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2003 Lincoln Town Car Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 201 complaints with NHTSA about the 2003 Lincoln Town Car, most often about the suspension (40% of complaints, typically around 74,000 miles). It is the most complained-about Town Car model year since 2000 and has 1 recall.
Most common 2003 Lincoln Town Car problems
Suspension
81 complaints · 40%Half of these problems showed up before 74,000 miles. Parts named most often: rear, front, multiple axle.
The contact owns a 2003 Lincoln Town Car. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 MPH, she heard an abnormal noise and then the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where the contact was advised that the rear axle was fractured. The contact was able to locate a recall relevant to the…
Recall# 04v328000 rear axle bearing failure. Called ford and they blew me off saying it did not apply to my VIN#. And hung up. They could not even find the recall.
Transmission
27 complaints · 13%Half of these problems showed up before 83,500 miles. Parts named most often: axle assembly, driveline.
1) I noticed a slight vibration and noise. 2) took car to a ford dealer who identified the problem as a pinion bearing, but they couldn't get to a repair immediately. I took the car to the closest aaa approved garage. 3) both axle shafts and all axle bearings have to be replaced.
Had popping noise coming from rear of car.had it to the dealer they said that they could not hear the noise.1/28/08 driving and heard loud knocking and then lots of noise. Had car towed to dealer. Dealer said rear wheel seals bearings had failed. Same problem that was recalled on other 2003 lincolns. Not recalled on…
Speed control
18 complaints · 9%Half of these problems showed up before 43,500 miles. Parts named most often: accelerator pedal, cruise control.
Tl contact owns a 2003 Lincoln Town Car. The contact stated that everytime she activated the cruise control, the switch became very hot. She traditionally activates the cruise control switch at approximately 70 MPH. She never noticed any smoke or warning indicators prior to the failure. The dealer stated that her…
Tl contact owns a 2003 Lincoln Town Car. He stated that while driving 10 MPH and applying the brake pedal, without a warning the vehicle accelerated on its own . He then tried to apply the brakes and they did not work until he shifted into neutral gear. The vehicle decreased in speed and began to function normally.…
Steering
16 complaints · 8%Half of these problems showed up before 80,000 miles. Parts named most often: electric power assist system, column.
The contact owns a 2003 Lincoln Town Car. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 65 MPH, the lower steering shaft detached causing the contact to lose control of the vehicle. The contact was able to avoid a crash however, a police report was filed. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously…
The contact owns a 2003 Lincoln Town Car. The metal piece that secures the steering column came apart. This part was also responsible for allowing the column to rotate in a circular motion. The vehicle was taken to the dealer twice and the metal piece was replaced. The repairs did not remedy the failure. He then…
Brakes
15 complaints · 8%Half of these problems showed up before 66,500 miles. Parts named most often: pedals and linkages, antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip, power assist, foundation components.
Tl contact owns a 2003 Lincoln Town Car. The contact noticed grease on the wheels and tires. The vehicle was taken to a mechanic, who stated that bearings, axles, and rear brakes were needed. This was the third time in four years that the failure has occurred. The VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign id number…
Tl contact owns a 2003 Lincoln Town Car. While the vehicle was parked, the contact noticed a leak behind the rear driver's side tire. The vehicle was driven to firestone and the mechanic stated that the seal failed on the rear driver's side tire. While the mechanic was repairing the vehicle, he noticed that the rear…
Engine
14 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 83,500 miles. Parts named most often: engine, exhaust system.
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, ([phone]) for repairs. When the contact retrieved the vehicle, he noticed that the entire floorboard was flooded with water.…
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…
Body and structure
12 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 37,500 miles. Parts named most often: body.
I recently purchased the vehicle and noticed on the first night drive that when applying the brakes, the 3rd brake light(the one at the top of the back window glowed brightly over the inside of the window making it impossible to see to the rear. When it rained and the back window was wet. The problem was even worse.…
Tl 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…
Wheels and tires
12 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 49,500 miles. Parts named most often: sidewall.
Tl contact owns a 2003 Lincoln Town Car. While driving 40 MPH, the contact attempted to accelerate and heard a roaring sound coming from the rear of the vehicle. The contact took the vehicle to a mechanic and they stated that the wheel bearings, wheels, and axle shafts needed to be replaced. The contact was given a…
Purchased 4 michelin tires total [email] now have 58,275 miles all (4) four tires are separating at the white wall adjacent to the rim,thats 15,183 miles discount tire recommended replacement at a cost of $336.00. This appears to be a defect in workmanship. What is to prevent the tire from coming apart completely. I'm…
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 Town Car recalls
Suspension: rear
Risk: This could lead to early bearing failure and ultimately to axle shaft fracture. In the event of axle shaft fracture, the vehicle would lose drive function and would coast to a stop. Loss of drive function could lead to a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the rear wheel bearings, seals,and axle shafts. The recall began on july 15, 2004. Owners should contact ford at 1-800-392-3673.
Full defect summary
Certain police, commercial, and passenger vehicles sold to fleets typically input higher loads into the vehicle chassis overloading the wheel bearings and axles.
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
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
Rear axle fracture
Summary
This pe was opened after odi became aware of two allegations concerning rear axle fracture and partial wheel separation involving my 2003 ford crown victoria police interceptors (cvpi).initially, the pe's scope involved all my 2003 grand marquis, crown victoria, and lincoln town cars (I.e., panther platform) produced through january 2003.while gathering information about this issue, it became evident that the failures were confined to long-wheelbase lincoln town cars and the cvpi's due to their unique weight distribution and usage profiles.ford's recall addresses these vehicles.both the company and odi are continuing to monitor the field performance of the axles and will take appropriate act
Inadvertent side air bag deployment
Summary
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 i
Inadvertent side air bag deployment
Summary
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 occu
Questions about the 2003 Lincoln Town Car
- What are the most common problems with the 2003 Lincoln Town Car?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: suspension (81 complaints, typically around 74,000 miles); transmission (27 complaints, typically around 83,500 miles); speed control (18 complaints, typically around 43,500 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2003 Lincoln Town Car have?
- 1 recall listed by NHTSA, the latest from July 7, 2004 (suspension). 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 Town Car?
- It is the most complained-about Town Car model year since 2000, with 201 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.