CHRYSLER IMPERIAL vs LINCOLN CONTINENTAL

The CHRYSLER IMPERIAL (1990–1995, 6 model years) carries 348 NHTSA consumer complaints and 0 safety recalls, while the LINCOLN CONTINENTAL (1975–2020, 30 model years) carries 2,542 complaints and 18 recalls. Severity indicators for the pair split as follows: 18 vs 115 crashes, 3 vs 114 fires, and 1 vs 11 reported fatalities.

Raw complaint counts favor whichever nameplate has fewer vehicles on the road, so the cleaner lens is components: which specific part families concentrate each model's filings? For the CHRYSLER IMPERIAL, the leading complaint category is service brakes, hydraulic:antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip (150 filings), followed by service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components and service brakes. For the LINCOLN CONTINENTAL, it is engine and engine cooling:engine (235), ahead of engine and engine cooling:engine:gasoline and power train:automatic transmission. When the two vehicles cluster around the same component, the problem is likely a shared supplier or a shared federal standard under stress; when they diverge, each nameplate has its own defect signature independent of the other.

Average NCAP crash-test scores are not uniformly available for both nameplates in this dataset, which typically means one or both pre-date the 2011 rating methodology refresh. Use the side-by-side table below as your scorecard, but do not treat it as a verdict. Recall counts tell you how many defects the manufacturer has already been compelled to remedy; complaint counts tell you what owners are still flagging today; and safety ratings tell you how the vehicle performs in standardized barrier tests — three different lenses on the same underlying question. The "also compare" links at the bottom of this page let you triangulate against neighboring nameplates in each model's competitive set.