1991 Lincoln Town CAR: common problems

Owners of the 1991 Lincoln Town CAR filed 155 complaints with NHTSA, most often about service brakes and engine and cooling. Details by component below, with sources.

Key figures

Owner complaints: 155
involving a crash: 20

What fails most often

1 Service brakes 28% of all complaints
2 Engine and cooling 12% of all complaints
3 Vehicle speed control 12% of all complaints
4 Latches, locks, linkages 11% of all complaints
5 Electrical system 10% of all complaints
6 Air bags 9% of all complaints
7 Visibility 9% of all complaints
8 Structure 6% of all complaints

Circle size and colour show each component’s share of NHTSA complaints. Schematic only, not a drawing of the exact model.

Service brakes: 43 complaints (28% of all), 3 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Engine and cooling: 19 complaints (12% of all).
Vehicle speed control: 19 complaints (12% of all), 9 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Latches, locks, linkages: 17 complaints (11% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Electrical system: 15 complaints (10% 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.

4.6 L · petrol · 8 cyl
automatic, 4-speed

Drive: RWD

Symptoms owners describe

How many of the 155 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).

smoke, burning smell, fire15 · 10%
warning lights, check engine9 · 6%
windows, sunroof8 · 5%
brake failure6 · 4%
airbag warning light5 · 3%
A/C or heater5 · 3%
unintended acceleration5 · 3%
headlights and tail lights4 · 3%
stalls while driving4 · 3%
tires: bulges, blowouts4 · 3%

Components owners complain about

Component	Owner complaints	involving a crash
Service brakes	43	3
Engine and cooling	19	0
Vehicle speed control	19	9
Latches, locks, linkages	17	1
Electrical system	15	1
Air bags	14	5
Visibility	14	0
Structure	10	0
Seats	9	2
Steering	8	1
Suspension	8	0
Powertrain	7	0
Equipment	6	0
Exterior lighting	6	0

What owners report

Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.

Tl* the contact owns a 1991 lincoln town car. The contact stated that while driving various speeds, the vehicle suddenly accelerated and the contact crashed. There were no injuries. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 27,000.
Engine · crash · 2014-04-22 · NHTSA complaint #10584206
While turning left vehicle was rear ended. Upon impact driver and passenger seats broke. Both driver and passenger sustained minor injuries. Vehicle was towed to a garage.
Seats · crash · 2004-08-10 · NHTSA complaint #10087613
Vehicle experienced sudden acceleration, causing a three-car crash, at speeds exceeding 80-85 mph. While attemping to shift to park, to shut off vehicle, it caught in reverse and continued to accelerate backwards, crashing into three more vehicles. Both airbag's experienced no deployment. Vehicle was totalled.
Vehicle speed control · crash · 1999-11-29 · NHTSA complaint #853459
Vehicle was involved in an collision. Upon impact front mounting bolt of driver's split seat broke, causing entire seat to fall backwards, and resulted in loss of vehicle control. Driver sustained neck injuries, and feet went through windshield. Vehicle was totaled.
Seats · crash · 1999-10-07 · NHTSA complaint #850255
Headlight wire burned out due to a short. This was the second time this happened.another vehicle hit consumer's vehicle. A/c unit belt wasn't working, and there was some type of loud noise.
Electrical system · crash · 1999-09-15 · NHTSA complaint #847819
The consumer put the vehicle into gear and the vehicle jump out of gear and the vehicle accelerated out of control and down a driveway and the consumer hit a brick planner.
Steering · crash · 1999-06-23 · NHTSA complaint #840901
During frontal impact, the driver's side air bag did not deploy.
Air bags · crash · 1996-12-16 · NHTSA complaint #806367
While driving, at approx. 65mph, suddenly hood flew up, shattering windshield, due to latch failure.
Latches, locks, linkages · crash · 1996-04-29 · NHTSA complaint #983843

When owners complained

NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.

199537
199626
199717
199816
199925
200011
20015
20027
20031
20043
20053
20061
20071
20101
20142
20151
20161

Comparison

By complaint count this model year ranks 2,564 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 7% most complained about).

On average one model year of the Town CAR has 95 complaints (35 years in the data). This year has 155, above average.

What to check before buying

Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
Latches, locks, linkages. Door, hood and tailgate latches, especially near the impact.

Questions and answers

What are the most common problems with the 1991 Lincoln Town CAR?

Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: service brakes, engine and cooling, vehicle speed control. Total complaints: 155. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: smoke, burning smell, fire (10%), warning lights, check engine (6%), windows, sunroof (5%).

How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1991 Lincoln Town CAR?

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 Town CAR 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.