The 1993 Lincoln Town Car has 4 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 4,038,387 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 226 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the vehicle speed control. Last updated July 5, 2026.
ON CERTAIN PICKUP TRUCKS, PASSENGER VEHICLES, SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, AND MOTOR HOMES CHASSIS, THE SPEED CONTROL DEACTIVATION SWITCH MAY, UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS, LEAK INTERNALLY AND THEN OVERHEAT, SMOKE, OR BURN.
Consequence
THIS COULD RESULT IN AN UNDERHOOD FIRE.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL INSTALL A FUSED WIRING HARNESS. OWNERS OF THE PASSENGER CARS INCLUDED IN THIS CAMPAIGN WILL BE INSTRUCTED TO RETURN THEIR VEHICLES TO THEIR DEALERS TO HAVE THE SPEED CONTROL DEACTIVATION SWITCH DISCONNECTED AS AN INTERIM REPAIR. AS SOON AS REPAIR PARTS ARE AVAILABLE (EXPECTED OCTOBER 2007), OWNERS WILL…
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE SPEED CONTROL DEACTIVATION SWITCH CAN DEVELOP A RESISTIVE SHORT IN THE ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT THAT COULD POTENTIALLY RESULT IN AN UNDERHOOD FIRE. A FIRE IS POSSIBLE BOTH WHEN THE VEHICLE IS RUNNING AND WHEN THE VEHICLE ENGINE IS OFF. ALSO, THE SHORT COULD DISABLE THE SPEED…
Consequence
A FIRE CAN ORIGINATE IN THE LEFT FRONT UNDERHOOD AREA.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW SPEED CONTROL DEACTIVATION SWITCH AND CONNECTOR SHELL. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN MAY 20, 1999.
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).
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC95V1330001995-07-11692 affected
Defect
IMPROPER INSTALLATION OF THE REAR BRAKE LINE AT THE POINT AT WHICH THE EXTENDED BRAKE LINE FIRST BENDS AND EXTENDS OVER THE LEFT REAR WHEEL AREA OF THE FRAME. IF NOT INSTALLED WITH SUFFICIENT CLEARANCE, CHAFING OF THE BRAKE LINE CAN OCCUR IN AN AREA ADJACENT TO THE REAR FLOOR PAN.
Consequence
THE REAR BRAKE LINE CAN LEAK OR RUPTURE RESULTING IN REDUCED BRAKING CAPABILITY, LOSS OF REAR BRAKES, AND/OR LOSS OF BRAKE FLUID RESERVES IN THE MASTER BRAKE CYLINDER.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE BRAKE LINE FOR PROPER INSTALLATION AND/OR DAMAGE AND REPLACE AS NECESSARY. ALSO A PROTECTIVE BOOT OR SLEEVE OVER THE BRAKE LINE WILL BE INSTALLED.
Complaints by component
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
30
2crashes10fires1injuries
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
16
13fires1injuries
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD
13
13fires
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
13
7fires
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
12
1crashes
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
10
2crashes1injuries
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
9
8crashes10injuries
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:TORQUE CONVERTER
5
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS
5
2fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
4
Total complaints226
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“I was working on doing maintenance on my car. Next thing I know, there's a fire. I got it out quickly enough with the original extinguisher. The speed control harness, which had a recall at one point, is burned and a brake line busted. 9f924 is the number for the part. I do not know for certain if…”
“I was working on doing maintenance on my car. Next thing I know, there's a fire. I got it out quickly enough with the original extinguisher. The speed control harness, which had a recall at one point, is burned and a brake line busted. 9f924 is the number for the part. I do not know for certain if…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 1993 lincoln town car. While driving 60 mph, the contact observed smoke emitting from the driver side of the dashboard and the fuse box. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vin was unavailable. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 1993 lincoln town car. Once the vehicle was started, it began to make a jerking motion and all of the warning lights illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle stalled. The failures recurred multiple times. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 1993 lincoln town car. Once the vehicle was started, it began to make a jerking motion and all of the warning lights illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle stalled. The failures recurred multiple times. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer…”
“The car had been driven like every other day.the car had been parked in my drive way for about 3 to 4 hours.I was inside my house when I heard someone honking outside.when I looked out the window the car was smoking from under the hood.I got my phone and called 911.by time the fire department…”
“The car had been driven like every other day.the car had been parked in my drive way for about 3 to 4 hours.I was inside my house when I heard someone honking outside.when I looked out the window the car was smoking from under the hood.I got my phone and called 911.by time the fire department…”
“I purchased a used 1993 lincoln town car on dec 17. On december 19 the vehicle caught fire in the garage. It had not been driven since purchase or stared. Fire caused severe damage to garage. Completely burned the car. Fire department came and the investigator stated it was speed control , since I…”
Defect investigations
InvestigationDP02007 Opened 2002-08-22 · closed 2002-12-04
FUEL-FED FIRES
THE FARS DATA SHOWS THAT THE RISK OF FIRE FROM IMPACT IN ALL DIRECTIONS IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES IS THE SAME AS ALL OTHER SEDANS.THE SUBJECT VEHICLES ARE NOT OVER REPRESENTED WITH RESPECT TO THE RISK OF FIRE IN REAL-WORLD HIGH-ENERGY CRASHES.A FURTHER DISCUSSION OF ISSUES RELATED TO POST CRASH FIRES IN THE SUBJECT…
InvestigationEA02025 Opened 2002-09-06 · closed 2004-06-30
SPEED CONTROL DEACTIVATION SWITCH FIRES
BASED ON THE LOW RATE OF FIRE INCIDENTS (2.5 INCIDENTS PER 100,000 VEHICLES SOLD) WHERE FAILURE OF THE SCDS IS INVOLVED AND THE AGE OF THE VEHICLES ? 7 TO 11 YEARS ? A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT TREND HAS NOT BEEN IDENTIFIED AND FURTHER USE OF AGENCY RESOURCES DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE WARRANTED.THE CLOSING OF THIS…
InvestigationEA99006 Opened 1999-03-11 · closed 1999-05-19
UNDER HOOD FIRES
ALLEGED THAT THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE IN THE AREA OF THE LEFT FRONT WHEEL WELL AND THE BRAKE MASTER CYLINDER
InvestigationPE93086 Opened 1993-10-01 · closed 1994-02-28
HOOD FLY-UP WHILE DRIVING
There is no summary currently available
InvestigationPE98055 Opened 1998-10-27 · closed 1999-03-11
UNDER HOOD FIRES
ALLEGED ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE IN THE AREA OF THE LEFT FRONT WHEEL WELL AND THE BRAKE MASTER CYLINER.
InvestigationRQ01002 Opened 2001-09-20 · closed 2002-09-06
ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES
InvestigationSQ01014 Opened 2001-11-27 · closed 2002-10-03
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1993 Lincoln Town Car as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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