1989 Lincoln Town Car Recalls

Recalls on record Updated July 2026

The 1989 Lincoln Town Car has 5 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 7,901,083 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 97 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the electrical system. Last updated July 5, 2026.

Recall campaigns

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 96V071000 1996-04-25 7,900,000 affected
Defect

THE IGNITION SWITCH COULD EXPERIENCE AN INTERNAL SHORT CIRCUIT.

Consequence

THIS CONDITION COULD CAUSE OVERHEATING, SMOKE, AND POSSIBLY FIRE IN THE STEERING COLUMN AREA OF THE VEHICLE.

Remedy

DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE IGNITION SWITCH.

EQUIPMENT 90V134000 1990-07-27 158 affected
Defect

GROSS VEHICLE WEIGHT RATINGS AND TIRE INFORMATION MAY BE INCORRECT ON LABELS.

Consequence

VEHICLES WOULD NOT COMPLY WITH 49 CFR PART 567.

Remedy

INSTALL REVISED CERTIFICATION LABELS.

EQUIPMENT 90V133000 1990-07-27 158 affected
Defect

TIRE PLACARD MAY CONTAIN INCORRECT GROSS VEHICLE WEIGHT RATINGS AND TIRE INFORMATION.

Consequence

LIMOUSINES WOULD NOT COMPLY WITH FMVSS 110 AND CONSUMERMIGHT UNKNOWINGLY OVERLOAD THE VEHICLE BECAUSE OF PLACARD MISINFORMATION.

Remedy

INSTALL REVISED TIRE PLACARDS.

EQUIPMENT 90V093000 1990-05-09 544 affected
Defect

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: LIMOUSINES BUILT BY EMPIRE COACH. VEHICLE ALTERERS LABEL MAY BE MISSING OR INCOMPLETE.

Consequence

VEHICLES DO NOT COMPLY WITH PART 567.

Remedy

ADD COMPLIANCE LABEL.

SEAT BELTS 90V050000 1990-03-06 223 affected
Defect

SAFETY BELTS (TYPE 1 LAP BELTS) FOR REAR FACING SEATS WERE NOT INSTALLED.

Consequence

LACK OF RESTRAINTS COULD CONTRIBUTE TO OTHERWISE PREVENTABLE INJURY AND WOULD NOT COMPLY WITH FMVSS 209 AND 210.

Remedy

INSTALL SAFETY BELTS FOR REAR FACING SEATS.

Complaints by component

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH
21
15fires1injuries
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
12
3crashes2injuries
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
11
1crashes3fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR
4
4fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:INTERIOR/UNDER DASH
4
4fires
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
4
4fires
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY
4
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR
4
2crashes3injuries
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
3
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING
2
2fires
Total complaints97

What owners report

Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.

“Letter on behalf of concern about the 1996 recall on lincoln town cars, his brother-in-law is having electrical problem with the ignition switch on his 1989 lincoln town car; send incoming ltr with reply to attn: allison jackson/foley *tgw the consumer stated the key did not operate properly. The…”

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION · reported 2011-07-01

“Tl*the contact owns a 1998 lincoln town car. While driving approximately 65 mph, the contact stated that the screw inside the reflective cone of the bulb was loose which caused the bulb to shatter and fail. The vehicle was taken to the dealership where the dealer attempted to sell the contact a…”

EXTERIOR LIGHTING · reported 2010-03-31

“While driving 35 mph rear suspension failed. As a result, the rear end dropped at least one foot to the ground. *ak”

SUSPENSION:REAR · reported 2004-06-05

“While driving the plastic cap on the transmission cable that connected to the throttle body broke. This mad it hard for the consumer to shift the transmission gears. Dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem.*ak the transmission was damaged due to the plastic clip breaking. The…”

POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION · reported 2004-04-29

“After parking the vehicle and turning off the ignition, the consumer heard a popping sound. A few seconds passed and the consumer saw thick black smoke and a fire coming from the engine compartment. The fire was extinguished and the vehicle was taken to the dealer. The dealer informed the consumer…”

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING · reported 2003-10-13

“Vehicle hit a 8-10 inch high concrete divider, passenger hit head on windshield. Seatbelt did not restrain her, she suffered head lacerations/ neck and back injuries. Driver was not wearing seatbelt due to medical reason, hit head on windshield. Damage to vehicle unknown.*ak jg”

SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR · reported 2002-06-13

“While making a turn at 10 mph consumer ran through a medium and seat belts never locked in place, passenger almost went through the windshield.*ak *jg”

SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR · reported 2002-06-13

“Consumer states that after he heard a loud sound and saw a smoke, fire shot out from the rear of the vehicle, fire department are suggesting that the tail shift malfunction which caused fire (ohio traffic police report# 10-91-158). *yd”

POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT · reported 2002-03-22
Sources & methodology

Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1989 Lincoln Town Car as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.