AI Damage2002 Lincoln LS: common problems
Owners of the 2002 Lincoln LS filed 121 complaints with NHTSA, most often about engine and cooling and air bags. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 121
- involving a crash
- 21
What fails most often
- 1 Engine and cooling 21% of all complaints
- 2 Air bags 20% of all complaints
- 3 Suspension 20% of all complaints
- 4 Powertrain 12% of all complaints
- 5 Service brakes 12% of all complaints
- 6 Vehicle speed control 9% of all complaints
- 7 Steering 8% of all complaints
- 8 Electrical system 7% of all complaints
- Engine and cooling: 25 complaints (21% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Air bags: 24 complaints (20% of all), 6 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Suspension: 24 complaints (20% of all), 3 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Powertrain: 15 complaints (12% of all).
- Service brakes: 15 complaints (12% of all), 7 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 121 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine and cooling | 25 | 2 | 0 |
| Air bags | 24 | 6 | 0 |
| Suspension | 24 | 3 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 15 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 15 | 7 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 11 | 4 | 0 |
| Steering | 10 | 2 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| Visibility | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 5 | 2 | 0 |
| Engine | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Electronic stability control | 2 | 2 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
The car in front of her braked suddenly and when my daughter pushed on the brake it went to the floor and she had no brakes. She clipped that car rear end and swerved right'hitting a second car as she got to the shoulder.
The driver was wearing a seat belt, but the force of the crash injured the contacts neck, fractured his back in two places, and fractured his sternum. The contact also sustained extensive pains in the lower back and buttocks due to no air bag deployment on the driver's side upon impact.
The air bags failed to deploy. The front passenger sustained contusions to the head, fractured ribs, and a bruised sternum that required medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 133,000.
While driving 35 mph on the parkway the car accelorated as far as it would go, brakes failed and car went out of control and side swiped another car then went on a grassy strip and came to a stop.
Brakes failed and car went out of control. After avoiding to hit 5 o6 cars it side swiped another car then veered to the right and came to a stop on a wet grassy area. In 2 previous incidents the engine revved up at a red light and I almost hit the car in front of me.
While decelerating from approximately 20-30 mph, the car suddenly surged forward with foot completely on the brake pedal. Car had decelerated to approximately 5 mph when it suddenly accelerated. Driver swerved to avoid the car stopped in front, but vehicle struck the other car in the rear.
On 12/19/08 approx., 1630 p.m., as we were driving the 2002 lincoln ls car, it was tremendously shaking as if it was going to fall apart and/or the tires had gone flat. We pulled over and checked the tires for flats and there were none.
My wife was stopped at a stop light and started to move up in traffic to close a gap between her and vehicle in front of her when the 2002 lincoln ls suddenly surged forward hitting the vehicle in front of her. Brakes were applied but the vehicle continued to surge forward.
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 3,120 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 9% most complained about).
On average one model year of the LS has 123 complaints (8 years in the data). This year has 121, about average.
What to check before buying
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Suspension. Wheel alignment, control arms, subframe, even tire wear.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2002 Lincoln LS?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: engine and cooling, air bags, suspension. Total complaints: 121. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: warning lights, check engine (10%), airbag warning light (8%), stalls while driving (8%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2002 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 2002 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 2002 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.