2002 Lincoln Continental problems & reliability
33 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2002 Lincoln Continental. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
1 complaint report injuries (1 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2002 Lincoln Continental vehicles were involved in 8 fatal crashes with 5 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Vehicle Speed Control | 6 | 18% |
| Suspension | 5 | 15% |
| Unknown OR Other | 5 | 15% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 4 | 12% |
| Equipment | 4 | 12% |
| Seat Belts | 3 | 9% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 3 | 9% |
| Air Bags | 2 | 6% |
| Power Train | 2 | 6% |
| Wheels | 2 | 6% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 17 reported components →Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Oil pressure switch light came on changed oil pressure switch but light still flickers on happens when car is idleing at stop lights on city street”
Engine · filed Mar 24, 2017
“Seat belts in rear are all locking up and will not allow for passengers in back to be buckled properly”
Seat Belts · filed Aug 4, 2016
“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…”
Vehicle Speed Control · filed Feb 15, 2016
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
38 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2002 Lincoln Continental. The 10 most recent:
Wds cop kit diagnostic tip - coil on plug (cop) ignition systems - engine misfire or rough running. *tt
041601 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 14, 2005
Safety belt retraction speed. *tt
042421 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 7, 2005
Am fm and cellular phone reception interference . *eh
18426 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 1, 2005
Am/fm and cellular phone reception interference - service tip. *tt
18383 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 1, 2005
General (pcm) power train control module programming procedures. *tt
042107 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 13, 2004
Rear window defroster grid/integral antenna diagnosis and repair - terminal tab repair. *tt
04189 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 13, 2004
General power train control module (pcm) programming procedures. *tt
04217 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 1, 2004
Engine misfire or running - coil on plug (cop) ignition systems - wds cop kit diagnostic tips. To include various 2005 models. * ar this article 04161 supersedes tsb 03-14-04.
031404 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 23, 2004
Rear window defroster grid/integral antenna diagnosis and repair - terminal tab repair. *tt
041514 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 9, 2004
Groan/buzz/vibration when the gear selector is in park with the vehicle parked on an incline. *tt this bulletin updates previous bulletin 17358, dated 11/01/2003 to include 2005 models. *tt
17358 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 1, 2004
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 2002 Lincoln Continental in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2002 Lincoln Continental?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.