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.
1997 Lincoln Town Car engine problems
91 complaints (29% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 91,000.
- owner complaints
- 91
- of this car's complaints
- 29%
- typical mileage
- 91,000
- crashes
- 0
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
- Exhaust system: manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe39
- Engine11
- Cooling system11
- Engine: gasoline9
- Exhaust system: emission control1
- Exhaust system1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
0k-25k
25k-50k
50k-75k
75k-100k
100k-125k
125k-150k
150k-175k
175k-200k
200k+
Lincoln Town Car engine problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 1997 Lincoln Town Car engine
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Related 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
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
What 1997 Lincoln Town Car owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
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.
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.
Tl* the contact owns a 1997 lincoln town car. The contact stated that while at a dealer for routine maintenance, the technician stated that engine coolant was leaking from the intake manifold. The technician stated that the intake manifold would have to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 88,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 1997 lincoln town car. The contact stated that while at a dealer for routine maintenance, the technician stated that engine coolant was leaking from the intake manifold, which would need to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 102,000.
The oil pan rusted through and caused all the oil to leak out onto the ground. The cruise control computer keeps causing the car to take off or not even work at all when u set it, when the car takes off after setting it the gas peddle goes all the way to the floor and it will not deactivate unless you shut the car off while driving.
Tl* the contact owns a 1997 lincoln town car. While driving approximately 20 MPH, the engine began to misfire. The check engine warning indicator illuminated on the instrument panel until the engine was turned off. The failure recurred whenever the vehicle was in operation. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where they informed that the engine manifold would need to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. Also, on a separate occasion the front lower control arm fractured and collapsed onto the front driver side wheel. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 137,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 1997 lincoln town car. The contact stated that when driving at low speeds, the vehicle suddenly stalled. The contact shifted into neutral and restarted the vehicle. The failure occurred several times. The contact informed the dealer of the failure was told there were no related recalls. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000 and the current mileage was approximately 77,000.
I was driving as usual and the intake manifold cracked or had been cracking over time. The engine made a ping noise and the coolant was leaking down into the engine. The engine light came on immediately. The manifold, thermostat, and gaskets had to be repaired. The cost for this repair was over $1,200.00.
Tl*the contact owns a 1997 lincoln town car. While driving approximately 65 MPH, the engine overheated and a large amount of white smoke expelled from the exhaust. The warning indicator illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and inspected under the hood. He noticed that the coolant was extremely low and allowed the engine to cool completely. He then added water to the radiator reservoir. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and he stated that the failure was related to a blown head gasket. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 105,000 and current mileage was 107,000. Updated 10-29-08 *bf updated 10/30/08.
Questions about the 1997 Lincoln Town Car engine
Does the 1997 Lincoln Town Car have engine problems?
Owners have filed 91 complaints about the engine of the 1997 Lincoln Town Car, 29% of all its complaints, more than any other problem.
At what mileage do 1997 Lincoln Town Car engine problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 91,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 1997 Lincoln Town Car engine?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
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).
Other 1997 Lincoln Town Car problems
Suspension 50Brakes 44Acceleration 42Steering 23Fuel system 17Lights 17Electrical 16Visibility 16Airbags 10Tires 9Body 8Seat belts 4Transmission 3Seats 2Wheels 1
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