2000 Lincoln Continental: problems, recalls and reliability
4 recalls and 63 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is air bags (23% of complaints); the 2001 and 2002 model years look more trouble-free.
Data updated weekly · latest recall Apr 2016
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 63 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“Tl* the contact owns a 2000 lincoln continental. The contact stated that smoke emitted from under the hood while the vehicle was parked. The contact attempted to open the hood to inspect the vehicle and found that the engine was on fire. The fire department was called to assist. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not inspected to determine the cause of the failure. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure and current mileage was 106,000.”Owner report · Engine · Apr 2013
“Tl* the contact owns a 2000 lincoln continental. The contact stated that while driving 25 mph, there was a loud popping noise. The contact then noticed that the front passenger coil spring fractured and had punctured the front passenger side tire. The vehicle was then towed to an independent mechanic where the manufacturer was contacted but did not acknowledge the failure. The vehicle was neither diagnosed nor repaired. The failure and the current mileage was 90,000.”Owner report · Suspension · Mar 2012
“Tl* the contact owns a 2000 lincoln continental. The contact stated that the accelerator pedal became stuck and caused the vehicle to rapidly accelerate to 90 mph. The contact was attempting to exit a highway off-ramp but was unable to slow the speed of the vehicle. The brakes were applied but the vehicle was unresponsive and crashed into a tree. The contact did not recall the details of the crash. The contact sustained injuries to the neck, back and received burns to the face. The vehicle was not inspected to determine the cause of the failure. The failure and current mileage was 106,000. Updated 07/05/12*lj”Owner report · Vehicle Speed Control · Feb 2012
Show 7 more owner reports
“Tl* the contact owns a 2000 lincoln continental. The contact stated that the middle rear seat belt failed to unlock and remained in the locked position. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the manufacturer was contacted. The manufacturer confirmed that the VIN did not qualify for repairs under NHTSA campaign id number:99v250000 (seat belts:front:anchorage). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were 137,100. Updated 11/10/11*lj”Owner report · Seat Belts · Oct 2011
“I was entering the vehicle from the driver's side when the airbag spontaneously depoloyed, striking me in the face & arm. *tr”Owner report · Air Bags · Nov 2010
“Tl* the contact owns a 2000 lincoln continental. The contact stated that the air conditioner was malfunctioning and he was unable to adjust the temperature when the blower was set to high. Whenever the air conditioner was turned off, hot air would blow from the vents, making it unbearable to drive. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer, who diagnosed that the blending gate in the air conditioner needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, but did not offer any assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 42,000 and the current mileage was 61,000. The VIN was not available.”Owner report · Equipment · Aug 2009
“2 tire valve failure, both at highway speed. Tires mounted 02/08 at a goodyear shop in marysville, ohio 1st failure 06/12/09, and the 2nd 06/28/09. I went back to the shop, and was told that since "I drove on the flat to get to the side of the road" I ruined the tire. I was not informed that there was a bunch of bad chinese made valves. *tr”Owner report · Equipment · Jun 2009
“Tl*the contact owns a 2000 lincoln continental. Since march of 2009, the doors have failed to lock and set the alarm off on the vehicle. The vehicle has been repaired once, but the failure still persists. The contact feels this is a safety issue because the doors need to be locked. The failure mileage was approximately 117,000.”Owner report · Latches/Locks/Linkages · Mar 2009
“Tl*the contact owns a 2000 lincoln continental. While driving approximately 35 mph, the contact felt the tire becoming flat. She drove the vehicle to a service station and they replaced the tire with her donut. The contact then took the vehicle to sears and was informed that the valve stem failed. The current mileage was 70,000 and failure mileage was 68,701.”Owner report · Tires · Jun 2008
“I was driving on the interstate highway when the left front spring broke which was like an explosion. This caused lots of other damage to the car as well as the tire. *tr”Owner report · Suspension · Mar 2008
When filing, owners marked a crash in 6 of these complaints and injuries in 7 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 4 campaigns
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE SEAT BELT RETRACTOR MAY HAVE A PIN SHAFT IN THE SWITCHABLE ELR/ALR MECHANISM THAT IS INCORRECTLY FORMED. IN SOME CIRCUMSTANCES, THE SWITCHING MECHANISM COULD BECOME NONFUNCTIONAL, PREVENTING THE SEAT BELT WEBBING FROM BEING EXTRACTED FROM THE RETRACTOR. IT IS ALSO POSSIBLE THAT MALFUNCTION OF THE MECHANISM COULD PREVENT THE BELT FROM BEING SWITCHED INTO THE ALR MODE. THE ELR MECHANISM IS NOT AFFECTED BY THIS CONDITION.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE LAP AND SHOULDER BELT ASSEMBLIES. ASSEMBLIES WITH JULIAN DATE CODES OF 200 THROUGH 223 ARE SUSPECT AND WILL BE REPLACED.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER CARS, SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, AND LIGHT AND MEDIUM DUTY PICKUP TRUCKS. A SWITCH LOCATED IN THE PLASTIC COVER OF THE WIPER MOTOR GEAR CASE COULD MALFUNCTION AND OVERHEAT, POTENTIALLY RESULTING IN LOSS OF INTERMITTENT WIPER FUNCTION, LOSS OF WIPER PARK FUNCTION, COMPLETE LOSS OF WIPER FUNCTION, OR IGNITION OF THE PLASTIC COVER MATERIAL. SWITCH MALFUNCTION IS MOST LIKELY TO OCCUR WHEN THE INTERMITTENT SETTING OF THE WIPERS IS BEING USED, OR WHEN SNOW OR ICE OBSTRUCTS THE BLADES FROM RETURNING TO THE "PARKED" POSITION AT THE BOTTOM OF THE WINDSHIELD. THESE VEHICLES WERE BUILT AT THE FOLLOWING ASSEMBLY PLANTS: ATLANTA PLANT FROM 2/11/00 THROUGH 7/31/00; CHICAGO PLANT FROM 2/14/00 THROUGH 8/4/00; KANSAS CITY PLANT FROM 2/26/00 TO 9/4/00; KENTUCKY TRUCK PLANT FROM 2/18/00 TO 8/31/00; MICHIGAN TRUCK PLANT FROM 2/23/00 THROUGH 8/3/00; NORFOLK PLANT FROM 2/21/00 THROUGH 7/27/00; WAYNE STAMPING AND ASSEMBLY PLANT FROM 2/25/00 THROUGH 8/15/00; AND WIXOM PLANT FROM 2/15/00 THROUGH 8/8/00.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE DATE CODE ON THE WIPER MOTOR. MOTORS BUILT WITH THE SUSPECT TIME FRAME WILL HAVE THE WIPER MOTOR GEAR CASE COVER REPLACED. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN AUGUST 20, 2001. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT FORD AT 1-866-436-7332.
Bosch Brake Components LLC (Bosch) is recalling certain aftermarket replacement front brake pads, models Bosch QuietCast BC598 and BP765, Bosch Blue BE598 and BE598H, Prostop PD598 and PD765M, Duralast Gold DG598, Duralast MKD598, Stop Master ST598, UltraStop ULT598, UltraLife MX598 and MX765, BrakeBest MKD765, and Prostop Platinum PGD598. These brake pads, manufactured October 1, 2014, to October 31, 2015 are intended for use on 2001-2007 Ford Taurus, 2001-2005 Mercury Sable, 1995-1999 Ford Taurus SHO, 1995-2002 Lincoln Continental, and 1993-1998 Lincoln Mark VIII vehicles. The brake pad shim may shift out of position causing the shim to contact the brake disc resulting in damage to the disc.
Remedy: Bosch will instruct the owners how to have the affected brake pads replaced, free of charge. The recall began on May 26, 2016. Owners may contact Bosch customer service at 1-888-715-3616.
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE DRIVER AND/OR PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG COULD DEPLOY AS A RESULT OF UNDERBODY IMPACTS NEAR THE SENSORS, SUCH AS THOSE OCCURRING FROM PIECES OF GRAVEL OR DEBRIS THROWN FROM THE WHEELS WHILE THE VEHICLE IS BEING OPERATED AT MODERATE TO HIGH SPEED OR BEING ACCELERATED.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL RECALIBRATE THE AIR BAG SENSORS. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN MARCH 31, 2003. OWNERS MAY CONTACT LINCOLN AT 1-800-521-4140.
How other years compare
Check your exact Continental by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2000 Lincoln Continental reliable?
NHTSA has 63 owner complaints and 4 recall campaigns on record for the 2000 Lincoln Continental. The most complained-about area is air bags (23% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2000 Lincoln Continental problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 86,500 miles or less.
Does the 2000 Lincoln Continental have open recalls?
4 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning seat belts:front:anchorage. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.