AI Damage1991 Lincoln Mark VII: common problems
Owners of the 1991 Lincoln Mark VII filed 14 complaints with NHTSA, most often about service brakes and vehicle speed control. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 14
- involving a crash
- 1
What fails most often
- 1 Service brakes 43% of all complaints
- 2 Vehicle speed control 21% of all complaints
- 3 Electrical system 14% of all complaints
- 4 Seats 14% of all complaints
- 5 Engine and cooling 7% of all complaints
- 6 Parking brake 7% of all complaints
- 7 Powertrain 7% of all complaints
- 8 Visibility 7% of all complaints
- Service brakes: 6 complaints (43% of all).
- Vehicle speed control: 3 complaints (21% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 2 complaints (14% of all).
- Seats: 2 complaints (14% of all).
- Engine and cooling: 1 complaints (7% of all).
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 5 L · petrol · 8 cyl
- automatic, 4-speed
Drive: RWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 14 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service brakes | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Parking brake | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 1 | 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.
Engine was running, car was in park, foot was on the brake. Immediately after putting the car in drive, the engine revved wide open causing car to shoot out into traffic causing accident. Repeatedly pumped brake to no avail. The motor stayed wide open.
The mirror switch doesn't move the mirror to the right position desired and it smell like switch is on fire.
Repair the anti-lock brakes and the broke parking brake cable. The broke pare for the anti lock braking system was the rear wheel sensor. Either the manufactor nor after market vendor had the replacement part. Resulting in no anti-lock benefits.
When driving and attempting to stop and upon depressing brake pedal brakes failed to respond, causing extended stopping distance. Consumer has contacted dealer, dealer determined cause was a malfunction in rear abs sensor. Please provide any further details.
While traveling and when depressing gas pedal vehicle would not speed up. Also, transmission clip needed to be replaced. Please provide further information.
While driving there was an electrical fire that started from the cigarette lighter. Owner was able to stop the fire by disconnecting the battery. The dealer was called about this problem. Owner will have vehicle repaired. Please provide any further information.
When driving on the freeway heard engine racing while transmission was in overdrive. Drive dropped transmission down to drive and pulled over . Got back on the freeway, putit in overdrive at 30mph and engine was racing again. Driver realized didn't have overdrive.
When I apply my brakes, the pedal gets hard and the car shakes and I am not sure that it will stop..after a second if I push hard enough the pedal will go all the way to the floor and I am never sure it is going to stop. I have taken it to the local dealership and they cannot fix it.
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 9,551 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 26% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Mark VII has 7 complaints (15 years in the data). This year has 14, above average.
What to check before buying
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Seats. Occupant sensor, power adjustment, seat mounts.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1991 Lincoln Mark VII?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: service brakes, vehicle speed control, electrical system. Total complaints: 14. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: brake failure (14%), smoke, burning smell, fire (14%), rollaway, parking brake (7%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1991 Lincoln Mark VII?
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 1991 Lincoln Mark VII 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 1991 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.