floor pan stiffing rib.if there is contact, but no abrasion or leakage, the brake lines will be repositioned.if there is abrasion or a leak is evident the brake line will be repaired.if necessary, both of the rear brake lines will be replaced. Though ford does not admit to a safety-defect in the subject components, odi believes that the facts in this investigation show otherwise because the insufficient clearance in the routing of those brake lines may result in leaks in those lines that may result in increased stopping distances.odi is designating the campaign a safety recall (the federal safety agency recall no. 05v‑086).because of the low rates of brake line failures in the remaining subject vehicles, a safety-related defect has not been identified in those populations and further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by the federal safety agency that no safety-related defect exists in those vehicles.the agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.for additional information, see the attached closing report.
EA03012
Rear brake line failure
Odi has received 40 complaints alleging rear brake line failure in the subject vehicles, including 8 that have been received this year.an additional 192 reports and 478 warranty claims have been received from ford.a leak in the rear brake line can cause extended stopping distance.a search of odi's complaint database for peer vehicle complaints, using the same brake line failure criteria as for the subject vehicles and the same model years (1995-97), identified only 1 complaint involving general motors caprice/implala/88/98/regal vehicles and only 2 complaints involving chrysler lh-cars.the investigation has been upgraded to an engineering analysis to further evaluate the frequency, scope, and causal factors related to rear brake line failures in the subject vehicle population.
RQ03004
Ball joint separation
See attached report.
RQ03002
Speed control deactivation switch fires
Based on the low rate of fire incidents (2.5 incidents per 100,000 vehicles sold) where failure of the scds is involved and the age of the vehicles ? 7 to 11 years ? A safety-related defect trend has not been identified and further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by the federal safety agency that no safety-related defect exists.the agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.for additional information, see the attached closing report.
EA02025
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
Post rear end collision fires
There is no summary currently available
SQ01014
Technical service bulletins for the 1997 Lincoln Town Car 134
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- Ford/lincoln mercury: certain 1992-2001 model year crown victoria, grand marquis, and town car vehicles...
- Some 1997-2008 vehicles equipped with a 4.6L 2V, 5.4L 2V, or 6.8L 2V engine--spark plug thread repair...
- Customer satisfaction program 05B31 - information only
- Extended coverage program 05N04 - extended coverage for composite intake manifold
- General (PCM) power train control module programming procedures
- General power train control module (PCM) programming procedures
- Malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) on with diagnostic trouble codes (DTCS) P0420 and/or P0430
- Malfunction indicator lamp illuminated with diagnostic trouble codes (DTCS) P0442, P0455, P0456, P0457 or...
- Malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) on with diagnostic trouble codes (DTCS) P0420 (catalyst system efficiency...
- Remote keyless entry (RKE) - service tips
1997 Lincoln Town Car fuel economy
Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.
| Engine | Drive | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.6L 8‑cyl | RWD | 15 | 23 | 18 |
What 1997 Lincoln Town Car owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
The contact owns a 1997 Lincoln Town Car. The contact stated while driving at 40 MPH, another vehicle crashed into the front passenger side of the vehicle. The vehicle that crashed into the contact was driving at approximately 55 MPH. The air bags failed to deploy. There were no injuries reported. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The contact had a second accident, and the air bags did not deploy during that incident. The dealer stated that the air bags could not be replaced because the vehicle was an older model, and the VIN was not under a recall. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 154,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 1997 lincoln town car. While driving approximately 60 MPH, the steering ability became loose and the contact lost control. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined that the steering column failed and needed replacement. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing or repairs. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 300,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 1997 lincoln town car. The contact stated that while the driver was driving at 30 MPH, steam emitted from the front end of the vehicle without warning. The vehicle was towed to the contacts residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed however, the contact stated that an after market intake manifold was replaced by an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 100,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 1997 lincoln town car. The contact stated that while driving at 25 MPH, the vehicle stalled as the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was restarted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the intake manifold needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired by the dealer however, the contact stated that he repaired the vehicle independently with aftermarket parts. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 80,000.
Brake lights would not work. Bulbs ok. Replacing the turn signal switch fixed problem.
Tl* the contact owns a 1997 lincoln town car. The contact stated that when the brake pedal was applied, it traveled to the floorboard. The contact noticed that there was premature rust and corrosion on the brake lines causing them to fracture. The vehicle was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 98i001000 (service brakes, hydraulic). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 44,000. Updated 12/10/15*lj
Tl* the contact owns a 1997 lincoln town car. The contact stated that while traveling an unknown rate of speed, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact stated that upon further inspection of the vehicle, it was noticed that the plastic piece associated with the intake manifold fractured. Also, the contact mentioned that the temperature reader and additional components may have been damaged due to the failure. The vehicle was towed to the contacts residence and was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was not included in the federal safety agency campaign id number: 10v638000 (engine and engine cooling). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 98,000.
My 1997 lincoln town car signature series caught fire while parked in the garage. The car had not been driven for approximately 48 hours prior to the fire. About 02:00 hrs on the morning of the 29th december 2014 I was wakened by a loud popping sound. When I investigated I found my garage totally engulfed by fire. It took the fire department over two hours to extinguish the fire; for it had spread to the other vehicle parked in the garage - 2013 jeep moab and to all of the tools and materials stored in the garage. The fire marshall and the arson investigator stated that the ignition point for the fire was under the hood in the lincoln, on the drivers side and close to the fire wall. It resulted in the total loss of both cars, the garage structure and all contents of said structure.
Ball joint separated from control arm causing control arm to drop to the ground. The same as your recall98v322000 but calling lincoln they said that my car was not part of the recall. Even though it did exactly what the recall said.
Compare the 1997 Lincoln Town Car
Other model years
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Questions about the 1997 Lincoln Town Car
Is the 1997 Lincoln Town Car reliable?
Owners have filed 312 complaints about the 1997 Lincoln Town Car, 3.8 times a typical Town Car model year.
What is the most common problem with the 1997 Lincoln Town Car?
Engine and cooling, with 91 complaints, typically around 91,000 miles. Next is suspension (50).
How many recalls does the 1997 Lincoln Town Car have?
6 recalls, covering vehicle speed control, air bags and seat belts.
What year does the Lincoln Town Car have bad engine?
The Lincoln Town Car model years with the most engine complaints are 1997 (91 complaints), 1996 (90 complaints) and 1992 (47 complaints).
What gas mileage does the 1997 Lincoln Town Car get?
Official estimates for the 1997 Lincoln Town Car range from 18 mpg combined. The most efficient version (4.6L 8-cyl, RWD) gets 15 city and 23 highway.
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