2003 LINCOLN AVIATOR Complaints

MY 2003 LINCOLN AVIATOR ACQUIRED A CRACK IN THE ENGINE WHILE MY WIFE WAS DRIVING WITH OUR CHILDREN. UPON FURTHER RESEARCH OF PROBLEM, IT SHOWS IN FORD'S TSB'S THAT THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH THE ENGINE. THE REPAIR WILL COST APPROX. $5000 TO FIX, THE PROBLEM HERE IS FORD IS AWARE BUT DENYING THE PROBLEM WHEN REPAIRING THE ENGINE. HOW CAN THEY DO THIS. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 LINCOLN AVIATOR. THE CONTACT EXPERIENCED A COIL ISSUE WITH HER VEHICLE, IN TERMS OF MISFIRING. WHEN SHE WOULD ACCELERATE, THE VEHICLE HESITATED. THE DEALER WAS INITIALLY UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE, BUT AFTER FURTHER DIAGNOSIS, DISCOVERED THAT TWO COILS WERE DEFECTIVE. THE COILS WERE REPLACED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED AFTER 30 MILES. THE CONTACT RETURNED THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER. THE FAILURE OCCURRED A TOTAL OF FIVE TIMES AND THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AFTER EACH OCCURRENCE. THEY CONTINUED TO REPLACE THE COILS, WHICH DID NOT REMEDY THE ISSUE. THE FAILURE OCCURRED AT ALL SPEEDS AND THE AIR CONDITIONER WOULD SHUT OFF SIMULTANEOUSLY. THE MANUFACTURER HAS NOT BEEN NOTIFIED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 80,200 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 60,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 LINCOLN AVIATOR. WHILE DRIVING 2 MPH AND BRAKING TO PARK, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY SURGED FORWARD. THE VEHICLE STRUCK ANOTHER VEHICLE, AND NARROWLY MISSED STRIKING A SECOND PARKED VEHICLE BY INCHES. THE VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY WITH THE DEALER AND HAS NOT YET BEEN DIAGNOSED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 64,000.

LEFT FRONT AND LEFT REAR WHEEL BEARING FAILURE - 52,000 MILES - FORD LINCOLN AVIATOR 2003. *TR

REAR-END WHINE. LINCOLN REFUSED TO REPAIR BECAUSE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY . *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 LINCOLN AVIATOR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE REAR HATCH HAS A HUGE VERTICAL CRACK. SHE DOES NOT KNOW HOW THE CRACK APPEARED. THROUGH ONLINE RESEARCH, SHE DISCOVERED MANY AVIATORS THAT WERE EXPERIENCING THE SAME FAILURE. THE CONTACT BELIEVES THE FAILURE MAY BE DUE TO A MANUFACTURER DEFECT. THE BATTERY CONTINUED TO FAIL AND SHE IS UNSURE IF IT IS A RESULT OF THE HATCH NOT BEING ABLE TO CLOSE COMPLETELY BECAUSE OF WHERE THE CRACK IS LOCATED. THE CRACK IS LOCATED NEAR THE LINCOLN EMBLEM. LINCOLN REFERRED HER TO NHTSA. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 55,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 60,500. UPDATED 01/17/08 *BF UPDATED 01/17/08 *TR

REPLACEMENT OF REAR BRAKES BY DEALER RESULTED IN DISCOVER OF PARKING BRAKE PROBLEM AND REPLACEMENT. THE PARKING BRAKE UNIT IS LOCATED BEHING THE BRAKE ROTOR AND CANNOT BE VISIBLY CHECKED DURING ROUTINE SAFETY INSPECTIONS. THE BRAKE COMPONENTS WERE CORRODED TO THE POINT OF DISINTEGRATION AND THE BRAKE PADS HAD SEPARATED FROM THE UNIT. THE VEHICLE IS OUT OF WARRANTY BY A FEW MONTHS AND APPROX. 5000 MILES. I RARELY USE THE PARKING BRAKE AND THE DEALERSHIP STATED THAT WAS PART OF THE PROBLEM AND PROBABLE CAUSE OF FAILURE OF THE PARTS. BASED ON CONVERSATIONS WITH THE DEALERSHIP MECHANIC, AND OTHER AUTO MECHANIC ACQUAINTANCES, THIS IS APPARENTLY A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS MAKE VEHICLE. IN AN EMERGENCY THE "EMERGENCY BRAKE" WOULD HAVE FAILED AND LIFE AND PROPERTY WOULD HAVE BEEN ENDANGERED. THE EXPLANATION THAT NON-USE OF A SAFETY COMPONENT CAN RENDER IT USELESS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE TO ME, ESPECIALLY SINCE THIS PART CANNONT BE VISUALLY INSPECTED DURING ROUTINE SAFETY INSPECTIONS.A COMPLAINT WAS FILED WITH THE FORD MOTOR COMPANY AND THE RESPONSE WAS SIMPLY THAT THE WARRANTY COVERAGE EXPIRED AND THAT NO FURTHER ACTION WOULD BE TAKEN. AGAIN, "UNACCEPTABLE"...THE OLD PARTS WERE NOT RETURNED AND I ASSUME DISPOSED OF.. *TR

I WAS UNABLE TO STOP 2003 AVIATOR AND RAN INTO A BUILDING. THERE WAS EXTENSIVE DAMAGE. *AK

TRANSMISSION EITHER SHIFTS REAL SLOW OR VIOLENTLY JERKS FROM ONE GEAR TO ANOTHER. DEALER HAS HAD IN SHOP MANY TIMES WITHOUT ANY RESOLUTION AVAILABLE. THIS CAUSES HUGE LOSS IN FUEL MILEAGE NOT TO MENTION THE HARSHNESS OF THE DRIVING EXPERIENCE. *TR

ON JUNE 07 AT 1100HRS THE GEARSHIFT KNOB AND GEARSHIFT BOOT DISENGAGED FROM THE CONSOLE OF MY 2003 LINCOLN AVIATOR; THE GEARSHIFT AND THEREFORE TRANSMISSION WERE LOCKED IN THE D(RIVE) POSITION COULD NOT BE SHIFTED TO ANOTHER POSITION OR DISENGAGED. THE LINCOLN-MERCURY DEALER WAS A SHORT DISTANCE FROM THE GAS STATION WHERE I WAS SO I ELECTED TO DRIVE IT THERE UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES. ONCE AT THE LINCOLN-MERCURY DEALER A TECHNICIAN EXAMINED THE GEARSHIFT AND INDICATED THAT AN INCIDENT LIKE MINE "HAPPENS ALL THE TIME" ... "A SCREW COMES LOOSE". WAS ADVISED TOO THAT LIKELY PARTS WOULD HAVE TO BE ORDERED. REPAIR TO THE AVIATOR IS ESTIMATED AT $584 SINCE THE ENTIRE "SHIFTER ASSEMBLY" HAD TO BE REPLACED. THERE WAS NO ACCIDENT OR INJURY BUT IT IS NOT UNREASONABLE TO EXPECT THAT SUCH A CRITICAL COMPONENT WOULD EXPERIENCE SUCH A DEFECT THAT APPARENTLY IS OR WAS A "KNOWN PROBLEM", AND THIS IS CERTAINLY NOT THE LEVEL OF QUALITY EXPECTED IN A $45000 "LUXURY" UTILITY VEHICLE.