2003 Lincoln Town CAR Transmission and drivetrain Problems
- Complaints
- 27about this part
- Share
- 13%of 201 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 83,256miles
- Trend
- FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 27 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2003 Lincoln Town CAR, 13% of the 201 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 83,256 miles.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“2003 Town Car on aug. 3, 2009 the car lost drive function on interstate. The repair was a new drive axle from the ford dealer. On aug. 8, the same thing happen again we lost drive function and the rear axle is broken. I spoke to the dealer about the ford recall no. 04s16 or 04v328000 and he explained that the VIN no. Did not apply.”
NHTSA complaint #10280110, filed 2009-08, 54,250 miles“Looking through the list of complaints this has been reported to many times to be ignored. I counted 38 times by page 15, not even half way through the list. I have a 2003 Lincoln Town Car and is been having some issues with the driver side axle and bearings, I am getting ready to replace the shaft, bearing and seal for the third time in a period of three years. Like some other customers I found that my car is not included on the recall, but it looks like that problem is a lot more frequent than it is supposed to be. …”
NHTSA complaint #11015025, filed 2017-08, 148,000 miles“I took my 2003 Lincoln Town Car to the local ford dealership because I heard a noise in the rear of the car. I was told that the rear axel seal was blown out and the axel assembly was damaged on both sides of the car. In addition, the brakes were ruined by the axel fluid that leaked out. I found out that there was a recall for the rear axel problem in 2003 Lincoln town cars for fleet cars only. I called the ford service center and asked them for help with my expensive repair bill. They said no. …”
NHTSA complaint #10502395, filed 2013-03, 84,799 miles“I have a 2003 Lincoln Town Car and is been having some issues with the passenger side axel, I am getting ready to replace the shaft, bearing and seal for the third time in a period of maybe four years, I'm sorry, but don't remember exactly when it was, but last time was lest than 16 months ago, on the last two there was oil leaking all around the wheel, this time there is still no oil leak but is making that kind of humming noise, and when lifted the car you can move the wheel up and down, now I'm just waiting for the parts to do the job again. …”
NHTSA complaint #10913978, filed 2016-10, 150,000 miles“I have a 2003 Lincoln Town Car that I bought in 2005, which was still under warranty. Over the years, I've had to pay for replacing the rear axles and axle bearings that went bad. I saw on the NHTSA website yesterday that this was a problem that resulted in a recall of this make/model/year. I never received a recall notice on this problem, and have paid out-of-pocket for these repairs twice, not knowing that there was ever a recall. Now, all ford will tell me that there is not currently a recall on my car, ignoring that I should have been sent a recall notice. …”
NHTSA complaint #10897659, filed 2016-08, 60,000 milesRelated service bulletins
- 10014100Jan 1, 2006Limited slip axle chatter, shudder, binding sensation, or vibration during low speed turning maneuvers.
- 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 2003 Lincoln Town CAR
81 complaintsVehicle speed control
18 complaintsSteering
16 complaintsBrakes
15 complaintsBody and structure
12 complaintsAir bags
10 complaintsElectrical system
8 complaintsEngine cooling
8 complaintsEngine
6 complaintsExterior lighting
6 complaintsTires
6 complaintsWheels
6 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2003 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