LINCOLN CONTINENTAL · model year

2017 LINCOLN CONTINENTAL

86 NHTSA complaints, 1 crash report, and 4 active recalls for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

5 / 5 ★

New Car Assessment Program

The 2017LINCOLNCONTINENTAL carries 86 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 1 crash, 0 fires, 1 injury, and 0 fatalities. For crash performance, NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program gave this cohort an overall 5/5 rating, with 5/5 front crash, 5/5 side crash, and 4/5 rollover scores derived from standardized barrier and dynamic tests.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2017 CONTINENTAL is unknown or other with 13 filings, followed by electrical system (12) and latches/locks/linkages (11). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability. This model year has 4 active recall campaigns, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle — the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.

NHTSA currently has 2 investigation files overlapping the 2017 CONTINENTAL. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

86
Complaints
1
Crashes
0
Fires
1
Injuries
0
Deaths
2017 LINCOLN CONTINENTAL — NHTSA crash-test profile NHTSA NCAP crash-test star ratings for the 2017 LINCOLN CONTINENTAL. Overall composite: 5.0 of 5 stars across 3 safety dimensions. Front CrashSide CrashRollover 5.0 NHTSA NCAP of 5 stars
  • Front Crash 5.0 ★
  • Side Crash 5.0 ★
  • Rollover 4.0 ★
NHTSA overall 5.0/5 stars, with front-crash, side-crash and rollover ratings from standardized NCAP barrier and dynamic tests.

Total Complaints

86 filings

Crashes Reported

1 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

NHTSA NCAP overall: 5/5 — Top NCAP rating · Front: 5/5 · Side: 5/5 · Rollover: 4/5

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
UNKNOWN OR OTHER13
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM12
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES11
STRUCTURE:BODY10
BACK OVER PREVENTION8
SEATS4
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH4
STEERING3
STRUCTURE3
BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA3
ENGINE2
POWER TRAIN2
AIR BAGS2
STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR1
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)1

Recalls (4)

17V12300027/02/2017

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2017 Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX vehicles and 2017 Lincoln Continental vehicles. In the event of a crash, the driver's frontal air bag may not fully inflate or the air bag cushion may detach from the air bag module. As such, these vehicles fail to

22V64400026/08/2022

BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017-2020 F-Super Duty F-250, F-350, F-450, and 2017-2020 Lincoln Continental vehicles equipped with the 360-degree camera system. Degradation of the camera's anit-reflective lens coating can lead to a foggy or cloudy rearview camera image.

16V73100012/10/2016

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2017 Lincoln Continental vehicles manufactured June 14, 2016, to September 23, 2016 and equipped with high intensity discharge (HID) headlights. The headlights may have been built with incorrect lenses, adversely affecting the turn signal vi

19V07700011/02/2019

LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Lincoln Continental vehicles. The door latch pawl motors may not function properly, possibly resulting in a door latch not fully engaging.

Recent Complaints

20260210LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES

The contact owns a 2017 Lincoln Continental. The contact was unable to open the rear doors after several attempts. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V077000 (LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 95,000.

Mileage: 95,000

20260108LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES

The contact owns a 2017 Lincoln Continental. The contact stated that the front passenger’s side door failed to open as intended. The contact had to exit the vehicle and used the exterior door handle to open the door. The contact stated that a warning light was illuminated, but had disappeared afterwards. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, approximately six months later, the front driver’s side door failed to open as intended. The door was opened using the exterior door handle. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact received a renewal registration and was informed that there might be a recall on the VIN. Upon further investigation, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign N

Mileage: 50,000

20260107ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

I have a 2017 Lincoln Continental that started off last year not letting me open one of my back doors from the outside (which I did take to the dealership and got a quote but was too expensive), two weeks ago, it was both back doors not opening from the outside, then last night, the front passenger door stopped opening from the outside. It does not matter if I have the doors locked or not, I cannot open the three doors from the outside. There is a recall for this condition, but not on my VIN. I am worried that I am not going to be able to get into my car at all soon, and this is concerning since I do take my husband and pets with me sometimes. My husband has had triple bypass surgery and if something happened and I could not get to him, this would be a major safety issue.

20260101ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Can't open the passenger side front door from the inside.

20250930ENGINE

antifreeze mix with oil , now my motor is bad only had care for 8 months , coolant system ran hot all of a sudden , warning light of overheating stopped asap and had car towed, first appearence on 09/28

20250819LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES

The contact owns a 2017 Lincoln Continental. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V077000 (LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES). The contact had the trunk latch repaired under the recall. The contact stated that two years later the trunk latch failed. The trunk could be closed; however, the trunk failed to latch securely, and a rope was used to keep it securely closed. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, while driving 40 MPH, the wrench warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the motor mount had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but denied assistance in covering the cost of the repair. The failure mileage was approximately 76,000.

Mileage: 76,000

20250819POWER TRAIN

The contact owns a 2017 Lincoln Continental. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V077000 (LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES). The contact had the trunk latch repaired under the recall. The contact stated that two years later the trunk latch failed. The trunk could be closed; however, the trunk failed to latch securely, and a rope was used to keep it securely closed. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, while driving 40 MPH, the wrench warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the motor mount had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but denied assistance in covering the cost of the repair. The failure mileage was approximately 76,000.

Mileage: 76,000

20250819STRUCTURE

The contact owns a 2017 Lincoln Continental. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V077000 (LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES). The contact had the trunk latch repaired under the recall. The contact stated that two years later the trunk latch failed. The trunk could be closed; however, the trunk failed to latch securely, and a rope was used to keep it securely closed. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, while driving 40 MPH, the wrench warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the motor mount had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but denied assistance in covering the cost of the repair. The failure mileage was approximately 76,000.

Mileage: 76,000

20250805ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The 2017 Lincoln Continental started using electronic door latches. When they fail, there is no way to open the door from the outside other than to break the window. The driver side door is the only door that has an emergency escape latch. If someone is trapped inside the car, even though the door is unlocked, it will not open if the switch is faulty. There is a notice online calling out the issue [XXX] . I believe this is a safety issue because if a child or unconscious passenger is in the vehicle during an accident, the door cannot be opened without breaking the glass. They cost several hundred dollars to fix and should be on the MFR to replace due to safety concerns. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

20250521ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Door default warning appears when starting the vehicle.

20250416STRUCTURE:BODY

Rear passenger door will not open. Lincoln has active recalls on other VINs but mine is not included. I ask that mine be included. My door will occasionally pop open, but the most common problem is the handle will not engage from the outside. My Lincoln has the door handle on the trim piece. This is a common recall but my car is not included. It needs to be as not being able to open a door or it randomly opening poses threat or harm to myself and my family.

20250416ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Rear passenger door will not open. Lincoln has active recalls on other VINs but mine is not included. I ask that mine be included. My door will occasionally pop open, but the most common problem is the handle will not engage from the outside. My Lincoln has the door handle on the trim piece. This is a common recall but my car is not included. It needs to be as not being able to open a door or it randomly opening poses threat or harm to myself and my family.

20250407STRUCTURE:BODY

Driver side rear door does not open from outside nor the inside . This is a safety concern because in an event of emergency we need to be able to exit the vehicle through all doors

20250317LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES

The contact owns a 2017 Lincoln Continental. The contact stated that the rear passenger’s side door could not be opened from outside the vehicle while using the exterior door handle. The contact stated that the rear passenger’s side door was occasionally independently unlatched and was unsecured. The failure occurred while driving and while the vehicle was parked. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V077000 (LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 112,000.

Mileage: 112,000

20250206UNKNOWN OR OTHER

THE FRONT RIGHT DOOR DOES NOT CLOSE. THE DOOR SWINGS OPEN AND DOES NOT LATCH CREATING A SAFETY ISSUE FOR THE PASSENGER RIDING IN THE FRONT SEAT. MY CAR IS PRESENTLY AT PLANET FORD IN HOUSTON TEXAS WHERE THEY ARE CHARGING ME $2000 FOR THE REPAIR, WHICH I FEEL IS NOT MY FAULT FOR THIS DEFECTIVE ISSUE. THIS PROBLEM DID OCCUR EARLIER BUT WE WERE ABLE TO CORRECT IT BY CLICKING THE LOCK. THAT IS NO LONGER WORKING FOR US, SO WE TOOK IT IN FOR REPAIRS.

20250130LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES

The contact owns a 2017 Lincoln Continental. The contact stated that while pulling out of a parking spot, the message "Driver door latch not engaging" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was determined that all four door locks needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that all four door locks and the lock modules needed to be replaced and reprogrammed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 11,620.

Mileage: 11,620

20250114ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Door latch failed and will not unlock the front passenger door. Dangerous situation if the battery dies. Similar recall but Lincoln said there's nothing they can do only 2019 was recalled for that. Would not make an exception. Dealer was surprised and advised me to report.

20241231ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Door warning

20241231STRUCTURE:BODY

Door warning

20241231BACK OVER PREVENTION: REARVIEW SYSTEM BRAKING

Door warning

Compare 2017LINCOLNCONTINENTAL to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2017 LINCOLN CONTINENTAL have?
The 2017 LINCOLN CONTINENTAL has 86 NHTSA complaints, 1 crashes, 0 fires, 1 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What is the safety rating for the 2017 LINCOLN CONTINENTAL?
The 2017 LINCOLN CONTINENTAL received an overall NHTSA safety rating of 5/5, front crash rating of 5/5, side crash rating of 5/5, and rollover rating of 4/5.
Are there any recalls for the 2017 LINCOLN CONTINENTAL?
Yes, the 2017 LINCOLN CONTINENTAL has 4 recall(s). The most common affected component is AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2017 LINCOLN CONTINENTAL?
The most-complained component for the 2017 LINCOLN CONTINENTAL is UNKNOWN OR OTHER with 13 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ELECTRICAL SYSTEM and LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES.
Is the 2017 LINCOLN CONTINENTAL safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. The 2017 LINCOLN CONTINENTAL has an NHTSA safety rating of 5/5. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.