AI Damage2001 Lincoln Navigator: common problems
Owners of the 2001 Lincoln Navigator filed 81 complaints with NHTSA, most often about tires and electrical system. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 81
- involving a crash
- 6
What fails most often
- 1 Tires 28% of all complaints
- 2 Electrical system 20% of all complaints
- 3 Vehicle speed control 15% of all complaints
- 4 Suspension 11% of all complaints
- 5 Powertrain 9% of all complaints
- 6 Fuel system 6% of all complaints
- 7 Service brakes 6% of all complaints
- 8 Air bags 5% of all complaints
- Tires: 23 complaints (28% of all).
- Electrical system: 16 complaints (20% of all).
- Vehicle speed control: 12 complaints (15% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Suspension: 9 complaints (11% of all).
- Powertrain: 7 complaints (9% of all), 1 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.
- 5.4 L · petrol · 8 cylnamed in 1 complaints
- automatic, 4-speed
Drive: RWD, AWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 81 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 | 23 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 12 | 1 | 0 |
| Suspension | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 5 | 2 | 0 |
| Air bags | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| Engine | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats | 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.
As I crashed into the median backwards the car stopped, but the wheels continued to spin, and smoke was coming from the tires. I then turned off the ignition.
The vehicle was involved in a frontal collision, and the air bags failed to deploy.
This problem has occurred on numerous occasions, I step on the brake and they don't work and the car continues to move, I hit one car, the utility sink in my garage, my garage door and a truck backing out of my driveway, besides have many near misses, I taken the car to the dealer and called lincoln, they say there is…
I am a captain with the fire department and responded to a 2 car head on crash. Other vehicle had airbag deployment, while this navigator had a major front end collision and air bags were loaded (not activated) on our arrival.
Clamp that is attached to brake fluid line casues brake fluid to leak out, resulting in loss of brakes which caused a collision. Dealer replaced clamp and brake hose.
It was dark so my headlights were on. I felt heat coming from under the dash by the pedals. I started to watch my dash to see if the truck was over heating or the check engine light would come on but neither of those happened. The next light I stopped at I could see smoke coming from the driver side air vents.
The contact stated that the air bag exploded and smoke and objects were ejected. The contact was taken to the hospital and diagnosed with first degree burns on his back side. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 163,000.
While driving at an unknown speed, the vehicle overheated and exhibited numerous other mechanical issues. The contact stated that the tires were bald, the air bag light illuminated, and the brakes failed to operate. The vehicle was taken to a dealer.
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 4,046 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 11% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Navigator has 44 complaints (31 years in the data). This year has 81, above average.
What to check before buying
- Tires. Tire age by DOT code, bulges, wear pattern.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
- Suspension. Wheel alignment, control arms, subframe, even tire wear.
Other years of this model
- Navigator 1998192 sources
- Navigator 1999132 sources
- Navigator 2000109 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 2001 Lincoln Navigator?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: tires, electrical system, vehicle speed control. Total complaints: 81. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: smoke, burning smell, fire (20%), tires: bulges, blowouts (9%), vibration (5%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2001 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 2001 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 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.