The contact owns a 1996 Lincoln Town Car. The contact stated while the vehicle was turned on and he was shifting the vehicle from park(P) to drive(D), with his foot on the brake pedal, the vehicle lunged forward at high speed. The contact stated that the acceleration was extreme. The contact observed smoke coming from the rear tires as the vehicle accelerated. The contact was able to safely stop the vehicle after approximately 50 feet but had to depress the brake pedal with force. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was not turned off but was shifted to park(P). The contact had tested and shifted the vehicle from park (P), drive (D), neutral (N) and reverse (R) and the vehicle reacted normally to each gear change. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000. The contact stated that the vehicle was sold to the mechanic who repaired it.
Lincoln Town Car fire or smoke problems
213 of the 2,986 owner complaints about the Lincoln Town Car describe fire, smoke or burning smell, most of them for the 1992 model year.
- owner complaints
- 213
- worst model year
- 1992
- typical mileage
- 100,000
By model year
Often reported together
Adaptive cruise 24Overheating 3Fuel leak 3Brake failure 3ABS 3Sudden acceleration 2Engine failure 2Won't start 1
What owners say
The car had a recall I didnt know about. It states the car may catch fire due to faulty part. I drove the vehicle home after work and parked it around 9:30 PM. The next morning a neighbor woke me up banging on my front door that my car was on fire. This was at 7 AM. The fire originated in the area close to the master cylinder like the recall states. Vehicle was a total loss. Not only that but it damaged the car it was parked behind.
I was working on doing maintenance on my car. Next thing I know, there's a fire. I got it out quickly enough with the original extinguisher. The speed control harness, which had a recall at one point, is burned and a brake line busted. 9f924 is the number for the part. I do not know for certain if this was ever replaced. But it must have been hot enough to catch brake fluid on fire
I was driving down a public street not even going the speed limit and I came to the stop light my car acted like it didn't wanna go I got it to a parking spot and it burst to a ball of flames I had no previous symptoms and the car was driving fine it had just gotten to halfway mark on my heat gauge. I think it may have been the plastic intake manifold melted maybe? Any ways thought I would report that this is actually a very dangerous thing it almost burnt me alive going down the road and then almost burnt a business down and I'm hoping to get some sort of compensation because no one told me till just now. If I could get some info on who to call at ford that'd be great
No indication or warning prior to incident. Within 2 mi of driving, battery light came on, electrical issues began (radio/dome lights, etc), then smoke billowing from under hood. Immediately pulled over, turned off ignition, and entire front end was on fire.
Tl* the contact owns a 1994 lincoln town car. While the vehicle was parked, the contact noticed an odor of burning rubber and plastic. The vehicle became engulfed with smoke and flames. The contact extinguished the fire. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The contact stated that the burned body on the hood of the vehicle was above the master cylinder. No report was filed. The contact found that the vehicle was included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 05v017000 (vehicle speed control); however, the contact had never received notification of the recall and the vehicle had never received a recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000.
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.
Tl* the contact owns a 1996 lincoln town car. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, there was smoke coming from under the hood. As a result, the contact discovered that the battery wires were burned and brake fluid had spilled. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle failed to switch gears. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the cruise control wire assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was unknown.
Tl* the contact owns a 1991 lincoln town car. The contact stated that due to a brake failure, the vehicle caught on fire. The fire department extinguished the fire. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 66,682.
Tl* the contact owns a 1994 lincoln town car. The contact stated that while parked, he was made aware that the vehicle was on fire. The fire department extinguished the fire. The vehicle was destroyed and remained in the contact's drive way, which was advised by the fire department. The fire department stated that the fire started from under the hood on the driver's side but the direct origina of the fire was unknown. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 190,000.
Related recalls
Electrical system: 12v/24v/48v battery: cables
- What is wrong
- On certain passenger vehicles, the battery cable includes a fusible link that may contact and subsequently chafe on a #2 cross member attaching bolt.
- Risk
- This condition may result in heat damage and could lead to a fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the fusible link and position it away from the cross member bolt. If the fusible link has already chafed and copper wires have been exposed, the fusible link will be replaced. The recall began on november 18, 2005. Owners may contact ford at 1‑800‑392‑3673, or lincoln/mercury at 1‑800‑521‑4140.
Recall number 05V518000 · Recall details
Electrical system
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The speed control deactivation switch can develop a resistive short in the electrical circuit that could potentially result in an underhood fire. A fire is possible both when the vehicle is running and when the vehicle engine is off. Also, the short could disable the speed control system or cause the brake light fuse to open.
- Risk
- A fire can originate in the left front underhood area.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install a new speed control deactivation switch and connector shell. Owner notification began may 20, 1999.
Recall number 99V124000 · Recall details
Questions about the Lincoln Town Car fire or smoke
Which Lincoln Town Car years have fire, smoke or burning smell problems?
The model years with the most reports are 1992 (55 complaints), 1993 (43 complaints) and 1990 (30 complaints).
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used Lincoln Town Car?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history