We found the following complaints for LINCOLN TOWN CAR (1988)
Read complaints for LINCOLN TOWN CAR (1988)
Electrical fire.
Seat belts won't retract.ignition switch is faulty and shorting out radio and other electrical components.wanting to prevent fire from happening, by taking care of this now.
The ignition switch gives sparks and could ignite the car. Ford admits other 1988 lincoln town cars have a ignition switch problem and replaces them. They have not included my vin on the defect and replacement list; however, it is defective and could ignite a fire at any time.
The 'charge system' warning light comes on intermittently.
The relay that hooks to the battery starter] broke. This caused vehicle to acclelerate in full throttle.consumer came to a completed stop, but had to disconnect the battery to stop the engine from running, although the vehicle was turned off. Relay # 1e9tz-11450b.
Alternator shorts out, causing wiring harness and battery to burn up.*skd
Alternator failed replaced three times.yh
Alternator caught fire twice.
Ignition switch failed causing a small fire under the dashboard. Dealer notified.
Vehicle will stall suddendly when the engine gets hot.vehicle will restart, but it has stalled leaving consumer in dangerous situation. The distributor mounted tfhv module is too close to the hot engine. This causes the vehicle to stall.
Vehicle park and caught on fire. Appeared to have started around the ignition.
Vehicle park and caught on fire. Appeared to have started around the ignition.
I would be traveling down the highway at 60with my family and my car would shut off. I would then pull to the side and let it sit for 20 minutes and then it would restart until it happens again ''very dangerous''.
Vehicle cuts off a low speed will not start until it sits for a while, this has happen mult. Times, it has been in the shop a number of times , can not find the cause several new parts have been put on,to no avail.
Noticed fire coming from the ignition switch on the steering column after parking the vehicle.
While driving, noticed smoke coming from steering column, pulled over, turned off ignition; continued to smoke for awhile; ignition switch melted; no fire.
Electrical short in the ignition switch causing the vehicle to catch on fire.
Upon parking, noticed smoke under hood i/2 hour later heard explosion, found vehicle engulfed in flames.
Ignition switch caught on fire.
An electrical short in the ignition switch caused the vehicle to catch on fire in the steering column.please describe.
The vehicle caught on fire while turning on the ignition switch. Consumer states there were flames coming out of the steering column before they had pulled over, ford has not been very helpful as far as giving allowances for replacement rental or towing.
Car was running fine until recall work was done and now the car no longer works. Please describe.
Ignition switch shorted, causing fire prior to recall.
While driving car caught on fire in steering column. Received recall letter, did not get a chance to make an appointment to get swtich replaced. 96v 071000.
Smoke erupted from steering column when driver attempted to start car, steering column/wires partially melted due to short in ignition switch. *dsh
Electrical short in the ignition switch causing the vehicle to catch on fire.
Faulty ignition switch burned melting wires.no fire occured.
While the vehicle was idling, black thick smoke appeared from the steering column. It was then determined that there was a faulty ignition switch.
Ignition switch fire prior to recall.
I understand that there was a recall on my vehicle for a faulty ignition switch. I just found out yesterday about it. I was never notified in reference to the recall. It wasn't until the switch shorted out my radio which i can not replace until the switch is replaced. The ford company said that the recall was complete. I don't know how it can be complete when my car was never done.i have a faulty ignition switch that is supplying shorts through my wiring harness that connects to the radio.i have checked it by testing the power to the wiring harness (ignition/accessory) and sometimes it has power and then sometimes it doesn't. I have never heard of a recall the is completed when mine was never done.what can i do since it was the ignition switch that caused the burned out radio and almost a fire in my vehicle?
Noticed fire coming from the ignition switch on the steering column after parking the vehicle.
Steering column caught on fire, replacedignition switch and connector,replaced wiper switch.
The car was parked and went up into flames from the ignition switce area. Please describe.
Interior vehicle fire around the steering wheel and column.
Ignition switch shorted out, causing steering column fire.*skd
The ignition switch caught on fire while parked for three days. Please give more information.
Vehicle was parked andelectricalwiring caught on fire.hood/steering wheel/seats and rear two tires melted.fire department came out and put the fire out.
While driving the auto, consumer begins to smell a burning smell-pulled over in the gas station and lifted hood and flames were there-no injuries.
The vehicle caught fire. The fire started in the engine compartment.ttconsumer started the vehicle and ran it for about 12 to 15 minutes at idle about an hour later it caught fire.
While driving the vehicle started smoking from under the hood then the car was parked and when owner came back it was on fire. Please describe.
Driving the vehicle at speed 40mph, saw smoke coming from under the hood, steering column fire, electrical short, will provide more information.
While driving the vehicle started smoking from under the hood then the car was parked and when owner came back it was on fire. Please describe.
While driving the vehicle smoke started coming from the steering wheel, fire burnt steering column.
Ignition switch failed causing a small fire under the dashboard. Dealer notified.
While driving the vehicle smoke started coming from the steering wheel, fire burnt steering column.
The ignition switch gives sparks and could ignite the car. Ford admits other 1988 lincoln town cars have a ignition switch problem and replaces them. They have not included my vin on the defect and replacement list; however, it is defective and could ignite a fire at any time.
Seat belts won't retract.ignition switch is faulty and shorting out radio and other electrical components.wanting to prevent fire from happening, by taking care of this now.
The gasket between the intake manifold and the engine block blows out, causing oil to leak on the exhaust.
Motor mount bolts never installed. *dh
The gasket between the intake manifold and the engine block blows out, causing oil to leak on the exhaust.
Vehicle fire.(ohio traffic report)
Engine failure causing fire.ohio state police report.
Car was parked and caught on fired. Pease describe .
Exhaust system catalytic converter recall repairs refused.*aw
Fuel system: electric relay to fuel pump failed 6/21/02--car had to be towed for repairpower windows: driver's side window motor failed. Was replaced in fall 2000 by dealer in seattle: "olympic lincoln mercury." presently, same motor failing again. Also, rear passenger window gears have stripped out--window must be manually pulled up if mistakenly openedsudden stalling (april 2002 to present): had to find on internet that "distributor module" was overheating and causing car to stall (all power lost: no steering, one push on brakes--i was endangered) notice from ford, thought they know that this was happening and fatalities had been reported. (there was a service bulletin to repair shops about it, but not to consumers.) i was stranded 3 times, having to abandon the car, then have it towed twice for repairs. New "module" seemed to have resolved issue--read on. Oct 15, 2002: car quit suddenly, at idle, when stopped in turn lane, waiting to turn across dangerous highway. Would not start--had to be towed. Nov 27/02: electrical issues nightly draining 1 week old battery. Car has been gone over by electrical specialist,another repair shop, also the local ford agency--"no codes," but problem persists. Car dead again today after returning from repair shop yesterday.what to do? what to do? car has 115,000 miles and has been excellently maintained. Excellently!
Headlights cut off and on when driving.please describe the problem.
Headlamp control switch failed, recall on component however vehicle is not included due to year and model.
Fuel system: electric relay to fuel pump failed 6/21/02--car had to be towed for repairpower windows: driver's side window motor failed. Was replaced in fall 2000 by dealer in seattle: "olympic lincoln mercury." presently, same motor failing again. Also, rear passenger window gears have stripped out--window must be manually pulled up if mistakenly openedsudden stalling (april 2002 to present): had to find on internet that "distributor module" was overheating and causing car to stall (all power lost: no steering, one push on brakes--i was endangered) notice from ford, thought they know that this was happening and fatalities had been reported. (there was a service bulletin to repair shops about it, but not to consumers.) i was stranded 3 times, having to abandon the car, then have it towed twice for repairs. New "module" seemed to have resolved issue--read on. Oct 15, 2002: car quit suddenly, at idle, when stopped in turn lane, waiting to turn across dangerous highway. Would not start--had to be towed. Nov 27/02: electrical issues nightly draining 1 week old battery. Car has been gone over by electrical specialist,another repair shop, also the local ford agency--"no codes," but problem persists. Car dead again today after returning from repair shop yesterday.what to do? what to do? car has 115,000 miles and has been excellently maintained. Excellently!
Noticed a strong odor of gasoline. I checked under the car and noticed a steady drip of gasoline from somewhere right below the car underneat the driver's side sear, dripping off the frame of the car in that area.
The metallic gas line is rusting and leaking and could cause a fire and an accident.
Applied brakes vehicle surges and started to race. Carbon was found on the fuel injection idler control.tt
Fuel rail leaking when engine hot near injector no-5 (like the report on older 1988).
Gas tank has been replacedthree timeswith no remedy,causing gas to leak from the tank. Please describe further details.
The car was left at the repair facility for engine repair and to remain overnight.the next morning, on june 30, the owner of the repair facility smelled a strong odor of gasoline fumes when he entered the building.he immediately discovered the gas tank had been leaking and overnight and was continuously leaking "like a faucet" .the whole building was filled with gas fumes.his first concern was the chance of an explosion so he didn't turn on the building's interior lights.after the tank had been removed, my mechanic showed me where it was rusted in several places.the tank is mounted in a housing which blocks a view of the exterior of the tank, therefore, corrosion cannot cannot be detected when the car is on a lift for rountine maintainance and safety checks.i was extremely fortunate that this did not happen while driving on the highway, especially during the recent heat wave and drought here in massachusetts.although this is a high mileage car (90% highway miles), the gas tank should not be affected by age (12 years old) and especially not from high mileage driving.during the past twelve years, i have consistently maintained this car with great care in order to keep it "like new" for the purpose of safety and utility.the engine, radiator and all components under the hood have been replaced and to top it off, it has new paint (seven coats of clear coat).physically, the car is in pristine condition.there appears to be a large number of 1987, 1988, and 1989 lincoln town cars currently on the road and i believe the owners should be alerted to this potentially dangerous and volatile condition.
Both rear door latches will not operate.this goes hand in hand with both of the rear seat belts not releasing.
The transmission suddenly fails when in overdrive.this failure occurs on the highway at high speed and could cause an accident because the car goes out of control.
Dt*:the contact stated that while driving 45 mph, the vehicle slipped out of gear, accompanied by a smell of hot oil.the vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road and then taken to a private mechanic shop where the shop was unable to determine the cause of the problem.
Driving 25mph applied the brakes the vehicle continued to accelerate;put in park in order to come to a stop; also repaired transmission/overdrive.
The vehicle was placed in park and the vehicle rolled into reverse.
Transmission failed.
Throttle valve control cable grommetmade out ofplastic broke,causing transmission to fail. Manufacture also produces a metal grommet that would last longer.
Consumer experiencing problem withtransmission. This problem is caused by failureof a gromet which allows the internal parts of the transmission to tear up, rendering the 3rd and 4th gears useless. Transmission needs to be rebuilt. Manufacturer notified and refused to assist.
The vehicle was placed in park and the vehicle rolled into reverse.
The contact owns a 1988 lincoln towncar. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 mph, the clip from the throttle body fractured and accelerated the vehicle to 80 mph. The contact was able to stop the vehicle by removing the key from the ignition. The vehicle was towed to a dealer who informed the contact that he needed to replace the throttle body clip. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.the transmission selector cable had to replaced. Updated 04/25/11
Transmission failure.
The replacement seat belt latch was assembled backwards therefore the seat belt ould not be assembled/ properly installed.
Seat belts won't retract.ignition switch is faulty and shorting out radio and other electrical components.wanting to prevent fire from happening, by taking care of this now.
Seat belt failed to restrain driver during collision, resulting in the seat belt choking the driver/impact with steering wheel/seat back broke.
Driver's seatbelt buckle opened while driving. Consumer has not been able to get buckle to latch since then.
The passenger's side seat belt buckle wouldn't unlock .ak
The passenger side seat belt buckle wouldn't unlock .tt
The seat belt on the driver's side does not latch.dealer is not aware of problem.
Both rear door latches will not operate.this goes hand in hand with both of the rear seat belts not releasing.
Seat belt failed to restrain driver during collision, resulting in the seat belt choking the driver/impact with steering wheel/seat back broke.
While driving brakes failed more than three times.please descri be details.
Driving 25mph applied the brakes the vehicle continued to accelerate;put in park in order to come to a stop; also repaired transmission/overdrive.
While applying brakes, they would make a cutting sound. Took to dealer & informed that front disc brakes needed replacing. The calipers/rotors & shoes were replaced due to plastic piston wearing out in a week.
Steering column failed, causing accident/injuries/deaths. *dh
Alarm defective.
While driving 65-70mph heard noise on roof, when looked out of mirror cloth roof blew off vehicle without warning. . consumer stated the entire underlying fiber glass shell flew off as well.
Door hinge spring fails to stand up to normal wear. *dh
Hood support bar no longer holds up the hood, resulting in injuries to driver.tt
Hood assembly, struts broke causing the hood the fall down on driver, replaced 3 times.tt
1988 lincoln towncar. Consumer states business sold faulty car parts related to a safety defect *tgwthe consumer was advised by his local mechanic that the original upper ball joints had a torn boot and he could no longer grease it. The mechanic also suggested replacing the lower ball joints as well. The consumer then ordered lower and upper ball joints from an establishment and had his local mechanic install them.on march 5, 2010, as the consumer stopped at an intersection, he heard a loud noise at which time the right front lower ball joint failed and the right front wheel jammed back into the fender well. The company replaced the ball joint, but would not take responsibility for the other expenses the consumer incurred.
This is my second report on these tires. See odi number 731196 for failure report on both front tires.this report is on the rear right tire.the right rear tire failed catastrophically at 60mph while i was driving on a smooth dry pavement.the outer side wall failed completely.digital photos of the failed tire are available.the following additional information was located on the inside or blackwall side of the tires: 85288 in raised letters and 8h2298 in a recessed box with rounded corners. If you have any questions or require additional information, please write, call or email.best regards from the sunshine state.s/sp.j. Stager (dot number: cc60tiresize: p215/70r15)
Tire tread separation.
Goodyear aquatred tires experience rumbling, one dealer stated the tires are experiencing tread separation.
The two front tires failed after approximately 23,000 miles of wear.the left front was worn through one set of steel belts for approximately 1/5 of the tire circumference.the left front was worn through the treadfor approimately 1/5 of the tire circumeference.both areas of abnormal wear were on the right side of the tires when looking forward from the drivers seat. Digital photos are available fo the failed tires.the tires were balanced and the front end was realigned when the tires were installed.the vehicle is maintained in a good state of repair and is not subject to abuse.the failed tires were replaced on a pro-rated basis at the pint of purchase.the front end was also relaigned.unfortunately, i was not provided with any quantitative information on this front end alignment so can only conclude that no unusual or abnormal conditions existed.the orignal symptom was an increasing level of vehicle vibration primarily when decelerating through 30 mph.the following addtional information was located on the inside or blackwall side of the tires:85288 in raised numbers and 8h2298 in a recessed box with rounded corners. If you have any questions or require addtional information or copies of the photos of the failed tires, please contact me.best regards from the sunshine stae.s/s p>j> stager.( dot number: cc60 tire size: p215/70r15 )
Durlon vertex p21570r15 replacement.while drivingtread completely separated.tire stayed inflated. Two of the tires separated completely.they were manufactured by bridgestone-firestone.*jg
Check oil light stays on.*skd
Attorney petition to investigate sudden acceleration of 1988 lincoln town car, which accelerated and resulted in death of one child and amputation of other child. (attorney for consumer). Mjs
The relay that hooks to the battery starter] broke. This caused vehicle to acclelerate in full throttle.consumer came to a completed stop, but had to disconnect the battery to stop the engine from running, although the vehicle was turned off. Relay # 1e9tz-11450b.
When at a light or trying to park the car suddenlyaccelerates.
Consumer was waiting at drive up window car went into sudden accelerationwhile car was in parkwindshield was shattered .tt
Had gotten in vehicle to start it when it began to shift gears and vehicle suddenly accelerated without any warning. Had foot on brakes at the time. The wheels were spinning real fast. Will be taking vehicle to dealer to check.
Throttle valve control cable grommetmade out ofplastic broke,causing transmission to fail. Manufacture also produces a metal grommet that would last longer.
Consumer stopped at drive thru window stop and car accelerated causing an accident car was totaled .ttwindshield broke in accident.
The lincoln town car was parked outside a rental home and caught fire.
Driving 25mph applied the brakes the vehicle continued to accelerate;put in park in order to come to a stop; also repaired transmission/overdrive.
At a red light, as soon as foot was off the brake, car accelerated, hit brakes car would not stop, let car run into ramp to stop. Plesae describe details.
Throttle body/air by pass failure, resulted in intermittent sudden accleration, also prevented cruise control from disengaging. *skd
While drving at low speeds the vehicle will without warning speed up, or when at a complete stop the vehicle will accelerate. Cause unknown.please give any further details.
The contact owns a 1988 lincoln towncar. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 mph, the clip from the throttle body fractured and accelerated the vehicle to 80 mph. The contact was able to stop the vehicle by removing the key from the ignition. The vehicle was towed to a dealer who informed the contact that he needed to replace the throttle body clip. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.the transmission selector cable had to replaced. Updated 04/25/11
Throttle stuck, causing loss of control/accident.*dh
While applying the accelerator pedal went down to the floor.driver was able to control the vehicle.
Accelerator pedal gets stuck.the dealer has been notified.
While parked indriveway vehicle rapidly surged backwards, and then suddenly accelerated into the garage door.cause unknown.
While driving the vehicle, the vehicle caught on fire due to the rear window defogger. The vehicle was totalled.
Fuel system: electric relay to fuel pump failed 6/21/02--car had to be towed for repairpower windows: driver's side window motor failed. Was replaced in fall 2000 by dealer in seattle: "olympic lincoln mercury." presently, same motor failing again. Also, rear passenger window gears have stripped out--window must be manually pulled up if mistakenly openedsudden stalling (april 2002 to present): had to find on internet that "distributor module" was overheating and causing car to stall (all power lost: no steering, one push on brakes--i was endangered) notice from ford, thought they know that this was happening and fatalities had been reported. (there was a service bulletin to repair shops about it, but not to consumers.) i was stranded 3 times, having to abandon the car, then have it towed twice for repairs. New "module" seemed to have resolved issue--read on. Oct 15, 2002: car quit suddenly, at idle, when stopped in turn lane, waiting to turn across dangerous highway. Would not start--had to be towed. Nov 27/02: electrical issues nightly draining 1 week old battery. Car has been gone over by electrical specialist,another repair shop, also the local ford agency--"no codes," but problem persists. Car dead again today after returning from repair shop yesterday.what to do? what to do? car has 115,000 miles and has been excellently maintained. Excellently!
Consumer was waiting at drive up window car went into sudden accelerationwhile car was in parkwindshield was shattered .tt
Wheel fell off, causing accident. ( new jersey state police report)
Wheel lock that comes with the vehicle broke into two pieces. Risk of being stuck on road without being able to change a flat tire. Cost $15 to replace it.
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