PlainCars

LINCOLN TOWN CAR · model year

1984 LINCOLN TOWN CAR

19 NHTSA complaints, 2 crash reports for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 1984LINCOLNTOWN CAR carries 19 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 2 crashes, 9 fires, 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 1984 TOWN CAR is electrical system:ignition:switch with 8 filings, followed by vehicle speed control:linkages (2) and electrical system:wiring:interior/under dash (2). 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 1984 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.

19
Complaints
2
Crashes
9
Fires
2
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

19 filings

Crashes Reported

2 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH8
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:LINKAGES2
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:INTERIOR/UNDER DASH2
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE1
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:CARBURETOR SYSTEM1
TIRES1
STEERING: STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR1
TIRES:TREAD/BELT1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION1
ENGINE1

Recent Complaints

20240613ENGINE

The contact owns a 1984 Lincoln Town Car. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The contact was able to pull the vehicle to the side of the roadway. The contact stated that the vehicle was able to be restarted. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or local dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 152,000.

Mileage: 152,000

20011001ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION

ENGINE STALLING WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER DETAILS.*AK

20010530TIRES:TREAD/BELT

WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY CONSUMER EXPERIENCED A FLAT IN WHICH THE RUBBER PEELED FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE TIRE, CONSUMER WAS ADVISED BY MANUFACTURER TO TAKE TIRES BACK TO RETAILER, CONSUMER WAS THEN ADVISED THAT THE PROBLEM RESULTED IN A DEFECT IN THE TIRE WALL, CONSUMER STATES THAT WHEN THE RUBBER CAME OFF OF TIRE IT DENTED THE MOUNDINGS ON VEHICLE (ROYAL SEAL TIRES). *JB

19980928FireSTEERING: STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR

CONSUMER WAS DRIVING AT 25 MPH, WHEN SMELLED SMOKE AND LOOKED UP AND SAW HEAVY SMOKE COMING FROM THE STEERING COLUMN. THE CONSUMER NOTICED THE BRAKE LIGHT KEPT COMING ON.CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WITHOUT PROBLEM. DEALER CAN'T DETERMINE THE PROBLEM.

19971009TIRES

THE TIRES MANUFACTURED BY COOPER TIRE, SOLD UNDER NAME OF DEAN. (P 215/70R15) HAD BLOW OUTS, THE RIGHT FRONT AND LEFT FRONT TIRES BLEW OUT WITHIN A MILE APART.

19960916ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH

DURING VEHICLE OPERATION SMOKE WAS NOTICED COMING FROM THE STEERING COLUMN. AS A RESULT THE IGNITION SWITCH HAD TO BE REPLACED.*AK CONSUMER REPLACED SWITCH. *SLC

19960603FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH

VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE FROM UNDER THE DASH AND UNDER THE HOOD. ELECTRICAL RELATED. PLEASE DESCRIBE. *AK

19960601ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH

IGNITION SWITCH GETS OVERHEATED FROM REPEATED USE WHEN CAR STALLS.

19960601FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:CARBURETOR SYSTEM

CAR CONTINUALLY STALLS. *DSH

19960601FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH

IGNITION SWITCH CAUGHT FIRE TWICE. *SD

19960514FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH

DRIVING VEHICLE, SHUT OFF, PULLED VEHICLE OVER TO SIDE OF ROAD, SMOKE COMING FROM STEERING COLUMN, DRIVER & DAUGHTER GOT OUT, FLAMES ENGULFED VEHICLE . *AK

19960423FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH

ELECTRICAL SHORT OR SHOCK IN THE IGNITION SWITCH, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO CATCH FIRE.

19960418FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH

VEHICLE COUGHT FIRE CAUSED BY THE IGNITION SWITCH, PLEASE DESCRIBE. *AK

19960418FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:INTERIOR/UNDER DASH

WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY HEARD A "POP" VEHICLE BEGAN SMOKING FROM DASHBOARD AND FIRE THEN CONSUMED STEERING COLUMN. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. *AK

19960418FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH

VEHICLE COUGHT FIRE CAUSED BY THE IGNITION SWITCH, PLEASE DESCRIBE. *AK

19960418FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:INTERIOR/UNDER DASH

WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY HEARD A "POP" VEHICLE BEGAN SMOKING FROM DASHBOARD AND FIRE THEN CONSUMED STEERING COLUMN. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. *AK

19960226CrashVEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:LINKAGES

VEHICLE EXPERIENCED A FUEL THROTTLE STICKING, THERE WAS A SUDDEN ACCELERATION OF THE VEHICLE. *AK

19960226CrashVEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:LINKAGES

VEHICLE EXPERIENCED A FUEL THROTTLE STICKING, THERE WAS A SUDDEN ACCELERATION OF THE VEHICLE. *AK

19950105ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE

ENGINE; BURN OUT THREE ENGINES THERE WAS SERVICE BULLETINS IN 1984. TT

Compare 1984LINCOLNTOWN CAR to Similar Vehicles

TOWN CAR vs FORDF-150 → TOWN CAR vs FORDEXPLORER → TOWN CAR vs JEEPGRAND CHEROKEE → TOWN CAR vs FORDESCAPE →

NHTSA Investigations

PE88012Preliminary EvaluationClosed

NON COLLISION FIRES

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 1984 LINCOLN TOWN CAR have?▼
The 1984 LINCOLN TOWN CAR has 19 NHTSA complaints, 2 crashes, 9 fires, 2 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1984 LINCOLN TOWN CAR?▼
The most-complained component for the 1984 LINCOLN TOWN CAR is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH with 8 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:LINKAGES and ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:INTERIOR/UNDER DASH.
Is the 1984 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

Understanding NHTSA Complaints → Vehicle Recalls Explained → Safest Car Brands 2026 → Most Reliable Used Cars → Lemon Law Guide →

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.

Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.