1988 Lincoln Town Car: recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns for the 1988 Lincoln Town Car. The newest campaign is 96V071000. NHTSA received the report on 25 Apr 1996. The NHTSA record gives the component Electrical System / Ignition. NHTSA has 99 complaints on file for this model year. 2 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, 96V071000, in the NHTSA record

Dealers will replace the ignition switch.

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

5 campaigns, newest first. 11,511,886 units in total.

96V07100025 Apr 1996Electrical System / Ignition
90V0930009 May 1990Equipment / Other / Labels
90V0500006 Mar 1990Seat Belts / Front / Anchorage
87V1390004 Sep 1987Fuel System, Gasoline / Delivery / Hoses, Lines/Piping, and Fittings
87V13100017 Aug 1987Fuel System, Gasoline / Fuel Injection System

96V071000Received 25 Apr 1996. 7,900,000 units.
Electrical System / Ignition
Defect, in the NHTSA record
The ignition switch could experience an internal short circuit.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
This condition could cause overheating, smoke, and possibly fire in the steering column area of the vehicle.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will replace the ignition switch.
Report filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 7 Jun 1996.
90V093000Received 9 May 1990. 544 units.
Equipment / Other / Labels
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Vehicle description: limousines built by empire coach. Vehicle alterers label may be missing or incomplete.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Vehicles do not comply with part 567.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Add compliance label.
Report filed by EMPIRE COACH COMPANY. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 4 Jun 1991.
90V050000Received 6 Mar 1990. 223 units.
Seat Belts / Front / Anchorage
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Safety belts (type 1 lap belts) for rear facing seats were not installed.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Lack of restraints could contribute to otherwise preventable injury and would not comply with FMVSS 209 and 210.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Install safety belts for rear facing seats.
Report filed by ROYALE LIMOUSINE MFRS.. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 22 Feb 1991.
87V139000Received 4 Sep 1987. 3,600,000 units.
Fuel System, Gasoline / Delivery / Hoses, Lines/Piping, and Fittings
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Spring lock fuel line coupling may not be properly engaged.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Coupling could disengage due to fuel pressure,vibration, and engine movements; this would cause loss of fuel which, inpresence of an ignition source, creates a fire risk.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Install retainer clips over the couplings to prevent coupling separation and fuel leakage.
Report filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 12 Oct 1987.
87V131000Received 17 Aug 1987. 11,119 units.
Fuel System, Gasoline / Fuel Injection System
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Fuel rails may be bent so that no. 5 injector cups are out of design position.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Bent fuel rail could cause a fuel leak, which inpresence of an ignition source could result in an engine fire.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Replace fuel rail assemblies as necessary.
Report filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY.

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

99 complaints, 123 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.

1988 Lincoln Town Car
All 1988 vehicles

1988 Lincoln Town Car: complaints by component, per 1,000 component mentions
Component	1988 Town Car	All 1988 vehicles	Town Car, all years	Mentions
Electrical System	365.9	158.7	128.9	45
Vehicle Speed Control	138.2	46.2	108.3	17
Power Train	81.3	64.7	41.3	10
Engine and Engine Cooling	65	118.1	109	8
Seat Belts	65	117.9	28.6	8
Fuel System, Gasoline	56.9	67.1	25.2	7
Tires	40.7	32.1	18.5	5
Structure	32.5	51.8	38.6	4
Visibility	24.4	32.4	40	3
Service Brakes, Hydraulic	24.4	96.1	100	3

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

Complaints that report a crash: 8
Complaints that report a fire: 31
Injuries in the complaints: 10
Deaths in the complaints: 3
Date of the newest complaint: 23 Jul 2017

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 1988 Lincoln Town Car, by the year NHTSA received them. The largest year is 1996, with 41 complaints.

Investigations

NHTSA investigations that name the 1988 Lincoln Town Car
Number	Type	Subject	Component	Opened	Closed	Campaign
DP99004	Defect petition	SUDDEN ACCELERATION	Power Train	29 Jul 1999	6 Apr 2000
PE89100	Preliminary evaluation	FUEL FILLER PIPE SPURTING	Vehicle Speed Control / Linkages	14 Mar 1989	12 Jul 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 1988 Lincoln Town CarThe recalls, the complaints and the investigations that NHTSA shows for this model year.

Cite this page

Recall Register. 1988 Lincoln Town Car: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/lincoln/town-car/1988/. 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 1988 Lincoln Town Car?: 11,511,886 units in 5 campaigns. A campaign can name other models and model years, and its units include them.
How many recall campaigns does the Lincoln Town Car have for all model years?: NHTSA lists 47 recall campaigns for the Lincoln Town Car, model years 1977 to 2011. 5 of them name the 1988 model year.
Which component do the complaints about the 1988 Lincoln Town Car name most often?: Electrical System: 45 of 123 component mentions, or 365.9 per 1,000. For all 1988 vehicles the figure is 158.7 per 1,000.
Is an NHTSA investigation of the 1988 Lincoln Town Car open?: No. Each of the 2 investigations that name this model year has a closing date in the NHTSA file.