2000 Lincoln Continental
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
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Vehicles › Lincoln › Continental › 2000
These records cover every 2000 Lincoln Continental. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
Recalls
4 recalls name the 2000 Lincoln Continental. Newest first.
Bosch Brake Components LLC (Bosch) is recalling certain aftermarket replacement front brake pads, models Bosch QuietCast BC598 and BP765, Bosch Blue BE598 and BE598H, Prostop PD598 and PD765M, Duralast Gold DG598, Duralast MKD598, Stop Master ST598, UltraStop ULT598, UltraLife MX598 and MX765, BrakeBest MKD765, and Prostop Platinum PGD598. These brake pads…
Risk and remedy
Risk
A damaged or broken brake disc may reduce a vehicle's braking power, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Bosch will instruct the owners how to have the affected brake pads replaced, free of charge. The recall began on May 26, 2016. Owners may contact Bosch customer service at 1-888-715-3616.
On certain passenger vehicles, the driver and/or passenger side air bag could deploy as a result of underbody impacts near the sensors, such as those occurring from pieces of gravel or debris thrown from the wheels while the vehicle IS being operated at moderate to high speed or being accelerated.
Risk and remedy
Remedy
Dealers will recalibrate the air bag sensors. owner notification began march 31, 2003. owners may contact lincoln at 1-800-521-4140.
Vehicle description: passenger cars, sport utility vehicles, and light and medium duty pickup trucks. a switch located in the plastic cover of the wiper motor gear case could malfunction and overheat, potentially resulting in loss of intermittent wiper function, loss of wiper park function, complete loss of wiper function, or ignition of the plastic…
Risk and remedy
Risk
Loss of visibility while driving increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect the date code on the wiper motor. motors built with the suspect time frame will have the wiper motor gear case cover replaced. owner notification began august 20, 2001. owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact ford at 1-866-436-7332.
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. the seat belt retractor may have a pin shaft in the switchable elr/alr mechanism that IS incorrectly formed. in some circumstances, the switching mechanism could become nonfunctional, preventing the seat belt webbing from being extracted from the retractor. it IS also possible that malfunction of the mechanism…
Risk and remedy
Risk
If the mechanism malfunctions and does not allow the webbing to be extracted, the lap and shoulder belt could not be worn by a vehicle occupant. in the event that the mechanism does not allow the alr mode to be engaged, the operator may be unable to properly install a child seat in that seating position.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect the lap and shoulder belt assemblies. assemblies with julian date codes of 200 through 223 are suspect and will be replaced.
Owner complaints
63 complaints6 involved a crash3 involved a fire7 injuries
What owners report most
Latest complaints
- Electrical system
The contact owns a 1979 Lincoln Continental. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked and turned off, there was smoke coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that the rear end near the driver's side of the vehicle had caught on fire. The vehicle was extinguished by the Fire Department. A…
The contact owns a 1979 Lincoln Continental. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked and turned off, there was smoke coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that the rear end near the driver's side of the vehicle had caught on fire. The vehicle was extinguished by the Fire Department. A fire report was filed, and a fire report number was provided; however, the cause for the failure was not yet determined. A Police report was not filed. No injuries were sustained. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was towed to an impound lot. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 137,070. The VIN was invalid.
- Air bags
Takata recall
- Electrical system · Suspension
A neighbor pointed out that the automobile was sitting several inches lower than normal closer to ground while parked in driveway. I began to check on this every time I went to use the car. sometimes vehicle was normal height, sometimes lower. I noticed that, sometimes, when I turned the…
A neighbor pointed out that the automobile was sitting several inches lower than normal closer to ground while parked in driveway. I began to check on this every time I went to use the car. sometimes vehicle was normal height, sometimes lower. I noticed that, sometimes, when I turned the ignition key there was sound heard like a fan operating. I asked questions of people who had owned similar models and was told that there was a problem in this model showing up 4 to 8 years after manufacture. this model has a ride control which involves three "ride control" settings. as cars age there are air bags under the car which control the feel of car (plush, normal, firm) and they adjust accordingly. Before I start the car, if it sits low, turning the ignition key causes the ride mechanism to raise the car frame a few inches above the tires. sometimes in cold weather this does not seem to operate and a message shows "check ride control". the store that does routine service regularly tells me that this IS a problem in lincoln/fords and that repairs often cost $2000 or more. the car now has about 114,000 miles on it and this problem occurs more often. I believe this has become a safety issue, and I have been told that I am not the only owner having this problem. The car was purchased from another owner, whom I know, in about 2008. he had purchased it from a ford dealer as a "program car" I believe in 2001. *tr
- Vehicle speed control
TL* the contact owns a 2000 lincoln continental. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 mph, the engine rpms increased excessively as the vehicle suddenly accelerated without warning. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic where it was diagnosed that the control valve needed to…
TL* the contact owns a 2000 lincoln continental. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 mph, the engine rpms increased excessively as the vehicle suddenly accelerated without warning. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic where it was diagnosed that the control valve needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. The approximate failure mileage was 50,000 and the current mileage was 165,000.
- Engine
TL* the contact owns a 2000 lincoln continental. The contact stated that smoke emitted from under the hood while the vehicle was parked. the contact attempted to open the hood to inspect the vehicle and found that the engine was on fire. The fire department was called to assist. The manufacturer…
TL* the contact owns a 2000 lincoln continental. The contact stated that smoke emitted from under the hood while the vehicle was parked. the contact attempted to open the hood to inspect the vehicle and found that the engine was on fire. The fire department was called to assist. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not inspected to determine the cause of the failure. The vin was not available. the approximate failure and current mileage was 106,000.
- Air bags
I was entering the vehicle from the driver's side when the airbag spontaneously depoloyed, striking me in the face & arm. *Tr
- Vehicle speed control › Accelerator pedal
TL* the contact owns a 2000 lincoln continental. The contact stated that the accelerator pedal became stuck and caused the vehicle to rapidly accelerate to 90 mph. The contact was attempting to exit a highway off-ramp but was unable to slow the speed of the vehicle. The brakes were applied but the…
TL* the contact owns a 2000 lincoln continental. The contact stated that the accelerator pedal became stuck and caused the vehicle to rapidly accelerate to 90 mph. The contact was attempting to exit a highway off-ramp but was unable to slow the speed of the vehicle. The brakes were applied but the vehicle was unresponsive and crashed into a tree. The contact did not recall the details of the crash. The contact sustained injuries to the neck, back and received burns to the face. The vehicle was not inspected to determine the cause of the failure. The failure and current mileage was 106,000. updated 07/05/12*lj
- Suspension
TL* the contact owns a 2000 lincoln continental. The contact stated that while driving 25 mph, there was a loud popping noise. The contact then noticed that the front passenger coil spring fractured and had punctured the front passenger side tire. The vehicle was then towed to an independent…
TL* the contact owns a 2000 lincoln continental. The contact stated that while driving 25 mph, there was a loud popping noise. The contact then noticed that the front passenger coil spring fractured and had punctured the front passenger side tire. The vehicle was then towed to an independent mechanic where the manufacturer was contacted but did not acknowledge the failure. The vehicle was neither diagnosed nor repaired. The failure and the current mileage was 90,000.
- Seat belts › Front › Anchorage · Seat belts › Rear/other
TL* the contact owns a 2000 lincoln continental. The contact stated that the middle rear seat belt failed to unlock and remained in the locked position. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the manufacturer was contacted. The manufacturer confirmed that the vin did not qualify for repairs under…
TL* the contact owns a 2000 lincoln continental. The contact stated that the middle rear seat belt failed to unlock and remained in the locked position. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the manufacturer was contacted. The manufacturer confirmed that the vin did not qualify for repairs under nhtsa campaign ID number:99v250000 (seat belts:front:anchorage). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were 137,100. updated 11/10/11*lj
- Equipment
TL* the contact owns a 2000 lincoln continental. The contact stated that the air conditioner was malfunctioning and he was unable to adjust the temperature when the blower was set to high. Whenever the air conditioner was turned off, hot air would blow from the vents, making it unbearable to drive.…
TL* the contact owns a 2000 lincoln continental. The contact stated that the air conditioner was malfunctioning and he was unable to adjust the temperature when the blower was set to high. Whenever the air conditioner was turned off, hot air would blow from the vents, making it unbearable to drive. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer, who diagnosed that the blending gate in the air conditioner needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, but did not offer any assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 42,000 and the current mileage was 61,000. The vin was not available.
- Engine and engine cooling › Engine · Power train › Automatic transmission · Seat belts · Suspension · Vehicle speed control · Visibility
While driving on the highway the car started to accelerate on it,s own and when I applied the brakes they wouldn't work. I had to get off the next exit because I didn't want anyone to get in front of me because it went all the way up to 90 mph.once I got off it still was accelerating so I drove up…
While driving on the highway the car started to accelerate on it,s own and when I applied the brakes they wouldn't work. I had to get off the next exit because I didn't want anyone to get in front of me because it went all the way up to 90 mph.once I got off it still was accelerating so I drove up on the sidewalk to keep from hitting traffic at the light and got into the grass and it still was going fast and the brakes still not working I prayed and put it into neutral or I would have went right back into the traffic. Once I put it in neutral it stopped and then I put it in park and turned it off. I then turned it back on and it was idling so high and loud I turned it back off and called a tow truck. Once they arrived he stated that the linkage to the accelerator was stuck and that's IS why the brakes weren't responding. He then called the dealership who stated he wasn't sure if the could look at the car or if he did when he would be able to work on it. Since then it has been sitting and I found out about all these other recalls and complaints for the very other things we been having problems with on this car. The tower also stated that he thought there was a recall for this acceleration if so I need to know this because this car needs to be fixed on the other recalls. This IS the first time it did the acceleration but the foggy winshield,the seatbelts locking up on using the front seats, the suspension and brakes have been like this for a while and we were never notified about these recall so we could get them corrected. Others and myself could have been seriously hurt on that highway if I didn't stay calm through out the whole ordeal. I would like some response to what I need to do next and if this IS a recall like the others can I take to the dealership and have it corrected. Right now it can be driven at all. *Tr
- Equipment · Tires
2 tire valve failure, both at highway speed. Tires mounted 02/08 at a goodyear shop in marysville, ohio 1ST failure 06/12/09, and the 2ND 06/28/09. I went back to the shop, and was told that since "i drove on the flat to get to the side of the road" I ruined the tire. I was not informed that there was a bunch of bad chinese made valves. *Tr
- Latches/locks/linkages
Tl*the contact owns a 2000 lincoln continental. since march of 2009, the doors have failed to lock and set the alarm off on the vehicle. the vehicle has been repaired once, but the failure still persists. the contact feels this IS a safety issue because the doors need to be locked. the failure mileage was approximately 117,000.
- Suspension › Front › Springs › Air suspension › Springs/bags · Suspension › Rear › Springs › Air suspension system › Springs/bags
Tl*the contact owns a 2000 lincoln continental. while attempting to drive in reverse, the contact heard a loud noise. he inspected the vehicle and noticed that the driver's side suspension system failed. the vehicle was towed and a technician repaired the driver's side strut, spring, and tire.…
Tl*the contact owns a 2000 lincoln continental. while attempting to drive in reverse, the contact heard a loud noise. he inspected the vehicle and noticed that the driver's side suspension system failed. the vehicle was towed and a technician repaired the driver's side strut, spring, and tire. one year later, the front passenger side suspension system failed while driving in reverse. the vehicle was towed to a dealer and the front passenger side sway bar, spring, strut, and tire were repaired at the cost of over $1,000. the contact has supporting documentation of the vehicle's repair history. the failure mileage was 97,000 and current mileage was 113,881. updated 09/23/08 *bf the left air bag air suspension had blown. the second time the failure happened, the consumer was backing out of a parking space and heard a noise. The consumer discovered the left front suspension spring had broken just like the first failure. Updated 09/25/08. *Jb
- Tires
Tl*the contact owns a 2000 lincoln continental. while driving approximately 35 mph, the contact felt the tire becoming flat. she drove the vehicle to a service station and they replaced the tire with her donut. the contact then took the vehicle to sears and was informed that the valve stem failed. the current mileage was 70,000 and failure mileage was 68,701.
- Suspension › Front › Springs › Coil springs
I was driving on the interstate highway when the left front spring broke which was like an explosion. This caused lots of other damage to the car as well as the tire. *tr
- Engine and engine cooling
Tl*the contact owns a 2000 lincoln continental. while approaching a stop at various speeds, the vehicle completely stalled without warning. the vehicle has not been inspected to determine the cause of the failure, and the manufacturer has not been notified. the powertrain was unknown. the failure mileage was 90,000 and current mileage was 100,000. updated 04/16/08 *bf updated 04/16/08 *tr
- Electrical system · Interior lighting · Latches/locks/linkages · Service brakes, hydraulic › Antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip › Abs warning light
Tl*the contact owns a 2000 lincoln continental. the power door locks engage and unlock on their own without warning. the doors normally lock automatically when shifting out of park. the interior lights also illuminated without warning after the vehicle was parked, which prevented the alarm…
Tl*the contact owns a 2000 lincoln continental. the power door locks engage and unlock on their own without warning. the doors normally lock automatically when shifting out of park. the interior lights also illuminated without warning after the vehicle was parked, which prevented the alarm system from engaging. the failure occurred february 5, 2008. the door IS ajar warning indicator light indicated had illuminated; however, the door was secure. the ABS warning light illuminated the week of january 28, 2008 when there was snow present and dimmed immediately after the contact reached his destination. the dealer had not yet diagnosed the failure. the current and failure mileages were 93,000.
- Seat belts › Rear/other
TL* - the contact stated that both rear seat belts didn't retract. The contact found recall 99s26, but the dealer would not honor the recall for the rear seats. The contact stated that the passengers used the seat belts, and when they tried to reuse them one failed to retract and the other would not release. *ak
- Tires › Sidewall
2000 lincoln continental's left tire failed while driving. *ts when the tire failed the vehicle drove off the left side of the road and struck a cement divider. there was damage to the left front tire, left front bumper, left front fender, and left front rim. no injuries were sustained. *nm b.f. Goodrich control plus tires. *nm
- Air bags › Side/window
Dt*: the contact stated while driving 3 mph in a driveway the passenger side side air bag deployed without warning. the passenger sustained injuries to the arm. the dealer was not contacted.
- Suspension › Front › Springs › Coil springs
Ltr fm (pa) reporting coil spring broke in his model year 2000 ford lincoln continental defective vehicle. *ts *nm
- Suspension › Front › Springs › Coil springs
While driving at approx. 10 mph I heard a loud bang on the morning of 4-24-06. I came to a stop thinking I had hit something in the road. I looked around the back of the car and noticed part of the coil spring on the ground. I knew exactly what it was because the passenger side broke on 4-6-06. if at either time I would have been driving at any substantial speed it could have caused a major accident. *nm
- Suspension › Front › Springs › Coil springs
Dt*: the contact stated while putting air in the front driver side tire, it was noticed, the front coil springs had broken and punctured the tire. although the manufacturer was alerted, no appointment for inspection was made. updated 5/2/2006 - *nm
- Power train › Automatic transmission
Recently purchased this car(2000 lincoln continental) used, me and a friend decided to go to the beach, on the way, on the highway at about 45-65 mph while the accelerator was constant the gear shifting became sporadic/shuddering between the gears, almost every single time after the shudder stopped…
Recently purchased this car(2000 lincoln continental) used, me and a friend decided to go to the beach, on the way, on the highway at about 45-65 mph while the accelerator was constant the gear shifting became sporadic/shuddering between the gears, almost every single time after the shudder stopped the rpm on the tachometer would significantly drop and speed would significantly drop as well and even when applying full acceleration to the pedal the car acted as if it were in neutral but the engine was not revving up either, if this happened while trying to switch lanes on the highway in traffic with a significant drop in speed and control over the speed of the vehicle an accident could have occurred. Several service bulletins on the nhtsa web site indicate this similar defects in the transmission for this vehicle. *Jb
Defect investigations
NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened these reviews into vehicles including this one.
- Inadvertent side air bag deployment
On april 9, 2003, odi received from ford an owner letter and dealer notice, both dated march 2003.the owner letter states that ford will conduct a product improvement campaign of certain my 1999-2000 lincoln continental vehicles equipped with side air bags (all my 1999 vehicles and my 2000 vehicles manufactured prior…
On april 9, 2003, odi received from ford an owner letter and dealer notice, both dated march 2003.the owner letter states that ford will conduct a product improvement campaign of certain my 1999-2000 lincoln continental vehicles equipped with side air bags (all my 1999 vehicles and my 2000 vehicles manufactured prior to 3/1/00; total of approximately 42,000 vehicles).the letter states that the side air bags in these vehicles can deploy in certain types of underbody impacts from pieces of gravel or debris.the letter states that owners who operate their vehicles in such driving conditions should take their vehicles to a dealer to have recalibrated crash sensors installed at no cost.the recalibrated sensor reduces the possibility of inadvertent side air bag deployment.see nhtsa's safety improvement campaign no. 03V-144 for more information.the action taken by ford appears sufficient to resolve the issues raised by this investigation.accordingly, this investigation IS closed.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by nhtsa that no safety-related defect exists.the agency will take further action if warranted by the circumstances.
- Inadvertent side air bag deployment
There is no summary currently available
Service bulletins
Technical service bulletins and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about this vehicle. Ask a dealer for the full document by its number.
- 10018745Wds cop kit diagnostic tip - coil on plug (cop) ignition systems - engine misfire or rough running.
- 10014138Safety belt retraction speed.
- 10014086General (pcm) power train control module programming procedures.
- 10014062Rear window defroster grid/integral antenna diagnosis and repair - terminal tab repair.
- 10013369General power train control module (pcm) programming procedures.
- 10013116Malfunction indicator lamp (mil) illuminated - system lean diagnostic trouble codes (dtc's) - service tips. Various models including 2004 f-series.
- 10013060Climate control a/c service tech tips.
- 10011162Engine misfire or running - coil on plug (cop) ignition systems - wds cop kit diagnostic tips. To include various 2005 models. * ar this article 04161 supersedes tsb 03-14-04.
- 10011159Rear window defroster grid/integral antenna diagnosis and repair - terminal tab repair.
- 10009321Inoperative electric rear window defroster (heated backlite) grid lines, integral antenna concerns.
- 10008580Lamp-brake-invadvertent disabling of brake shift interlock.
- 10008314Erratic operation of the cool/warm function of the temperature control system - repair procedure for stratification (secondary) temperature blend door.
- 10008272Malfunction indicator lamp (mil) on with multiple diagnostic trouble codes (dtcs).
- 10008183Groan/buzz/vibration when the gear selector IS in park with the vehicle parked on an incline. This bulletin updates previous bulletin 17358, dated 11/01/2003 to include 2005 models.
- 10004886Malfunction indicator lamp illuminated with diagnostic trouble codes (dtcs) p0442, p0455, p0456, p0457 or p1442 or a check fuel cap lamp illuminated with dtc p0457 for the evaporative emission system.
- 10004027Remote keyless entry (rke) - service tips.
- 10003748New transmission cooler flusher - service tips. 2003 escort and super duty f series included.
- 10003744Engine misfire or rough running condition with coil on plug (cop) ignition systems may be more accurately diagnosed using the optional worldwide diagnostic system (wds) coil on plug (cop) kit. 2003 super duty f series included.
- 10003184Rattling or clunking noise from the front suspension under normal driving conditions.
- 10002780Malfunction indicator lamp (mil) illumination with diagnostic trouble codes p0442, p0455, p0456, p0457, p1442 or check fuel cap lamp illuminated with diagnostic trouble code p0457.
- 10002684Torque converter clutch not engaging when commanded and/or diagnostic trouble codes p0741 or p1744 stored in memory. Models from 1996 to 2003.
- 10001950Rattling or clunking noise from the front suspension under normal driving conditions.
- 10001348Optional product improvement program - side air bag crash sensor replacement.
- 6092160Information regarding a/c peanut o-ring color.
- 6092077Some vehicles' electronic automatic temperature control may display an outside temperature value lower than the actual outside temperature when operated under certain weather and low-medium driving speeds.
- 6090834Information on using peanut style a/c fittings.
- 6090695Concerns with the electronic automatic temperature control (eatc) may display an outside temperature value lower than the actual outside temperature when operated under certain weather and low medium driving speeds.
- 6090260Information on the redesigned park system in vehicles with AX4S transaxles.
- 6090184Information on replacing and / or repairing malfunctioning (door, ignition and decklid) locks.
- 6090131Information on diagnosing a vehicle with malfunction indicator lamp illuminated and diagnostic trouble codes p0442 and p0455 stored in continuous memory.
- 6090087Information on identifying non-approved / alternate refrigerants which could cause safety, and performance concerns if installed in ford a/c systems.
- 6090082Information for servicing and diagnosing brake vibration, brake inspection, and brake friction material replacement.
- 6089681Subject on a wire harness terminal repair kit available for repairing electrical wiring harnesses.
- 6089641This bulletin mentions that some vehicles with an AX4S or AX4N transaxles have a new redesigned park system in the transaxle.
- 637765Some vehicles equipped with the electronic automatic temperature control (eatc) will not cycle the ai conditioner compressor when the floor mode IS selected.
- 637556Some vehicles equipped with an ax4n/4f50n transaxle may exhibit a shudder during a 3-4 shift.
- 636065Information regarding discharged battery charging service tips and guidelines.
- 635992Hesitation, buck or surge during a steady state operation at 40-60 mph (64-96 km/h).
- 630515Engine oil system priming procedures, service tips for reports of premature engine failure.
- 630356Some vehicles may exhibit a park pullout clunk noise when shifting from park to another gear position.
Every Lincoln Continental model year
Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.