The 2001 Lincoln LS has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 82,300 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 319 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the suspension. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
SUSPENSION00V3590012000-11-0382,300 affected
Defect
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE FRONT SUSPENSION LOWER BALL JOINTS WERE NOT TIGHTENED TO SPECIFICATIONS WHEN THEY WERE ATTACHED TO THE LOWER CONTROL ARMS.
Consequence
IF THE BALL JOINT ATTACHING NUTS ARE NOT ADEQUATELY TIGHTENED, THEY CAN LOOSEN AND, ULTIMATELY, RESULT IN FRACTURE OF THE BALL JOINT STUD. IF THE BALL JOINT FRACTURES, CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE COULD BE AFFECTED, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE TORQUE ON THE TWO BALL JOINT ATTACHING NUTS. VEHICLES WITH LOOSE BALL JOINT ATTACHING NUTS WILL EITHER HAVE THE FASTENERS TIGHTENED TO SPECIFICATION, OR IF NECESSARY, THE BALL JOINTS WILL BE REPLACED.
Complaints by component
SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER BALL JOINT
67
7crashes2injuries1deaths
SUSPENSION
23
1crashes
AIR BAGS
22
3crashes3injuries
SUSPENSION:FRONT
21
1crashes
STEERING
10
1crashes
VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS
10
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
9
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
8
1crashes
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
6
3crashes4injuries
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
6
Total complaints319
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“The contact owns a 2001 lincoln ls. The contact stated while driving 15 mph, the front suspension ball joint detached. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic; however, it was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact related the failure to nhtsa campaign…”
“The contact owns a 2001 lincoln ls. The contact stated while driving 10 mph the contact heard an abnormal noise. The contact was able to pull over on the side of the road and the contact noticed the front passenger side tire had separated from the joint. The vehicle was towed to an independent…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 2001 lincoln ls. The contact stated while driving 45 mph, the contact heard an abnormal popping sound coming from underneath the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehcile began to shake back and forth violently which caused the contact to pull the vehicle over to side of…”
“Air bag clockspring defective. Vehicle needs clockspring replacement as airbags currently will not inflate in the event of an accident.”
“Tl* the contact owns a 2001 lincoln ls. The contact stated that the brake, air bag, and traction warning indicators illuminated. In addition, while driving at any speed, the vehicle shook abnormally and hesitated to accelerate. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 2001 lincoln ls. The contact stated that the brake, air bag, and traction warning indicators illuminated. In addition, while driving at any speed, the vehicle shook abnormally and hesitated to accelerate. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The…”
“Drivers side rear door can not be opened from out side the car can be opened from cabin side. Passenger side rear door can not be opened from out side the car or from cabin side. Failure occured in early january 2016. Presents unsafe inconvienent space for passengers if used. Occred parked in…”
“On two occasions my car suspension had failed. I am just lucky I was not on the highway or I could have been fatally wounded. I can not believe I never received any notices about the suspension recall. The first instance I was driving in my driveway and the car completely dropped down on the tires…”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2001 Lincoln LS as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.