2004 Lincoln Town Car

The 2004 Lincoln Town Car sits at a favorable point in this generation's federal record, with 83 complaints, zero recalls, and just one investigation—a marked improvement over the anomalous 2003 model year, which spiked to 201 complaints despite carrying only a single recall. Across the broader 1990–2011 arc, complaint volumes were highest in the mid-1990s (peaking at 328 in 1997), declined steadily through 2002's low of 65, then rose again from 2005 through 2006 (119 and 143 complaints, respectively) before tapering off with the generation's end. The 2004 model benefits from post-refresh engineering maturity reflected in its modest TSB count of 52—lower than both 2003 (83) and 2005 (36 is lower but accompanied by rising complaints and three recalls). The target year's top complaint areas—Vehicle Speed Control (16), Steering (14), Structure (9), and Service Brakes, Hydraulic (7)—are relatively modest in volume, though the 18 crash complaints and 3 fire complaints warrant attention; the data does not specify root causes for any of these categories. Taken together, the 2004 model year represents one of the cleaner entries in this generation's later half, with minimal federal scrutiny and no open recalls, making it a solid choice among used Panther-platform Town Cars—provided a pre-purchase inspection addresses the steering and speed-control systems that dominate its complaint profile.