Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data
Data refreshed
Our database contains 21 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1985 Lincoln Town Car, most frequently naming the electrical, tires & wheels and engine categories. 1 safety recall has been issued covering this model year; 2 NHTSA investigations name it; and 17 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
| Month | Complaints filed | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 1995 | 1 | 1 |
| May 1995 | 1 | 2 |
| Jan 1996 | 1 | 3 |
| Apr 1996 | 5 | 8 |
| Jun 1996 | 1 | 9 |
| Jan 1999 | 1 | 10 |
| Jul 1999 | 1 | 11 |
| Oct 1999 | 1 | 12 |
| Apr 2000 | 1 | 13 |
| Jan 2001 | 2 | 15 |
| Oct 2001 | 2 | 17 |
| May 2002 | 2 | 19 |
| Nov 2003 | 1 | 20 |
| Jan 2006 | 1 | 21 |
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.
1 campaign cover this model year
Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.
Check a VIN on NHTSA.govEQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS
NHTSA inquiries naming this vehicle. An investigation is not a finding of a defect.
NON COLLISION FIRES
SUMMARY: ALLEGEDLY THE AXLE BEARINGS ON LINCOLN TOWN CAR LIMOUSINES OVER-HEAT IGNITING COMBUSTIBLE COMPONENTS NEARBY.RECOMMENDATION: OPEN PE SEND LETTER TO FORD.===
SUDDEN ACCELERATION
SUDDEN ACCELERATION
Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words
TIRE FAILURE: ABNORMAL BELT SEPARATION. PHOTO AND TIRE IS AVAILABLE. SEARS GUARDSMAN, RESPONSE XL, P215/75R15. 78615, DOT#CHHF244. ALSO, THERE WERE LARGE CRACKS WITHIN THE TREAD.*AK
WHILE DRIVING AT 32 MPH, THE ENGINE STALLED. THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED AND THE BRAKES FAILED. DEALERS NOTIFIED.*AK CONSUMER HAD A SHORT IN THE WIRE. HER CONCERN WAS THAT SHE COULDN'T STOP THE VEHICLE AFTER A WHILE. *PH *JB
SPARE TIRE HAD TREAD SEPARATION ON IT. 13OOO MILES, 225/75R15. *AK MICHELN DOT M 3DY D3NX 527. MONTHLY INSPECTION OF SPARE TIRE FOUND AIR WAS ESCAPING FROM TIRE. TOOK TIRE OUT OF TRUNK AND THE AREA FACING REAR FIREWALL WAS BLOWN OUT, TIRE SEPARATION. CONTACTED MICHELIN AND REPLY WAS TIRE IS OLD. PHOTO ATTACHED. 1985 LINCOLN TOWN CAR. *TT
CONSUMER IS HAVING THE SAME ISSUES AS MENTIONED IN RECALL 90 V 000 000 EQUIPMENT: CERTIFICATION LABEL. BUT, THIS VEHICLE NOT PART OF RECALL DUE TO VIN.
TIRE UNRAVELLED AND TREAD COMPLETELY SEPARATED.
FIRESTONE,215/70/R15, TIRE UNRAVELED, COMPLETELY SEPERATED.
I HAD ALWAYS FELT A SLUGGISHNESS IN THE CAR WHEN THE GEARS WERE CHANGING. BEING IT THAT THIS WOULD ALWAYS CORRECT ITSELF STILL I HAD AN UNCOMFORTABLE FEELING WHEN THIS HAPPENED. YET IT WASN'T SOMETHING THAT I CONSTANLY DWELLED UPON, UNTIL NOW. SEVERAL MACHANICS MADE STATEMENTS THEA THEY HAD NEVER KNOWN OF AN INTAKE MANIFOLD TO EXPLODE. THIS IS WHEN I STARTED TO THINK ABOUT THINGS THAT HAD HAPPENED IN THE PAST. ONCE THE MECHANIC HAD REMOVED THIS UNIT HE MENTIONED THAT THIS UNIT HAD MANY DEFECTS IN IT. THERE WERE THIN SPOTS AND THICK SPOTS THAT VARIED THROUGH OUT THIS UNIT. ONE BEING WHERE THIS UNIT HAD EXPLODED, LEAVING A HOLE IN IT THE SIZE OF A BULLET, YET IT WASN'T A BULLET HOLE. AFTER DRIVING MY CAR HOME I IMMEDIATELY REALIZED THAT THIS CAR WAS DRING BETTER THAN IT EVER HAD WITH OUT THE HESITATIONS. I THEN REALIZED THAT THIS DEFECT COULD HAVE BEEN EFFECTING THE OPERATION OF THIS CAR FROM DAY ONE. ONE DEALER'S SERVICE MANAGER TOLD ME THAT THE PARTS WERE OBSOLETE, THEREFORE I WOULD HAVE TO SCRAP IT. ONCE I FOUND MANY PARTS ON THE INTERNET I KNEW THAT SOMETHING WAS WRONG. THIS PARTICULAR PART SELDOM WORE OUT UNLESS IT WAS FACTORY DEFECTIVE, I FELT BETTER. NOT BECAUSE OF THE DEFECT ITSELF, BUT TO KNOW THAT MY COMPLAINT FOR ALL THESE YEARS HAD NOT BEEN A FIGMENT OF MY IMAGINATION, JUSTIFIED MY COMPLAINTS TO THE MANUFACTURER. I KNOW THE CAR IS OLD AS I HAVE BEEN REMINDED OF MORE TIMES THAN I CARE TO MENTION. MUST KNOW IF THERE ARE ANY OTHER CONSUMERS THAT WENT THROUGH THIS SAME ORDEAL. I'M CURIOUS BECAUSE I HAD ALWAYS BRAGGED ABOUT THE FACT THAT THIS CAR WAS THE LESS TROUBLESOME CAR I HAD EVER OWNED, UNTIL THIS LITTLE TIDBIT POPPED UP. BELIEVE IT OR NOT THE MILAGE ON IT IS ORIGINAL MILES. A SIXTEEN YEAR OLD CAR WITH LESS THAN ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND MILES ON IT, AND STILL CRANKS ON THE FIRST TURN OF THE KEY!*AK
CONSUMER WAS DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH WHEN STEERING COLUMN EXPLODED AND CAUGHT ON FIRE. CONSUMER PULLED OVER ,AND POURED SNOW ON IT TO TAKE FIRE OUT. *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
VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM:HEATER CORE
SOME VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT HEATER CORE LEAKS. *SLC
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:COOLING UNIT AND LINES
SUBJECT REGARDING CONTAMINATION FROM PRIOR TRANSMISSION CONCERNS OR EXCESS WEAR MAY BE TRAPPED IN THE TRANSMISSION FLUID COOLING SYSTEM. *TT
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
INFORMATION REGARDING THE NEW TRANSMISSION COOLER FLUSHER- SERVICE TIP. *MJS
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING
SUBJECT ON A WIRE HARNESS TERMINAL REPAIR KIT AVAILABLE FOR REPAIRING ELECTRICAL WIRING HARNESSES. *TT
EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER
INFORMATION ON IDENTIFYING NON-APPROVED / ALTERNATE REFRIGERANTS WHICH COULD CAUSE SAFETY, AND PERFORMANCE CONCERNS IF INSTALLED IN FORD A/C SYSTEMS. *TT
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2011 | 6 | 3 | 0 | — |
| 2010 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 45.8 |
| 2009 | 5 | 3 | 0 | — |
| 2008 | 20 | 3 | 0 | 57.1 |
| 2007 | 84 | 3 | 1 | 60.0 |
| 2006 | 143 | 2 | 0 | 47.8 |
| 2005 | 119 | 3 | 0 | 52.7 |
| 2004 | 83 | 0 | 1 | 51.8 |
| 2003 | 201 | 1 | 4 | 48.6 |
| 2002 | 65 | 1 | 3 | 60.7 |
| 2001 | 161 | 6 | 6 | 66.7 |
| 2000 | 108 | 9 | 4 | 64.8 |
| 1999 | 148 | 6 | 4 | 64.7 |
| 1998 | 154 | 8 | 5 | 60.5 |
| 1997 | 314 | 8 | 7 | 59.6 |
| 1996 | 259 | 10 | 6 | 61.3 |
| 1995 | 165 | 9 | 6 | 65.1 |
| 1994 | 155 | 5 | 4 | 68.0 |
| 1993 | 176 | 4 | 7 | 73.8 |
| 1992 | 249 | 4 | 7 | 74.5 |
| 1991 | 155 | 5 | 1 | 62.8 |
| 1990 | 209 | 4 | 2 | 71.3 |
| 1989 | 89 | 5 | 0 | 65.8 |
| 1988 | 99 | 5 | 2 | 71.8 |
| 1987 | 32 | 6 | 0 | 65.8 |
| 1986 | 50 | 4 | 1 | 70.7 |
| 1985Viewing | 21 | 1 | 2 | 63.3 |
| 1984 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 61.6 |
| 1983 | 4 | 3 | 1 | — |
| 1982 | 2 | 0 | 1 | — |
| 1981 | 1 | 0 | 1 | — |
| 1980 | 1 | 0 | 1 | — |
| 1978 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1977 | 1 | 0 | 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.