IllustrationWHEN I DRIVE APPROXIMATELY 35 MILES, MY 2002 LINCOLN LS WANTS TO OVERHEAT AND SHUT DOWN ON ME. I HAVE TO WAIT TILL IT COOLS DOWN AND THEN START IT UP AND PROCEED ON MY WAY.
2002 Lincoln Ls
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2002 Lincoln Ls do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 91.
Counts are not adjusted for sales, age, mileage exposure or reporting. A lower count does not establish that a car is problem-free.
About this comparison →121Owner complaints
Model-year median: 91
0Recall campaignsView recall details →
0InvestigationsView investigation details →
Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗ Model-level counts do not show whether a particular VIN is affected or repaired.
Inspection summary
2002 Lincoln Ls
NHTSA snapshot: September 18, 2026. 121 owner complaints · 0 recall campaigns · 0 investigations.
Counts are not failure probabilities and are not adjusted for sales, age, mileage exposure or reporting. One report may name several categories. Comparison method and limitations.
Top reported categories (up to 5)
- Engine And Engine Cooling: 25 reports
- Air Bags: 24 reports
- Suspension: 24 reports
- Power Train: 15 reports
- Vehicle Speed Control: 11 reports
Full reported-category list and vehicle report
Recall links
No recall campaigns in this snapshot.
Check a VIN with NHTSA. Model-level history does not establish whether a particular VIN is affected or repaired.
Print the top reported categories, recall links, snapshot date and comparison limits.
How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Ls years →Counts vary with age, sales, mileage exposure 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
1350–75K
2475–100K
18100–150K
10150K+
89 reports with mileage · 32 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.
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 25 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 24 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Suspension. Review the 24 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
21 crash reports0 fire reports8 injury reports
Engine complaints
4 reportsTL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 LINCOLN LS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE BALL JOINT WAS LOOSEN CAUSING THE CONTACT TO LOOSE CONTROL OF THE STEERING. IN ADDITION, THE VEHICLE WAS OVERHEATING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE LOWER CONTROL ARM NEEDED…
Read full complaint
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 LINCOLN LS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE BALL JOINT WAS LOOSEN CAUSING THE CONTACT TO LOOSE CONTROL OF THE STEERING. IN ADDITION, THE VEHICLE WAS OVERHEATING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE LOWER CONTROL ARM NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED HOWEVER, THREE MONTHS LATER THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 212,000.
THE TRANSMISSION SLIPS AFTER IT GETS TO 40 MPH FROM 5TH GEAR TO 4TH GEAR.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 LINCOLN LS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS SLIPPING OUT OF GEAR. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION. IN ADDITION, THE VEHICLE WAS OVERHEATING WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO REPLACED THE THERMOSTAT, BUT THE…
Read full complaint
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 LINCOLN LS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS SLIPPING OUT OF GEAR. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION. IN ADDITION, THE VEHICLE WAS OVERHEATING WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO REPLACED THE THERMOSTAT, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 125,000.
Recall campaigns
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
Defect investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.
An investigation is not a finding of a defect, and closure does not prove a vehicle is problem-free.