What year Lincoln Town Car should I avoid?

Based on NHTSA complaints and recalls, 2005 and 2007 are the years to avoid, with complaint indexes of 100 and 83, the two highest among all Town Car model years.

What is the best year for the Lincoln Town Car?

2010 is rated Best, with a complaint index of 17, the lowest of any year with a formal verdict. 2009 and 2011 are rated Good.

Is the 2009 Lincoln Town Car reliable?

2009 has only 5 complaints and a complaint index of 0, but its verdict is capped at Good rather than Best because complaint records for 2005-2009 model years are less complete.

Does the Lincoln Town Car have engine problems?

Engine is the top problem area across all Town Car years, with 115 complaints making up 29 percent of total complaints; 2005 and 2007 report the highest shares at 33 and 40 percent.

How many recalls does the Lincoln Town Car have?

NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns across the 2005-2011 Town Car, with individual years such as 2005 and 2007 each showing 3 campaigns, none marked do-not-drive.

Lincoln Town Car Best and Worst Years (2005–2011)

Among Lincoln Town Car years 2005-2011, 2005 and 2007 rank worst, with complaint indexes of 100 and 83 and engine as the top-reported problem area. 2010 is the Best year (index 17), while 2009 and 2011 rate Good, though 2009's rating is capped due to incomplete records.

Based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls per model-year, ranked within this model — not a reliability rating. Methodology.

Avoid 2005 Avoid 2007 Best 2010

Model years: 7; 2005–2011
NHTSA complaints: 390
Recall campaigns: 5
Crashes reported: 57
Fires reported: 5
Top problem area: Engine

Town Car Complaint Index by year

Higher = more complaints, crashes, fires, injuries, deaths and Do-Not-Drive recalls per year on the road, relative to other years of this model.

Complaint Index: 0 = fewest issues, 100 = most, relative to other years of this model. Avoid Caution Good Best

Lincoln Town Car problems and recalls by year

Year	Verdict	Index	Complaints	Crashes	Fires	Recalls	Top issue	MPG	NCAP
2005	Avoid	100	119	17	2	3	Engine	19	—
2006	Caution	67	143	12	1	2	Airbags	18	—
2007	Avoid	83	84	19	1	3	Engine	18	—
2008	Caution	50	20	7	0	3	Engine	18	—
2009	Good	0	5	0	0	3	Engine	19	—
2010	Best	17	13	0	1	3	Steering	19	—
2011	Good	33	6	2	0	3	Steering	19	—

Town Car years to avoid: what went wrong

2005 Lincoln Town Car Index 100 · 119 complaints · 3 recalls

2005 has the highest complaint index (100) of any Town Car year and ranks worst overall. Engine complaints make up 33 percent of reports for the year, with a median mileage at failure of 64,000. Brakes (21 percent) and airbags (18 percent) follow. Owners describe sudden RPM surges while parked and while driving at low speed, transmission fluid overheating that pushed the dipstick out, and side airbags failing to deploy in a collision. NHTSA lists three recall campaigns for 2005, covering steering shaft wear and a chafing battery cable fusible link.

2005 engine problems →2005 brakes problems →2005 airbags problems →

2007 Lincoln Town Car Index 83 · 84 complaints · 3 recalls

2007 ranks second-worst with a complaint index of 83. Engine issues account for 40 percent of complaints, with a median mileage at failure of 27,000, the lowest failure mileage among the top problem areas for this year. Owners report sudden unintended forward movement while trying to stop and an engine compartment fire while the car was being towed. Steering complaints (21 percent) carry a much higher median mileage of 147,224. NHTSA lists three recall campaigns for 2007, including a front wheel bearing and hub fracture recall and two steering shaft recalls.

2007 engine problems →2007 steering problems →

Most common Lincoln Town Car problems (all years)

Share of NHTSA complaints by component group across all model years.

Engine115 (29%)
Airbags97 (25%)
Brakes65 (17%)
Steering52 (13%)
Seat Belts51 (13%)
Structure & Body44 (11%)
Electrical System27 (7%)
Other20 (5%)
Fuel System18 (5%)
Transmission & Powertrain18 (5%)

A complaint can list more than one component, so shares add up to more than 100%. Shares are % of complaints.

Frequently asked questions

What year Lincoln Town Car should I avoid?: Based on NHTSA complaints and recalls, 2005 and 2007 are the years to avoid, with complaint indexes of 100 and 83, the two highest among all Town Car model years.
What is the best year for the Lincoln Town Car?: 2010 is rated Best, with a complaint index of 17, the lowest of any year with a formal verdict. 2009 and 2011 are rated Good.
Is the 2009 Lincoln Town Car reliable?: 2009 has only 5 complaints and a complaint index of 0, but its verdict is capped at Good rather than Best because complaint records for 2005-2009 model years are less complete.
Does the Lincoln Town Car have engine problems?: Engine is the top problem area across all Town Car years, with 115 complaints making up 29 percent of total complaints; 2005 and 2007 report the highest shares at 33 and 40 percent.
How many recalls does the Lincoln Town Car have?: NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns across the 2005-2011 Town Car, with individual years such as 2005 and 2007 each showing 3 campaigns, none marked do-not-drive.