1996 Lincoln Town CAR Air bags Problems
- Complaints
- 9about this part
- Share
- 3%of 259 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 81,000miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 9 complaints about the air bags of the 1996 Lincoln Town CAR, 3% of the 259 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 81,000 miles. 5 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers. 1 recall campaign on record is filed under a similar system.
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.
“Air bag wiring failure. Clock spring assembly part number f5vy-14a664-a steering column wiring broke. All 7 wires were worn through from the movement of the tilt steering column. 3 of these wires were broken-one gray which signals the air bags to deploy and the other controlled the radio and other functions.”
NHTSA complaint #10010836, filed 2003-03, 72,290 miles“On four separate occasions the consumer experienced a loss of braking due to four different sections of the metal brake line due to exterior corrosion. Each time the vehicle was taken to a repair shop to have the brake line replaced. The dealer was notified. The vehicle struck the rear of a utility truck due to the brake failure. The air bag did not deploy. The first failure occurred in 2001. The brake pedal had gone to the floor upon application with no braking effect on either axle. Each failure occurred by ruptured steel brake line due to external rust.”
NHTSA complaint #10113761, filed 2005-04, 81,000 miles“The contact owns a 1996 Lincoln Town Car. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the steering wheel was vibrating and the wheels felt as if there were to detach from the vehicle. The contact also stated that the air bag warning light was continuously illuminated and the seat belts were unable to lock properly. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 180,000.”
NHTSA complaint #10701082, filed 2015-03, 180,000 miles“My wife, sharon m. Davis, sustained a rear-end collision while waiting for a stoplight to change from red to green. This ocurred on 08/23/2001. Upon impact, air bags failed to deploy.”
NHTSA complaint #751972, filed 2001-09“When rearended, the two front seatbacks broke and reclined on there own, also no deployment of driver's and passenger's air bags during rearend accident, resulting in injuries.”
NHTSA complaint #985832, filed 1996-07Related recalls
- 01V318000Oct 3, 2001Equipment description: passenger vehicles that have had the driver's air bag module replaced after april 5, 2000. The replacement driver's air bag module…Covers: Lincoln Town CAR 1995–1997, Ford Mustang 1994–1997
Air bags: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 2 | 33% |
| 2010 | 1 | 8% |
| 2009 | 1 | 20% |
| 2008 | 1 | 5% |
| 2007 | 12 | 14% |
| 2006 | 58 | 41% |
| 2005 | 22 | 18% |
| 2004 | 2 | 2% |
| 2003 | 10 | 5% |
| 2002 | 20 | 31% |
| 2001 | 54 | 34% |
| 2000 | 17 | 16% |
| 1999 | 29 | 20% |
| 1998 | 1 | 1% |
| 1997 | 9 | 3% |
| 1996 | 9 | 3% |
| 1995 | 12 | 7% |
| 1994 | 11 | 7% |
| 1993 | 11 | 6% |
| 1992 | 10 | 4% |
| 1991 | 14 | 9% |
| 1990 | 9 | 4% |
Other parts of the 1996 Lincoln Town CAR
90 complaintsVehicle speed control
33 complaintsBrakes
30 complaintsSuspension
25 complaintsElectrical system
19 complaintsSteering
19 complaintsSeat belts
15 complaintsExterior lighting
14 complaintsFuel system
10 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
8 complaintsLatches, locks and linkages
6 complaintsOther or unknown
6 complaints
← All problems reported for the 1996 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