AI Damage2004 Lincoln LS: common problems
Owners of the 2004 Lincoln LS filed 91 complaints with NHTSA, most often about engine and cooling and powertrain. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 91
- involving a crash
- 8
What fails most often
- 1 Engine and cooling 27% of all complaints
- 2 Powertrain 21% of all complaints
- 3 Electrical system 20% of all complaints
- 4 Air bags 16% of all complaints
- 5 Vehicle speed control 16% of all complaints
- 6 Fuel system 10% of all complaints
- 7 Equipment 9% of all complaints
- 8 Service brakes 9% of all complaints
- Engine and cooling: 25 complaints (27% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Powertrain: 19 complaints (21% of all).
- Electrical system: 18 complaints (20% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Air bags: 15 complaints (16% of all), 4 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Vehicle speed control: 15 complaints (16% 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 cyl
- automatic, 5-speed
Drive: RWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 91 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 | 1 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 19 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 18 | 1 | 0 |
| Air bags | 15 | 4 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 15 | 2 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| Equipment | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| Seats | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Electronic stability control | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Parking brake | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 2 | 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.
The air bags did not deploy. The contact suffered injuries to the leg, chest, back and neck. The contact was taken to the emergency room for treatment. The vehicle was not repaired. A police report was filed. The failure mileage was 220,000.
The contact stated when traveling at 35 mph, the vehicle would sporadically surge forward then correct itself without warning. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the ignition coil was replaced. There were no prior warnings of the failure.
The entire front end was damaged; however, the air bags failed to deploy. A police report was filed and the contact was injured. He feels that this is a serious safety issue. The speed was unknown. The failure mileage was 32,165.
Slowed and turned into parking space noted vehicle was not stopping pressed firmer on brakes did not stop hit cement post at chatham county tag department with an officer watching $10,000 damage left driver side damage started at headlight and stopped at wheel. I had pain in neck and from seat belt.
The damage was in the front end between the center and passenger side below the headlight. The airbags did not deploy when this occurred. There was no inspection to determine why the airbags did not deploy. Two years later, while driving up a gravel driveway, the passenger side seat airbag deployed without incident.
Its a high safety issue which can start a fire and or have health issues with me and the kids. Well turns out my car with that vin did not have a recall even though there was a recall for same year and make but not mine for some reason. It is obvious that my vehicle needed to be recalled to fix it.
Was coming home from the store I was going 55mph and out of no where the headlights turn off....pulled over turned off the car then back on and work for like a min then again I almost crash because no light..a 15min drive home became 50min had to be pulling over all the way home....due to the lights turning off on…
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 lincoln ls. While accelerating from a stop, the vehicle experienced a reduction in engine power. The vehicle was maneuvered to the side of the road and the engine was turned off.
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 3,786 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 10% most complained about).
On average one model year of the LS has 123 complaints (8 years in the data). This year has 91, below average.
What to check before buying
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2004 Lincoln LS?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: engine and cooling, powertrain, electrical system. Total complaints: 91. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: warning lights, check engine (19%), stalls while driving (18%), jerking, harsh shifts (10%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2004 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 2004 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 2004 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.