LINCOLN TOWN CAR · model year

2005 LINCOLN TOWN CAR

161 NHTSA complaints, 23 crash reports, and 3 active recalls for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2005LINCOLNTOWN CAR carries 161 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 23 crashes, 2 fires, 34 injuries, and 1 fatality. 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 2005 TOWN CAR is vehicle speed control with 32 filings, followed by air bags (20) and seat belts (10). 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 3 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 1 investigation file overlapping the 2005 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.

161
Complaints
23
Crashes
2
Fires
34
Injuries
1
Deaths

Total Complaints

161 filings

Crashes Reported

23 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL32
AIR BAGS20
SEAT BELTS10
SERVICE BRAKES9
STEERING8
ENGINE7
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM7
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC6
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:PEDALS AND LINKAGES5
STRUCTURE4
UNKNOWN OR OTHER4
POWER TRAIN4
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION3
TIRES3
EXTERIOR LIGHTING3

Recalls (3)

13V38500029/08/2013

STEERING

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

05V51800009/11/2005

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY:CABLES

ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE BATTERY CABLE INCLUDES A FUSIBLE LINK THAT MAY CONTACT AND SUBSEQUENTLY CHAFE ON A #2 CROSS MEMBER ATTACHING BOLT.

14V70400005/11/2014

STEERING:RACK AND PINION:PINION SHAFT

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 intermedia

Recent Complaints

20230408STEERING

Unknown

20230408FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS

Unknown

20230408ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Unknown

20221205VISIBILITY/WIPER

The contact owns a 2005 Lincoln Town Car. The contact stated that the windshield wipers became inoperable. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 92,000. The consumer stated wipers are only turned on when raining, back warning only works when backing up, and unsure when the air bag light came on.

Mileage: 92,000

20221026VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

While accelerating approximate @ 30 mph, vehicle speed increased without assistance nearly plummeting into a body of water at a curve... exit 77 on I-95S MD. The car could not handled the curve at that rate of speed. Town Car had to be thrown into neutral and hard press brake pedal in order to stop. Safety issue could have been major accident or my death. I do not desire to reproduce a dangerous scenario with an accelerating vehicle. Dealership and private mechanic refused to reproduce incident. Zero warning lamps and nothing in computer to determine a problem/fix.

20221026ENGINE

While accelerating approximate @ 30 mph, vehicle speed increased without assistance nearly plummeting into a body of water at a curve... exit 77 on I-95S MD. The car could not handled the curve at that rate of speed. Town Car had to be thrown into neutral and hard press brake pedal in order to stop. Safety issue could have been major accident or my death. I do not desire to reproduce a dangerous scenario with an accelerating vehicle. Dealership and private mechanic refused to reproduce incident. Zero warning lamps and nothing in computer to determine a problem/fix.

20221026POWER TRAIN

While accelerating approximate @ 30 mph, vehicle speed increased without assistance nearly plummeting into a body of water at a curve... exit 77 on I-95S MD. The car could not handled the curve at that rate of speed. Town Car had to be thrown into neutral and hard press brake pedal in order to stop. Safety issue could have been major accident or my death. I do not desire to reproduce a dangerous scenario with an accelerating vehicle. Dealership and private mechanic refused to reproduce incident. Zero warning lamps and nothing in computer to determine a problem/fix.

20201109CrashVEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

2005 LINCOLN TOWNCAR. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO FAULTY ACCELERATOR WHICH RESULTED IN A AUTO ACCIDENT. *LD *JS

20200728CrashSERVICE BRAKES

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 LINCOLN TOWN CAR. THE CONTACT CALLED IN REGARDS TO HAVING A BRAKE FAILURE. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE APPROACHING A RED LIGHT AND DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO STOP CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO HIT A TRUCK AND THE CURB. THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO STOP AFTER DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL MULTIPLE TIMES. THE CONTACT STATED NO WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT NO AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CONTACT STATED NO INJURY WERE SUSTAINED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR BODY DAMAGE ESTIMATE AND REPAIRS. THE CONTACT STATED A LOCAL DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED AS OF YET. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DEEMED A TOTAL LOSS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED, CASE WAS FILED, AND REFERRED TO CONTACT NHTSA. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 126,000.

Mileage: 126,000

20191219AIR BAGS

AIR BAG LIGHT FLASHES 3 TIMES 5 TIMES AND THEN STAYS ON. NO ACCIDENTS 28000 ACTUAL MILES.

20191209AIR BAGS

AIR BAG LIGHT WAS ON FOR A YEAR BUT NOW ITS OFF BUT HAVE 25 BEEPS EVERYTIME I START CAR AND EVERY 20 MINUTES AFTER. FOUND IT WAS AB N AIRBAG ISSUE

Mileage: 248,000

20190908AIR BAGS

"TAKATA RECALL." I NOTICED A FEW WEEKS AGO THAT MY AIRBAG LIGHT IS ON. I HAVE 28000 ACTUAL MILES ON THE 2005 LINCOLN TOWN CAR THAT HAS ALWAYS BEEN GARAGED. I HAVE NOT HAD A RECALL ON THE AIRBAG LIGHT AND I WOULD LIKE FOR YOU TO CHECK IT OUT AND LET ME KNOW OF ANY RECALLS ON THE AIRBAGS.

Mileage: 28,000

20190809STEERING

BECAME HARD TO STEER WHILE DRIVING. LIKE LOSS OF POWER STEERING TO IT INTO BE CHECKED IT IS THE INTERMEDIATE STEERING. ALMOST LOST CONTROL. I WAS TOLD IT WAS RECALLED FOR SAME REASON. I CHECKED IT WAS RECALLED BUT SAYS 0 UNREPAIRED . BUT SAYS SOME WAS NOT REPAIRED CORRECTLY I HAVE LESS THAN 95,000 MILES ON THIS VEHICLE. WHAT CAN BE DONE FOR THIS VEHICLE. THIS HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING DOWN A ROAD WITH OUT NOTICED

Mileage: 95,000

20190416CrashSERVICE BRAKES

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 LINCOLN TOWN CAR. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO STOP THE VEHICLE, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AND THE VEHICLE INADVERTENTLY ACCELERATED. THE VEHICLE CAME TO A STOP AT AN EXTENDED DISTANCE. ON ANOTHER OCCASION, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AND THE CONTACT STRUCK A GUARDRAIL IN ORDER TO AVOID CRASHING INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO GATEWAY FORD LINCOLN NISSAN (LOCATED AT 1055 W ANDREW JOHNSON HWY, GREENEVILLE, TN 37745, (423) 639-5151) TO BE DIAGNOSED, BUT THE MECHANIC WAS UNABLE TO RETRIEVE A FAULT CODE OR DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS INTERMITTENT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 93,000.

Mileage: 93,000

20190227AIR BAGS

AIR BAG LIGHT ON, GIVING CODE 34 THEN REMAINS ILLUMINATED. DEALER SAID SEAT BELT TENSIONERS ON BOTH SIDE NEED TO BE CHANGED @ A COST OF $1,500 . THEY ALSO ADVISE SERIOUS INJURY CAN OCCUR IN AN EVENT OF AN IMPACT .

20190227SEAT BELTS

AIR BAG LIGHT ON, GIVING CODE 34 THEN REMAINS ILLUMINATED. DEALER SAID SEAT BELT TENSIONERS ON BOTH SIDE NEED TO BE CHANGED @ A COST OF $1,500 . THEY ALSO ADVISE SERIOUS INJURY CAN OCCUR IN AN EVENT OF AN IMPACT .

20190112EXTERIOR LIGHTING

LOW BEAMS HEAD LIGHTS CUTS OFF WITHOUT WARNING WHILE DRIVING ALL THE TIME

Mileage: 87,000

20181207STEERING

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 LINCOLN TOWN CAR. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME STIFF AND DIFFICULT TO TURN WITHOUT WARNING. IT BECAME DIFFICULT FOR THE CONTACT TO MANEUVER THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. A DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 125,000. *TT CONSUMER STATED STEERING IS VERY HARD AND STIFF. *JB

Mileage: 125,000

20180802STEERING

TIGHT STEERING/REPAIRED BY DEALER 7/31/2017( RECALL # 13S08)...TIGHT STEERING AGAIN 8/1/2018 WAS TOLD BY MECHANIC( NON-DEALER) WAS STEERING PUMP, TURNED OUT TO BE UPPER INTERMITTENT STEERING SHAFT, I BELIEVE WHEN THE LOWER WAS REPLACED IT WOULD HAVE MADE SENSE TO REPLACE THE UPPER AS WELL, LOOKING FOR REIMBURSEMENT FOR AT LEAST PART $310.10 TO BE PAID TO MECHANIC @ JOES AUTO MALL /NEW BEDFORD MA

Mileage: 133,283

20180720VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

THE CAR WAS BEING DRIVEN IN A PARKING LOT AT 5-10 MILES/HOUR. IT RAPIDLY ACCELERATED AND WAS STOPPED ONLY AFTER BOTH FEET ON BRAKE AND EMERGENCY BRAKE USED. THE SKID MARKS ARE 32' LONG. THERE WERE MANY WITNESSES BECAUSE IT WAS IN A CHURCH PARKING LOT AT THE END OF SUNDAY SERVICE.

Mileage: 87,000

Compare 2005LINCOLNTOWN CAR to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2005 LINCOLN TOWN CAR have?
The 2005 LINCOLN TOWN CAR has 161 NHTSA complaints, 23 crashes, 2 fires, 34 injuries, and 1 deaths reported.
Are there any recalls for the 2005 LINCOLN TOWN CAR?
Yes, the 2005 LINCOLN TOWN CAR has 3 recall(s). The most common affected component is STEERING. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2005 LINCOLN TOWN CAR?
The most-complained component for the 2005 LINCOLN TOWN CAR is VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL with 32 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include AIR BAGS and SEAT BELTS.
Is the 2005 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.