AI Damage1999 Lincoln Navigator: common problems
Owners of the 1999 Lincoln Navigator filed 132 complaints with NHTSA, most often about tires and engine and cooling. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 132
- involving a crash
- 7
What fails most often
- 1 Tires 22% of all complaints
- 2 Engine and cooling 17% of all complaints
- 3 Electrical system 9% of all complaints
- 4 Suspension 9% of all complaints
- 5 Visibility 8% of all complaints
- 6 Wheels 8% of all complaints
- 7 Powertrain 6% of all complaints
- 8 Vehicle speed control 5% of all complaints
- Tires: 29 complaints (22% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Engine and cooling: 22 complaints (17% of all).
- Electrical system: 12 complaints (9% of all).
- Suspension: 12 complaints (9% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Visibility: 10 complaints (8% of all).
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 5.4 L · petrol · 8 cylnamed in 3 complaints
- automatic, 4-speed
Drive: RWD, AWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 132 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tires | 29 | 2 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 22 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 12 | 1 | 0 |
| Visibility | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels | 10 | 1 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 6 | 2 | 0 |
| Steering | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Latches, locks, linkages | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats | 3 | 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.
While driving ....... Without warning the air suspension line exploded and the vehicle became unmanageable ... Causing me to go off the road and strike various stationary objects ......
I was driving up to a red light and was stopping and applied even brake pressure. The vehicle slowed but did not come to a stop. I had plenty of stopping room and the vehicle just slowly drove right into the stopped vehicles. I know how to use abs brakes and just pressed harder and harder but thje car did not stop.
Consumer was involved 20 mph frontal collision hitting a tree in which the driver's passenger's air bags did not deploy. Driver died in the crash. (state of illinos traffic crash report).
It blows the spark plugs out while driving on normal streets in september or october 2019 the shop I took it to be repaired told me that happens alot with this vehicle
The contact stated that the roof leaked water onto the driver side window post and then traveled to the dashboard area. The water caused electrical issues. In addition, the front driver side exterior power door lock could only be accessed manually.
Causing the vehicle to smoke from the engine compartment and lose compression. I thought the engine had caught fire and there was no warning to this happening. Spark plugs were installed per manufacturers specifications when this incident occurred.
The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 mph, the rear passenger's side tire separated from the vehicle. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The tire was not replaced. The failure mileage of the tire and the vehicle was 6,500. The vin was not available.
We had been in the restaurant approximately 15 - 20 minutes when the waiter announced that there was a "car on fire" in the parking lot. My family and I, along with everyone else in the restaurant, rushed outside, where I was horrified to see my lincoln navigator surrounded by police cars and engulfed in flames.
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 2,931 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 8% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Navigator has 44 complaints (31 years in the data). This year has 132, above average.
What to check before buying
- Tires. Tire age by DOT code, bulges, wear pattern.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Suspension. Wheel alignment, control arms, subframe, even tire wear.
Other years of this model
- Navigator 1998192 sources
- Navigator 2000109 sources
- Navigator 200181 sources
- Navigator 200232 sources
- Navigator 2003127 sources
- Navigator 200486 sources
- Navigator 200548 sources
- Navigator 200660 sources
- Navigator 200745 sources
- Navigator 200830 sources
- Navigator 200910 sources
- Navigator 201016 sources
- Navigator 20119 sources
- Navigator 201212 sources
- Navigator 201314 sources
- Navigator 201417 sources
- Navigator 201521 sources
- Navigator 2016105 sources
- Navigator 201799 sources
- Navigator 2018194 sources
- Navigator 2019224 sources
- Navigator 2020225 sources
- Navigator 2021180 sources
- Navigator 2022207 sources
- Navigator 2023156 sources
- Navigator 2024113 sources
- Navigator 2025183 sources
- Navigator 202669 sources
- Navigator 202711 sources
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1999 Lincoln Navigator?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: tires, engine and cooling, electrical system. Total complaints: 132. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: smoke, burning smell, fire (12%), tires: bulges, blowouts (7%), stalls while driving (6%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1999 Lincoln Navigator?
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 1999 Lincoln Navigator 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 1999 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.