1996 Lincoln Town Car

IN A LETTER DATED FEBRUARY 25, 2005, FORD MOTOR COMPANY (FORD) NOTIFIED ODI THAT IT WOULD BE CONDUCTING A CUSTOMER SATISFACTION PROGRAM (FORD NO. 04B26) TO CORRECT A REAR BRAKE LINE CHAFING CONCERN IN APPROXIMATELY 44,000 MODEL YEAR (MY) 1997 FORD CROWN VICTORIA AND GRAND MARQUIS NON-FLEET VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH ELECTRONIC TRACTION CONTROL THAT WEREBUILT AFTER MARCH 19, 1997.THESE VEHICLES HAVE AN ADDITIONAL REAR BRAKE LINE AND A MASTIC PATCH CAUSING REDUCED CLEARANCE FROM A STIFFENING RIB IN THE FLOOR PAN.ODI?S ANALYSIS SHOWED HIGHER COMPLAINT AND WARRANTY RATES RELATED TO REAR BRAKE LINE FAILURES IN THIS POPULATION THAN IN OTHER SUBJECT VEHICLES AND PEER MID-SIZED PASSENGER CARS THAT WERE EVALUATED DURING THE INVESTIGATION.VEHICLES INVOLVED IN FORD?S PROGRAM WILL HAVE THE REAR BRAKE LINES INSPECTED FOR CONTACT WITH THE FLOOR PAN STIFFING RIB.IF THERE IS CONTACT, BUT NO ABRASION OR LEAKAGE, THE BRAKE LINES WILL BE REPOSITIONED.IF THERE IS ABRASION OR A LEAK IS EVIDENT THE BRAKE LINE WILL BE REPAIRED.IF NECESSARY, BOTH OF THE REAR BRAKE LINES WILL BE REPLACED. THOUGH FORD DOES NOT ADMIT TO A SAFETY-DEFECT IN THE SUBJECT COMPONENTS, ODI BELIEVES THAT THE FACTS IN THIS INVESTIGATION SHOW OTHERWISE BECAUSE THE INSUFFICIENT CLEARANCE IN THE ROUTING OF THOSE BRAKE LINES MAY RESULT IN LEAKS IN THOSE LINES THAT MAY RESULT IN INCREASED STOPPING DISTANCES.ODI IS DESIGNATING THE CAMPAIGN A SAFETY RECALL (NHTSA RECALL NO. 05V-086).BECAUSE OF THE LOW RATES OF BRAKE LINE FAILURES IN THE REMAINING SUBJECT VEHICLES, A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT HAS NOT BEEN IDENTIFIED IN THOSE POPULATIONS AND FURTHER USE OF AGENCY RESOURCES DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE WARRANTED.THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY NHTSA THAT NO SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT EXISTS IN THOSE VEHICLES.THE AGENCY RESERVES THE RIGHT TO TAKE FURTHER ACTION IF WARRANTED BY THE CIRCUMSTANCES.FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, SEE THE ATTACHED CLOSING REPORT.

ODI HAS RECEIVED 40 COMPLAINTS ALLEGING REAR BRAKE LINE FAILURE IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES, INCLUDING 8 THAT HAVE BEEN RECEIVED THIS YEAR.AN ADDITIONAL 192 REPORTS AND 478 WARRANTY CLAIMS HAVE BEEN RECEIVED FROM FORD.A LEAK IN THE REAR BRAKE LINE CAN CAUSE EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE.A SEARCH OF ODI'S COMPLAINT DATABASE FOR PEER VEHICLE COMPLAINTS, USING THE SAME BRAKE LINE FAILURE CRITERIA AS FOR THE SUBJECT VEHICLES AND THE SAME MODEL YEARS (1995-97), IDENTIFIED ONLY 1 COMPLAINT INVOLVING GENERAL MOTORS CAPRICE/IMPLALA/88/98/REGAL VEHICLES AND ONLY 2 COMPLAINTS INVOLVING CHRYSLER LH-CARS.THE INVESTIGATION HAS BEEN UPGRADED TO AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS TO FURTHER EVALUATE THE FREQUENCY, SCOPE, AND CAUSAL FACTORS RELATED TO REAR BRAKE LINE FAILURES IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLE POPULATION.

SEE ATTACHED REPORT.

BASED ON THE LOW RATE OF FIRE INCIDENTS (2.5 INCIDENTS PER 100,000 VEHICLES SOLD) WHERE FAILURE OF THE SCDS IS INVOLVED AND THE AGE OF THE VEHICLES ? 7 TO 11 YEARS ? A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT TREND HAS NOT BEEN IDENTIFIED AND FURTHER USE OF AGENCY RESOURCES DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE WARRANTED.THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY NHTSA THAT NO SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT EXISTS.THE AGENCY RESERVES THE RIGHT TO TAKE FURTHER ACTION IF WARRANTED BY THE CIRCUMSTANCES.FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, SEE THE ATTACHED CLOSING REPORT.

The contact owns a 1996 Lincoln Town Car. The contact stated while the vehicle was turned on and he was shifting the vehicle from park(P) to drive(D), with his foot on the brake pedal, the vehicle lunged forward at high speed. The contact stated that the acceleration was extreme. The contact observed smoke coming from the rear tires as the vehicle accelerated. The contact was able to safely stop the vehicle after approximately 50 feet but had to depress the brake pedal with force. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was not turned off but was shifted to park(P). The contact had tested and shifted the vehicle from park (P), drive (D), neutral (N) and reverse (R) and the vehicle reacted normally to each gear change. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000. The contact stated that the vehicle was sold to the mechanic who repaired it.

NHTSA ID

11503799

Incident

Jan 26, 2023

Mileage

140,000 mi

AS PER RECALL CRUISE CONTROL NEITHRT STARTS OR WORKS ON HIGHWAY

NHTSA ID

11310265

Incident

Feb 14, 2020

Mileage

25 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1996 LINCOLN TOWN CAR. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE AND SHIFT THE GEAR INTO DRIVE WITH THE BRAKE PEDAL DEPRESSED. THE PEDAL TRAVELED TO THE FLOORBOARD AND ALL THE WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. WHEN THE CONTACT POURED BRAKE FLUID INTO THE RESERVOIR AND DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL, SMOKE APPEARED FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT NEAR THE MASTER CYLINDER. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE BRAKE LINE CORRODED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000.

NHTSA ID

11019367

Incident

Aug 23, 2017

Mileage

100,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1996 LINCOLN TOWN CAR. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO VIBRATE AND AN UNKNOWN CLICKING SOUND WAS HEARD FROM THE PASSENGER SIDE WHEEL WHEN MAKING A TURN. THE FAILURE OCCURRED CONSTANTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE FRONT BALL JOINTS FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 98V322000 (SUSPENSION). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 45,000.

NHTSA ID

10865364

Incident

Nov 16, 2015

Mileage

45,000 mi

1. DRIVERS SEAT BELT LATCH IS BROKEN INTERNALLY AND CANNOT BE USED. TO CIRCUMVENT THE BROKEN LATCH, THE FRONT CENTER PASSENGER SEAT BELT IS BEING USED. 2. FRONT RIGHT HAND PASSENGER SEAT BELT CAN NO LONGER BE LATCHED WITHOUT FIRST PUSHING THE RELEASE BUTTON. 3. CRUISE CONTROL AUTOMATICALLY ENGAGED WHILE DRIVING IN RESIDENTIAL AREA, CAUSING A RAPID ACCELERATION OF MY VEHICLE ABOVE THE SPEED LIMIT. SLAMMING ON THE BRAKES FORCEFULLY DISENGAGING THE CRUISE CONTROL. ONE TIME OCCURRENCE.

NHTSA ID

10862125

Incident

Jun 15, 2015

Mileage

211,000 mi

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1996 LINCOLN TOWN CAR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL WAS VIBRATING AND THE WHEELS FELT AS IF THERE WERE TO DETACH FROM THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT WAS CONTINUOUSLY ILLUMINATED AND THE SEAT BELTS WERE UNABLE TO LOCK PROPERLY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 180,000.

NHTSA ID

10701082

Incident

Feb 23, 2015

Mileage

180,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1996 LINCOLN TOWN CAR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED, THERE WAS SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT DISCOVERED THAT THE BATTERY WIRES WERE BURNED AND BRAKE FLUID HAD SPILLED. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO SWITCH GEARS. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE CRUISE CONTROL WIRE ASSEMBLY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.

NHTSA ID

10667073

Incident

Aug 16, 2014

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1996 LINCOLN TOWN CAR. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH THERE WAS SMOKE EMITTING FROM THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE WAS MANEUVERED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WHERE THE CONTACT OBSERVED THAT ANTI-FREEZE WAS COVERING THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, WHO STATED THAT THE INTAKE MANIFOLD WAS CRACKED AND WOULD NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 101,000. UPDATED 10/24/2014*LJ THE CONSUMER STATED THAT THE DEFECTIVE PLASTIC INTAKE MANIFOLD WAS COVERED IN A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT. THE CONSUMER BELIEVES THAT EVEN THOUGH THE DATE OF THE COVERAGE EXPIRED THE VEHICLE SHOULD STILL BE COVERED. UPDATED 04/16/2015 *JS

NHTSA ID

10620937

Incident

Aug 6, 2014

Mileage

101,000 mi

FORD/LINCOLN MERCURY: CERTAIN 1992-2001 MODEL YEAR CROWN VICTORIA, GRAND MARQUIS, AND TOWN CAR VEHICLES REGISTERED IN THE STATES OF WISCONSIN AND CONNECTICUT UPGRADE MODIFICATIONS FOR HIGH SPEED REAR IMPACTS. *PE

CUSTOMER SATISFACTION PROGRAM 05B31 - INFORMATION ONLY. A POSSIBILITY THAT DURING A HIGH SPEED / HIGH ENERGY REAR COLLISION, CERTAIN COMPONENTS HAVE AN INCREASED RISK OF PUNCTURING THE FUEL TANK ON VEHICLES WITH LIMO PREP PACKAGE LIMO PACKAGE UPGRADE KIT OFFERING. *TT SUPPLEMENT #1. *TT UPDATED SUPPLEMENT #2. *TT

EXTENDED COVERAGE PROGRAM 05N04 - EXTENDED COVERAGE FOR COMPOSITE INTAKE MANIFOLD. THIS PROGRAM IS BEING PROVIDED AS A SETTLEMENT TO A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT. THE TERMS OF THE SETTLEMENT EXTEND THE COVERAGE OF THE ALL-COMPOSITE INTAKE MANIFOLD TO 7 YEARS FROM THE ORIGINAL WARRANTY START DATE OF THE VEHICLE, WITH NO LIMIT ON THE NUMBER OF MILES THAT THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN DRIVEN. *TT

REMOTE KEYLESS ENTRY (RKE) - SERVICE TIPS. *TT

NEW TRANSMISSION COOLER FLUSHER - SERVICE TIPS. 2003 ESCORT AND SUPER DUTY F SERIES INCLUDED. *TT

NEW SERVICE PART - NUMBER 5 NEEDLE BEARING AND RACE KIT - 4R70W TRANSMISSION - SERVICE TIP. *TT