all body frame has rust.
The worst 1998 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.
- Engine34
- Brakes20
- Suspension19
- Visibility16
- Electrical15
- Body14
- Steering13
- Lights12
- Transmission11
- Acceleration7
- Fuel system7
- Tires3
- Seats2
- Wheels2
- Airbags1
- Locks1
- Seat belts1
Specific symptoms reported on the 1998 Lincoln Town Car
Ball joint 13Headlights 10Stalling 8Pulling 8Wipers 6Engine failure 5
Recalls 7
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
Tires
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: certain limousines stretched over 60 inches fail to comply with the requirements of fmvss no. 109, "new pneumatic tires," and no. 110, "tire selection and rims."
- Risk
- The vehicle weight could exceed the maximum load rating for the tire, increasing the risk of premature tire wear or blowout.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace all 5 tires (including the spare tire) with michelin tires (225/70r16 107t reinforced white sidewall) with a sufficiently higher load rating. Owner notification began january 10, 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 1‑800‑248‑0186.
Recall number 00V356000 · Recall details
Equipment: mechanical: integrated jack/leveler/stabilizer
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. These vehicles have jacking instructions which, if followed, could cause the vehicle operator to place the jack on a frame weld when attempting to raise a rear wheel. If the vehicle is jacked up with the jack placed on the frame weld and if the vehicle is free to roll (wheels not blocked or chocked), the jack could yield and the vehicle may drop suddenly.
- Risk
- If this occurs and any portion of the operator's body is under the vehicle, the potential for personal injury exists.
- Remedy
- Owners will be provided with a revised jack instruction and stowage card and jack warning label, as well as a supplement to the owner guide.
Recall number 00V200000 · 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
Exterior lighting: headlights
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The text and/or graphics for the vehicle headlamp aiming instructions provided in the owner guides are not sufficiently clear. This does not meet the requirements of fmvss no. 108, "lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment."
- Risk
- If the headlamp assemblies are replaced, customers may be confused by the aiming instructions provided in the owner guides causing the headlamps to be improperly aimed.
- Remedy
- Owner guides containing revised aiming instructions will be mailed to owners of these vehicles.
Recall number 98V028000 · Recall details
See all 7 recalls for the 1998 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
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
Fuel spit back during refueling
There is no summary currently available
EA99010
Fuel spit back during refueling
The subject vehicle is fitted with an onboard refuelig vapor recovery (orvr) system, as required by the epa.the epa safety requirements, prepared in cooperation with ,and approved by the federal safety agency, require vehicles to be refueled at a rate of 10 gallons per minute (the maximum rate allowed to be used in refueling stations, by epa regulation) without fuel being forced out the fuel filler pipe.this requirement was based on a history of fires in filling stations and incidents of fuel spitting back are considered to be a fire safety risk.of the 114 complaints and warranty claims alleging problems while attempting to refuel the vehicle, 27 specifically stated that fuel spit-back out of the fuel filler pipe.ford reportscomplaints are still being received.
PE98052
Technical service bulletins for the 1998 Lincoln Town Car 194
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
- Wds cop kit diagnostic tip - coil on plug (COP) ignition systems - engine misfire or rough running
- General (PCM) power train control module programming procedures
- General power train control module (PCM) programming procedures
- Multiple driveability concerns under acceleration caused by ignition coil
- Transmission failure where there is a large amount of metal or debris in the pan
- Various intermittent/constant electrical concerns
1998 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 | 22 | 18 |
What 1998 Lincoln Town Car owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Makes loud popping noise when the wheel is turned to the extreme right or left whether the car is being driven or standing still. Occasionally, the ignition won't turn on and the steering wheel is locked, closing the entire system.
The cruise control module stopped working on my vehicle and now I'm told it can't be replaced. Subsequently, the radio & A/C stopped working. This cruise control module had to be replaced because of it's ability to spontaneously combust the car in flames as it did on my 1996 lincoln town car. Why doesn't the government enforce the recall laws?
Vehicle began to over heat.once it got hot, the power of car is,was lost. After happening a few times,I found a very small [pin size] hole in the thermastate recieving unit.this is a part of the manifold it self. All attemps to repair this problem has failed.! Trying to fix this proved impossible.this part is in fact made of some type of plastic.as it heats up the plastic exspands, and re-opens the hole,which has now become a crack. All effords to find a sealent to stop the leak,has failed. To have this crack repaired means that the entire top of the motor [manifold] must be re-placed. Ford re-placed the termastate housing unit in 2000-2001, with an aluminum piece,problem solved.there are no re-calls,nor even a notification,sent out, to address this problem. I feel stornly that this is in fact a known problem,which ford was aware of,but decided that it did not happen enough to fix it.please note::when the car ovrt heats it shuts off the power to the engine!!! This could potientially be avery dangerous situation,especially in high traffic,high speed situations!!!!
I have a 1998 lincoln town car with low miles (125,000). The cheap plastic that the intake manifold is made out of has cracked were the heater hose connects in the back causing the vehicle to not be drive-able due to overheating.
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 lincoln town car. The contact stated that while completing a turn, the front driver's side control arm failed. The contact referenced the federal safety agency campaign id number: 98v322000 (suspension: lower ball joint), but the manufacturer stated that the vehicle was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 101,000 and the current mileage was 110,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 lincoln town car. The contact stated that the vehicle would not start and the battery warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to successfully jump start the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the alternator was replaced but the failure continued. The vehicle was taken back to the mechanic where the contact was then informed that the wiring harness was damaged and needed to be replaced. The contact also stated that rain would leak in through the windows during rainy weather. The manufacturer was not made aware of either failure. The failure mileage was 150,000.
The fuel filler will not accept gasoline at a normal rate. Even at minimum speed it will shut off and/or spit fuel back. Have used different pumps, different stations, different positions happens almost 100% of the time. Also major water leakage around windshield on passenger side of car.
Failure of the plastic intake manifold system. Loss of coolant, engine overheated, loss of power and control in heavy traffic presented a serious safety hazard. Engine intake manifold system is a design flaw and subject of an earlier recall by manufacturer.
Tl*the contact owns a 1998 lincoln town car. While driving approximately 20 MPH the vehicle over heated and the manifold cracked. The vehicle was towed to his residence. The vehicle had not been taken to the dealer for the failure. He called the manufacturer and was advised that he had to pay for the repairs. He referenced an unknown manufacturer's recall. The vehicle was purchased used in 2007. The vehicle had continued to overheat since he purchased it. The failure and current mileages were approximately 90,000.
Compare the 1998 Lincoln Town Car
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Questions about the 1998 Lincoln Town Car
Is the 1998 Lincoln Town Car reliable?
Owners have filed 154 complaints about the 1998 Lincoln Town Car, 1.9 times a typical Town Car model year.
What is the most common problem with the 1998 Lincoln Town Car?
Engine and cooling, with 34 complaints, typically around 95,000 miles. Next is brakes (20).
How many recalls does the 1998 Lincoln Town Car have?
7 recalls, covering vehicle speed control, tires and equipment.
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 1998 Lincoln Town Car get?
Official estimates for the 1998 Lincoln Town Car range from 18 mpg combined. The most efficient version (4.6L 8-cyl, RWD) gets 15 city and 22 highway.
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