The 1983 Lincoln Continental has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 134,162 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 2 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the power train. Last updated July 5, 2026.
THE PARKING GEAR MAY NOT ENGAGE, EVEN THOUGH THE GEAR SHIFT LEVER IS PLACED IN THE "PARK" POSITION. THIS OCCURS IF THE LINKAGE INSIDE THE TRANSMISSION THAT ACTUATES THE PARK GEAR WAS IMPROPERLY MANUFACTURED. A PIN THAT RETAINS COMPONENTS ON A LINKAGE (ACTUATING) ROD COULD BREAK AND THE LINKAGE MAY NOT ENGAGE THE…
DEALER WILL INSPECT AND, IF NECESSARY, REPLACE THE PARKING PAWL ACTUATING ROD ASSEMBLY.
THE SHIFT INDICATOR MAY NOT ACCURATELY REFLECT THE SHIFT SELECTOR POSITION. SOME VEHICLES WERE PRODUCED WITH TRANSMISSION CONTROL SELECTOR TUBE RETAINING CLIPS THAT MAY NOT BE HARD ENOUGH. THE CLIP MAY LOOSEN OR FALL OFF, AND THE SELECTOR TUBE MAY BECOME DISPLACED.
THE DEALER WILL REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION CONTROL SELECTOR TUBE RETAINING CLIP AT NO CHARGE TO OWNER.
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“Tl*the contact owns a 1983 lincoln continental. The contact stated that the gear shift indicator does not accurately reflect the shift selector position. He took the vehicle to a local repair facility and a mechanic stated that the transmission control selector tube retaining clip needed to be…”
“School buses need seat belts.”
SUMMARY:THE SPRING UNDER INVESTIGATION CAUSES THE LATCHING PAWL TOENGAGE THE TEETH OF THE RATCHET WHEREBY THE PARKING BRAKE IS RETAINEDIN THE APPLIED POSITION.IF THE SPRING FAILS, THE PEDAL FOLLOWS THEOPERATORS FOOT BACK UP INTO THE RELEASED POSITION.FORD STATES THAT IT ISSUED THE BULLETIN IN ORDER TO INFORM…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1983 Lincoln Continental as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.