1997 Lincoln Town CAR Problems

What owners report

Complaints about the 1997 Lincoln Town Car center on the plastic intake manifold on the 4.6L V8: owners describe coolant loss, steam, overheating and stalling when the manifold cracks, often in the 70,000-120,000 mile range. Front suspension ball joint noise and separation, brake line rust and leakage, cruise-control and speed-control faults, and steering shaft binding also appear repeatedly in the sample.

1. 1
   Engine cooling

   Cracked plastic intake manifold / coolant loss

   • 77 complaints (25%)
   • median 90,075 mi at 7.8 yrs old (58 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $1,000 (median of 14 quotes)
   • filed 2002–2016

   Owners describe coolant escaping from a cracked plastic intake manifold, producing steam or white smoke from under the hood, low coolant, overheating and occasional stalling. Many were towed; shops replaced the manifold, sometimes with a metal version. Several complaints say the dealer or manufacturer declined assistance because the car was old or not covered, and owners note other Ford vehicles with the same part were handled differently. Mostly reported between roughly 40,000 and 150,000 miles, with many clustered near 65,000-100,000 miles.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Ask whether the intake manifold has been replaced and with which version, and check the coolant level and look for crusty coolant residue around the manifold crossover. A service bulletin describes extended coverage on the composite intake manifold for some vehicles, so ask whether that program ever applied.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Failure of intake manifold - crack in upper front of manifold. Lose of coolant fluids. I contacted Lincoln customer service at 800/392-3673 and was told that Lincoln is well aware of this problem but will do nothing about it. Their recall is for commercial vehicles only - they will not address private vehicles. I was told they have a standard answer for this common problem and no one in management will talk with me concerning it. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10049102, filed 2003-12, 90,150 miles

   “I am the owner of a 1997 Lincoln Town Car. My wife was driving the car today with her mother and 2 children, ages 2 1/2 yrs & 4 wks. The engine suddenly began to loose coolant fluid rapidly and overheated. This left all of them stranded. After having the vehicle towed into a repair shop, we were notified it had a cracked intake manifold. It only has 99k miles. Then I was informed that this was normal considering it had a plastic manifold. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10170991, filed 2006-10, 99,000 miles
2. 2
   Suspension

   Front lower ball joint noise and separation

   • 36 complaints (11%)
   • median 90,000 mi at 10.2 yrs old (21 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1997–2014

   Complaints describe creaking, popping or clunking from the front end, wandering steering, and in some cases the front of the car dropping when a lower ball joint separated from the control arm. Owners report replacing control arms and ball joints, and several say the dealer told them their car was not included in the related ball joint recall. Usually reported between about 75,000 and 140,000 miles, sometimes after a period of noise beforehand.

   Recall 98V322000

   What to check: Have a shop inspect the front ball joints and control arms for play, torn boots and corrosion, and ask whether the ball joints have ever been replaced. Recall 98V322000 covers only certain limousine and fleet vehicles, so check by VIN whether this car was included.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Erratic steering and noise at the passenger side front end. Approaching a stop light at less than 15mph the ball joint fell out. The vehicle was repaired by fiesta ford Lincoln mercury in indio ca.at my expense by replacing the lower cotrol armand shock absorber. A week ago the same noise developed on the driver side and the car was sent to fresno Lincoln mercury for repair yesterday. I was told by the mechanic the left lower control arm needs replacing.”

   NHTSA complaint #10105823, filed 2005-01, 81,000 miles

   “1. The ABS lamp remained on and my cost was nearly 1000.00 to diagnose a faulty module,and have it replaced. The Lincoln towncar is a 97 with only 73k miles. 2. There is a suspension noise in the front driver side which I was told would cost nearly 600 dollars because they have to break the seal to access the area and that it is not a simple lubricatiion job. 3. I have seen several recalls associated with the ABS and front suspensions yet I have never received any by mail.”

   NHTSA complaint #10058228, filed 2004-02, 73,000 miles
3. 3
   Brakes

   Brake line rust, cracking and fluid loss

   • 37 complaints (12%)
   • median 85,000 mi at 9.5 yrs old (14 state mileage)
   • filed 1997–2015

   Owners report brake fluid leaks from rusted or cracked steel brake piping, a brake warning light staying on, white smoke and brake fluid smell from the engine compartment, and in one case reduced braking that led to a rear-end collision. Repairs involved replacing sections of brake line; some owners note the car was not covered by the brake line recall. Reported across a wide range, from about 58,000 to 150,000 miles, often on older vehicles in rust-prone use.

   What to check: Inspect the steel brake lines along the frame and under the floor pan for rust, seepage or wet spots, and check the brake fluid level and pedal feel. Ask whether any brake lines have been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Consumer complained about a brake line problem. There is insufficient clearance between the brake line and the underbody front floor pan assembly. This has caused excessive wear to the brake lne resulting in loss of brake fluid and and increasing the braking distance.”

   NHTSA complaint #10116978, filed 2005-04, 108,600 miles

   “While driving the vehicle's brake line failed which resulted in the consumer vehicle rear ending another vehicle. The dealer was notified. Referenced in rq03-004”

   NHTSA complaint #10015285, filed 2003-04, 76,000 miles

Buying note. Have a pre-purchase inspection focus on the intake manifold and coolant system, the front ball joints and control arms, and the steel brake lines, since those account for most of what owners report. Confirm by VIN which recalls apply to this specific car and whether they were completed.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.