The contact owns a 2001 Lincoln Town Car. The contact stated while driving 35 mph, the passenger’s side curtain air bag inadvertently deployed without warning. While the contact was startled by the deployment of the air bag, there was no injury sustained. The vehicle was driven to the residence. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that the vehicle was not under recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 50,930.
2001 Lincoln Town Car airbags problems
54 complaints (34% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 89,000. 10 crashes reported.
- owner complaints
- 54
- of this car's complaints
- 34%
- typical mileage
- 89,000
- crashes
- 10
- recalls
- 2
Which part fails
- Side/window17
- Frontal13
- Frontal: sensor/control module2
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 airbags problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 2001 Lincoln Town Car airbags
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
Air bags: frontal: sensor/control module-inactive
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: minivans and passenger vehicles. A restraint control module (rcm) or a side or front crash sensor may have been assembled with one or more of the screws that mount the circuit board in the housing missing. If some or all of the screws are missing, the performance of the occupant restrains could be affected.
- Risk
- In some cases, less than the intended level of protection in the event of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the rcm and crash sensors and, if necessary, replace them.
Recall number 00V412000 · Recall details
Air bags
- What is wrong
- Certain passenger vehicles, limousines, and mini vans were built with a newly designed restraint control module (rcm). In some cases, the rcm does not recognize certain system faults that could result in an air bag or seat belt pre-tensioner unexpectedly activating during the self-test sequence at vehicle start-up.
- Risk
- This condition could result in personal injury.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the rcm in these vehicles. Owner notification began september 14, 2000. 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 1‑800‑392‑3673.
Recall number 00V270000 · Recall details
Related investigations
Inadvertent side air bag deployment
This investigation identified a total of 182 reports alleging inadvertent or non-crash deployment of the side air bags.the data examined during the investigation suggest that the side air bag crash sensing system's algorithm may recognize certain non-crash incidents as deployable events.odi has not, however, identified any failed component that relates to the alleged defect in the subject vehicles.also, odi has not identified any trend in the manufacture dates of complaint vehicles that may indicate a component or vehicle-manufacturing problem.a safety-related defect trend has not been identified at this time.further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.accordingly, this investigation is closed.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by the federal safety agency that a safety-related defect does not exist.the agency will take further action if warranted by the circumstances.see attached summary report.
EA03014
Inadvertent side air bag deployment
Odi has identified 173 complaints alleging inadvertent or non-crash deployment of side air bags on model year (my) 1999-2003 lincoln town cars.most of the complaints allege that one of the side air bags deployed while driving without any impact.analysis showed that my 2001 through early my 2003 town cars have much higher complaint and warranty claim rates (138 complaints and 120 warranty claims) than the remaining vehicles (35 complaints and 32 warranty claims).ford changed its supplier of the side crash sensors for the my 2001 town cars.ford states that the algorithm in the my 2001 town cars is different from the previous model year's design, and that it is designed to provide improved occupant protection in moderate speed side pole impacts.in december 2002 (I.e., early my 2003 vehicle production), the crash sensors were moved from the floor of vehicle to near the base of b-pillars in order to reduce the incidents of inadvertent side air bag deployments.this preliminary evaluation has been upgraded to an engineering analysis (ea03-014) for my 2001-2003 town cars built before december 2002.
PE03011
What 2001 Lincoln Town Car owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Passenger seat airbag deployed overnight. Car was turned off and parked in driveway, 50' from street.
Airbags did not deploy in hard impact
Driving down the road at 30 miles an hour, the passenger seat side impact air bag module assembly deployed. There was no crash, impact, or contact with anything. Faulty sensor or controller?
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 lincoln town car. The contact stated that the air bag warning light illuminated. The contact mentioned that the failure was intermittent. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 122,000.
I lost control of the car when it hit ice at 9:20a- 1/25/2013 on I-94 near chesterton, in, spun around and crashed twice (front/rear) into the left concrete barrier parallel to the roadway. None of the 4 air bags deployed. I (age 77) and my passenger (age 83) wore seat belts that saved us. Car front smashed; car rear less damaged. Sides are o.k.. Isp report id:201300021141. Neither of us sought medical treatment. My chest still hurts! Air bags would have helped had they deployed. Lake shore ford, chesterton, in (219)787-8600 said car was "totaled." isp officer weems reported that I may receive a ticket for "too fast for conditions." tc failed the only air bag test it ever had. Seat belts did not. No other cars were involved on busy I-94. We were lucky!
Driver side air bag in seat deployed while I was driving down hwy....I called lincoln they claimed it was a recall that had been fixed .....evidently was replaced with a defective part.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 lincoln town car. The contact was driving 35 to 45 MPH when the driver's side air bag deployed and exploded without warning. The failure caused injuries to the contact's back. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was also notified. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 135,075 updated 6/4/12 *cn updated 06/11/12
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 lincoln town car. While driving 25 MPH, the passenger side air bag erroneously deployed without warning or impact. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that they would further inspect the failure of the air bags. The vehicle was neither diagnosed nor repaired. The current and the failure mileage was 100,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 2001 lincoln towncar. The contact stated that while driving at low speeds, the driver side air bag deployed without any warning. The vehicle had not been inspected or repaired. The manufacturer was also contacted but they offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 89,000.
Questions about the 2001 Lincoln Town Car airbags
Does the 2001 Lincoln Town Car have airbags problems?
Owners have filed 54 complaints about the airbags of the 2001 Lincoln Town Car, 34% of all its complaints, more than any other problem.
At what mileage do 2001 Lincoln Town Car airbags problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 89,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2001 Lincoln Town Car airbags?
Yes, 2 recalls: 00V412000, 00V270000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
What year does the Lincoln Town Car have bad airbags?
The Lincoln Town Car model years with the most airbags complaints are 2006 (58 complaints), 2001 (54 complaints) and 1999 (29 complaints).
Other 2001 Lincoln Town Car problems
Acceleration 26Visibility 16Engine 15Brakes 13Steering 10Suspension 10Electrical 9Seats 7Body 6Tires 5Transmission 5Fuel system 4Lights 3Seat belts 3Wheels 3Locks 1
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