2001 LINCOLN CONTINENTAL Complaints

WINDSHIELD CRACKED FOR NO REASON. DEALER STATES THE DEFECT IS CALLED A STRESS FRACTURE. *AK

VEHICLE SUFFERED SUDDEN ACCELERATION WHEN SHIFTING FROM PARK INTO DRIVE. VEHICLE COLLIDES WITH A WALL CAUSING DAMAGE ON THE PASSENGER SIDE FENDER AND HEAD LIGHT. DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. PH

MY 2001 LINCOLN CONTINENTAL WAS PURCHASED NEW, MARCH OF 2001. SEVERAL MONTHS LATER I PASSED THROUGH A WARNING RADAR DETECTOR ON THE INTERSTATE WITH MY CRUISE CONTROL SET AT 60 MPH. THE RADAR SAID I WAS TRAVELING AT 54 MPH. I TURNED AROUND AND REPEATED THE PASS-THROUGH WITH THE SAME RESULTS. I TOOK THE CAR TO MY DEALERS SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND THEY WROTE UP THE SPEEDOMETER PROBLEM. AFTER 2 DIFFERENT SERVICE VISITS, AND CHECKING THE SPEED OF LINCOLN TOWN CARS, AND LINCOLN LS (TOWN CARS, AND LS LESS THAN 1 MPH OFF TRUE SPEED ACCORDING TO HANDHELD GPS) , THE SERVICE MANAGER INFORMED ME THAT ALL CONTINENTALS HAVE DEFECTIVE SPEEDOMETERS AND MY CARS PROBLEM IS NORMAL. I COMPLAINED AT LEAST 4 MORE TIMES AND WAS TOLD ALL CONTINENTALS HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. I TESTED A 2002 CONTINENTAL AND IT HAD A 2 MPH ERROR. AT MY REQUEST HE QUESTIONED FORD ENGINEERS IN MICHIGAN AND WAS TOLD 10% PLUS OR MINUS IS AN ACCEPTABLE SPEEDOMETER ERROR. I ASKED FOR IT IN WRITING AND FORD RESPONDED THAT IT IS NOT IN WRITING, AND IT WAS AGAINST THE COMPANYS POLICY TO GIVE IT TO ME IN WRITING. I INQUIRED WITH OTHER CAR COMPANIES AND SPEEDOMETER CALIBRATION COMPANIES AND FOUND THAT THERE SHOULD BE NO MORE THAT A 1 MPH PLUS OR MINUS DIFFERENCE. I REQUESTED TO PRESENT MY CASE TO THE FORD DISPUTE SETTLEMENT BOARD. I DID SO APRIL 4TH, 2002. THE BOARD CONCLUDED THAT THE VEHICLE IS OPERATING ACCORDING TO SPECIFICATIONS IN REGARDS TO THE SPEEDOMETER CONCERN. THE BOARD BASED THIS DECISION ON ME TEST DRIVING A LIKE VEHICLE AND THE RESULTS WERE THE SAME. AN MY REQUEST FOR REPAIR OR VEHICLE REFUND WAS DENIED. WELL THEY WERE NOT THE SAME, MY VEHICLE HAS A 6 MPH ERROR. THE CONTINENTAL THAT I TESTED HAD A 2 MPH ERROR. A 200% DIFFERENCE. ACCORDING TO FORDS DISPUTE SETTLEMENT BOARDS REASONING, IF FORD SOLD A MODEL WITH A DEFECTIVE PART IN ALL OF THE UNITS PRODUCED, THE DEFECT WOULD BE ACCEPTABLE BECAUSE THE VEHICLE IS OPERATING ACCORDING TO SPECIFICATIONS.*AK

CONSUMER STATES VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT. VEHICLE WAS TOTALLED AND SIDE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. DRIVER SUSTAINED INJURIES. *TT

WHILE DRIVING, VEHICLE COMPLETELY SHUTSDOWN WITHOUT WARNING. CAUSE UNKNOWN. *AK THE VEHICLE HAD A MISS IN TRANSMISSION WHEN CHANGING GEARS TO OVERDRIVE AT SPEEDS BETWEEN 30 AND 40 MPH. *YH

WHEN TAKING OFF AFTER A STOP OR WHEN GETTING ON THE HIGHWAY FROM A EXIT VEHICLE COMPLETELY SHUTSDOWN WITHOUT WARNING, CAUSE UNKNOWN. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS.*AK

WHEN USING CRUISE CONTROL AND DRIVING DOWN HILL VEHICLE WILL NOT MAINTAIN SPEED, VEHICLE WILL INCREASE SPEED DEPENDING ON DOWN GRADE, 20 MPH NOT UNCOMMON, DEALER TOLD CONSUMER LINCOLN HAD CHANGED DESIGN ON CRUISE CONTROL IN 1998, ALL LINCOLN VEHICLES HAVE THIS "FEATURE".*AK *JB

CONSUMER STARTED THE VEHICLE, THE VEHICLE WAS GOING FROM PARK INTO REVERSE, AS IT WENT INTO REVERESE, THE VEHCILE JERKED, WHEELS SQUEALED AND THE VEHCILE WENT BACKWARDS AT A VERY HIGH SPEED, THE DEALER FOUND THAT THE SAFETY FACTOR THAT REQUIRES ONE TO STEP ON THE BRAKE OR THE TRANSMISSION WILL NOT ALLOW THE VEHICLE TO GO INTO REVERSE WAS NOT CONNECTED, IT WAS AN OPEN CIRCUIT.*JB

CANNOT READ THE INSTRUMENT PANEL IN BRIGHT SUNLIGHT. THIS INCLUDES THE SPEEDOMETER AS WELL AS THE OTHER INFORMATION.*AK

JUST BOUGHT A 2001 LINCOLN CONTINENTAL. JUST ONE SMALL POTENTIAL SAFETY PROBLEM. EMERGING FROM THE FRONT OF THE CENTER CONSOLE ARE TWO BLACK ELECTRICAL OR MECHANICAL CABLES, EACH ABOUT ONE-QUARTER OF AN INCH IN DIAMETER., THAT GO UP INTO THE BOTTOM OF THE DASHBOARD. THEY OBSTRUCT THE TOP OF THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. CONSEQUENTLY, DEPENDING ON THE POSITION OF THE DRIVER'S RIGHT FOOT ON THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL, THESE CABLES PREVENT MOVING THE RIGHT FOOT FROM MOVING FROM THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL TO THE BRAKE PEDAL QUICKLY. THIS HAS AHPPENED TO ME SEVERAL TIMES, BUT FORTUNATELY HAS NOT RESULTED IN AN ACCIDENT. THE CABLE'S SLACK IS TOO GREAT. IT NEEDS TO BE SHORTENED, OR THE CABLES NEED TO BE HELD UP OUT OF THE WAY WITH A CLIP OR SOME OTHER DEVICE.*AK