Reliability & cost of ownership
Lincoln Continental Reliability & Common Problems
How reliable is the Lincoln Continental? Compare every model year side by side — NHTSA recalls, owner complaints, and crash-test stars — then open the year you're shopping for a full reliability and repair-cost forecast.
Lincoln Continental problems by model year
30 recall entries and 582 owner complaints on file across 12 model years, sourced from the federal NHTSA database.
| Year | Recalls | Complaints | NCAP stars | Full report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 Continental | 2 | 7 | 5.0 | Reliability forecast → |
| 2019 Continental | 3 | 30 | 5.0 | Reliability forecast → |
| 2018 Continental | 2 | 16 | 5.0 | Reliability forecast → |
| 2017 Continental | 4 | 73 | 5.0 | Reliability forecast → |
| 2002 Continental | 1 | 33 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2001 Continental | 2 | 32 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2000 Continental | 4 | 63 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 1999 Continental | 3 | 42 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 1998 Continental | 2 | 72 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 1997 Continental | 2 | 96 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 1996 Continental | 3 | 48 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 1995 Continental | 2 | 70 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
Most-complained-about components
Owner complaints filed with NHTSA against the Lincoln Continental, grouped by the component each complaint names — the fastest read on where this model gives trouble.
- suspension74 complaints
- electrical system61 complaints
- visibility52 complaints
- engine and engine cooling51 complaints
- power train47 complaints
- unknown or other44 complaints
- structure43 complaints
- steering40 complaints