1989 Lincoln Continental: recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns for the 1989 Lincoln Continental. The newest campaign is 98V323000. NHTSA received the report on 16 Dec 1998. The NHTSA record gives the component Structure / Frame and Members. NHTSA has 158 complaints on file for this model year. 8 NHTSA investigations name this model year.

The NHTSA recall file shows no do-not-drive advisory and no park-outside advisory on these campaigns.

This page cannot show if a recall applies to one vehicle. The NHTSA VIN lookup shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle.

Remedy of the newest campaign, 98V323000, in the NHTSA record

Dealers will install subframe rear mount bolts, reinforcement plates, and plate nuts.

NHTSA VIN lookup

Complaint information entered into NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation vehicle owner's complaint database is used with other data sources to identify safety issues that warrant investigation and to determine if a safety-related defect trend exists.
NHTSA publishes these words. Source: NHTSA Datasets and APIs, section Complaints, read on 1 Oct 2026. Complaint file through 30 Sep 2026. Recall file through 30 Sep 2026.

Since the last update

No tracked figure of this page changed in a data update. What the log tracks

All updates to the register

Recall campaigns

4 campaigns, newest first. 3,086,150 units in total.

98V32300016 Dec 1998Structure / Frame and Members
97V1740007 Oct 1997Seat Belts / Front / Buckle Assembly
91V1340006 Aug 1991Service Brakes, Hydraulic / Foundation Components / Disc / Rotor
89V04800027 Mar 1989Seat Belts / Front / Retractor

98V323000Received 16 Dec 1998. 2,697,000 units.
Structure / Frame and Members
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles originally sold or currently registered in connecticut, delaware, district of columbia, illinois, indiana, iowa, kansas, kentucky, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, nebraska, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, virginia, west virgnia, and wisconsin. The rear lower subframe mount plate nut can experience stress corrosion cracking if subjected to long term exposure to road salts. This can result in fracture and loss of the structural integrity of the subframe mount attachment. Detachment of the body mounts at the rear corners of the subframe, which supports the engine and transmission, allows the rear corners of the subframe to drop.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
If both rear corners drop, steering would become suddenly very difficult, affecting vehicle control and increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will install subframe rear mount bolts, reinforcement plates, and plate nuts.
Report filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY. Manufacturer campaign number 98S36. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 18 Jan 1999.
97V174000Received 7 Oct 1997. 63,400 units.
Seat Belts / Front / Buckle Assembly
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The front outboard seating position seat belt buckles may not latch or unlatch.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
These conditions could reduce seat belt usage increasing the risk of personal injury in the event of a vehicle crash.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will replace the front outboard seat belt buckle assemblies.
Report filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 15 Apr 1998.
91V134000Received 6 Aug 1991. 325,000 units.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic / Foundation Components / Disc / Rotor
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Front disc brake rotors of the subject vehicles may experience severe corrosion if operated in areas where calcium chloride and sodium chloride are used extensively.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Severely corroded rotors may fracture or separate nearthe inner edges of the brake discs resulting in reduced braking effectiveness,higher than normal pedal efforts, loud grinding noises, and moderate pulls whenthe brakes are applied. Reduced braking effectiveness may increase minimumstopping distances, possibly resulting in an accident.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Replace front brake rotors with full cast front brake rotors.
Report filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 26 Sep 1991.
89V048000Received 27 Mar 1989. 750 units.
Seat Belts / Front / Retractor
Defect, in the NHTSA record
The left side, rear seat belt retractor assembly may be improperly secured and could pull free of its mounting location.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Occupant, though still restrained by the lap portion ofthe belt, would not have upper body protection.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Reinstall the retractor attachment bolt.
Report filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 12 Apr 1989.

The campaign number opens the NHTSA record. Each quotation is the text of the NHTSA recall file.

Recall campaign: One recall in the NHTSA recall file, with one campaign number. A campaign can name many makes, models and model years.

Units: The number of vehicles or products that a recall can include. The manufacturer or the firm reports the number to the agency.

Complaints by component

158 complaints, 255 component mentions.

A complaint can name more than one component. Each component that a complaint names is one component mention. The figure per 1,000 component mentions shows how many of each 1,000 mentions name the component.

1989 Lincoln Continental
All 1989 vehicles

1989 Lincoln Continental: complaints by component, per 1,000 component mentions
Component	1989 Continental	All 1989 vehicles	Continental, all years	Mentions
Seat Belts	172.5	121.1	40.9	44
Electrical System	129.4	139.7	101.2	33
Engine and Engine Cooling	121.6	127.3	175.1	31
Service Brakes, Hydraulic	113.7	115.1	80.5	29
Suspension	102	25.3	112.5	26
Steering	86.3	42.4	59.1	22
Power Train	58.8	73.8	69.6	15
Vehicle Speed Control	43.1	55.3	42.8	11
Structure	43.1	53.9	60.3	11
Equipment	27.5	16.5	33.5	7

The table shows the 10 components with the most mentions, of 19.

Complaints that report a crash: 5
Complaints that report a fire: 19
Injuries in the complaints: 11
Deaths in the complaints: 1
Date of the newest complaint: 15 Apr 2008

These figures are the entries of the persons who sent the complaints.

Complaint: A report about a possible safety problem that a person sends to NHTSA. This site shows the number of complaints and not their text.

Complaints about the 1989 Lincoln Continental, by the year NHTSA received them. The largest year is 1996, with 42 complaints.

Investigations

NHTSA investigations that name the 1989 Lincoln Continental
Number	Type	Subject	Component	Opened	Closed	Campaign
EA95033	Engineering analysis	FAULTY SEAT BELT BUCKLES	Seat Belts	31 Oct 1995	22 Oct 1997	97V174000
DP95004	Defect petition	ALLEGED DEFECTIVE TIE RODS	Unknown or Other	8 Aug 1995	30 Aug 1995
EA94008	Engineering analysis	BROKEN TIE RODS	Steering	16 Feb 1994	27 Feb 1995
PE93058	Preliminary evaluation	BROKEN TIE RODS	Steering	15 Jun 1993	16 Feb 1994
EA92040	Engineering analysis	SUB-FRM/UNIBODY ABSOR.FAIL	Structure	30 Nov 1992	30 Jun 1993	93V106001
PE92056	Preliminary evaluation	SUB-FRM/UNIBODY ABSOR.FAIL	Structure	1 Jul 1992	30 Nov 1992
PE92014	Preliminary evaluation	ENGINE MOUNT FAILURE	Engine and Engine Cooling	4 Feb 1992	25 Jun 1992
PE89026	Preliminary evaluation	AIR SUSPENSION FAILURE	Suspension	20 Dec 1988	12 Apr 1989

Investigation: A study of a possible safety defect by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation with no closing date in the NHTSA file is open.

Other model years

The number under each year is the number of recall campaigns.

A year without a link has fewer than 2 campaigns and fewer than 25 complaints. It has no page.

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Official channels

NHTSA VIN lookupNHTSA shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle from its VIN or its license plate.
NHTSA: report a safety problemThe NHTSA form for a complaint about a vehicle, a tire, a child seat or equipment.
NHTSA page of the 1989 Lincoln ContinentalThe recalls, the complaints and the investigations that NHTSA shows for this model year.

Cite this page

Recall Register. 1989 Lincoln Continental: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/lincoln/continental/1989/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through 30 Sep 2026.

Sources

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Licence: US government work, public domain
Recall file through: 30 Sep 2026
Complaint file through: 30 Sep 2026
First complaint in the file: 1 Jan 1995
Manufacturer in the recall file: FORD MOTOR COMPANY

The NHTSA record is the authority. A complaint count is the number of different complaint numbers for the make, the model and the model year. How the register is made. Report an error.

Questions

How many units are in the recall campaigns for the 1989 Lincoln Continental?: 3,086,150 units in 4 campaigns. A campaign can name other models and model years, and its units include them.
How many recall campaigns does the Lincoln Continental have for all model years?: NHTSA lists 46 recall campaigns for the Lincoln Continental, model years 1969 to 2020. 4 of them name the 1989 model year.
Which component do the complaints about the 1989 Lincoln Continental name most often?: Seat Belts: 44 of 255 component mentions, or 172.5 per 1,000. For all 1989 vehicles the figure is 121.1 per 1,000.
Is an NHTSA investigation of the 1989 Lincoln Continental open?: No. Each of the 8 investigations that name this model year has a closing date in the NHTSA file.