IllustrationWHEN GOING DOWN A HILL WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL ON THE CAR KEEPS PICKING UP SPEED.
2002 Lincoln Continental
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2002 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 33 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.
- Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 6 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Suspension. Review the 5 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 4 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
4 crash reports0 fire reports1 injury reports
What owners actually said
33 reportsDURING BRIGHT DAY LIGHT HOURS SPEEDOMETER NEEDLE IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE DUE TO THE COLOR OF THE NEEDLE AND THE DIAL'S BACKGROUND. THE NEEDLE IS DULL RED, AND THE BACKGROUND IS BLACK. THE BRIGHTNESS OF THE SUN MAKES THE NEEDLE FADE AWAY. THE PANEL AND NEEDLES FUNCTION PROPERLY ON DAYS IT'S NOT SO BRIGHT. THE CONSUMER HAD…
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DURING BRIGHT DAY LIGHT HOURS SPEEDOMETER NEEDLE IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE DUE TO THE COLOR OF THE NEEDLE AND THE DIAL'S BACKGROUND. THE NEEDLE IS DULL RED, AND THE BACKGROUND IS BLACK. THE BRIGHTNESS OF THE SUN MAKES THE NEEDLE FADE AWAY. THE PANEL AND NEEDLES FUNCTION PROPERLY ON DAYS IT'S NOT SO BRIGHT. THE CONSUMER HAD THE DEALER PAINT THE DIAL NEEDLE WHITE BUT THAT DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM DUE TO THE TINTED PLASTIC COVER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. *AK *NLM
THE NHTSA WEB SITE WON'T LET ME LOOK UP MY CAR (HTTP://WWW-ODI.NHTSA.DOT.GOV/IVOQ/). MY CAR IS A 2002 LINCOLN CONTINENTAL. WITHIN THE 2002 LINCOLN, THE ONLY MODEL ON WHICH THE SYSTEM PERMITS INQUIRIES IS THE TOWN CAR. WHAT ABOUT THE 2002 CONTINENTAL? WHAT ABOUT THE 2002 LS? REGARDS, CHUCK KIRKPATRICK. *JB
2002 LINCOLN CONTINENTAL. FRONT AIR DAM MADE OF BRITTLE PLASTIC AND BREAKS IF IT TOUCHES ANYTHING. THIS VEHICLE HAS 8500 MILES AND TWO AIR DAMS HAVE BROKEN. LINCOLN/MERC DEALER REPLACED ONE BUT REFUSES TO REPLACE ANOTHER. CUSTOMER SERVICE SAYS THE DAMAGE IS DUE TO "DRIVER CARELESSNESS" AND REFUSES TO REPLACE. THIS ITEM IS E…
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2002 LINCOLN CONTINENTAL. FRONT AIR DAM MADE OF BRITTLE PLASTIC AND BREAKS IF IT TOUCHES ANYTHING. THIS VEHICLE HAS 8500 MILES AND TWO AIR DAMS HAVE BROKEN. LINCOLN/MERC DEALER REPLACED ONE BUT REFUSES TO REPLACE ANOTHER. CUSTOMER SERVICE SAYS THE DAMAGE IS DUE TO "DRIVER CARELESSNESS" AND REFUSES TO REPLACE. THIS ITEM IS EXTREMELY FRAGILE AND HAS NO "GIVE". THE DEALER AT FIRST STATED THAT "THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM" WITH THE CONTINENTAL BUT NOW STATES IT IS THE "CUSTOMERS FAULT". THE DEALER ALSO STATES THAT DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE COULD OCCUR OF IT IS NOT REPLACED BECAUSE IT DIRECTS THE AIR THROUGH THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. WE HAVE PERSONALLY INSPECTED OTHER LINCOLN VEHICLES AND NUMEROUS HAVE THE EITHER COMPLETELY MISSING OR DAMAGE AIR DAMS. IT APPEARS THIS IS A QUICK $ 80.00 PROFIT FOR THE COMPANY THAT COULD BE EASILY FIXED USING SOFTER MATERIAL. *NLM
NO SUMMARY. INFORMATION ON ODI #768869.
THE CRUISE CONTROL DID NOT CONTROL THE MAXIMUM SPEED WHEN GOING DOWN HILL. THE CRUISE CONTROL WAS SET AT 65 BUT THE VEHICLE WAS TRAVELING 80 MPH. THE CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER WHO INFORMED HIM THAT THE VEHICLE WAS DESIGNED THIS WAY. *AK *NLM
THE CRUISE CONTROL WAS SET AT 65 MPH, HOWEVER AS HE WAS GOING DOWN A HILL HE NOTICED THE VEHICLE WAS TRAVELING AT 80 MPH. THE DEALER INFORMED CONSUMER THAT WAS THE WAY THE CRUISE CONTROL WORKED.*JB PH
CONSUMER CALLED STATING OF HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE LEFT REAR DRIVER SIDE. CONSUMER HAD A BLOW OUT WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE. ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT. DEALER WAS CONTACTED AND STATED THAT THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH TIRE TO DETERMINE WHAT THE PROBLEM HAD BEEN. TS
NO SUMMARY. DT
CONSUMER STATES THAT PLACE GEAR SHIFTER IN REVERSE AND VEHICLE LUNGE FORWARD INTO WALL. CAUSE IS UNKNOWN. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION. MR
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.