10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
69,375 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2002 Lincoln Continental engine problems

engine problem

Find something helpful? Spread the word.
Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2002 Lincoln Continental:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

2002 Lincoln Continental Owner Comments

problem #4

Feb 122016

Continental

  • 75,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The vehicle was being driven at approximately 40 mph, was being accelerated to enter a highway. Due to traffic, there was a let off on the accelerator pedal to allow another driver to merge, and the vehicle did not respond, instead it continued to accelerate without having any driver input. Brakes were applied, and the vehicle remained at near full power, and the driver had to apply breaks hard to slow, and pull off highway. Attempts to shift the vehicle into neutral resulted in the transmission wanting to go into reverse instead of neutral. Once off the road, the engine was shut down. When restarted, it was still stuck at wide open throttle. Several attempts to unstick failed. After it remained off a short time, and the accelerator pedal operated, it returned to normal. A short time later while testing in the parking lot, the problem recurred. Further investigation leads me to believe it may be related to the cruise control, as the issue appeared to be electronic in nature, as the operation of the throttle cable with the vehicle off showed no evidence of any sort of stickiness or unusual resistance. Cruise control unit was unplugged, and the vehicle tested. The problem did not recur at this time. I drove it home later that night in light traffic. The vehicle will be taken to a shop to evaluate damage caused when trying to shift into neutral to avoid accident, and see if a root cause can be determined. As there are several other similar incidents of this type I beleive it may be a manufacturers defect. This is a low mileage vehicle with approximately 75,000 miles. This is an extremely dangerous condition that should be thoroughly investigated and a recall issued, regardless of age, as this could cause additional injuries or fatalities.

- Windcrest, TX, USA

problem #3

Jul 252012

Continental

  • 110,000 miles
The contact owns a 2002 Lincoln Continental. The contact stated that while driving 40 mph, the vehicle accelerated independently and without warning. The contact attempted to decelerate however, the vehicle would not respond. The contact then crashed into a wall and sustained injuries to her knee and back. There was a police report filed for the incident. The vehicle was towed to a dealer for inspection where they stated that they could not determine the cause of failure. The vehicle was not destroyed but the air bag warning light illuminated a few days after the crash. The manufacturer was notified and stated that there were no recalls for the vehicle. The failure mileage was 110,000.

- Brooklyn, NY, USA

problem #2

Jul 312011

Continental 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 66,000 miles
The contact owns a 2002 Lincoln Continental. The contact was driving approximately 65 mph when the accelerator pedal abruptly traveled to the floorboard upon engaging and remained in a stuck position. There were numerous attempts to release the accelerator pedal which failed. The vehicle would not stop when pressure was applied to the brakes. Once the gear selector was shifted into neutral, the speed began to reduce. The vehicle was maneuvered to the side of the road and the engine was turned off. The contact was able to release the stuck accelerator pedal and resumed normally for a brief moment and the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnosis. The technician was unable to locate the problem. The manufacturer was not made aware of the unintended acceleration. The failure mileage was 66,000. Updated 08/31/11 the consumer was informed the throttle body cable was no longer being manufactured. Updated 09/09/11

- Fotr Wayne , IN, USA

problem #1

Aug 052003

Continental 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 26,500 miles
During bright day light hours speedometer needle is almost impossible to see due to the color of the needle and the dial's background. The needle is dull red, and the background is black. The brightness of the sun makes the needle fade away. The panel and needles function properly on days it's not so bright. The consumer had the dealer paint the dial needle white but that did not fix the problem due to the tinted plastic cover. The manufacturer was notified.

- Colleyville, TX, USA

Not what you are looking for?