2006 Lincoln Town CAR: common problems

Owners of the 2006 Lincoln Town CAR filed 143 complaints with NHTSA, most often about air bags and seat belts. Details by component below, with sources.

Key figures

Owner complaints: 143
involving a crash: 12

What fails most often

1 Air bags 41% of all complaints
2 Seat belts 24% of all complaints
3 Vehicle speed control 18% of all complaints
4 Service brakes 15% of all complaints
5 Steering 9% of all complaints
6 Structure 6% of all complaints
7 Fuel/propulsion system 5% of all complaints
8 Electrical system 4% 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: 58 complaints (41% of all), 3 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Seat belts: 35 complaints (24% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Vehicle speed control: 26 complaints (18% of all), 5 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Service brakes: 21 complaints (15% of all), 5 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Steering: 13 complaints (9% of all), 3 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 143 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).

airbag warning light43 · 30%
seat belts38 · 27%
warning lights, check engine33 · 23%
unintended acceleration11 · 8%
rust, corrosion5 · 3%
smoke, burning smell, fire5 · 3%
door locks, latches, handles4 · 3%
headlights and tail lights3 · 2%
A/C or heater2 · 1%
steering or power steering problems2 · 1%

Components owners complain about

Component	Owner complaints	involving a crash
Air bags	58	3
Seat belts	35	1
Vehicle speed control	26	5
Service brakes	21	5
Steering	13	3
Structure	8	0
Fuel/propulsion system	7	0
Electrical system	6	0
Powertrain	6	0
Latches, locks, linkages	4	0
Seats	4	0
Engine	2	0
Engine and cooling	2	1
Exterior lighting	2	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 part of the recent ford steering recall, an emergency inspection was done on 11/18/13 at 69,104 and declared safe to drive. On 3/18/14 driving to the dealer to have recall work performed, the steering column locked-up solid at the turn was made entering the dealers property.a repair was done replacing the lower…
Steering · crash · 2015-06-28 · NHTSA complaint #10730821
Within a mile of leaving home, the seat belt light came on & started beeping. Driver glanced down to check seatbelt only to find that it was coming unlatched. In the brief seconds that it took to glance down & back up, driver was already leaving the road and in a panic, accidentally hit gas instead of brake.
Air bags · crash · 2014-11-09 · NHTSA complaint #10653722
Car continued to accelerate while standing on the brake, smoking the back tires. The brakes could not hold the acceleration and gradually pushed into the vehicle ahead that was stopped.
Vehicle speed control · crash · 2014-06-23 · NHTSA complaint #10605235
Also, the rear door locks failed, and passengers were unable to exit the vehicle and the air bag light illuminated. Updated 06/10/14
Air bags · crash · 2014-05-16 · NHTSA complaint #10588985
The air bags failed to deploy. The vehicle sustained major damage to the passenger side doors, roof, and dashboard. The passenger side windows, windshield, and side view mirror were also damaged. The contact sustained major injuries due to broken glass that was embedded in his scalp, in addition to a concussion.
Air bags · crash · 2009-01-21 · NHTSA complaint #10255836
Additionally, the front driver's seat remained extremely hot even after the seat heater was turned off. The contact stated that the dealer had previously replaced the intake manifold; however, the failure recurred, and the vehicle made an abnormal sound while being started.
Structure · 2024-11-20 · NHTSA complaint #11626487
There was an unknown warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the local dealer was contacted; however, no assistance was provided. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 91,000.
Powertrain · 2024-05-23 · NHTSA complaint #11590333
There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.
Vehicle speed control · 2023-10-20 · NHTSA complaint #11551039

When owners complained

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

200610
20074
20085
20095
201012
20112
201211
20136
201436
201515
201610
20179
20184
20194
20201
20214
20233
20242

Comparison

By complaint count this model year ranks 2,746 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 143, above average.

What to check before buying

Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
Seat belts. Belt pretensioners after airbag deployment, SRS codes.
Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.

Questions and answers

What are the most common problems with the 2006 Lincoln Town CAR?

Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: air bags, seat belts, vehicle speed control. Total complaints: 143. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: airbag warning light (30%), seat belts (27%), warning lights, check engine (23%).

How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2006 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 2006 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 2006 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.