RoadVitals

1995 Dabryan Lincoln Towncar Problems

Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
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Latest Sep 6, 2013
Components namedHow many of our component categories appear on at least one report for this model year. One report can name several.
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Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
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What this page shows

Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 1995 Dabryan Lincoln Towncar, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Reports by component

Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category

  • Suspension1100.0%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Each component in detail

What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words

Suspension

Reports naming suspension components — springs, struts, shocks, control arms and related hardware.

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report

From owner reports, verbatim

I HAD MADE A LEFT TURN AND COMING OUT OF THE TURN I HEARD A LOUD BANG. I LOST CONTROL OF THE CAR AND RAN INTO A RETAINING WALL. MY NECK HURT IMMEDIATELY, POSSIBLY FROM THROWING MY HEAD TO LOOK AT WHAT I THOUGHT WOULD BE ANOTHER VEHICLE THAT HAD STRUCK ME. UPON EXAMINATION I SAW THAT THE FRONT RIGHT WHEEL WAS LYING FLAT ON THE GROUND AND THE CAR WAS RESTING ON TOP. BY FLAT I DON'T MEAN THAT THE TIRE WAS FLAT; I MEAN THAT THE WHEEL HAD GONE FROM PERPENDICULAR TO THE ROADWAY TO PARALLEL TO THE ROADWAY AND THE CAR WAS RESTING ON TOP OF THE WHEEL. THE CAR BEING UNDRIVEABLE, I HAD IT TOWED TO MY MECHANIC. THE TOW TRUCK DRIVER COULD NOT SIMPLY DROP OFF THE CAR BECAUSE THE ONLY THING THAT WOULD HAVE HELD UP THE CAR ON THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE WAS THE CONTROL ARM. MY MECHANIC EXAMINED THE CAR AND DETERMINED THAT THE ONE-PIECE BEARING WITHIN THE RIGHT LOWER CONTROL ARM HAD CRACKED AND THAT THE BALL AND CAP OF THE JOINT HAD TOTALLY SEPARATED. THIS HAD CAUSED THE CAR TO LAND ON THE CONTROL ARM AND COME TO GRINDING HALT. MY MECHANIC SAID AT THE TIME THAT THIS SHOULD BE A SUBJECT FOR A RECALL. ONLY RECENTLY, AFTER OBTAIN PAPERWORK FROM THE NHTSA DID I DISCOVER THAT THE 1995 LINCOLN TOWN CAR HAD BEEN RECALLED BUT THAT ONLY A RELATIVE FEW CARS HAD BEEN IDENTIFIED BY FORD MOTOR COMPANY. AFTER LEARNING THIS, AN ONLINE SEARCH REVEALED MANY DOZENS OF REPORTS OF INSTANCES OF THIS HAPPENING WITH NEARLY ALL THAT MENTIONED IT SAYING THAT THERE HAD BEEN NO RECALL FOR THIS DEFECT. SEVERAL MECHANICS EXPRESSED THE VIEW THAT THEY HAD SEEN SO MANY THAT IT WAS HARD FOR THEM TO BELIEVE THAT FEWER THAN 200,000 VEHICLES HAD BEEN DESIGNATED FOR RECALL. I WORRY CONSTANTLY ABOUT THE LEFT BALL JOINT SIMILARLY CRACKING BUT CANNOT AFFORD TO HAVE IT REPLACED. MANY HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF THESE 1995 TOWN CARS REMAIN ON THE ROAD DUE TO CULT FOLLOWING OF 1994-1997 MODELS. I WAS LUCKY I WAS NOT AT HIGHWAY SPD

NHTSA ID 10542327 · filed Sep 6, 2013

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.

Elsewhere on this vehicle

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .