The contact owns a 2003 Lincoln Town Car. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the vehicle experienced rough idling. Additionally, the headlights were flickering, and the alternator failed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the powertrain control module (PCM) was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 140,000.
2003 Lincoln Town Car engine problems
14 complaints (7% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 85,800.
- owner complaints
- 14
- of this car's complaints
- 7%
- typical mileage
- 85,800
- crashes
- 0
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
- Engine2
- Exhaust system: manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe1
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
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
What 2003 Lincoln Town Car owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
The contact owns a 2003 Lincoln Town Car. The contact stated that he noticed fuel on the pavement in the driveway at his residence. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the intake manifold was faulty. The mechanic also confirmed that the manifold was leaking and needed to be replaced. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was notified the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not under recall. The failure mileage was approximately 85,800.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 lincoln town car. The contact stated that the front end of the vehicle was scraped. The vehicle was taken to pompano ford (2741 n federal hwy, pompano beach, fl 33064, (954) 773-9486) for repairs. When the contact retrieved the vehicle, he noticed that the entire floorboard was flooded with water. The dealer believed the water was due to the air conditioning unit flooding or the wipers pushing water inside the vehicle. The dealer then stated that there was a pan in the engine compartment that was supposed to drain water out into the street. The dealer tried to blame the insurance company that directed the contact to the dealer to have the scrape repaired. The dealer gave the contact a bill for $880 and did not clear out the water. The dealer informed the contact that the insurance company would pay for the repairs. The dealer returned the vehicle to the contact still full of water and gave him a statement listing the charges for which they expected the insurance company to pay. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 81,000.
The spark plugs eject out of the engine and the car stalls while driving I have had to replace several of them and this continue to happen I dont think they go or are deap enough and it cost 80.00 per to replace
My lincoln has blown #3 spark plug-when I was traveling 70 MPH-twice within 18,000 miles between incidents-total repair cost-over $1600-total aggravation cost-priceless !! Each time the plug blows-the mechanic "fixes" it-and we are told-there is no permanent fix-and it will probably blow again. We have been stranded by this problem-in a little one-horse town-with no mechanic on duty for 2 days-so, you can add the hotel bill as well as the tow charge to that above stated amount. Upon research-we have found out that ford products have had this problem since 1996-not only lincolns-but, mercurys-trucks-etc. What the heck-can't someone address this problem. This is nuts. This is my last ford-can you even imagine our frustration-we love our lincoln-it was my husbands' retirement present-what a total outrage-this has happened twice-you know what-three strikes-you're out !! Someone needs to do something-.
My vehicle broke down and thus had it towed to a ford dealership to be fixed. The diagnosis was a cracked engine manifold that leaked coolant all over the top of the engine ruining the cylinders, spark plugs, ignition coils, oil, oil filter and fuse box. The dealership explained to me that because these manifolds are now plastic and no longer metal, they are prone to breaking. The total of the repairs came to over $2000. Upon some research, I discovered that I was not alone in this fiasco. There was a class action suit filed back in 2004-05 against ford motor company. However, I was told that I did "not qualify because my lincoln was not a fleet vehicle" seems to be ford's go to excuse when mass amounts of their cars (town car, crown victoria, grand marquis) are recalled. Received no compensation help from ford or the lawsuit.
I was driving from florida to south dakota and started up the first foothill of the ozark mountains about 35 miles west of jonesboro, arkansas on us 63. The cruise control had just started to increase the engine rpms when I heard a bang followed by what I thought was a belt or something thumping on the inside of the hood. Fortunately there was the 2nd entrance to a rest stop on us 63 immediately to my left and I pulled into the parking lot. Us 63 is a 2 lane highway with an occasional passing lane on some hills. It was also fortunate it happened at that point or I would have been in a difficult and dangerous position with little room to get safely off the highway with the narrow shoulders and rock cuts right up to the road. I opened the hood and restarted the engine in the parking lot. It was then I found something exploding on the passenger side of the engine. I could smell a lot of gas and shut the engine off immediately. I called aaa and was carried back to jonesboro on a flatbed about 3 hours later. I went to cavenaugh ford the next morning and the problem was diagnosed as a spark plug blown out of the #3 cylinder. The repair with a full set of new plugs installed in addition to the bad cylinder cost $629 plus an additional $190 for towing. One additional plug on the driver side of the engine was also loose and a potential blowout. These plugs were factory original and have not been changed since the car was new. The mechanic told me the plugs were not properly torqued in at the factory which results in loosening of the threads in the head over time from the percussion in each cylinder. This appears to happen quite often on the 4.6 and 5.4 liter engines. I was lucky since many fires have also occurred because of these plugs blowing out of the engine.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 lincoln town car. The contact has had two alternators installed in her vehicle within the last six months. This does not include the one that came with the vehicle at the time of purchase. While driving 30 and 60 MPH, the vehicle will lose power and the engine shuts off. In addition, the power steering and brakes fail. All of the instrument panel indicators flash on and off at the time of the failure. Occasionally, the vehicle will take a minute before restarting. The vehicle is currently at the dealer, but they could find no failures. The contact would have to pay $90 per hour for a diagnostic. The failure mileage was 29,000. Updated 03/09/09. *lj the alternator was replaced due to it overcharging. The battery was replaced as well. The trunk would not close properly. Updated 03/10/09.
Mold or musty smell coming from all vents when A/C, heat or fan is used. Dealer states that it is a common problem with all 2003 cars and up and can be eliminated by spraying lysol directly into vents. I tried it and it doesn't work. Close friend just got rid of his lincoln at a substantial loss because problem was never resolved by lincoln. Lincoln should be encouraged to remedy this problem since it is most certainly a health issue that should be corrected. The problem is common and documented all over the internet by troubled consumers.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 lincoln town car. The contact had to replace the spark plugs in the front coil springs on two different occasions. The first repair was performed under warranty in 2004 at 26,000 miles. A different front coil spring had to be replaced on october 31, 2007. The dealer stated that the vehicle was no longer under warranty and could not be repaired under the federal safety agency campaign id number 98v322000 (suspension:front: control arm:lower ball joint). The current mileage was 45,350 and failure mileage was 29,750. Updated 01/14/08 *bf the consumer stated owns a 2003 lincoln towncar on which two spark plug coil failures have been incurred to date. The first one was on 6/9/04 while under warranty(20 months, 26610 miles) and the second was on 10/31/07 at the cost of $320.18 and was still under partial warranty(61 months, 45350). The consumer stated feels as if this is engineering defect and hopes that the additional spark plug coils will not have to be repaired. Updated 01/14/08
Questions about the 2003 Lincoln Town Car engine
Does the 2003 Lincoln Town Car have engine problems?
Owners have filed 14 complaints about the engine of the 2003 Lincoln Town Car, 7% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 2003 Lincoln Town Car engine problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 85,800 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2003 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 2003 Lincoln Town Car problems
Suspension 81Transmission 27Acceleration 18Steering 16Brakes 15Body 12Airbags 10Electrical 8Lights 6Tires 6Wheels 6Locks 4Seats 4Fuel system 2Driver assistance 1Visibility 1
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