1990 Lincoln Town Car: recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns for the 1990 Lincoln Town Car. The newest campaign is 98V322000. NHTSA received the report on 16 Dec 1998. The NHTSA record gives the component Suspension / Front / Control Arm / Lower Ball Joint. NHTSA has 209 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, 98V322000, in the NHTSA record

Dealers will replace the lower control arm ball joints (2).

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. 318,116 units in total.

98V32200016 Dec 1998Suspension / Front / Control Arm / Lower Ball Joint
95V09100016 May 1995Latches/Locks/Linkages / Hood / Latch
90V13400027 Jul 1990Equipment / Other / Labels
90V13300027 Jul 1990Equipment / Other / Labels

98V322000Received 16 Dec 1998. 175,000 units.
Suspension / Front / Control Arm / Lower Ball Joint
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Vehicle description: certain 1996-1999 ford crown victoria police, fleet, natural gas, and 1996-1999 lincoln town car limousine vehicles that were produced with a lower control arm ball joint containing a one piece bearing; and 1990-1996 ford crown victoria police, fleet, and ngv vehicles and 1990-1996 lincoln town car limousine vehicles that have been serviced with either a ball joint containing the one-piece bearing or a front lower control arm containing a ball joint with a one-piece bearing. The one-piece bearing within the lower control arm ball joint can weaken slowly during use and eventually crack. This could result in separation of the ball and cap of the joint, allowing the control arm to drop to the ground.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
If this occurs while the vehicle is moving, reduced steering control could occur, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will replace the lower control arm ball joints (2).
Report filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY. Manufacturer campaign number 98S37. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 18 Jan 1999.
95V091000Received 16 May 1995. 142,800 units.
Latches/Locks/Linkages / Hood / Latch
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Corrosion of the hood latch striker plate causes detachment of the plate from the hood assembly resulting in an unexpected opening of the hood while the vehicle is being driven.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
This condition can reduce the driver's view of the road increasing the potential of a vehicle accident.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will install a new hood inner panel reinforcement and a new, galvanized hood latch striker plate.
Report filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 11 Aug 1995.
90V134000Received 27 Jul 1990. 158 units.
Equipment / Other / Labels
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Gross vehicle weight ratings and tire information may be incorrect on labels.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Vehicles would not comply with 49 cfr part 567.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Install revised certification labels.
Report filed by LIMOUSINE WERKS, INC.. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 5 Dec 1990.
90V133000Received 27 Jul 1990. 158 units.
Equipment / Other / Labels
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Tire placard may contain incorrect gross vehicle weight ratings and tire information.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Limousines would not comply with FMVSS 110 and consumermight unknowingly overload the vehicle because of placard misinformation.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Install revised tire placards.
Report filed by LIMOUSINE WERKS, INC.. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 5 Dec 1990.

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

209 complaints, 267 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.

1990 Lincoln Town Car
All 1990 vehicles

1990 Lincoln Town Car: complaints by component, per 1,000 component mentions
Component	1990 Town Car	All 1990 vehicles	Town Car, all years	Mentions
Electrical System	277.2	99	128.9	74
Engine and Engine Cooling	119.9	104.4	109	32
Latches/Locks/Linkages	82.4	23.8	19.2	22
Service Brakes, Hydraulic	74.9	159.4	100	20
Vehicle Speed Control	59.9	43.8	108.3	16
Visibility	56.2	32.8	40	15
Structure	48.7	65	38.6	13
Air Bags	44.9	27.3	76	12
Steering	44.9	39.9	55.4	12
Unknown or Other	41.2	14.4	20.8	11

The table shows the 10 components with the most mentions, of 20.

Complaints that report a crash: 22
Complaints that report a fire: 64
Injuries in the complaints: 14
Deaths in the complaints: 0
Date of the newest complaint: 22 Feb 2006

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 1990 Lincoln Town Car, by the year NHTSA received them. The largest year is 1996, with 48 complaints.

Investigations

NHTSA investigations that name the 1990 Lincoln Town Car
Number	Type	Subject	Component	Opened	Closed	Campaign
EA91021	Engineering analysis	HOOD LATCH FAILURE	Structure	29 Mar 1991	16 Mar 1992	91V147000
PE91018	Preliminary evaluation	HOOD LATCH FAILURE	Structure	27 Nov 1990	29 Mar 1991

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 1990 Lincoln Town CarThe recalls, the complaints and the investigations that NHTSA shows for this model year.

Cite this page

Recall Register. 1990 Lincoln Town Car: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/lincoln/town-car/1990/. 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 1990 Lincoln Town Car?: 318,116 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 Town Car have for all model years?: NHTSA lists 47 recall campaigns for the Lincoln Town Car, model years 1977 to 2011. 4 of them name the 1990 model year.
Which component do the complaints about the 1990 Lincoln Town Car name most often?: Electrical System: 74 of 267 component mentions, or 277.2 per 1,000. For all 1990 vehicles the figure is 99 per 1,000.
Is an NHTSA investigation of the 1990 Lincoln Town Car open?: No. Each of the 2 investigations that name this model year has a closing date in the NHTSA file.