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 where on file — then open the year you're shopping for its AI reliability outlook where NHTSA has enough data.
Lincoln Continental problems by model year
30 recall entries and 591 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 | Recalls & complaints → |
| 2019 Continental | 3 | 32 | 5.0 | AI reliability outlook → |
| 2018 Continental | 2 | 21 | 5.0 | AI reliability outlook → |
| 2017 Continental | 4 | 75 | 5.0 | AI reliability outlook → |
| 2002 Continental | 1 | 33 | No overall rating on file | AI reliability outlook → |
| 2001 Continental | 2 | 32 | No overall rating on file | AI reliability outlook → |
| 2000 Continental | 4 | 63 | No overall rating on file | AI reliability outlook → |
| 1999 Continental | 3 | 42 | No overall rating on file | AI reliability outlook → |
| 1998 Continental | 2 | 72 | No overall rating on file | AI reliability outlook → |
| 1997 Continental | 2 | 96 | No overall rating on file | AI reliability outlook → |
| 1996 Continental | 3 | 48 | No overall rating on file | AI reliability outlook → |
| 1995 Continental | 2 | 70 | No overall rating on file | AI reliability outlook → |
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 system64 complaints
- visibility52 complaints
- engine and engine cooling52 complaints
- power train48 complaints
- structure46 complaints
- unknown or other45 complaints
- steering40 complaints