The 1991 Lincoln Town Car has 5 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 489,637 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 278 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the latches/locks/linkages. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
SUSPENSION98V3220001998-12-16175,000 affected
Defect
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: CERTAIN 1996-1999 FORD CROWN VICTORIA POLICE, FLEET, NATURAL GAS, AND 1996-1999 LINCOLN TOWN CAR LIMOUSINE VEHICLES THAT WERE PRODUCED WITH A LOWER CONTROL ARM BALL JOINT CONTAINING A ONE PIECE BEARING; AND 1990-1996 FORD CROWN VICTORIA POLICE, FLEET, AND NGV VEHICLES AND 1990-1996 LINCOLN TOWN…
Consequence
IF THIS OCCURS WHILE THE VEHICLE IS MOVING, REDUCED STEERING CONTROL COULD OCCUR, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE LOWER CONTROL ARM BALL JOINTS (2).
THE SECONDARY HOOD LATCH MAY NOT ENGAGE WHEN THE HOOD IS CLOSED.
Consequence
IN THE EVENT THE PRIMARY HOOD LATCH RELEASES OR IS NOT PROPERLY LATCHED WHEN THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION, THE HOOD COULD FLY UP OBSTRUCTING THE OPERATOR'S VISION, AND INCREASING THE POTENTIAL FOR A VEHICLE ACCIDENT.
CORROSION OF THE HOOD LATCH STRIKER PLATE CAUSES DETACHMENT OF THE PLATE FROM THE HOOD ASSEMBLY RESULTING IN AN UNEXPECTED OPENING OF THE HOOD WHILE THE VEHICLE IS BEING DRIVEN.
Consequence
THIS CONDITION CAN REDUCE THE DRIVER'S VIEW OF THE ROAD INCREASING THE POTENTIAL OF A VEHICLE ACCIDENT.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW HOOD INNER PANEL REINFORCEMENT AND A NEW, GALVANIZED HOOD LATCH STRIKER PLATE.
THE SECONDARY HOOD LATCH MAY NOT ENGAGE WHEN THE HOOD IS CLOSED.
Consequence
IN THE EVENT THE PRIMARY HOOD LATCH RELEASES WHEN THEVEHICLE IS IN MOTION, THE HOOD COULD FLY UP, OBSTRUCTING THE OPERATOR'S VISION,AND INCREASING THE POTENTIAL FOR A VEHICLE ACCIDENT.
DISTORTED FUEL LINES IN ENGINE COMPARTMENT MAY CONTACT THE STEERING COLUMN UNIVERSAL JOINT AND CAUSE DAMAGE TO THE FUEL LINE.
Consequence
FUEL LEAKAGE COULD OCCUR FROM THE DAMAGED FLUID LINE AND,IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE, COULD RESULT IN A FIRE.
Remedy
REPOSITION FUEL LINE TO PREVENT CONTACT WITH UNIVERSAL JOINT; IF FUEL LINES ARE ALREADY DAMAGED, REPAIR OR REPLACE FUEL LINES.
Complaints by component
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:HOOD:LATCH
16
2crashes1injuries
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
15
2crashes
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
14
5crashes2injuries
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
11
4fires
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS
10
1crashes1fires
AIR BAGS
9
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
9
7crashes6injuries
EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER
9
VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS
9
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR
7
Total complaints278
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Drivers seat belt buckle inop....will not hold the belt in th e locked position, therefore, seat belt enabled in case of accident.”
“Tl*the contact owns a 1991 lincoln town car. The contact stated that while driving at 65 mph, the contact heard a loud noise and discovered that the hood latch fractured. As a result, the windshield cracked from the force of the hood and a bungee cord was used in order to keep the hood secured.…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 1991 lincoln town car. The contact stated that due to a brake failure, the vehicle caught on fire. The fire department extinguished the fire. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 66,682.”
“While driving eastbound us interstate 40 in oklahoma city,ok my 1991 lincoln towncar caught on fire and stopped running, after I pulled off the highway and put the fire out, the car would not start back up. The fire was coming from the engine area, looking as if it was underneath the car…”
“While traveling at approx. 35 miles per hour on a local bridge, my right rear tire blew out. I drove a distance of several yards to the end of the bridge where I was able to pull to the shoulder and stop. When a very kind police officer tried to remove the damaged tire, he had to stop because the…”
“Driving on expressway @ 55 mph ( windy with 30 mph gusts ) hood opened and folded up over the roof both hood latches were still locked to the strike plate from hood luckily was able to pull over to the emergency lane replaced hood and struts with used ones ( from a 1993 / safer? ) still have old…”
“Dt: the contact stated 1991 lincoln town car had only 17,000 miles on it. On 8-25-05 he felt like his brakes were low. He went to have them inspected and the car passed the inspection, but he had the brakes changed anyway. He smelled the brakes burning that day as he was driving home from the…”
“Dt: 1991 ford lincoln town car. While driving the car turned on the air conditioning and about 15 to 20 minutes later saw fire coming out from underneath the hood, surrounding the right front wheel. Pulled off the road, by that time the car had a large fire. The consumer put the fire out by…”
Defect investigations
InvestigationEA91021 Opened 1991-03-29 · closed 1992-03-16
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1991 Lincoln Town Car as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.