2001 Lincoln Town CAR: common problems

Owners of the 2001 Lincoln Town CAR filed 161 complaints with NHTSA, most often about air bags and vehicle speed control. Details by component below, with sources.

Key figures

Owner complaints: 161
involving a crash: 21

What fails most often

1 Air bags 34% of all complaints
2 Vehicle speed control 16% of all complaints
3 Visibility 10% of all complaints
4 Service brakes 8% of all complaints
5 Engine and cooling 6% of all complaints
6 Steering 6% of all complaints
7 Suspension 6% of all complaints
8 Electrical system 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.

Air bags: 54 complaints (34% of all), 9 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Vehicle speed control: 26 complaints (16% of all), 9 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Visibility: 16 complaints (10% of all).
Service brakes: 13 complaints (8% of all), 4 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Engine and cooling: 10 complaints (6% 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 161 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).

smoke, burning smell, fire11 · 7%
airbag warning light10 · 6%
unintended acceleration9 · 6%
warning lights, check engine7 · 4%
A/C or heater6 · 4%
airbags did not deploy5 · 3%
knocking, grinding or other noise5 · 3%
seat belts4 · 2%
vibration3 · 2%
door locks, latches, handles2 · 1%

Components owners complain about

Component	Owner complaints	involving a crash
Air bags	54	9
Vehicle speed control	26	9
Visibility	16	0
Service brakes	13	4
Engine and cooling	10	1
Steering	10	0
Suspension	10	2
Electrical system	9	0
Seats	7	0
Structure	6	0
Engine	5	1
Powertrain	5	2
Tires	5	0
Equipment	3	0

What owners report

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

I (age 77) and my passenger (age 83) wore seat belts that saved us. Car front smashed; car rear less damaged. Sides are o.k.. Isp report id:[phone]41. Neither of us sought medical treatment. My chest still hurts! Air bags would have helped had they deployed.
Air bags · crash · 2013-01-26 · NHTSA complaint #10494782
2001 lincoln town car air bags failed to deploy in an accident. Consumer states that the vehicle was totaled and the air bags did not deploy in the accident.
Air bags · crash · 2008-03-18 · NHTSA complaint #10221699
2001 lincoln towncar customer states that the air bags did not deploy* the consumer stated that she was involved in an accident the air bags did not deploy nor did the seat belt keep her secure during the collision. The consumer has provided a copy of the letter provided by ford and pictures of the damaged vehicle.
Air bags · crash · 2007-06-25 · NHTSA complaint #10193162
The vehicle experienced sudden acceleration, which caused consumer to lose control of the vehicle.
Vehicle speed control · crash · 2003-03-10 · NHTSA complaint #10011225
When vehicle was put into reverse, vehicle accelerated forward into a wall. Contacted dealer.
Powertrain · crash · 2002-10-07 · NHTSA complaint #8020283
After starting vehicle consumer shifted to reverse, suddenly vehicle accelerated on its own. Vehicle came to a stop when it hit a fire hydrant. Damage was $ 3000.00. On 28, may 2002 ,also at first start, consumer shifted to reverse and vehicle accelerated on it's own. Consumer braked, but was unable to stop vehicle.
Vehicle speed control · crash · 2002-06-07 · NHTSA complaint #8011304
Has caused consumer to surge forward and rear end another vehicle.*akfailures have been at stopped positions. The brake pedal goes below the accelerator pedal and consumers foot winds up depressing it also. Consumer has a 2000 model and experiences no problems.
Vehicle speed control · crash · 2002-05-22 · NHTSA complaint #8010304
He started my car and next the car started smoking and he looked under the hood the nipple where the hose connected had broke off and there is a crack all the way down the intake manifold.
Engine · 2022-10-17 · NHTSA complaint #11489621

When owners complained

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

20003
200117
200221
200322
200415
200511
20067
200710
200810
20095
20104
20115
20124
20134
20146
20156
20163
20173
20181
20191
20201
20211
20222

Comparison

By complaint count this model year ranks 2,490 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 161, above average.

What to check before buying

Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
Visibility. Wipers, mirrors, defrosters, cracked glass.
Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.

Questions and answers

What are the most common problems with the 2001 Lincoln Town CAR?

Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: air bags, vehicle speed control, visibility. Total complaints: 161. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: smoke, burning smell, fire (7%), airbag warning light (6%), unintended acceleration (6%).

How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2001 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 2001 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 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.