Lincoln Continental

About

The Lincoln Continental is a series of mid-sized and full-sized luxury cars produced between 1939 and 2020 by Lincoln, a division of the American automaker Ford. The model line was introduced following the construction of a personal vehicle for Edsel Ford, who commissioned a coachbuilt 1939 Lincoln-Zephyr convertible, developed as a vacation vehicle to attract potential Lincoln buyers.

Photo & info: Wikipedia

Specifications

From Wikipedia — confirm against the actual car before purchase.

Drivetrain: Longitudinal, FR layout (1939–1987)
Class: Full-size luxury car (1939–1980, 2017–2020)

Generations

1940–1942

1956–1957

1958–1960

1961–1969

1970–1979

1980–1981

1982–1987 1988–1994 1995–2002

2017–2020

Photos

Real cars from Wikimedia Commons — colours and trims as photographed.

1961–1969

1995–2002

Photos: Wikimedia Commons — click any for full resolution & licence.

By year

Trims, economy and safety change year to year — pick one (US market).

1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002

Trim · engine	Drive	MPG comb (city/hwy)	CO₂ g/mi	Fuel cost
Auto 4-spd, 8 cyl, 5.0 L	Rear-Wheel Drive	19 (16/24)	468	$3,550/yr

Economy & emissionsMidsize Cars

$5,750

more over 5 yrs vs. avg

15.7

Barrels/yr

Recalls & complaints

Recalls: 5 · Complaints: 8 · Investigations: 10

Vehicle speed control
AN ALUMINUM CASTING FLASH ON THE FACE OF THE THROTTLE BODY MAY BREAK OFF AND BECOME TRAPPED BETWEEN THE THROTTLE PLATE AND THE BORE IN THE THROTTLE BODY. CONSEQUENCES OF DEFECT: THROTTLE MAY FAIL TO RETURN TO IDLE POSITION WHEN RELEASED AND COULD RESULT IN LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL WHICH MAY CAUSE AN ACCIDENT.
Fuel system, gasoline
SPRING LOCK FUEL LINE COUPLING MAY NOT BE PROPERLY ENGAGED.
Service brakes, hydraulic
WIRING CONNECTIONS IN AN ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR TO THE MASTER CYLINDER RESERVOIR FLUID LEVEL SENSORS WERE REVERSED AND FAIL TO INDICATE LOW FLUID LEVELS AS SPECIFIED BY FMVSS 105, HYDRAULIC BRAKE SYSTEMS. CONSEQUENCE OF DEFECT: SENSOR WILL NOT TRANSMIT SIGNAL TO BRAKE WARNING LIGHT WHEN THE FLUID LEVEL IS LESS THAN ONE FOURTH FULL. WITHOUT THIS WARNING SIGNAL THE FLUID LEVEL MAY DECREASE TO THE POINT WHERE PARTIAL OR COMPLETE LOSS OF BRAKE WOULD BE EXPERIENCED AND MAY LEAD TO AN ACCIDENT.
Service brakes, hydraulic
UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS, CONTACTS IN BRAKE SYSTEM RELAY COULD REMAIN CLOSED, CAUSING THE BRAKE PUMP MOTOR TO RUN CONTINUOUSLY, CAUSING IT TO OVERHEAT AND EVENTUALLY FAIL. CONSEQUENCE OF DEFECT: SHOULD THE BRAKE SUPPLY MOTOR FAIL, THE POWER ASSIST TO THE FRONT BRAKES WILL BE LOST, AND AFTER ABOUT 10 TO 15 NORMAL BRAKE STOPS, LOSS OF REAR BRAKE FUNCTION WILL RESULT, CAUSING INCREASED STOPPING DISTANCE. HOWEVER, THE INSTRUMENT BRAKE WARNING LIGHT WILL ILLUMINATE PRIOR TO REDUCED BRAKING CAPABILITY AND IF WARNING IS NOT HEEDED, AN ACCIDENT MAY OCCUR.

Top recall areas: Vehicle speed control · Fuel system, gasoline · Service brakes, hydraulic · Electrical system

Investigations: Rear Toe Link May Separate · Automated Driving System (ADS) conflict avoidance, driving behavior competence and assertiveness · Front Steering Knuckle Fractures

Trims & economy: fueleconomy.gov · recalls & rating: NHTSA

Loading 1986…

Reviews & research

Independent reviews, news and owner communities — off-site.

Video reviews

Road tests & walkarounds on YouTube

Expert reviews

Edmunds, Car and Driver, MotorTrend & more

News

Latest coverage and updates

Owner community

Real-world ownership on Reddit

Full history

The complete Wikipedia entry

For sale

Find one for sale

Search the open market for a Lincoln Continental now — eBay Motors plus sellers who list directly with rTracer. Live listings land here as the feed goes live.

Market value. No used Lincoln Continental has one set price — see what they actually sold for recently, then compare with what's on the market now.

Search eBay Motors ↗See sold prices ↗

Maintenance & ownership

Check the Lincoln Continental's recall history, investigations and owner complaints at NHTSA — the best free read on reliability and what tends to go wrong before you buy.

Check at NHTSA ↗

The universe

Coming: a full spec sheet, and a drivable 3D model of the Continental on any road in the rTracer atlas.

← Lincoln