IllustrationAIR BAG LIGHT ON, GIVING CODE 34 THEN REMAINS ILLUMINATED. DEALER SAID SEAT BELT TENSIONERS ON BOTH SIDE NEED TO BE CHANGED @ A COST OF $1,500 . THEY ALSO ADVISE SERIOUS INJURY CAN OCCUR IN AN EVENT OF AN IMPACT .
2005 Lincoln Town Car
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2005 Lincoln Town Car do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 86.5.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Town Car 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
200–25K
1725–50K
2150–75K
2175–100K
11100–150K
7150K+
97 reports with mileage · 22 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.
- Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 34 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 22 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 15 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
17 crash reports2 fire reports9 injury reports
What owners actually said
119 reportsLOW BEAMS HEAD LIGHTS CUTS OFF WITHOUT WARNING WHILE DRIVING ALL THE TIME
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 LINCOLN TOWN CAR. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME STIFF AND DIFFICULT TO TURN WITHOUT WARNING. IT BECAME DIFFICULT FOR THE CONTACT TO MANEUVER THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. A DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE A…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 LINCOLN TOWN CAR. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME STIFF AND DIFFICULT TO TURN WITHOUT WARNING. IT BECAME DIFFICULT FOR THE CONTACT TO MANEUVER THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. A DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 125,000. *TT CONSUMER STATED STEERING IS VERY HARD AND STIFF. *JB
TIGHT STEERING/REPAIRED BY DEALER 7/31/2017( RECALL # 13S08)...TIGHT STEERING AGAIN 8/1/2018 WAS TOLD BY MECHANIC( NON-DEALER) WAS STEERING PUMP, TURNED OUT TO BE UPPER INTERMITTENT STEERING SHAFT, I BELIEVE WHEN THE LOWER WAS REPLACED IT WOULD HAVE MADE SENSE TO REPLACE THE UPPER AS WELL, LOOKING FOR REIMBURSEMENT FOR AT LEAST…
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TIGHT STEERING/REPAIRED BY DEALER 7/31/2017( RECALL # 13S08)...TIGHT STEERING AGAIN 8/1/2018 WAS TOLD BY MECHANIC( NON-DEALER) WAS STEERING PUMP, TURNED OUT TO BE UPPER INTERMITTENT STEERING SHAFT, I BELIEVE WHEN THE LOWER WAS REPLACED IT WOULD HAVE MADE SENSE TO REPLACE THE UPPER AS WELL, LOOKING FOR REIMBURSEMENT FOR AT LEAST PART $310.10 TO BE PAID TO MECHANIC @ JOES AUTO MALL /NEW BEDFORD MA
THE CAR WAS BEING DRIVEN IN A PARKING LOT AT 5-10 MILES/HOUR. IT RAPIDLY ACCELERATED AND WAS STOPPED ONLY AFTER BOTH FEET ON BRAKE AND EMERGENCY BRAKE USED. THE SKID MARKS ARE 32' LONG. THERE WERE MANY WITNESSES BECAUSE IT WAS IN A CHURCH PARKING LOT AT THE END OF SUNDAY SERVICE.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 LINCOLN TOWN CAR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR REMAINED ILLUMINATED, WHICH WAS A SAFETY CONCERN. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN ANY MANUFACTURER RECALLS OR TSBS FOR THE AIR BAGS. AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC INSPECTED THE VEHICLE, BUT HAD NOT DETERMINED THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. T…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 LINCOLN TOWN CAR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR REMAINED ILLUMINATED, WHICH WAS A SAFETY CONCERN. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN ANY MANUFACTURER RECALLS OR TSBS FOR THE AIR BAGS. AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC INSPECTED THE VEHICLE, BUT HAD NOT DETERMINED THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 115,000.
AIR BAG LIGHT ON. DEALER COMPUTER INDICATES DRIVER SIDE SEAT BELT NEEDS REPLACING. PLEASE ADVISE.
PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG. BROKEN WIRE BETWEEN AIR BAG AND COMPUTER.
07/24/217 DRIVING ON HWY. 55 NORTH. SELECTED CRUISE CONTROL ON NOTHING INCREASED SPEED TO 70 MPH RESELECTED SPEED CONTROL(CRUISE CONTROL) NOTHING AGAIN. REPEATED SEVERAL TIMES, NOTHING. WHEN I GOT HOME CHECKED FUSES #25 UNDER DASH. AND FUSE F13 IN ENGINE COMPARTMENT NEITHER WAS BURNT REPLACED WITH NEW FUSES. CHECKED RECALL 3 R…
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07/24/217 DRIVING ON HWY. 55 NORTH. SELECTED CRUISE CONTROL ON NOTHING INCREASED SPEED TO 70 MPH RESELECTED SPEED CONTROL(CRUISE CONTROL) NOTHING AGAIN. REPEATED SEVERAL TIMES, NOTHING. WHEN I GOT HOME CHECKED FUSES #25 UNDER DASH. AND FUSE F13 IN ENGINE COMPARTMENT NEITHER WAS BURNT REPLACED WITH NEW FUSES. CHECKED RECALL 3 RECALLS OPEN ON 2005 TOWN CARS. 1 ON SPEED CONTROL DISCONNECT DEACTIVATION SW. COULD CAUSE TO SHORT OUT, SEEMS LIKELY. 07V336000
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 LINCOLN TOWN CAR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR WAS CONTINUOUSLY ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BELT PRETENSIONER FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 LINCOLN TOWN CAR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR WAS CONTINUOUSLY ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BELT PRETENSIONER FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS INVALID. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 100,000. UPDATED 05/10/17*LJ *AS
Official recalls
314V704000 · Steering:rack And Pinion:pinion Shaft
Nov 5, 2014
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2005-2011 Ford Crown Victoria, 2005-2011 Mercury Grand Marquis vehicles manufactured March 23, 2004, to August 30, 2011, and 2005-2011 Lincoln Town Car vehicles manufactured March 8, 2004, to August 30, 2011, and on which the upper intermediate shaft was serviced during the course of safety recall 13V-385. The prior repairs may not have been correctly performed.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: Improper servicing of the upper intermediate shaft could cause the shaft to separate, which can then result in a loss of steering control, and increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Ford will notify the owners of vehicles whose repair records reflect that the upper intermediate steering shaft was repaired during the course of the prior recall 13V-385. Dealers will inspect and replace the upper immediate shaft if necessary free of charge. The recall began November 17, 2014. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 14S25.
13V385000 · Steering
Aug 29, 2013
Ford is recalling certain model year 2005-2011 Ford Crown Victoria (including Crown Victoria Police Interceptors), Mercury Grand Marquis, and Lincoln Town Car vehicles. The affected vehicles are currently registered or were originally sold in Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. Severe corrosion can seize the lower intermediate shaft which may cause the upper intermediate shaft to collapse and the steering column lower bearing to separate.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the lower bearing separates, the vehicle may experience a loss of steering, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners and dealers will replace the lower intermediate shaft, free of charge. The upper intermediate shaft and steering column lower bearing will be inspected to identify any damage that may have occurred as a result of lower intermediate shaft corrosion, and repaired or replaced as necessary. If the steering column lower bearing has separated, a retainer clip will be installed. The recall began on October 23, 2013. Owners may contact Ford at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's recall number is 13S08.
05V518000 · Electrical SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V Battery:cables
Nov 9, 2005
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE BATTERY CABLE INCLUDES A FUSIBLE LINK THAT MAY CONTACT AND SUBSEQUENTLY CHAFE ON A #2 CROSS MEMBER ATTACHING BOLT.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: THIS CONDITION MAY RESULT IN HEAT DAMAGE AND COULD LEAD TO A FIRE.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE FUSIBLE LINK AND POSITION IT AWAY FROM THE CROSS MEMBER BOLT. IF THE FUSIBLE LINK HAS ALREADY CHAFED AND COPPER WIRES HAVE BEEN EXPOSED, THE FUSIBLE LINK WILL BE REPLACED. THE RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 18, 2005. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FORD AT 1-800-392-3673, OR LINCOLN/MERCURY AT 1-800-521-4140.
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.