IllustrationREARVIEW MIRROR HAS DEVELOPED A LEAK WITHIN THE MIRROR HOUSING, LEAKING OIL ONTO THE DASH. ALSO THE OIL WAS VERY HOT. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED THE DEALER. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
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 reportsTHIS IS A SAFTEY ISSUSE THE CAR DIES WHILE IN THE MIDDLE OF DRIVING. THIS IS AT LEAST THE18TH TIME. FORD CLAIMS THEY CAN NOT FIND THE PROBLEM . CAN SOMEONE HELP BEFORE THIS CAR CAUSES AN ACCIDENT OR DEATH.*AK
VEHICLE EXPERIENCED SUDDEN ACCELERATION RESULTING IN COLLISION, NO DEPLOYMENT OF THE AIR BAG DURING IMPACT. *MJS
MY CAR HAS STALLED ON ME AND OTHERS AT LEAST 15 TIMES .I HAVE STALLED IN INTERSECTIONS .I HAVE NO STEERING OR BRAKES WHEN THIS HAPPENES. THE DEALER HAS HAD MANY MANY TIMES TO FIX THE CAR AND HAS NOT. WE HAVE ASKED FOR A LINCOLN REP AND HAVE BEEN REFUSED. I WAS ALMOST KILLED IN THIS CAR AND I AM GETTING NO HELP. THE DEALER WILL N…
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MY CAR HAS STALLED ON ME AND OTHERS AT LEAST 15 TIMES .I HAVE STALLED IN INTERSECTIONS .I HAVE NO STEERING OR BRAKES WHEN THIS HAPPENES. THE DEALER HAS HAD MANY MANY TIMES TO FIX THE CAR AND HAS NOT. WE HAVE ASKED FOR A LINCOLN REP AND HAVE BEEN REFUSED. I WAS ALMOST KILLED IN THIS CAR AND I AM GETTING NO HELP. THE DEALER WILL NOT HELP. FORD WILL NOT TALK TO US. SOMEONE NEEDS TO HELP BEFORE THERE IS A DEATH FROM THIS CAR. *AK
WHILE TRAVELING GAS GAUGE GIVES WRONG READING. DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
WITHIN A 66,000 MILE PERIOD CONSUMER HAS REPLACED ALL FOUR TIRES FOUR TIMES DUE TO PREMATURE WEARING. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
TIE ROD ENDS REPLACED, FRONT END REALIGNED, STEERING MAKING NOISE AND DEALER CLAIMED THAT STEERING RACK NEEDS REPLACED TO COST $500.00, DEALER CLAIMED REPAIRS NOT SUBJECT TO WARRANTLY NOR RECALL. UPON RESEARCH, I FIND THAT LINCOLN HAS ISSUED SERVICE BULLETINS FOR BOTH DEFECTS. I PAID FOR THE WORK TO REPLACE THE TIE ROD ENDS AN…
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TIE ROD ENDS REPLACED, FRONT END REALIGNED, STEERING MAKING NOISE AND DEALER CLAIMED THAT STEERING RACK NEEDS REPLACED TO COST $500.00, DEALER CLAIMED REPAIRS NOT SUBJECT TO WARRANTLY NOR RECALL. UPON RESEARCH, I FIND THAT LINCOLN HAS ISSUED SERVICE BULLETINS FOR BOTH DEFECTS. I PAID FOR THE WORK TO REPLACE THE TIE ROD ENDS AND HAVE NOT HAVE HAD THE STEERING WORK DONE AS I THINK IT SHOULD BE LINCOLN'S RESPONSIBILITY. THESE FAILURES WERE AT LOW MILES 51,408 AND BECAUSE OF THE SERVICE BULLETINS, LINCOLN IS AWARE OF THESE PROBLEMS. *AK
NONE
VEHICLE IS WEARING OUT BOTH FRONT TIRES WHERE THE TREAD MEETS SIDEWALL, CAUSING TIRE TO BLOWOUT, TIRES CAME WITH VEHICLE . *AK
THERE IS A TSB #BC3422972301 ITEM#SB051461 RELATING TO MY PROBLEM. I HAVENT READ THE ENTIRE COPY BECASE I HAVENT ONE TO READ BUT THE BRIEF DISCRIPTION ON YOUR WEB SITE DESCRIBES "PREMATURE WEAR OF FRONT INNER TIRES". I EXPERIENCED THIS ON MY CAR TO THE POINT THAT THE LEFT FRONT TIRE LOST ALL AIR. THE CAR HAD BEEN TAKEN IN FOR SE…
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THERE IS A TSB #BC3422972301 ITEM#SB051461 RELATING TO MY PROBLEM. I HAVENT READ THE ENTIRE COPY BECASE I HAVENT ONE TO READ BUT THE BRIEF DISCRIPTION ON YOUR WEB SITE DESCRIBES "PREMATURE WEAR OF FRONT INNER TIRES". I EXPERIENCED THIS ON MY CAR TO THE POINT THAT THE LEFT FRONT TIRE LOST ALL AIR. THE CAR HAD BEEN TAKEN IN FOR SERVICE AT 22,559 MILES AND THE TIRES WERE INSPECTED THEN. IN LESS THAN 4000 MILES THEY WORE TO THE POINT THAT THEY WERE DANGEROUS. I FEEL THAT A RECALL SHOULD BE DONE TO RETURN ALL VEHICALES WITH THIS PROBLEM THAT HAVENT BEEN ADJUSTED TO NEW ALLIGNMENT SPECS.. THE FIX FOR THIS PROBLEM SHOULD BE PAYED FOR BY FORD NOT THE OWNER/DRIVERS. PEOEPLES LIVES SHOULD NOT BE PUT AT RISK IN THIS MANNER.( DOT NUMBER: NA TIRE SIZE: NA )
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.