Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data
Data refreshed
Our database contains 1 NHTSA owner-reported complaint for the 1981 Lincoln Continental, most frequently naming the fuel system category. 3 manufacturer communications are on file.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
When owners filed reports about this model year
Not enough dated records to plot a meaningful trend — 1 month of data.
Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
No recalls in our database for this model year
That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.
Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words
VEHICLE WOULD START UP INTERMITTENTLY. NOTICED A LOSS OF FUEL WHILE DRIVING. CHECKED RELAY, AND TRACED IT BACK TO THE GAS TANK. THERE WAS AN EXPOSED WIRE IN THE GAS TANK. IF WIRES CAME LOOSE, IT COULD START A FIRE. CONTACTED DEALER. DEALER SAID THIS WAS A NORMAL FEATURE IN ALL VEHICLES. *AK
A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.
INFORMATION REGARDING TRANSMISSION FLUID USAGE CHARTS. *SLC
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
INFORMATION ON A NEW TRANSMISSION FLUID USAGE CHART. *YC
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
FLUID- TRANSMISSION FLUID USAGE CHARTS. *JD
Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.
Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model
| Year | Complaints | Recalls | Investigations | Issue Index |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 7 | 2 | 0 | — |
| 2019 | 32 | 3 | 0 | 54.7 |
| 2018 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 53.5 |
| 2017 | 74 | 4 | 0 | 55.9 |
| 2002 | 33 | 1 | 0 | 42.1 |
| 2001 | 32 | 2 | 0 | 44.0 |
| 2000 | 63 | 4 | 2 | 61.9 |
| 1999 | 42 | 3 | 2 | 60.9 |
| 1998 | 72 | 2 | 0 | 52.5 |
| 1997 | 96 | 2 | 0 | 47.3 |
| 1996 | 48 | 3 | 0 | 48.2 |
| 1995 | 70 | 2 | 2 | 57.4 |
| 1994 | 190 | 5 | 2 | 58.0 |
| 1993 | 121 | 4 | 5 | 56.8 |
| 1992 | 126 | 3 | 8 | 59.2 |
| 1991 | 203 | 3 | 7 | 64.2 |
| 1990 | 158 | 5 | 6 | 65.1 |
| 1989 | 158 | 5 | 8 | 66.7 |
| 1988 | 84 | 9 | 11 | 68.2 |
| 1987 | 9 | 1 | 6 | — |
| 1986 | 8 | 5 | 4 | — |
| 1985 | 15 | 2 | 3 | 70.0 |
| 1984 | 6 | 2 | 2 | — |
| 1983 | 2 | 3 | 1 | — |
| 1982 | 1 | 2 | 1 | — |
| 1981Viewing | 1 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1980 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1979 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — |
| 1978 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1977 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — |
| 1976 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1975 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — |
| 1974 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1969 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — |
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. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.