2004 Lincoln Aviator problems
Owners have filed 115 complaints with NHTSA about the 2004 Lincoln Aviator. Engine is the most reported problem area, at 17% of complaints. Next are body & structure (14%) and transmission (10%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 115 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Engine 17% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 2 and 1
- Injuries and deaths
- 5 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 73,000 miles 101 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 12 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 14 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 16 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 18 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 16 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 8 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 11 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 0 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 3 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 3 |
What the data shows
Of the 101 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 73,000 miles. For engine specifically, the median reported mileage is about 74,000 miles (19 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 2 complaints mention a crash; 1 complaint mentions a fire; 5 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2004 ranks 5th most-complained-about out of 8 model years of the Lincoln Aviator with enough data (57 complaints in that window).
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Vehicle was in owners drive way she put vehicle reverse moved two feet and air bag partially deployed she put the vehicle in park and exited the vehicle and the bag fully deployed.
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 lincoln aviator. The driver side air bag deployed right before backing out of a parking space. The contact's son sustained injuries to his hand and legs. The vehicle was taken to south point lincoln mercury. The dealer stated that the air bag deployed due to a previous front end crash several years earlier. The manufacturer stated that they were not responsible for the failure. The current mileage was 119,000 and failure mileage was 109,183. Updated 3/4/08 updated
The lever (an "l" shaped lever) on the middle seat is defective. While pressing down on the lever, the lever swung over and hit my thumb with such force that it fractured my thumb. It appears that the coil/spring action in the seat is defective and dangerous. Updated 11/25/11 updated 11/30/11
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 lincoln aviator. While the contact was driving approximately 55 MPH smoke circulated through the vents inside of the vehicle; and the vehicle was driven to the side of the road. The contact stated the smoke originated from the engine compartment. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer where the technician advised that the front end differential had deteriorated. The vehicle was repaired at the owner's expense.
I purchased this vehicle as a certified used vehicle. It had an extended warranty. Once it expired I've experienced every single complaint people have stated online about this vehicle. As of today (12/02/13) it still has only 74,000 miles on it and the latest problem is the transmission needs to be replaced but they don't know why. I am a stay at home mom and wear-and-tear on it is very minimal (grocery shopping, to and from school, etc.). I have never had so many problems on a "so called" luxury vehicle before!