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2003 Lincoln Aviator Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 111 complaints with NHTSA about the 2003 Lincoln Aviator, most often about the transmission (50% of complaints, typically around 67,500 miles). It is the most complained-about Aviator model year since 2000 and has 1 recall.
Most common 2003 Lincoln Aviator problems
Transmission
55 complaints · 50%Half of these problems showed up before 67,500 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission, driveline, axle assembly, axle hubs.
The contact owns a 2003 Lincoln Aviator. The contact stated that while attempting to shift into reverse, the gear lever detached unexpectedly. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer for diagnosis. The technician informed the contact that the gear shift assembly would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not…
2003 Lincoln Aviator warning light "emission". Found out it is a design flaw with the automatic transmission. We contacted NHTSA and found out there is a recall. Our VIN # is not in this recall. Ford/Lincoln will only give US $850.00 off on a $3000.00. This car has 72,000 miles on it. Found out this is when these…
Engine
17 complaints · 15%Half of these problems showed up before 80,000 miles. Parts named most often: engine.
10/26/06 # 8 coil failed 11/8/06 #6 coil failed 12/15/06 # 7 coil failed 1/24/07 cylinder head cracked total cost $4,943.53 for repairs.
I own a 2003 Lincoln Aviator with 85,000 miles on it . It is a 48,000 dollar vehicle and I am less than satisfied with the way its held up . The vehicle sees synthetic oil changes every 3,000 miles . At around 79,000 the engine died on while driving on a hilly country road with my family in the car . I was able to…
Body and structure
15 complaints · 14%Half of these problems showed up before 63,000 miles. Parts named most often: body.
Tl contact owns a 2003 Lincoln Aviator. The contact stated that the hinges on the rear were not holding the rear glass properly. The rear panel also began to crack. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer who stated that the manufacturer would not cover the repairs. The failure mileage was 64,000 and the current…
The contact owns a 2003 Lincoln Aviator. The contact stated the rear hatch near the emblem was cracked. The hatch was never used and there was never a crash that occurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated there are no recalls and the defect was structural damage. The repair cost will be at the owners…
Speed control
11 complaints · 10%Half of these problems showed up before 38,000 miles. Parts named most often: accelerator pedal, cables, cruise control.
: the contact stated while driving 55mph on the highway with the cruise control engaged, the vehicle suddenly lurched forward across the roadway and careened off a roadway bridge. The vehicle rolled five times and came to a final stop against an embankment. Minor injuries were sustained. Due to the extensive damage…
The brake pedal and accelerator pedal are too close together and there is a tendency for the foot to span the distance between brake pedal and accelerator pedal causing the vehicle to speed up when placed in gear forward or backwards, which can result in unavoidable accidents with persons, property or vehicles. The…
Brakes
9 complaints · 8%Half of these problems showed up before 41,000 miles. Parts named most often: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip, foundation components, conventional.
The brake pedal and accelerator pedal are too close together and there is a tendency for the foot to span the distance between brake pedal and accelerator pedal causing the vehicle to speed up when placed in gear forward or backwards, which can result in unavoidable accidents with persons, property or vehicles. The…
: the contact stated while applying brake pressure at any speed, there was an increased stopping distance. The vehicle was inspected by an independent repair shop and a dealer who both determined the master cylinder needed to be replaced. After the dealer replaced the master cylinder, the problem persisted. The…
Electrical
8 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 75,000 miles. Parts named most often: wiring.
There has been a unprovoked crack in the lift gate panel for a couple years now (which seems to be a very common problem in this model), we have not had issues until the rear window started flying open while driving at around 30mph. The latch has malfunctioned due to water seeping into crack.
The contact owns a 2003 Lincoln Aviator. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, the engine warning light illuminated as the vehicle started to shake abnormally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who inspected the failure and advised that the cylinder head in the engine needed to be replaced. The manufacturer…
Visibility and wipers
7 complaints · 6%Parts named most often: rearview mirrors/devices, defroster/defogger/hvac system, power window devices and controls.
Rear liftgate window kept opening even after three repairs by galpin Lincoln/ford on a 2003 Lincoln Aviator. In addition, outside mirrors kept dropping while driving causing drivers to go blind. This is very dangerous for the failure of rear liftgate and the dropping or mirrors, in transition of filing california…
The contact owns a 2008 Lincoln Aviator. While the vehicle was at a complete stop, the gear shift cable broke. In addition, there was an unusual noise coming from the vehicle and the drivers side power window had failed. The vehicle was towed to her residence. The manufacturer advised there was an open recall on the…
Air bags
7 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 125,000 miles. Parts named most often: frontal, side/window.
The contact owns a 2003 Lincoln Aviator. The contact stated that the air bag deployed independently while the vehicle was sitting idle in park. The contact stated that the air bag struck him in the rear of the head and caused severe headaches. The manufacturer was contacted and advised the contact that their attorney…
I was leaving my residence on a neighborhood street, when I heard a loud noise which sound like a gunshot. Upon recovering from the initial shock, I observed the side window/curtain air bags had deployed. The vehicle hadn't been hit or involved in an accident. I had to stop the vehicle to calm my son and we returned…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2003 Lincoln Aviator recalls
Transmission: automatic transmission
Risk: This could result resulting in incorrect gear indication.
Fix: Dealers will add a strap to the shift cable adjuster to prevent the shift cable from becoming dislodged. Ford has not yet provided an owner notification schedule for this campaign. Owners who do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact ford at 1-866-436-7332.
Full defect summary
On certain sport utility vehicles, the transmission shift cable can become dislodged from the shift cable bracket.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Vehicle rollaway allegations
Summary
This investigation is being closed based on several considerations.by the most inclusive counting of all alleged rollaway incidents (I.e., counting all alleged rollaway incidents and assuming a singular failure mechanism), the incident rate is low, however during ea09-013, odi identified a number of different failure mechanisms in 180 incidents related to the alleged defect.the highest rate for any particular failure mechanism, the failure of the automatic transmission parking system, was 4.4/100k.the next-highest failure rate was for the bsi system, at 3.4/100k.for all identified failure mechanisms there has been a drastically declining trend including very few incidents occurring in recent
Spark plug ejection from cylinder head
Summary
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 vehi
Questions about the 2003 Lincoln Aviator
- What are the most common problems with the 2003 Lincoln Aviator?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: transmission (55 complaints, typically around 67,500 miles); engine (17 complaints, typically around 80,000 miles); body and structure (15 complaints, typically around 63,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2003 Lincoln Aviator have?
- 1 recall listed by NHTSA, the latest from November 21, 2002 (transmission). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2003 a bad year for the Lincoln Aviator?
- It is the most complained-about Aviator model year since 2000, with 111 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.