1989 Lincoln Town CAR Transmission and drivetrain Problems
- Complaints
- 6about this part
- Share
- 7%of 89 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 96,951miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 6 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 1989 Lincoln Town CAR, 7% of the 89 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 96,951 miles. 1 a fire, 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 driving the plastic cap on the transmission cable that connected to the throttle body broke. This mad it hard for the consumer to shift the transmission gears. Dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. The transmission was damaged due to the plastic clip breaking. The consumer had to pay to have the entire transmission replaced. The consumer believes this failure is a factory defect. The technician indicated that they were replacing the plastic caps with brass clips. The consumer request reimbursement for the cost to replace the transmission.”
NHTSA complaint #10075907, filed 2004-07, 96,951 miles“Consumer states that after he heard a loud sound and saw a smoke, fire shot out from the rear of the vehicle, fire department are suggesting that the tail shift malfunction which caused fire (ohio traffic police report# 10-91-158).”
NHTSA complaint #565794, filed 2002-05“While driving on a winding/curvy mountain road, vehicle started making clunking noise and almost stalled. Took to dealer who indicated that transmission had dealy shifts/downshifted due to design flaws in Lincoln -mercury vehicles. Manufacturer has put out a TSB on vehicle.”
NHTSA complaint #825891, filed 1998-08Transmission and drivetrain: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 1 | 8% |
| 2008 | 2 | 10% |
| 2007 | 2 | 2% |
| 2006 | 6 | 4% |
| 2005 | 7 | 6% |
| 2004 | 1 | 1% |
| 2003 | 27 | 13% |
| 2001 | 5 | 3% |
| 2000 | 1 | 1% |
| 1999 | 7 | 5% |
| 1998 | 11 | 7% |
| 1997 | 3 | 1% |
| 1996 | 2 | 1% |
| 1995 | 12 | 7% |
| 1994 | 17 | 11% |
| 1993 | 19 | 11% |
| 1992 | 14 | 6% |
| 1991 | 7 | 5% |
| 1990 | 4 | 2% |
| 1989 | 6 | 7% |
| 1988 | 9 | 9% |
| 1987 | 2 | 6% |
| 1986 | 3 | 6% |
Other parts of the 1989 Lincoln Town CAR
42 complaintsVehicle speed control
12 complaintsSeat belts
11 complaintsEngine cooling
5 complaintsSteering
5 complaintsSuspension
3 complaintsBrakes
2 complaintsTires
2 complaintsExterior lighting
1 complaintsFuel system
1 complaintsOther or unknown
1 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
1 complaints
← All problems reported for the 1989 Lincoln Town CAR
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