IllustrationMY CAR CAUGHT ON FIRE UNDER THE HOOD AND HAD TO BE JUNKED. *TR
1997 Lincoln Continental
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1997 Lincoln Continental do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 32.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Continental 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
Limited mileage data: 18 of 96 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
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.
- Visibility. Review the 15 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Steering. Review the 12 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 10 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
5 crash reports3 fire reports2 injury reports
Vehicle Speed Control complaints
8 reportsINTERMITTENTLY WHEN APPLYING BRAKES THE VEHICLE WILL ACCELERATE SUDDENLY AND WITHOUT WARNING. DEALER HAS INSPECTED AND REPAIRED VEHICLE. HOWEVER, VEHICLE HAS SINCE ACCELERATED AND COLLIDED INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE. PLEASE PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.*AK
WHILE PULLING INTO GARAGE AND WHEN COMING TO A STOP VEHICLE WOULD ACCELERATE WITH NO PRIOR WARNING. CONTACTED DEALER, AND DEALER STATED VEHICLE WAS NOT REGISTERING CODES. *AK DEALER REPLACED THE THROTTLE VALVE ASSEMBLY AND THE GASKET AIR BYP, CONSUMER STATES THE FAILURE WOULD HAPPEN WHILE DRIVING SHORT DISTANCES WITH THE AC…
Read full complaint
WHILE PULLING INTO GARAGE AND WHEN COMING TO A STOP VEHICLE WOULD ACCELERATE WITH NO PRIOR WARNING. CONTACTED DEALER, AND DEALER STATED VEHICLE WAS NOT REGISTERING CODES. *AK DEALER REPLACED THE THROTTLE VALVE ASSEMBLY AND THE GASKET AIR BYP, CONSUMER STATES THE FAILURE WOULD HAPPEN WHILE DRIVING SHORT DISTANCES WITH THE AC ON. *SLC
VEHICLE EXPERIENCED SUDDEN ACCELERATION RESULTING IN COLLISION, NO DEPLOYMENT OF THE AIR BAG DURING IMPACT. *MJS
WHILE IN REVERSE OR DRIVE GEAR, VEHICLE'S MOTOR RACES AND LUNGES UNEXPECTEDLY ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. MJS
WHEN ACCELERATING VEHICLE PULLS EXTREMELY TO THE LEFT. THE DEALER IS NOT ABLE TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
VEHICLE DOES NOT HAVE CRUISE CONTROL. VISUAL INDICATOR WAS OMITTED AT THE TIME OF MANUFACTURING. THE CONSUMER CANNOT TELL IF CRUISE CONTROL HAS BEEN ACTIVATED. ALL OF THE 97 CONTINENTALS DO NOT COME WITH AN INDICTATOR, BUT EARLIER AND LATER MODELS DO SO. *AK
GAS PEDAL STUCK, ENGINE WOULD NOT DECELERATE WHEN FOOT WAS REMOVED FROM ACCELERATOR.
Official recalls
196V166000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission:gear Position Indication (prndl)
Sep 5, 1996
THE PARK PAWL ABUTMENT BRACKET HAS A SHARP EDGE WHICH CAN CAUSE THE PARKING PAWL TO HANG UP AND NOT ENGAGE THE PARK GEAR. THIS WOULD ALLOW THE VEHICLE TO MOVE EVEN THOUGH THE GEAR SHIFT INDICATOR SHOWS THAT THE VEHICLE IS IN PARK.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: UNINTENDED AND UNEXPECTED VEHICLE MOVEMENT CAN RESULT IN PERSONAL INJURY AND PROPERTY DAMAGE.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND, IF NECESSARY, REPLACE THE PARK PAWL ABUTMENT BRACKET.
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.