1998 Lincoln Navigator problems
The 1998 Lincoln Navigator has 240 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (22%) concerns tires. After that come suspension (11%) and steering (9%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 240 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Tires 23% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 21 and 24
- Injuries and deaths
- 36 and 15
- Typical mileage
- 100,000 miles 81 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 | 3 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 5 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 19 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 9 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 14 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 5 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 6 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 10 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 2 |
| 200k+ miles | 5 |
What the data shows
Among the 81 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 100,000 miles.
Safety-related details: 21 complaints mention a crash; 24 complaints mention a fire; 36 injuries reported; 15 deaths reported. Its complaints are more severe on average than those of 91% of model years in our database.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 1998 ranks 1st most-complained-about out of 21 model years of the Lincoln Navigator with enough data (137 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 5 safety recall campaigns.
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.
Hi my name is [xxx] I have this viehicle sinse 4-11-01 sinse this day I have take this vehicle like 15 times to the mechanic and is been the same problem the hold time rear suspension problem's when I bouht this viehicle like a month later I tooked back to the dealer for rear suspension problem's they fixed but like in month later the truck was down again for the same problem and they fixed again and kept going with the same problem in till now my problem is I don't have any warranty this truck any more and I…
We five were driving to pendleton, oregon for a new years celebration we were all straight and sober. The car suddenly swung to the left driver corrected to the right. Happened again, harder. Rainy and cold and dark out. Driver corrected but the car swung to the left as though possessed, hurling us into a nightmare 4 full rolls. Driver sustained hole in her crown(head)plus hand and arm pain. Passenger sustained shoulder pain. Passenger behind person sustained back injuries. Passenger behind driver in seatbelt o.k.
Automobile caught on fire while parked in garage causing major damage to house. Mrs. Burt, then pregnant, fell while trying to leave burning house.
Woke at 4:00am to the smoke and fire of our vehicle fully engulfed in flames from the engine compartment. The vehicle was located in our driveway. It was parked at about 9:50am the day before..roughly about 18 hours before it caught on fire. My wife and mother in law got our three kids out into the back yard. Two of the kids were within 20-25 ft. Of the fire when they were sleeping. I went out to the garage and tried extinguishing the fire with a fire extinguisher, but was unable to do any good.
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 lincoln navigator. The contact stated that the vehicle continued to roll forward after shifting into park. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was not included in the recall associated with NHTSA campaign id number: 97v171000 (power train:automatic transmission:gear position indication -prndl). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and the current mileage was 170,000.