IllustrationDEALER REPLACED THE REAR RIGHT AND LEFT AIR SHOCKS, CONSUMER STATES THEY MADE A NOISE THAT SOUNDED LIKE A BASKET BALL BOUNCING UP AND DOWN. *SLC
1997 Lincoln Continental
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1997 Lincoln Continental do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 32.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Continental years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 18 of 96 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Visibility. Review the 15 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Steering. Review the 12 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 10 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
5 crash reports3 fire reports2 injury reports
What owners actually said
96 reportsWHEN CONSUMER TURNS VEHICLE POWER STEERING GOES, AND HE WOULD HAVE TO TURN VEHICLE OFF TO RESTART FOR STEERING TO GO BACK TO NORMAL. CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP, AND MECHANIC SAID THAT THEY COULDN'T FIND THE CAUSE.*AK THE DEALER COULD NOT DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLELM AND THE VEHICLE IS UNSAFE. *YH
REPEAT FAILURES, REPAIRED 08/30/2000, MORE FAILURES, REPAIRED 10/21/2000, MORE FAILURES. NO SAFETY DEFECT MENTIONED IN SUMMARY. *AK
POOR VISIBILITY WITH REAR VIEW MIRROR. DEALER NOTIFIED, AND INFORMED OF COST TO CONSUMER IF REPLACEMENT WAS REQUESTED. *AK
BOTH FRONT MICHELIN TIRES HAD SPLIT OPEN AND THE STEEL BELTS WERE SHOWING (MXVE-PLUS P225/60R16), CONSUMER REQUEST REIMBURSEMENT (CONSUMER IS ATTORNEY). NLM
MIHCELIN GREEN X TIRE EXPERIENCED BELT SEPARATION. *SLC
3.86 LITER ENGINE , 6 CYLINDER, HEAD GASKET HAS BLOWN OUT, POSSIBLY CAUSING OTHER RELATED DAMAGE. *AK
TIRE WENT TO PIECES (MICHELIN XW4 RADIAL), WHEN LIFTED WITH THE JACK THE JACK WAS WEAK AND BENT, EXAMINATION OF THE TIRES SHOWED THAT ONE OTHER TIRE WAS ABOUT TO FAIL WITH THE METAL ROD EXPOSED IN THE INSIDE. *MJS
GEAR IN BACK OF LEFT FRONT TIRE CRACKED - ERRATIC ACTIVATION OF ANTI LOCK BRAKING *AK
VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN SHOP A TOTAL OF 8 TIMES TO DATE WITH THE SAME SYMPTOM. MOTOR SPINS, WON'T CRANK. SERVICE HAS REPLACED MANY DIFFERENT COMPONENTS. CONTINUES TO FAIL. *AK
Official recalls
196V166000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission:gear Position Indication (prndl)
Sep 5, 1996
THE PARK PAWL ABUTMENT BRACKET HAS A SHARP EDGE WHICH CAN CAUSE THE PARKING PAWL TO HANG UP AND NOT ENGAGE THE PARK GEAR. THIS WOULD ALLOW THE VEHICLE TO MOVE EVEN THOUGH THE GEAR SHIFT INDICATOR SHOWS THAT THE VEHICLE IS IN PARK.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: UNINTENDED AND UNEXPECTED VEHICLE MOVEMENT CAN RESULT IN PERSONAL INJURY AND PROPERTY DAMAGE.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND, IF NECESSARY, REPLACE THE PARK PAWL ABUTMENT BRACKET.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.