1998 Lincoln Continental Transmission and drivetrain Problems
- Complaints
- 7about this part
- Share
- 10%of 72 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 140,000miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 7 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 1998 Lincoln Continental, 10% of the 72 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 140,000 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.
Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“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.”
NHTSA complaint #10096889, filed 2004-10, 100,000 miles“The contact owns a 1998 Lincoln Continental. The contact stated that the vehicle would lunge forward when the brake pedal was engaged. Neither the dealer nor manufacturer were notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 180,000 and the current mileage was 186,000.”
NHTSA complaint #10410532, filed 2011-07, 180,000 miles“The vehicle began jerking and stalled while the consumer was slowing down. The consumer restarted the vehicle repeatedly, but it stalled upon starting to move. The dealer could not find the problem, but a mechanic at another shop identified the cause to be a failed torque converter.”
NHTSA complaint #565702, filed 2002-05“Intermittently when hitting the brake pedal, brakes failed and vehicle went out of control, causing a rear end crash. On july 14th after backing out of driveway, driver put the vehicle in drive and the vehicle went into reverse and hit a tree. Upon impact, the driver's and passenger's seatbacks collapsed. The vehicle was towed to the dealership. The vehicle has not been repaired.”
NHTSA complaint #848826, filed 1999-09“Vehicle commenced to accelerate after applying brakes to slow down, and reoccurred again after shifting gear into reverse. Dealer was not notified at this time. The vehicle stopped when put to neutral. The dealer replaced the air by pass valve.”
NHTSA complaint #871919, filed 2000-09Related service bulletins
- 10014086Dec 13, 2004General (pcm) power train control module programming procedures.
- 10013369Nov 1, 2004General power train control module (pcm) programming procedures.
Transmission and drivetrain: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 1 | 3% |
| 2018 | 1 | 5% |
| 2017 | 3 | 4% |
| 2002 | 2 | 6% |
| 2001 | 3 | 9% |
| 2000 | 7 | 11% |
| 1999 | 2 | 5% |
| 1998 | 7 | 10% |
| 1997 | 10 | 10% |
| 1996 | 7 | 15% |
| 1995 | 6 | 9% |
| 1994 | 20 | 11% |
| 1993 | 9 | 7% |
| 1992 | 8 | 6% |
| 1991 | 41 | 20% |
| 1990 | 12 | 8% |
| 1989 | 13 | 8% |
| 1988 | 8 | 10% |
| 1987 | 2 | 22% |
Other parts of the 1998 Lincoln Continental
14 complaintsVehicle speed control
13 complaintsElectrical system
7 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
7 complaintsSeat belts
5 complaintsBody and structure
5 complaintsAir bags
4 complaintsEquipment
3 complaintsExterior lighting
3 complaintsSteering
3 complaintsSuspension
3 complaintsTires
3 complaints
← All problems reported for the 1998 Lincoln Continental
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology