IllustrationLOWER BALL JOINT WORE OUT PREMATURELY. A RECALL WAS ISSUED. HOWEVER, THIS VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL DUE TO VIN. *AK
2001 Lincoln Ls
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Ls years
Owner complaints for the 2001 Lincoln Ls are substantially higher than the model-year median of 91.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Ls 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
120–25K
1225–50K
3350–75K
5275–100K
50100–150K
7150K+
166 reports with mileage · 74 unknown
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.
- Suspension. Review the 110 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 33 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 26 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
20 crash reports1 fire reports11 injury reports
What owners actually said
240 reportsLINCOLN LS, 2001 MODEL, VIN LAST DIGIITS, 701318. REAR SEATS WILL NOT PROPERLY LATCH CAUSING THE SEATS TO FOLD DOWN UNEXPECTEDLY. LINCOLN WILL NOT REPLACE UNDER WARRANTY. LINCOLN SAYS THE LATCHES ARE NOT DEFECTIVE! SEE ARTICLE IN WWW.AJC.COM, MARCH 2004....JURY AWARDS $42 MILLION TO FAMILY OF GIRL!
VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS I HAVE HAD THE REAR PASSENGER WINDOW REGULATOR REPLACED TWICE AND THE FRONT PASSENGER WINDOW REGULATOR ONCE. THE FIRST REAR WINDOW BY FORD WHILE UNDER WARRANTY,THE SECOND REAR WINDOW AT 60,000 MILES AND THE FRONT PASSENGER REGULATOR WINDOW AT 70,000 MILES.*AK
ROAD WHEEL LUG NUT DESIGN USED ON CERTAIN MY2001 LINCOLN LS SEDANS IS DIMENSIONALLY UNSTABLE, GROWING IN SIZE OVER TIME AND MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO REMOVE AND/OR SECURE WITH THE CORRECT WHEEL BRACE OR SOCKET TOOL. FOLLOWING A PUNCTURE AND SUBSEQUENT REPLACEMENT OF 4 TIRES ON MY VEHICLE DUE TO NORMAL WEAR, ALL 20 NUTS ALSO HAD T…
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ROAD WHEEL LUG NUT DESIGN USED ON CERTAIN MY2001 LINCOLN LS SEDANS IS DIMENSIONALLY UNSTABLE, GROWING IN SIZE OVER TIME AND MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO REMOVE AND/OR SECURE WITH THE CORRECT WHEEL BRACE OR SOCKET TOOL. FOLLOWING A PUNCTURE AND SUBSEQUENT REPLACEMENT OF 4 TIRES ON MY VEHICLE DUE TO NORMAL WEAR, ALL 20 NUTS ALSO HAD TO BE REPLACED AS THEY COULD ONLY BE REMOVED BY FORCE. DEALER INFORMED ME THAT TSB EXISTS FOR THIS ISSUE, BUT NO FORMAL RECALL. NOTE: 1 SAMPLE OF DEFECTIVE NUT AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST. *JB
OVER THE PAST 13 MONTHS, WE HAD HAD A TOTAL OF SIX VERY LOW OR FLAT TIRES, INCLUDING ONE BLOWOUT ON AN INTERSTATE. NO DEFECTS WERE FOUND IN THE TIRES (PUNCTURES). WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE BLOWOUT, ALL TIRES WERE ABLE TO BE REINFLATED. WE HAVE BEEN TOLD BY TWO SOURCES (A FORD DEALERSHIP AND A TIRE DEALERSHIP) THAT THERE IS A …
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OVER THE PAST 13 MONTHS, WE HAD HAD A TOTAL OF SIX VERY LOW OR FLAT TIRES, INCLUDING ONE BLOWOUT ON AN INTERSTATE. NO DEFECTS WERE FOUND IN THE TIRES (PUNCTURES). WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE BLOWOUT, ALL TIRES WERE ABLE TO BE REINFLATED. WE HAVE BEEN TOLD BY TWO SOURCES (A FORD DEALERSHIP AND A TIRE DEALERSHIP) THAT THERE IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH ALLOY WHEELS THAT CAUSES THE TIRE SEAL TO BREAK. THERE HAVE BEEN NO INJURIES TO-DATE, BUT THE FREQUENCY WITH WHICH THIS IS HAPPENING IS A CONCERN. THE LAST FLAT TIRE OCCURRED YESTERDAY (01/13/2004).*AK
WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES, THE VEHICLE LURCHED FORWARD. AS A RESULT, THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE . NO IMPACT WAS REPORTED. PLEASE PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. *JB
INTERMITTENTLY WINDSHIELD WIPERS STOPPED WORKING. DEALER REPLACED THE WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR. ALSO, THE NEW MOTOR MALFUNCTIONED. MANUFACTURER WAS INFORMED OF THE PROBLEM. *AK
WHILE BACKING OUT OF DRIVEWAY AND WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED. BOTH FEET WERE ON THE BRAKE PEDAL BUT VEHICLE CONTINUED TO RUN. *AK THE TIRES WERE SPINNING WHILE THE BRAKE WAS APPLIED. MECHANIC CHECKED FOR PEDAL BINDING AND RAN ALL SELF TEST. THERE WERE NO TROUBLE CODES STORED IN THE COMPUTER SYST…
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WHILE BACKING OUT OF DRIVEWAY AND WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED. BOTH FEET WERE ON THE BRAKE PEDAL BUT VEHICLE CONTINUED TO RUN. *AK THE TIRES WERE SPINNING WHILE THE BRAKE WAS APPLIED. MECHANIC CHECKED FOR PEDAL BINDING AND RAN ALL SELF TEST. THERE WERE NO TROUBLE CODES STORED IN THE COMPUTER SYSTEM. THE VEHICLE WAS ROAD TESTED IN WARM AND COLD CONDITIONS. THE TECHNICIAN DETERMINED THAT EVERYTHING WAS WORKING ACCORDING TO MANUFACTURERS SPECIFICATIONS. THE PASSENGER SIDE HEADLAMP HAD WATER INSIDE IT. THE DEALER REPLACED THE HEADLAMP ASSEMBLY. *PH *NLM
WHILE DRIVING THE HEAD LIGHTS WENT OUT WITHOUT WARNING. *NLM THE SEAT BELTS WOULD BIND AND DID NOT RETRACT, THE WINDSHIELD CRACKED (ACROSS) DUE TO STRESS AND WAS REPLACED, THE VEHICLE LOCK SYSTEM WAS REPLACED TWICE, THE FRONT HEADLAMP WAS REPLACED TWICE DUE TO CONDENSATION, AND THE WINDSHIELD WIPER SYSTEM FAILED AND WAS REPL…
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WHILE DRIVING THE HEAD LIGHTS WENT OUT WITHOUT WARNING. *NLM THE SEAT BELTS WOULD BIND AND DID NOT RETRACT, THE WINDSHIELD CRACKED (ACROSS) DUE TO STRESS AND WAS REPLACED, THE VEHICLE LOCK SYSTEM WAS REPLACED TWICE, THE FRONT HEADLAMP WAS REPLACED TWICE DUE TO CONDENSATION, AND THE WINDSHIELD WIPER SYSTEM FAILED AND WAS REPLACED AS WELL. *SCC *JB
THE SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYED PREMATURELY WITHOUT VEHICLE BEING IN AN ACCIDENT. *AK *SCC *JB
Official recalls
100V359001 · Suspension:front:control Arm:lower Ball Joint
Nov 3, 2000
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 & remedy
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.
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.