IllustrationNORMAL CLEAR WEATHER DRIVING DOWN BUSY STREET WHEN CARE SUDDENLY SLOWED DOWN ALMOST RESULTING IN A COLLISION WITH VEHICLES BEHIND ME. THE ENGINE STOPPED , I RESTARTED WITH VERY LIMITED DRIVABILITY THE ETC FAILSAFE MODE KICKED IN FOR NO APPARENT REASON THIS ISSUE MUST BE ADDRESSED BEFORE SOMEONE IS SERIOUSLY INJURED.
2004 Lincoln Ls
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2004 Lincoln Ls do not stand out strongly from 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
180–25K
1525–50K
2050–75K
1275–100K
11100–150K
4150K+
80 reports with mileage · 11 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 →
- Power Train. Review the 19 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 18 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
8 crash reports1 fire reports12 injury reports
Electronic Stability Control (esc) complaints
2 reportsI WAS DRIVING TO WORK EARLY IN THE MORNING WITH MY CHILD IN THE BACK SEAT. WHILE GETTING OFF THE FREEWAY (THANK GOD) MY 2004 LINCOLN LS WENT INTO "ETC ENGINE FAILSAFE MODE". I COULD NOT ACCELERATE OR DRIVE OVER 20. AT THIS POINT, I HAD TO PULL OVER BECAUSE I WAS IN TRAFFIC AND I DID NOT WANT TO GET HIT. ONCE I PULLED OVER, I TUR…
Read full complaint
I WAS DRIVING TO WORK EARLY IN THE MORNING WITH MY CHILD IN THE BACK SEAT. WHILE GETTING OFF THE FREEWAY (THANK GOD) MY 2004 LINCOLN LS WENT INTO "ETC ENGINE FAILSAFE MODE". I COULD NOT ACCELERATE OR DRIVE OVER 20. AT THIS POINT, I HAD TO PULL OVER BECAUSE I WAS IN TRAFFIC AND I DID NOT WANT TO GET HIT. ONCE I PULLED OVER, I TURNED THE CAR OFF FOR ABOUT 5 MINS AND THEN TURNED IT BACK ON. STARTING DRIVING OUT OF THE PARKING LOT AND ONCE I GOT TO THE MAIN ROAD, THE ERROR MESSAGE CAME ON AGAIN. COULD NOT ACCELERATE OVER 20 AGAIN. AT THIS POINT, I DID 20 ALL THE WAY TO THE SITTERS HOUSE TO DROP OFF MY DAUGHTER AND TRIED TO DRIVE MY CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP. I HAVE BEEN HAVING ISSUE ON TOP OF ISSUE WITH THIS 2004 LINCOLN LS AND BY THE REVIEWS LOOKS LIKE I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE. I GOGGLED THE ERROR MESSAGE AND I FIND NOTHING BUT ANGRY CUSTOMERS WHO HAVE SIMILAR LINCOLNS. SOMEONE NEEDS TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS AND HAVE THE COMPANY RECALL THIS CAR OR PAY FOR LABOR AND PARTS FOR EVERYONE. THIS IS A INCONVENIENCE TO EVERYONE WHO OWNS A LINCOLN AND HAVING THESE PROBLEMS. *TR
Official recalls
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 ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.