2003 LINCOLN NAVIGATOR Complaints

BOUGHT A 2003 NAVIGATOR USED IN JANUARY OF 2007. EVER SINCE THEN, THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN EXPERIENCING ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS AS IN WINDOWS GO UP WHEN YOU PUSH DOWN, THE ELECTRONIC LIFTGATE DOESN'T ALWAYS WORK, THE REAR ELECTRONIC SEATS DON'T ALWAYS WORK, THE ODOMETER READS 0 MILES TO EMPTY WHEN I HAVE A FULL TANK, FRONT AIR SUSPENSION HAS GONE TWICE NOW DUE TO AN ELECTRONICALLY SENSOR, POWER LOCKS HAVEN'T WORKED. *TR

HAD SMOKE IN PASSENGER AREA OF CAR. DEALERSHIP STATES IT WAS INSTRUMENT CLUSTER, BUT HAS BEEN UNABLE TO FIND AN INSTRUMENT CLUSTER FOR VEHICLE TO THIS DATE AND STATES THEY ARE "BACKORDERED:. *TR

A POPPING SOUND CAME FROM BENEATH THE HOOD OF MY 2003 LINCOLN NAVIGATOR. AFTER TAKING THE CAR TO MY LOCAL FORD DEALERSHIP SERVICE CENTER, I LEARNED THAT A SPARK PLUG EJECTED AND DAMAGED THE CYLINDER HEAD. THE DEALERSHIP IS RECOMMENDING A NEW ENGINE FOR $7,5000 OR REPLACING THE CYLINDER HEAD FOR $4,200. MY VEHICLE IS STILL COVERED BY AN EXTENDED WARRANTY THROUGH GE CAPITAL. HOWEVER, THEY REFUSE TO REPAIR THE CYLINDER HEAD (EVEN THOUGH FULLY COVERED BY THE WARRANTY) BECAUSE THE DAMAGE WAS CAUSED BY A SPARK PLUG, WHICH IS NOT COVERED. *TR

MY WIFE DROVE OUR 2003 LINCOLN NAVIGATOR TO WORK AND ALL WAS FINE, WHEN SHE WENT OUT TO GO TO LUNCH SHE STARTED THE VEHICLE AND PRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL AND IT WENT ALMOST ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR. THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS NORMALLY MUSHY, BUT THIS IS UNSAFE AND SHE ASKED ME TO TAKE IT FOR THE REST OF THE DAY. I CHECKED IT OUT AND THE PEDAL, ALTHOUGH IT GOES ALMOST TO THE FLOOR NOW, STILL APPLIES BRAKES, JUST AT A MUCH GREATER DISTANCE THAN WHAT HAS BEEN NORMAL. THIS CONDITION IS EXTREMELY UNSAFE, IF THIS HAD OCCURRED DURING DRIVING AN ACCIDENT WOULD MOST SURELY HAVE OCCURRED, POSSIBLY SERIOUS. I HAVE A FRIEND AT WORK WHO SAID HER HUSBAND WAS HAVING THE EXACT SAME ISSUE WITH THEIR 2005 LINCOLN NAVIGATOR. THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE MASTER CYLINDER AND IT DIDN'T FIX IT, AFTER MUCH COMPLAINING THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED ALL THE COMPONENTS OF THE BRAKE SYSTEM BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS, THIS HAS SEEMED TO FIX IT FOR THE LAST 3 MONTHS. I READ ON THE FOLLOWING SITE SIMILAR COMPLAINTS, BUT BOTH OURS AND MY FRIENDS OCCURS AT ALL SPEEDS NOT JUST BELOW 30 MPH BUT MUCH HIGHER, AS SOME OF THE FORUM HAVE REPORTED. PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING THREAD. HTTP://TOWNHALL-TALK.EDMUNDS.COM/DIRECT/VIEW/.F1666E3/0 IF IT IS AS SOME OF THE PEOPLE HAVE REPORTED ON THIS FORUM THAT THE PROBLEM IS THE ABS SPEED SENSORS, I AS AN ENGINEER AND CAR ENTHUSIAST, CAN'T BELIEVE SOMEONE WOULD DESIGN A VEHICULAR BREAKING SYSTEM THAT IF THE ABS SENSOR FAILED, THE DEFAULT WOULD BE TO PROVIDE ALMOST NO BREAKING ACTION AT ALL. THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED. I AM TRYING TO DETERMINE HOW TO REPAIR THIS PROBLEM CURRENTLY, SO I BELIEVE I WILL LOOK INTO REPLACING THE SPEED SENSORS AS A PLACE TO START. THEIR ARE NO VEHICLE CODES PRESENT IN THE COMPUTER. *TR

I BOUGHT A USED 2003 LINCOLN NAVIGATOR WITH A BIG 5.4-LITER V-8 ENGINE FROM WITTMEIER FORD IN CHICO, CA. IN 2004. THE NAVIGATOR LOOKED LIKE A GREAT DEAL. THE PRICE WAS $43,000. THE NAVIGATOR HAD ONLY 23,000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. BUT THE GREAT DEAL BLEW UP IN MY FACE WHEN THE USED LINCOLN NAVIGATOR SPIT A SPARK PLUG AT 81,000 MILES. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AS THE TRUCK BEGAN TO LOSE POWER. AS WE DROVE THE CAR IT CONTINUED TO BACK FIRE. THE IGNITION PACK FOR THAT PLUG WAS SHREDDED. I CALLED WITTMEIER SERVICE AND THEY SAID THEY KNEW NOTHING OF THE PROBLEM. THE THREADS IN THE NUMBER 3 SPARK PLUG HOLE IN THE NAVIGATOR WERE STRIPPED. WE NEEDED TO RE-THREAD THE NUMBER 3 SPARK PLUG HOLE AND REPLACE THE IGNITION PACK. I READ ON THE INTERNET WHERE THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM AND IT WILL LIKELY HAPPEN AGAIN. I BELIEVE FORD SHOULD TAKE CARE OF THIS PROBLEM. *TR

THE TRANSMISSION SHIFT INTERLOCK HAS FAILED - EFFECTIVELY LEAVING THE VEHICLE STUCK IN PARK WHILE MANEUVERING THE VEHICLE FROM A STOPPED POSITION AND ATTEMPTING TO MOVE FORWARD. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED. LUCKILY, IT WAS NOT IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION WHERE WE NEEDED TO MOVE RIGHT AWAY AS INDICATED BY A PREVIOUS POSTER. FOR SOME REASON, THE TRANSISTOR IN THE TRANSMISSION SHIFT INTERLOCK FAILS, EFFECTIVELY LEAVING THE VEHICLE IN PARK. AS THERE IS NOT A SAFETY OVERRIDE SWITCH THAT IS HANDY, OR A SLOT TO PUT A KEY IN THE CONSOLE TO OVERRIDE THE INTERLOCK - YOU ARE BASICALLY STRANDED. PER THE OWNERS MANUAL, YOU HAVE TO REMOVE A PORTION OF THE CONSOLE WITH A SCREWDRIVER (POTENTIALLY DAMAGING IT) AND MANUALLY PUSH A LEVER - IN ORDER TO MOVE THE VEHICLE. THIS IS RATHER DANGEROUS, AND I AM NOW ON MY THIRD ONE - THERE ARE NO MODIFICATIONS TO THIS VEHICLE. *TR

SEVERAL ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLE SINCE PURCHASE. TOOK BACK TO DEALER WHO EXPLAINED THERE WAS NOT A PROBLEM. RECENTLY, AIR SUSPENSION SYSTEM FAILED. I CHANGED FUSES WITH NO RELIEF. HAD SEARCHED FOR MECHANIC OTHER THAN DEALER TO LOOK AT VEHICLE BUT NO MECHANIC WILL LOOK AT OR SERVICE BECAUSE THEY SAY THAT THERE IS ALWAYS A PROBLEM WITH THE AIR SUSPENSION ON NAVIGATORS AND I WOULD NOT FIND ANY MECHANIC WHO WOULD TOUCH IT. TODAY MY VEHICLE IS SITTING IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE BECAUSE OF THE AIR SUSPENSION PROBLEM. I DON'T TRUST THE DEALER AS THEY ARE ALWAYS TRYING TO GET ME TO PURCHASE A NEW CAR FROM THEM AND WHEN I DON'T THEY OVERCHARGE ME FOR REPAIRS. *TR

THE TRANSMISSION SHIFT INTERLOCK FAILED ON THIS 2003 LINCOLN NAVIGATOR. WHEN IT FAILED, IT COULD HAVE IMPACTED THE SAFETY OF BOTH ITS PASSENGERS AND THE PASSENGERS OF OTHERS AROUND IT, AS IT WAS IN AN INTERSECTION. *TR

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE TRAVELING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE HESITATED. THE DEALERSHIP REBUILT THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION, BUT THIS DID NOT REPAIR THE PROBLEM. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THE GEAR SHIFTER ASSEMBLY WAS REPLACED. THEN THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION CONTROL VALVE WAS REPLACED. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN DRIVEN SINCE THE LAST REPAIR WAS MADE. THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE STALLED BETWEEN 20 AND 40 MPH. THE DOOR LOCK SWITCH WAS INOPERATIVE, THE MIRRORS WOULD NOT RETURN TO THEIR ORIGNAL SETTING. UPDATED 10/27/06. *JB

MY 2003 LINCOLN NAVIGATOR ULTIMATE @ 84,000 MILES BLEW 2 SPARK PLUGS THROUGH THE ALUMINUM HEAD OF THE 5.4 LITER TRITON ENGINE. IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THIS ALUMINUM HEAD HAS BEEN REDESIGNED BY FORD AND THAT THERE IS ALSO AN AFTER-MARKET FIX TO THIS INCREASING PROBLEM THAT RE-THREADS THE SPARK PLUGS, BUT THAT SAID FIX ALSO GETS FORCED THROUGH SAID INADEQUATELY ENGINEERED ALUMINUM HEAD. FOR REFUSES TO PAY FOR THE REPLACEMENT OF SAID HEAD AND SAID REPAIR IS ESTIMATED IN THE THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS. I REPLACED THE MELTED COIL AND BARELY WAS ABLE TO THREAD NEW PLUGS INTO PLACE, BUT I AM CONCERNED ABOUT BEING STRANDED SOMEWHERE IN MY CAR. I THINK THAT FORD SHOULD HAVE TO RECALL ALL OF THESE ENGINES AND REPLACE THE OLD HEADS WITH NEW, BETTER ENGINEERED HEADS. *JB