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
Unknown Or Other complaints
4 reportsDEALER SOLD ME A VEHICLE THAT THE ENTIRE FRAME IS RUSTED AWAY. BIG RUST HOLES ON UNDERCARRIAGE
2002 LINCOLN LS , AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT CONTINUES TO STAY ON. HAVE HAD TO DRIVE CAR FOR 3 YRS LIKE THIS WHILE HAVING FEAR OF AIR BAG NOT WORKING IN CASE OF AN ACCIDENT. 3 MECHANICS HAVE TRIED TO FIX AND IT ONLY TURNS OFF FOR A FEW MIN.S AFTER THEY ATTEMPT A FIX WITH THE WIRING. THE MILEAGE THEN BEGAN ABOUT 80,007. ABOUT 1.5 YR…
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2002 LINCOLN LS , AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT CONTINUES TO STAY ON. HAVE HAD TO DRIVE CAR FOR 3 YRS LIKE THIS WHILE HAVING FEAR OF AIR BAG NOT WORKING IN CASE OF AN ACCIDENT. 3 MECHANICS HAVE TRIED TO FIX AND IT ONLY TURNS OFF FOR A FEW MIN.S AFTER THEY ATTEMPT A FIX WITH THE WIRING. THE MILEAGE THEN BEGAN ABOUT 80,007. ABOUT 1.5 YR AGO (MAY 2014) MY AC /HEATER CORE FLUID BEGAN LEAKING. IT WORSENED WHEN AC WAS TURNED HIGH, TOOK ABOUT 2 MONTHS BEFORE BURNING SMELL WAS CONTINUOUSLY COMING FROM ENGINE AFTER RUNNING AC AND FLUID WAS ALWAYS DRIPPING. 6 MONTHS (JAN 2016) AGO MY BRAKE PEDAL BEGAN FLUTTERING WHEN DEPRESSED. I HAD THE CONTROL ARMS, BALL JOINTS AND BRAKES/ROTORS REPLACED. THE BRAKE PEDAL STILL FLUTTERS WHEN SLOWING FROM 30 MPH QUICKLY. MY LINCOLN LS MILEAGE IS 86,605
MY CAR HAS NUMEROUS PARTS THAT TEAR UP REPEATEDLY, WITHIN A 6 MONTHS TIME. VALVE COVER GASKET HAD REPLACED TWICE WITHIN A 6 MONTHS TIME. THE COIL PACKS GO UP VERY OFTEN. I HAD PANEL BUTTONS JUST TEAR UP FOR NO REASON THREE TIMES! WHEEL CAPS REPLACED NUMEROUS TIMES. OVERHEATING ISSUES, DOOR LOCKING ISSUES, BATTERY REPLACED TWIC…
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MY CAR HAS NUMEROUS PARTS THAT TEAR UP REPEATEDLY, WITHIN A 6 MONTHS TIME. VALVE COVER GASKET HAD REPLACED TWICE WITHIN A 6 MONTHS TIME. THE COIL PACKS GO UP VERY OFTEN. I HAD PANEL BUTTONS JUST TEAR UP FOR NO REASON THREE TIMES! WHEEL CAPS REPLACED NUMEROUS TIMES. OVERHEATING ISSUES, DOOR LOCKING ISSUES, BATTERY REPLACED TWICE WITHIN 2 YEARS TIME. AC ISSUES, (I NEVER USED MY AC..AT ALL) . THIS CAR HAS A LOT OF PROBLEMS ON THE T.S.BULLETIN. I CONTACTED FORD IN REFERENCE TO THE MULTIPLE ISSUES I WAS HAVING WITH THE CAR, THE COMPANY REPRESENTATIVES TOLD ME TO TAKE THE COMPLAINT TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF WHICH I HAD BEEN DEALING WITH. THEN THEY SAID LINCOLN IS AN INDEPENDENT OWNED ESTABLISHMENT SO I AM TOTALLY CONFUSED BY THIS WHOLE ORDEAL, THEY KNOW THAT THEY HAVE HAD A LOT OF MULTIPLE PROBLEMS OUT OF THAT CAR. AND THEY REFUSE TO RECALL SOME OF THOSE (AS I WOULD SAY) HAZARDOUS ISSUES. I WAS AT THE DEALER 2 WEEKS AGO, I WAS CONVERSING WITH A REP. AT THE DEALERSHIP AND HE WAS TELLING ME HOW THE LINCOLN LS WAS THEIR MOST PROBLEM VEHICLE, AND CASH MAKER FOR REPAIRS. (OH BY THE WAY.......I RESEARCHED TO FIND THIS SITE. TO ANSWER THE QUESTION IN THE CONSUMER SECTION). *TR
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.