AI Damage2001 Lincoln LS: common problems
Owners of the 2001 Lincoln LS filed 240 complaints with NHTSA, most often about suspension and air bags. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 240
- involving a crash
- 20
What fails most often
- 1 Suspension 46% of all complaints
- 2 Air bags 14% of all complaints
- 3 Engine and cooling 11% of all complaints
- 4 Visibility 7% of all complaints
- 5 Electrical system 6% of all complaints
- 6 Powertrain 6% of all complaints
- 7 Steering 6% of all complaints
- 8 Service brakes 5% of all complaints
- Suspension: 110 complaints (46% of all), 8 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Air bags: 33 complaints (14% of all), 6 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Engine and cooling: 26 complaints (11% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Visibility: 16 complaints (7% of all).
- Electrical system: 14 complaints (6% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 3 L · petrol · 6 cyl
- 3.9 L · petrol · 8 cylnamed in 1 complaints
- automatic, 5-speed
- manual, 5-speed
Drive: RWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 240 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 110 | 8 | 0 |
| Air bags | 33 | 6 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 26 | 1 | 0 |
| Visibility | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 14 | 2 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 14 | 2 | 0 |
| Steering | 14 | 2 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 13 | 1 | 0 |
| Structure | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 11 | 3 | 0 |
| Wheels | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine | 5 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
This car has actually cut out on me on the highway all lights power steering everything and gave me an error message. The message stated gear shifting error. I bought an automatic to elevate my bad shifting and now my automatic does not know how to shift gears c'mon!!!!!!my dealer doesn't know what to do why are they…
The consumer stated that on april 4, 2007 he was involved in an accident and upon impact the airbags did not deploy. Due to the accident there were severe damages on the front and left side of the car. Prior to the accident, the consumer complained about the air bag light being on. Update 04/30/07
Air bags failed to deploy during severe frontal impact collision. Seat belts failed to lock up.
I stopped at the parking garage entrance to get a parking ticket. When the arm went and I be gan to pull in to the garage the gas pedal went right to the floor the engine began to race uncontrolably . I had both feet pressed firmly on the brake pedal trying to stop the car.
Vehicle lost steering and went into an uncontrolable skid. Total vehicle's rotation was greater than 360 degrees. Crossed three lanes of interstate twice before contact with concrete highway barrier.
Vehicle was rearended while at a stop, and passenger's fron seat disconnected at bottom. Passenger suffered minor injuries.
Vehicle was struck on driver's side and forced into guardrail straight on. Upon impact, air bags failed to deploy.
Engine stalled during normal operation of the vehicle while traveling approximately 45 mph. Consumer lost control before traveling into a ditch. Dealership has examined vehicle and determined that alternator failed which resulted in stalling of engine. Please provide any additional information / documentation.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 1,693 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 5% most complained about).
On average one model year of the LS has 123 complaints (8 years in the data). This year has 240, above average.
What to check before buying
- Suspension. Wheel alignment, control arms, subframe, even tire wear.
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- Visibility. Wipers, mirrors, defrosters, cracked glass.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2001 Lincoln LS?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: suspension, air bags, engine and cooling. Total complaints: 240. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: windows, sunroof (7%), knocking, grinding or other noise (6%), vibration (5%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2001 Lincoln LS?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 2001 Lincoln LS from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 2001 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.