1985 Lincoln Town Car Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 1985 Lincoln Town Car, 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
- Electrical628.6%
- Tires & wheels419.0%
- Engine29.5%
- Body & structure29.5%
- Steering29.5%
- Brakes14.8%
- Fuel system14.8%
- Interior & seats14.8%
- Driver assistance14.8%
- Heating & air conditioning14.8%
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
Electrical
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.
From owner reports, verbatim
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
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
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Tires & wheels
Reports naming tires, wheels, hubs, or the tire-pressure monitoring system.
From owner reports, verbatim
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
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
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
ENGINE FAILURE RESULTED IN ENGINE FIRE (OHIO TRAFFIC CRASH REPORT). *MJS
CARBON MONOXIDE FUMES FROM DEFECTIVE CATALYTIC EXHAUST SYSTEM, CAUSING INJURY/DEATH. *SKD
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Body & structure
Reports naming the vehicle structure, frame, body panels, doors, hood and trim.
From owner reports, verbatim
THE HYDRAULIC CYLINDERS USED TO HOLD THE HOOD UP GAVE WAY, ALLOWING THE HOOD T0 FALL DOWN, ALMOST INJURING THE OWNER. DEALER HAS NOT SEEN VEHICLE. *AK
CONSUMER HAD A SICK PASSENGER IN BACK SEAT , DROVE TO HOSPITAL , WENT TO UNLOCK DOORS BY THE AUTOMATIC SYSTEM NEXT TO DRIVER , BUT IT WAS INOPERATIVE. NEXT, CONSUMER WENT TO OPEN THE BACK DOOR MANUALLY, BUT IT WILL NOT OPEN ON EITHER SIDE. CONSUMER HAD TO PULL SICK PASSNEGER TO THE FRONT SEAT IN ORDER TO GET HIM OUT. DEFECT CAUSING A SAFETY HAZARD. *AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Steering
Reports naming the steering system — racks, columns, power-steering assist and steering linkage.
From owner reports, verbatim
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
WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE SAW WHITE SMOKE COMING FROM STEERING COLUMN, DROVE TO HOUSE, AFTER ARRIVING HOME, SMOKE STOPPED. *AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Brakes
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.
From owner reports, verbatim
BRAKES FAILED, CAUSING ACCIDENT. (NEW JERSEY STATE POLICE REPORT) *DSH
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Fuel system
Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks.
From owner reports, verbatim
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
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Interior & seats
Reports naming seats, latches, locks, linkages and interior fittings.
From owner reports, verbatim
THE CAR BURNED UP FROM THE HARNESS UNDER THE DASH. PLEASE DESCRIBE. *AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
CAR ACCELERATES TO 70 MPH FOR NO REASON BEFORE IT WARMS UP. IT STAYS AT THIS SPEED UNTIL YOU GO ABOUT 25 MILES.PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. TT
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Heating & air conditioning
Reports naming the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system.
From owner reports, verbatim
CARBON MONIXIDE EMITTED FROM AIR CONDITIONER, RESULTING IN TWO DEATHS. *AW
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
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .