2005 Lincoln Town Car: problems, recalls and reliability
3 recalls and 119 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is vehicle speed control (23% of complaints).
Data updated weekly · latest recall Nov 2014
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 119 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“The contact owns a 2005 Lincoln Town Car. The contact stated that the windshield wipers became inoperable. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 92,000. The consumer stated wipers are only turned on when raining, back warning only works when backing up, and unsure when the air bag light came on.”Owner report · Visibility/Wiper · Nov 2022
“While accelerating approximate @ 30 mph, vehicle speed increased without assistance nearly plummeting into a body of water at a curve... exit 77 on I-95S MD. The car could not handled the curve at that rate of speed. Town Car had to be thrown into neutral and hard press brake pedal in order to stop. Safety issue could have been major accident or my death. I do not desire to reproduce a dangerous scenario with an accelerating vehicle. Dealership and private mechanic refused to reproduce incident. Zero warning lamps and nothing in computer to determine a problem/fix.”Owner report · Engine · Sep 2020
“Air bag light was on for a year but now its off but have 25 beeps everytime I start car and every 20 minutes after. Found it was ab n airbag issue”Owner report · Air Bags · Oct 2019
Show 7 more owner reports
“Became hard to steer while driving. Like loss of power steering to it into be checked it is the intermediate steering. Almost lost control. I was told it was recalled for same reason. I checked it was recalled but says 0 unrepaired . But says some was not repaired correctly I have less than 95,000 miles on this vehicle. What can be done for this vehicle. This happened while driving down a road with out noticed”Owner report · Steering · Jul 2019
“"takata recall." I noticed a few weeks ago that my airbag light is on. I have 28000 actual miles on the 2005 lincoln town car that has always been garaged. I have not had a recall on the airbag light and I would like for you to check it out and let me know of any recalls on the airbags.”Owner report · Air Bags · Mar 2019
“Tl* the contact owns a 2005 lincoln town car. While driving various speeds, the steering wheel became stiff and difficult to turn without warning. It became difficult for the contact to maneuver the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 125,000. *tt consumer stated steering is very hard and stiff. *jb”Owner report · Steering · Dec 2018
“Tight steering/repaired by dealer 7/31/2017( recall # 13s08)...tight steering again 8/1/2018 was told by mechanic( non-dealer) was steering pump, turned out to be upper intermittent steering shaft, I believe when the lower was replaced it would have made sense to replace the upper as well, looking for reimbursement for at least part $310.10 to be paid to mechanic @ joes auto mall /new bedford ma”Owner report · Steering · Aug 2018
“The car was being driven in a parking lot at 5-10 miles/hour. It rapidly accelerated and was stopped only after both feet on brake and emergency brake used. The skid marks are 32' long. There were many witnesses because it was in a church parking lot at the end of sunday service.”Owner report · Vehicle Speed Control · Jul 2018
“Tl* the contact owns a 2005 lincoln town car. The contact stated that the air bag warning indicator remained illuminated, which was a safety concern. The vehicle was not included in any manufacturer recalls or tsbs for the air bags. An independent mechanic inspected the vehicle, but had not determined the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer and manufacturer were not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 115,000.”Owner report · Air Bags · Mar 2018
“Tl* the contact owns a 2005 lincoln town car. The contact stated that the air bag warning indicator was continuously illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the passenger side seat belt pretensioner failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN was invalid. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000. Updated 05/10/17*lj *as”Owner report · Air Bags · Feb 2017
When filing, owners marked a crash in 17 of these complaints and injuries in 18 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 3 campaigns
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2005-2011 Ford Crown Victoria, 2005-2011 Mercury Grand Marquis vehicles manufactured March 23, 2004, to August 30, 2011, and 2005-2011 Lincoln Town Car vehicles manufactured March 8, 2004, to August 30, 2011, and on which the upper intermediate shaft was serviced during the course of safety recall 13V-385. The prior repairs may not have been correctly performed.
Remedy: Ford will notify the owners of vehicles whose repair records reflect that the upper intermediate steering shaft was repaired during the course of the prior recall 13V-385. Dealers will inspect and replace the upper immediate shaft if necessary free of charge. The recall began November 17, 2014. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 14S25.
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE BATTERY CABLE INCLUDES A FUSIBLE LINK THAT MAY CONTACT AND SUBSEQUENTLY CHAFE ON A #2 CROSS MEMBER ATTACHING BOLT.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE FUSIBLE LINK AND POSITION IT AWAY FROM THE CROSS MEMBER BOLT. IF THE FUSIBLE LINK HAS ALREADY CHAFED AND COPPER WIRES HAVE BEEN EXPOSED, THE FUSIBLE LINK WILL BE REPLACED. THE RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 18, 2005. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FORD AT 1-800-392-3673, OR LINCOLN/MERCURY AT 1-800-521-4140.
Ford is recalling certain model year 2005-2011 Ford Crown Victoria (including Crown Victoria Police Interceptors), Mercury Grand Marquis, and Lincoln Town Car vehicles. The affected vehicles are currently registered or were originally sold in Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. Severe corrosion can seize the lower intermediate shaft which may cause the upper intermediate shaft to collapse and the steering column lower bearing to separate.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners and dealers will replace the lower intermediate shaft, free of charge. The upper intermediate shaft and steering column lower bearing will be inspected to identify any damage that may have occurred as a result of lower intermediate shaft corrosion, and repaired or replaced as necessary. If the steering column lower bearing has separated, a retainer clip will be installed. The recall began on October 23, 2013. Owners may contact Ford at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's recall number is 13S08.
How other years compare
Check your exact Town Car 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 2005 Lincoln Town Car reliable?
NHTSA has 119 owner complaints and 3 recall campaigns on record for the 2005 Lincoln Town Car. The most complained-about area is vehicle speed control (23% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2005 Lincoln Town Car problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 68,000 miles or less.
Does the 2005 Lincoln Town Car have open recalls?
3 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning steering:rack and pinion:pinion shaft. 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.