1998 Lincoln Continental problems
Owners have filed 88 complaints with NHTSA about the 1998 Lincoln Continental. Cruise control is the most reported problem area, at 15% of complaints. Next are engine (14%) and electrical system (8%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 88 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Cruise control 15% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 11 and 2
- Injuries and deaths
- 5 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 97,000 miles 19 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 | 3 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 1 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 4 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 0 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 2 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 4 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 2 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 1 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 1 |
| 200k+ miles | 1 |
What the data shows
Of the 19 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 96,000 miles.
Safety-related details: 11 complaints mention a crash; 2 complaints mention 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 1998 ranks 9th most-complained-about out of 16 model years of the Lincoln Continental with enough data (47 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 1 safety recall campaign.
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.
While making a u-turn consumer noticed smoke coming from the engine, vehicle was on fire. High pressure plastic line on top of engine cracked and fuel went out onto exhaust pipes and spark plug wires.
Tocix fumes in the passenger compartment of the car, causes disorientation, high blood pressure and dizziness, unable to determine cause. Yh
While parked on a slight incline, with the engine running, the transmission slipped out of park into reverse. While attempting to enter the vehicle to stop it from hitting a child, the consumer grabbed the steering wheel, the vehicle picked up speed and rolled over her right leg. The vehicle was towed to the dealership where a insurance specialist inspected the vehicle and determined there was a manufacturer defect in the transmission.
The middle and rear seat belt are not retracting. The dealer will not fix this since it isn't under warrantly. The dealer said that the retractors are defected. Since seat belts are a safety issue, it should be fixed by the manufacturer. I have owned many cars and have never had this problem with a seat belt. The dealer will charge $650 to fix this and who knows when this happen again.
#1-while leaving work the left front coil spring fractured in half punturing (tearing) the tire causing immediate deflation of left front tire affecting steering control and braking.(I had no advance notice -noise or bounce-before failure). #2-failure occured in a parking lot at low speed - thankfully. #3-the left front strut/spring assembly #1f3z*5w311 was replaced as well as the right strut/spring #1f3z*5w310 assembly due to inspection revieled a crack in the right front spring.the left front tire was replaced.