2003 LINCOLN LS Complaints

CAR HAS CONSISTENTLY JUST SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING (ROUGHLY 30 TIMES IN THE LAST YEAR). BEEN INTO THE DEALER NO LESS THAN 10 TIMES. HAD THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS OF VALVE COVERS, COILS, PLUGS GASKETS, WINDSHIELD WIPER COMPONENTS REPLACED. NO CHANGE. CAR WILL STILL DIE WHENEVER IT FEELS LIKE IT. LINCOLN/FORD COULD CARE LESS, AND THE DEALER AND FIELD ENGINEERS SEEM TIRED OF SEEING MY CAR. CONSTANT MOVEMENT OF BRAKE PEDAL IN RHYTHM WITH WINDSHIELD WIPERS. DEALER HAS TRIED TO FIX NUMEROUS TIMES AND THE PROBLEM IS WORSE NOW THEN WHEN THEY STARTED. FRONT BRAKE PADS RATTLE. DEALER SAYS IT IS A KNOWN ISSUE AND I SHOULD JUST DEAL WITH IT. FRONT SEAT BACKS FALL DOWN. DEALER AND FORD BLAME MY KIDS BEING IN CAR SEATS. NEVER HAD A PROBLEM BEFORE THEY TOOK SEATS APART TO REPLACE FAULTY SEAT HEATER. THE TRANSMISSION IS AWFUL. BEEN REPROGRAMMED 3 TIMES AND NEW SERVOS INSTALLED. STILL DOES NOT SHIFT SMOOTHLY, AND VERY ERRATIC. SHIFTS WHEN IT SHOULDN'T AND DOES NOT SHIFT WHEN IT SHOULD. CAR STALLED AND ACTIVATED THE ALARM HORN HONKING, LIGHTS BLINKING IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION. CAR RESTARTED. NEXT DAY CAR HAD DEAD BATTERY AND WOULD NOT START. COULD NOT EVEN JUMP IT AS THERE WAS NO POWER TO OPEN TRUNK AND LOCK CYLINDER WAS FROZEN DUE TO LACK OF USE. BATERY IN TRUNK!! WHEELS HAD TO BE BALANCED 3 TIMES THEN FORCE BALANCED TO REMOVE EXCESSIVE VIBRATION. ALL AT MY EXPENSE HAD LEAKY REVERSE LIGHT REPLACED BY DEALER NOW HAVE SOME PIECE OF A FASTENER FLOATING AROUND INSIDE THE DECK LID RATTLING. CLIPS FOR E BRAKE ARE ALWAYS BROKEN AND APPARENTLY 180 BUCKS TO FIX.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 LINCOLN LS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ENGINE GOES INTO THE FAIL SAFE MODE WITHOUT WARNING. THE FAILURE HAS OCCURRED THREE TIMES WITHIN THE PAST MONTH WHILE DRIVING 40-45 MPH. THE DEALER HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO CORRECT THE FAILURE. FORD MOTOR COMPANY HAS YET TO RESPOND. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 44,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 45,000. UPDATED 01-10-08. *KB THE CONSUMER ALSO STATED WHILE DRIVING, THE TRANSMISSION WOULD SHIFT ERRATICALLY. THE SHIFTER COVER WAS CRACKING ON THE RIGHT SIDE. UPDATED 01/10/08. *JB

TL* - THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 LINCOLN LS. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO DEALER FOR AN OIL PAN GASKET LEAK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE STEERING WAS OFF CENTERED WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS RETURNED. THE DEALER PERFORMED A WHEEL ALIGNMENT. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 62000. *AK

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 35MPH, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE ELEVATED FOLLOWED BY WHITE STEAM ERUPTING FROM UNDERNEATH THE HOOD. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER WHO WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. ADDITIONALLY, THE AUTOMATIC STABILITY TRACTION CONTROL ACTIVATED WHICH CAUSES THE ENGINE TO STALL. THE DEALER DETERMINED THE TRACTION ASSIST CLUSTER SENSORS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED, HOWEVER THE PROBLEM PERSISTED.

CLIPS HOLDING THE SEAT BACK IN PLACE ON THE PASSENGER SIDE FRONT SEAT FAILED, RESULTING IN THE ENTIRE SEAT BACK COMING LOOSE AND FALLING INTO THE REAR SEAT. THE VEHICLE WAS UNOCCUPIED DURING THE FAILURE, HOWEVER IF THE VEHICLE WAS OCCUPIED, THE LARGE PLASTIC SEAT BACK COULD HAVE CAUSED INJURY, ESPECIALLY IF THIS FAILURE OCCURRED DURING AN ACCIDENT OR IF A YOUNG CHILD WAS RIDING IN THE REAR SEAT. PRIOR TO THE FAILURE, NO PASSENGERS HAD BEEN RIDING IN THE REAR SEAT FOR OVER 6 MONTHS, SO IT IS UNLIKELY THAT SOMEONE MANIPULATING THE SEAT BACK WAS THE CAUSE OF THE INCIDENT. ADDITIONALLY, APPROXIMATELY ONE YEAR PRIOR TO THIS, THE SEAT BACK ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE FRONT SEAT FAILED IN THE SAME MANNER, UNDER THE SAME CONDITIONS. THE ONLY SOLUTION IS REPLACEMENT OF THE SEAT BACK, AS THE BROKEN RETAINING CLIPS ARE INTEGRAL TO THE PLASTIC MOLDING. A DEALER SEARCH OF EXISTING TSBS AND OF FORD'S OASIS SYSTEM YIELDED NO SIMILAR REPORTS, HOWEVER A SEARCH OF THE INTERNET RESULTS IN MULTIPLE ACCOUNTS OF SEATS ON THE 2003 LINCOLN LS FAILING IN A SIMILAR WAY. THERE SEEMS TO BE SUFFICIENT EVIDENCE TO REQUEST THAT FORD REVIEW SERVICE RECORDS TO DETERMINE IF THIS PART IS FAILING AT AN ABNORMALLY HIGH RATE. *NM

WE WERE TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH ON I20 IN FORT WORTH, TEXAS LATE AT NIGHT WHEN THE DRIVER'S SIDE IMPACT AIR BAG OF OUR 2003 LINCOLN LS 8 (56,000 MILES) DEPLOYED FOR NO APPARENT REASON. THE DEPLOYMENT WAS ACCOMPANIED BY A VERY LOUD EXPLOSION AND WHAT APPEARED TO BE SMOKE IN THE CABIN. I HAVE SINCE LEARNED THAT THE APPARENT SMOKE WAS REALLY SOME KIND OF FINE POWDER USED TO LUBRICATE THE AIR BAG. LUCKILY THE HIGHWAY WAS NOT CROWDED AND NOTHING HAPPENED. HOWEVER THE EVENT WAS VERY SCARY AND POTENTIALLY VERY DANGEROUS UNDER DIFFERENT TRAFFIC CONDITIONS. I HAVE HAD THE LS INSPECTED BY THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY COULD FIND NO DAMAGE (FROM ROAD DEBRIS, FOR INSTANCE) THAT SHOULD HAVE CAUSED THE PROBLEM. DAMAGE TO THE LS IS EXTENSIVE SINCE THE SIDE-IMPACT AIR BAGS ARE EMBEDDED IN THE SEAT BACK AND TEAR A HOLE IN THE SEAT WHEN THEY DEPLOY. THE LS HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED AS YET BUT I SUSPECT THAT THE SEAT BACK WILL HAVE TO BE REPLACED AS A MINIMUM. THE DEALERSHIP STATED THAT THE OCCURRENCES OF FALSE AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT THAT THEY HAVE SEEN GENERALLY ARE CAUSED BY ROAD DEBRIS DAMAGE. BUT AGAIN THEY SAW NO SEVERE DAMAGE SO THIS INCIDENT APPEARS TO BE A CASE AN AIR BAG MALFUNCTION. THE LS IS OUT OF WARRANTY AND FORD HAS REFUSED TO FOOT THE REPAIR BILL. I HAVE FILLED WITH MY INSURANCE COMPANY TO SEE IF I MY COMPREHENSIVE COVERAGE WILL COVER IT, MUCH LIKE A BROKEN WINDSHIELD, BUT HAVE NO ANSWER YET. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE HAD JUST BEEN PARKED WITH THE BRAKE PEDAL DEPRESSED AND THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED FORWARD. THE VEHICLE WENT OVER A CURB, HIT A TREE, AND STOPPED AFTER HITTING TWO OTHER VEHICLES. A POLICE REPORT WAS TAKEN AT THE SCENE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP, BUT THEY WERE UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. THE VEHICLE HAD ACCELERATING PROBLEMS WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT. UPDATED 05/30/06. *AK

DT: THE CONSUMER FEELS THAT THE HEAD RESTRAINTS ON THE CAR ARE TOO LARGE AND AS A RESULT THEY OBSTRUCT THE CONSUMER'S VISION. AK *NM

NUMEROUS RANDOM FAILURES INVOLVING DIFFERENT COMPUTERS WITHIN VEHICLE OVER 1-1/2 YEARS, INCLUDING FAILURE AND REPLACEMENT OF RACK AND PINION SYSTEM. BRAKE SYSTEM FAILURE ON 6/03/05 - ABS COMPUTER WAS REPROGRAMMED BUT THEY DID NOT CORRECT WHAT CAUSED CORRUPTION. WARNED THEM OF CONCERN FOR MY SAFETY. JULY 10, 2005 WENT TO TURN STEERING WHEEL, BUT WHEELS DIDN'T TURN. HIT TREE AND TOTALLED CAR. FORD REF #1451272954

WITH APPROX. 2300 MILES, TRANSMISSION WENT. TOOK 31 DAYS TO REPAIR. LESS THAN 50 MILES UPON IT'S RETURN, IT WENT AGAIN. AFTER 11 DAYS, VEHICLE WAS RETURNED, SO FAR (800 MILES), IT APPEARS TO BE WORKING WELL.