LINCOLN TOWN CAR · model year

1983 LINCOLN TOWN CAR

6 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 1983LINCOLNTOWN CAR carries 6 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 1 fire, 2 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 1983 TOWN CAR is latches/locks/linkages:doors:latch with 2 filings, followed by engine and engine cooling:engine (1) and engine and engine cooling (1). 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.

NHTSA currently has 1 investigation file overlapping the 1983 TOWN CAR. 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.

6
Complaints
0
Crashes
1
Fires
2
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

6 filings

Crashes Reported

0 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH2
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING1
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:LINKAGES1
STEERING:COLUMN1

Recent Complaints

20000912STEERING:COLUMN

TILT YOKE IN THE STEERING WHEEL BROKE, CAUSING STEERING WHEEL NOT TO LOCK IN PLACE. MANUFACTURER NOTIFIED, AND INFORMED CONSUMER THAT PART WAS NOT UNDER A RECALL, AND ANY REPAIRS WOULD BE AT CONSUMER'S COST. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK

19980407ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

ENGINE STOPS OR REFUSES TO START.

19980407VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:LINKAGES

POOR ACCELERATION/FLOODING

19960220LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH

THE PASSENGER SIDE DOOR DOES NOT STAY LOCKED IN THE OPEN POSITION. TT

19960220LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH

THE PASSENGER SIDE DOOR DOES NOT STAY LOCKED IN THE OPEN POSITION. TT

19950627FireENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE, GASOLINE LEAK IN TOP AT ENGINE INTAKE CAUSED THE FIRE. *AK

Compare 1983LINCOLNTOWN CAR to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 1983 LINCOLN TOWN CAR have?
The 1983 LINCOLN TOWN CAR has 6 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 1 fires, 2 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1983 LINCOLN TOWN CAR?
The most-complained component for the 1983 LINCOLN TOWN CAR is LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH with 2 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE and ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING.
Is the 1983 LINCOLN TOWN CAR safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. 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.