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#BS-1997-LINTOW-2030

1997 Lincoln Town Car

Based on reports from 395 owners and 8 recalls for this exact model.

Complaints
395
Crashes
14
Fires
6
Recalls
8
TSBs
134
🛑

Preliminary Verdict

Red Flag

Based on 395 complaints, 14 crashes, 6 fires, and 8 recalls. Complaint rate is 1.8x the class average.

See full verdict with buy/skip conditions

Top reported problems

1

anti-theft alarm activates unexpectedly

3 complaints • Severity 6/10

$X,XXX
2

door hinge failure

2 complaints • Severity 9/10

$X,XXX
3

clear coat peeling

1 complaints • Severity 10/10

$X,XXX

Preview: What's in your full report

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Mechanic Inspection Checklist

!Check the Engine And Engine Cooling:exhaust System:manifold/header/muffler/tail PipeHIGH

39 owners reported engine and engine cooling:exhaust system:manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe issues — failures commonly reported around 91K miles.

!Inspect the Speed ControlMED
Look for symptoms of wear and premature failure
+ 6 more items in full checklistUnlock

Failure Timeline by Mileage

3
0–30K
18
30–60K
43
60–90K
50
90–120K
22
120–150K
13
150K+

Peak failure range: 90–120K miles (50 reports) • Median: 91K miles

Full report: which components fail at each mileageUnlock

30,000-Mile Cost Projection

Best Case

$X,XXX

Most Likely

$X,XXX

Worst Case

$X,XXX

Top cost driver: Engine And Engine Cooling:exhaust System:manifold/header/muffler/tail Pipe (39 reports).

Includes fuel costs, common repairs, and recall riskUnlock

Also in your report

Owner Intelligence

AI-synthesized themes from real complaints

Buyer Lot Checklist

Questions, test drive checks, walk-away triggers

Negotiation Talking Points

Data-backed dollar deductions

Buy / Skip Verdict

Final recommendation with conditions

10 sections total in the full reportUnlock all

Where the complaints fall

Engine And Engine Cooling:exhaust System:manifold/header/muffler/tail Pipe39 (10%)
Speed Control33 (8%)
Engine25 (6%)
Suspension:front:control Arm:lower Ball Joint23 (6%)
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:hoses, Lines/piping, And Fittings17 (4%)
Fuel System, Gasoline:carburetor System15 (4%)
Suspension:front14 (4%)
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip12 (3%)

1997 Lincoln Town Car: Known Issues & Problem Areas

Engine And Engine Cooling:exhaust System:manifold/header/muffler/tail Pipe Issues

Engine And Engine Cooling:exhaust System:manifold/header/muffler/tail Pipe complaints account for 10% of all reports filed for the 1997 Lincoln Town Car, with 39 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. The median mileage at time of complaint is 91,000 miles, suggesting issues tend to surface around the 91K-mile mark.

Speed Control Issues

Speed Control complaints account for 8% of all reports filed for the 1997 Lincoln Town Car, with 33 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to speed control-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.

Engine Issues

Engine complaints account for 6% of all reports filed for the 1997 Lincoln Town Car, with 25 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to engine-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.

Suspension:front:control Arm:lower Ball Joint Issues

Suspension:front:control Arm:lower Ball Joint complaints account for 6% of all reports filed for the 1997 Lincoln Town Car, with 23 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to suspension:front:control arm:lower ball joint-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.

Data sourced from NHTSA owner complaints and community reports. The full report analyzes severity, repair costs, and failure patterns for each category.

Complaint trend by year

26
00
44
01
33
02
27
03
44
04
25
05
23
06
22
07
32
08
3
09
7
10
7
11
2
12
2
13
4
14
4
15
2
16
1
19
2
22

Complaints filed with NHTSA by year for the 1997 Lincoln Town Car. Recent trend: increasing.

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Repair costs • Negotiation scripts • Mechanic checklist • Buy/skip verdict

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Recall History (8 recalls)

00V157001Sep 2000

SEAT BELTS:FRONT:ANCHORAGE

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES USING AFTERMARKET DRIVER'S SEAT BELT ASSEMBLIES THAT WERE SOLD BY FORD PARTS DEPARTMENTS FROM JANUARY 1, THROUGH JUNE 13, 2000. THESE SEAT BELT ASSEMBLIES FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FMVSS NO. 209, "SEAT BELT ASSEMBLIES." THE EQUIPMENT INVOLVED IS SERVICE STOCK SEAT BELT ASSEMBLIES, MODEL NOS. H 9977, H 9979, T 9063, AND T 9217, BUILT BY TRW VEHICLE SAFETY SYSTEMS, INC. (TRW) MANUFACTURED FROM JUNE 1, 1998 THROUGH MAY 21, 2000. SOME OF THESE SEAT BELT ASSEMBLIES MAY HAVE BEEN INSTALLED AS SERVICE REPLACEMENT EQUIPMENT ON THE VEHICLES INVOLVED IN THE RECALL.

00V157002Sep 2000

SEAT BELTS:FRONT:ANCHORAGE

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES USING AFTERMARKET FRONT PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BELT ASSEMBLIES THAT WERE SOLD BY FORD PARTS DEPARTMENTS FROM JANUARY 1, THROUGH JUNE 13, 2000. THESE SEAT BELT ASSEMBLIES FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FMVSS NO. 209, "SEAT BELT ASSEMBLIES." THE EQUIPMENT INVOLVED IS SERVICE STOCK SEAT BELT ASSEMBLIES, MODEL NOS. H 9977, H 9979, T 9063, AND T 9217, BUILT BY TRW VEHICLE SAFETY SYSTEMS, INC. (TRW) MANUFACTURED FROM JUNE 1, 1998 THROUGH MAY 21, 2000. SOME OF THESE SEAT BELT ASSEMBLIES MAY HAVE BEEN INSTALLED AS SERVICE REPLACEMENT EQUIPMENT ON THE VEHICLES INVOLVED IN THE RECALL.

01V318000Oct 2001

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

EQUIPMENT DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES THAT HAVE HAD THE DRIVER'S AIR BAG MODULE REPLACED AFTER APRIL 5, 2000. THE REPLACEMENT DRIVER'S AIR BAG MODULE INFLATOR MAY HAVE INSUFFICIENT WELDS THAT COULD PREVENT PROPER INFLATION OF THE AIR BAG.

07V336000Aug 2007

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

ON CERTAIN PICKUP TRUCKS, PASSENGER VEHICLES, SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, AND MOTOR HOMES CHASSIS, THE SPEED CONTROL DEACTIVATION SWITCH MAY, UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS, LEAK INTERNALLY AND THEN OVERHEAT, SMOKE, OR BURN.

15E082000Oct 2015

STEERING

Dorman Products, Inc. (Dorman) is recalling certain model Dorman Steering Shafts, part number 425-359, Solutions Steering Shafts, part number 7-0359, and OE Solutions Steering Shafts, part number 425-359, manufactured April 17, 2014, to September 28, 2015. These aftermarket replacement steering shafts are sold for use in 1995-2002 Ford Crown Victoria, Mercury Grand Marquis, and Lincoln Town Car vehicles. These steering shafts may separate during operation if the integral fastener is loose or missing and if the interfacing vehicle shaft is compressed in length.

+ 3 more recalls in the full report

Recall severity analysis & seller scripts

The full report rates each recall's severity and gives you scripts for asking the seller about recall completion.

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The worst model year for the Lincoln Town Car is the 1999 — worth knowing if you're cross-shopping years. The biggest problem area is engine.

1997 Lincoln Town Car vs. Class Average (Large Cars)

This vehicle

395

Class avg

219

1.8x the class average — significantly more complaints than typical large cars vehicles.

Complaint counts correlate with sales volume — popular vehicles naturally generate more reports. The full report normalizes for this.

About this data

NHTSA Complaints

Federal database of owner-filed safety complaints. 395 records for this vehicle.

NHTSA Recalls

Manufacturer-issued safety recalls. 8 recalls found for this vehicle.

Repair Cost Data

Real-world repair costs from owner reports and independent databases.

Other Lincoln Town Car Model Years

2011201020092008200720062005200420032002200120001999199819971996199519941993199219911990198919881987198619851984198319821981198019781977
View all Lincoln Town Car years →

1997 Lincoln Town Car: Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most common problem with the 1997 Lincoln Town Car?
The most commonly reported issue with the 1997 Lincoln Town Car is related to the engine and engine cooling:exhaust system:manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe, with 39 complaints filed with NHTSA.
Is the 1997 Lincoln Town Car reliable?
The 1997 Lincoln Town Car has 395 complaints, 14 crash reports, and 6 fire reports filed with NHTSA. This is 1.8x the class average — higher than typical for its segment.
How much does it cost to fix 1997 Lincoln Town Car problems?
Repair costs vary by issue. The full BumperScan report includes detailed repair cost estimates (low/median/high) for every major issue, plus a 30,000-mile total cost of ownership projection.
Does the 1997 Lincoln Town Car have any recalls?
Yes, the 1997 Lincoln Town Car has 8 recalls on record. The full report includes recall severity analysis and scripts for asking the seller about recall completion.
What mileage do Lincoln Town Car problems start?
Based on 149 complaints with mileage data, the median mileage at time of complaint is 91,000 miles. The highest concentration of reported issues occurs in the 90–120K mile range. The full report breaks down exactly which components fail at each mileage bracket.
What’s in the full report?
10 sections of AI analysis: severity-ranked issues, component scores (0-100), 30K-mile cost projection, failure timeline by mileage, recall details with seller scripts, owner sentiment analysis, mechanic checklist, buyer lot checklist, negotiation ammo with dollar figures, and a buy/skip verdict.
How is this different from free NHTSA data?
NHTSA gives you raw complaint text. BumperScan cross-references 2.1M+ complaints with community repair cost data, EPA fuel data, and recall records — then uses AI to synthesize it into actionable advice with dollar figures.
How is this different from Carfax?
Carfax is VIN-specific history ($45/report). BumperScan is model-level reliability intelligence — what problems this car is known for, what they cost, and whether you should buy it. Complementary, not competing.
What if the report isn’t useful?
100% money-back guarantee. If the report doesn’t help you make a more informed decision, we’ll refund you — no questions asked.
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10 sections of AI analysis based on 395 owner reports. Know before you buy.

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