Lincoln Continental Problems by Model Year
NHTSA recorded 1,670 consumer complaints across the 23 model years of the Lincoln Continental (1984–2020) that have at least 5 complaints. 1991 has the most, with 203. Across all years, the part named most often is engine cooling (393 mentions). Pick a model year below to see its parts, mileage, recalls and service bulletins.
Best and worst Continental years →
All Continental model years
Years with fewer than 5 complaints are not listed. The score compares years of the same model, allowing for the era and for how long each year has collected complaints: 50 is a typical year, lower means fewer complaints. It is not adjusted for sales volume.
| Year | Complaints | Median mi | Recalls | TSBs | Score (50 = typical) | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 7 | 5,000 | 2 | 68 | — | Not enough data |
| 2019 | 33 | 27,000 | 3 | 122 | Not compared (fewer than 3 comparable model years) | Rising |
| 2018 | 21 | 78,500 | 2 | 135 | — | Rising |
| 2017 | 75 | 50,000 | 4 | 195 | Not compared (fewer than 3 comparable model years) | Rising |
| 2002 | 33 | 60,500 | 0 | 10 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 2001 | 32 | 75,000 | 1 | 11 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 2000 | 63 | 86,500 | 3 | 9 | Not compared (before 2008) | Rising |
| 1999 | 42 | 90,000 | 2 | 7 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1998 | 72 | 100,000 | 1 | 5 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1997 | 96 | 59,075 | 1 | 3 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1996 | 48 | 96,683 | 2 | 1 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1995 | 70 | 102,073 | 1 | 1 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1994 | 190 | 87,456 | 5 | 1 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1993 | 121 | 74,000 | 4 | 1 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1992 | 126 | 101,050 | 3 | 1 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1991 | 203 | 120,226 | 3 | 0 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1990 | 158 | 58,500 | 3 | 0 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1989 | 158 | 133,500 | 4 | 0 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1988 | 84 | — | 9 | 0 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1987 | 9 | — | 1 | 0 | — | Not enough data |
| 1986 | 8 | 90,000 | 5 | 0 | — | Not enough data |
| 1985 | 15 | — | 2 | 0 | — | Stable |
| 1984 | 6 | — | 2 | 0 | — | Not enough data |
Parts named most often, all years
Counts add up complaint mentions across the listed years. A complaint can name several parts.
- Engine cooling393 25%
- Suspension246 16%
- Electrical system199 13%
- Brakes178 11%
- Transmission and drivetrain162 10%
- Body and structure142 9.1%
- Steering136 8.7%
- Vehicle speed control109 7.0%
Example complaints
One per model year, chosen for length and detail. Personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
2020: “On my 2020 Lincoln Continental the brake pedal is about one inch higher then the gas pedal. On most cars the brake and gas pedals are even in height. On this car when I move my foot to stop the car I must lift my foot. A few times the side of my foot has hit the brake pedal causing a momentary delay in stopping.”
NHTSA complaint #11365371, filed 2020-10, 200 miles1997: “Shortly after start, 200m, engine still cold , I smell smoke,,stopted immediatly passing bridge, smoke still, more intensive. I talk to drivers around to call fire departement. Took only blouse close to me and leave the car. Moke and first fire started right from feed space. No fire in engine area. .”
NHTSA complaint #11171070, filed 2019-01, 91,000 miles2017: “At 49000 miles the left rear door would not open from the outside for a week. It then worked ok until 50500. We told the dealership and they said it was out of warranty. At 51000 miles now both rear doors will not work from the outside. If I am in a wreck there is no way to get anyone out of the rear of this car. I have purchased a hammer to get people out in an emergency. It seems a car rear door button should last longer than a year or two.”
NHTSA complaint #11183786, filed 2019-03, 50,000 milesOther Lincoln models
3,298 complaintsLincoln MKZ
1,667 complaintsLincoln MKX
1,418 complaintsLincoln Navigator
1,357 complaintsLincoln LS
982 complaintsLincoln Mark Viii
821 complaintsLincoln MKC
603 complaintsLincoln Aviator
490 complaints
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Methodology