2008 Lincoln Town Car problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Vehicle Speed Control (5) · Steering (3) · Service Brakes (2)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Lincoln Town Car model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (3)
Steering:rack And Pinion:pinion Shaft 2014-11-05 · campaign 14V704000 · 36,888 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Risk: Improper servicing of the upper intermediate shaft could cause the shaft to separate, which can then result in a loss of steering control, and increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Steering 2013-08-29 · campaign 13V385000 · 355,000 vehicles
Defect: 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 W
Risk: If the lower bearing separates, the vehicle may experience a loss of steering, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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 n
Engine And Engine Cooling:exhaust System:manifold/Header/Muffler/Tail Pipe 2010-12-09 · campaign 10V638000 · 161 vehicles
Defect: EXECUTIVE COACH IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2008-2011 LINCOLN TOWN CAR LIMOUSINES. THE FUEL RAIL SHIELD WAS LEFT OFF DURING MANUFACTURING. IN A FRONTAL IMPACT THE ENGINE COULD POTENTIALLY BEND OR RUPTURE FUEL LINES IF THE REPLACEMENT SHIELD IS NOT IN PLACE, CAUSING THOSE LINES TO LEAK FUEL.
Risk: FUEL LEAKAGE, IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE, COULD RESULT IN A FIRE.
Fix: EXECUTIVE COACH WILL SUPPLY KITS AND INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS TO HAVE VEHICLES REPAIRED AT A FACILITY OF THE OWNER'S CHOICE. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON DECEMBER 1, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT EXECUTIVE COACH AT 888-322-9272.
Service bulletins (16)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Engine 2019-09-18 · DOR-L2Q6V-10 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this sku is a radiator fan. the customer communication requested return of unsold inventory to inspect the electrical connections. an electrical connection issue may lead to the fan not working potentially throwing a check engine light for overheating.
Equipment 2018-03-30 · SSM 47201 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
replacing the original equipment sync/navigation system with either an aftermarket sync/navigation kit or modifying original sync/navigation parts to provide additional features is not recommended nor supported on any ford, mercury or lincoln vehicle. only approved genuine ford accessories or origin
Equipment 2017-01-24 · SSM 46332 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
replacing the original equipment sync/navigation system with either an aftermarket sync/navigation kit or modifying original sync/navigation parts to provide additional features is not recommended nor supported on any ford, mercury or lincoln vehicle. only approved genuine ford accessories or origin
Engine And Engine Cooling:exhaust System:manifold/Header/Muffler/Tail Pipe 2016-09-21 · SSM 46085 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
the powertrain control/emissions diagnosis (pc/ed) manual has been revised for diagnosing electronic throttle bodies (etbs). the etc_act and etc_dsd pids should not used to diagnose possible etb concerns. the ids has a limited refresh rate when reading these pids and cannot display quickly enough to
Structure 2016-04-21 · TSB160072 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
inpected or repaired under 13r01 - requests for recall service action under 13s08
Steering 2016-04-21 · 16-0072 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
for 2005-2012 crown victoria, 2005-2011 grand marquis and town car vehicles, regional program 13r01 applies to vehicles not registered in corrosion states and not included in safety recall 13s08, where operation in high corrosion areas for an extended period may lead to corrosion in the lower interm
Showing the 6 most recent of 16 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2021-03-24 · Steering · 157,000 mi“tl* the contact owns a 2008 lincoln town car. the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, without warning, the vehicle independently swayed to the right. the contact regained control of the steering wheel. the vehicle was not repaired nor diagnosed. a dealer was not contacted. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the conta…”
2019-09-30 · Wheels · 486,713 mi“tl* the contact owns a 2008 lincoln town car. the contact stated that the check air suspension and tire fault warning indicators illuminated. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the contact was informed that the passenger and driver side air bags and all four tire sensors needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not taken to a deal…”
2018-03-30 · Visibility:defroster/Defogger/Hvac System“2008 lincoln town car. consumer writes in regards to factory's non-removal of plastic sheeting (used to prevent dust in fan compartment) shredded/blocked defroster vents, fan, blend door, and heater causing noises and system malfunction. *smd *tr…”
2017-08-28 · Vehicle Speed Control · 72,000 mi“tl* the contact owns a 2008 lincoln town car. while driving at any speed and depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle accelerated. the contact depressed the brake pedal a couple of times and regained control of the vehicle. there were no warning indicators illuminated. the failure recurred four times. the dealer was not contacted. the manufacturer w…”
2017-02-04 · Power Train · 85,000 mi · 💥 crash“i was slowly backing out of my short driveway my foot only on the brake pedal when suddenly car accelerates and hit parked car across at resulting in accident. two weeks before this i was driving on road about 15 mph and saw car ahead of me had stopped i put foot on brake started slowing when car accelerated hard tapped brake and car stopped. …”
2016-08-09 · Structure:body:door · 46,800 mi“tl* the contact owns a 2008 lincoln town car. while driving various speeds, the front driver side door independently locked and unlocked. the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. the manufacturer was not notified. the approximate failure mileage was 46,800. …”
2016-03-07 · Service Brakes · 32,000 mi · 💥 crash“tl* the contact owns a 2008 lincoln town car. while approaching traffic in a lane, the brake pedal was applied and was slow to respond. the contact applied force and the brake pedal traveled to the floor. as a result, the contact crashed into the preceding vehicle. the driver sustained minor whiplash that did not require medical attention. a police…”
2015-11-23 · Fuel/Propulsion System · 84,881 mi · 💥 crash“this vehicle has suddenly violently accelerated on four different occasions during the last eleven months. the first incident occurred after tapping the brake pedal at a very slow speed and resulted in the car crashing into a barrier at a filling station in upstate new york. subsequent episodes were halted by turning the ignition switch off whil…”
2015-11-13 · Steering · 63,478 mi“tl* the contact owns a 2008 lincoln town car. while driving at 40 mph and making a right turn, the steering wheel seized without warning. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the steering shaft fractured and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the fai…”
2015-02-10 · Fuel System, Gasoline“2008 lincoln town car. consumer requests reimbursement for repairs and parts on car because it was under warranty. *ta the consumer stated the check engine light illuminated, a mechanic informed the consumer the issue was related to the catalytic converter . also, the fuel tank had to replaced. *jb…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.