2001 LINCOLN LS Electrical System Problems

MY 01 LINCOLN LS 3.9 V8 CAUGHT FIRE WHILE IT WAS SITTING IN MY DRIVEWAY AT 11:30 PM. BY THE TIME IT WAS NOTICED, THE ENTIRE FRONT HALF WAS ENGULFED. IT EXPLODED ABOUT 3 TIMES (POSSIBLY THE AIRBAGS EXPLODING). THE FIRE DEPARTMENT PUT THE FIRE OUT BEFORE IT REACHED THE FUEL TANK. I HAD DRIVEN IT AROUND AN HOUR BEFORE. THE MOST DAMAGE WAS NEAR THE DRIVER SIDE FRONT OF CAR NEAR WHERE THE HEADLIGHT AND AIR FILTER WERE LOCATED. THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT HAD NOT BURNED AS INTENSE AS THE DRIVER SIDE. (THE DRIVER SIDE FRONT OF THE HOOD HAD COMPLETELY BURNED AWAY..) THE FIRE DEPT SAID IT POSSIBLY STARTED IN THE ENGINE BUT THE FIRE HAD BURNED SO MUCH THAT THEY COULD NOT BE SURE. NO INVESTIGATION SINCE I ONLY HAD LIABILITY INSURANCE. I HAVE OWNED THE CAR SINCE 2008 AND HAVE NOTICED DIFFERENT ELECTRICAL MALFUNCTIONS SUCH AS RADIO VOLUME INCREASING, INDICATOR LIGHTS RANDOMLY COMING ON/OFF (ATC, ABS, AIR BAG, ECT). ABOUT ONE MONTH BEFORE FIRE THE CAR WAS HAVING ISSUES WITH NOT STARTING AND RANDOMLY DYING AS I WAS DRIVING. THE BATTERY WAS TESTED AND WAS NOT THE ISSUE. I LOVED MY CAR BUT I DON'T THINK IT WAS EVER FREE OF ISSUES. (WINDOW REGULATORS/CLIPS REPLACED EACH WINDOW TWICE, OIL IN CYLINDERS-REPLACED ALL CYLINDERS/COILS/ECT TWICE, CAR WOULD LOSE POWER/HESITATE OVER 40MPH, GAS PEDAL WOULD GET STUCK IF PRESSED TO QUICKLY CAUSING RPMS TO SURGE BUT CAR WOULD NOT GO OVER 25-30 MPH AND WOULD BE EXTREMELY HARD TO STOP (IT WOULD SURGE FORWARD AND I WOULD HAVE TO PUT ALL MY WEIGHT ON THE BRAKE PEDAL TO KEEP IT FROM HITTING WHATEVER WAS IN FRONT OF IT) I WOULD TEMP FIX THIS ISSUE BY FLICKING THE IDLE CONTROL LEVER (WHICH I NOTICED ONE OF THE "E CLIPS" HAD COME OFF OF ONE OF THE ARMS) NEAR THE THROTTLE BODY (WHICH WOULD ALSO GET STUCK OPEN/CLOSED AND HAVE TO BE CLEANED ON REG BASIS.) MANY MORE ISSUES NOT LISTED HERE... BEAUTIFUL CAR BUT DEFINITELY A LEMON... *JS

Mileage: 120,000

THE ELECTRICAL COILS IN THE 2001 LINCOLN LS ARE A MAJOR EXPENSE IMPOSED UPON THE OWNER. THESE COILD ARE OVER 280.00 TO REPLACE AND USUALLY AFTER REPLACING ONE ANOTHER SOON GOES OUT OR GOES OUT ON THE SAME DAY AS THE REPLACED COIL. ALLL OF THE MECHANICS AT LINCOLN ARE AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM AND SAID ITS A MAJOR PROBLEM WITH THE CAR. I HAVE REPLACED 4 OF THE 8 AS TODAY AND WILL BE REPLACING ANOTHER ONE THIS WEEK. I THINK CONSUMERS MUST BE MADE AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM. I AM IN THE MARKET FOR PURCHASING A NEW CAR AND I MUS SAY, "BUYER BEWARE OF LINCOLN-MERCURY. HATS OFF TO CHRYLSLER, THE DEALER OF ALL OF MY PREVIOUS CARS. I HAD NO MAJOR PROBLEMS WITH NONE OF THE 3 CARS I PURCHASED FROM THEM. I JUST CANNOT BELIEVE RTHIS IS HAPPENING TO ME AND I AM SURE SO MANY OTHER CONSUMERS OF THIS VERY PRETTY CAR THAT'S A LEMON!. *AK

Mileage: 10,758

THIS CAR HAS HAD EIGHT INCIDENTS IN TWO YEARS OF COIL PACKS FAILING. I HAVE HAD MULTIPLE OTHER PROBLEMS WITH THIS CAR, IE (BRAKES, AIR CONDITIONING ELECTRONICS...) FORD CAN'T GET THE COIL PROBLEMS FIXED. *JB

Mileage: 78,000

WE OWN A 2001 LINCOLN LS - V8. THE ENGINE HAS A COIL ON EACH SPARK PLUG. THE COILS ARE FAILING AT THE RATE OF ONE A MONTH. WHEN THE COILS FAIL THE ENGINE MISFIRES AND YOU HAVE TO FIGHT WITH THE CAR TO KEEP IT UNDER CONTROL AS IT LURCHES ON THE HIGHWAY. IT IS REALLY SEVERE IN AN UPHILL FAILURE. I HAVE NEVER OWNED A CAR WITH COIL FAILURE. THE MECHANIC TELLS ME (AND HAS COIL PARTS TO PROVE IT) THAT THIS IS A SEVERE FORD PROBLEM. I CALLED FORD AND THEY DENY ANY SAFETY ISSUE OR WRONG DOING. I KNOW IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND THE COILS ARE FAILING BEFORE THE RECOMMENDED SPARK PLUG CHANGE PERIOD!! FORD NEEDS TO STEP UP AND REPLACE THESE PARTS. THEY ARE DEFECTIVE AND PUT THE DRIVER IN AN UNSAFE DRIVING CONDITION. *NM

Mileage: 87,000

THE CAR HAS SHUT DOWN AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. NO KNOWN CAUSE. HAVE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE PURCHASED - COULD NOT DUPLICATE, AND COULD NOT FIND A CAUSE. IT HAS NOW HAPPENED TWICE AT HIGH SPEEDS. NO RESOLUTION HAS BEEN PROVIDED.*AK

INSTRUMENT PANEL SHORT CAUSED LIGHTS TO FLICKER OR NOT COME ON AT ALL. DEALER NOTIFIED. *AK

INSTRUMENT PANEL SHORT CAUSED LIGHTS TO FLICKER OR NOT COME ON AT ALL. DEALER NOTIFIED. *AK

CONSUMER STATES THAT THE IGNITION KEY IS EXTREMELY HOT WHEN TAKING IT OUT AFTER DRIVING FOR 1-2 HOURS. *SLC

CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 55MPH ON HIGHWAY AND WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING VEHICLE SHUT OFF IN MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO DEARLERSHIP. DEALERSHIP MECHANIC TOLD HER THAT SHE NEEDED TO REPLACE ALTERNATOR.*AK *TT

ENGINE STALLED DURING NORMAL OPERATION OF THE VEHICLE WHILE TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH. CONSUMER LOST CONTROL BEFORE TRAVELING INTO A DITCH. DEALERSHIP HAS EXAMINED VEHICLE AND DETERMINED THAT ALTERNATOR FAILED WHICH RESULTED IN STALLING OF ENGINE. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION / DOCUMENTATION. *NOTE: ENGINE WAS PREVIOUSLY REPLACED IN SEPTEMBER 2001 DUE TO AN UNKNOWN PROBLEM.*AK

WHEN DRIVING INTERIOR LIGHTS AND EXTERIOR LIGHTS WILL AUTOMATICALLY TURN OFF WITHOUT ANY WARNING, ALSO, DOORS WILL AUTOMATICALLY LOCK WITHOUT OPERATOR MANUALLY LOCKING DOORS. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS.*AK

INSTRUMENT PANEL WAS DEFECTIVE. RPMS AND SPEED GAUGES WOULD START TURNING/ RADIO SUDDENLY SHUT OFF, AND THE VEHICLE WOULD STALL FROM TIME TO TIME. *AK

VEHICLE HAD ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS, GEARSHIFT PANEL LIGHTS WENT OUT/ BACK UP LIGHT WERE NOT WORKING. *AK CONSUMER WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT, WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE DRIFTED ACROSS THE CENTER LANE AND SIDESWIPED 2 VEHICLES, THERE WERE NO INJURIES, HOWEVER THERE WAS PROPERTY DAMAGE, CONSUMER FEELS THIS IS RELATED TO RECALL 00V359001, PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT, CONSUMER HAD ALIGNMENT ISSUES WITH VEHICLE AND HAD THE LOWER BALL JOINT REPLACED. CLOCK SPRING WAS REPLACED AND DEALER HAD TO REPOSITION A DROPPED AIR BAG. *SLC

VEHICLE HAD ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS, GEARSHIFT PANEL LIGHTS WENT OUT/ BACK UP LIGHT WERE NOT WORKING. *AK CONSUMER WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT, WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE DRIFTED ACROSS THE CENTER LANE AND SIDESWIPED 2 VEHICLES, THERE WERE NO INJURIES, HOWEVER THERE WAS PROPERTY DAMAGE, CONSUMER FEELS THIS IS RELATED TO RECALL 00V359001, PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT, CONSUMER HAD ALIGNMENT ISSUES WITH VEHICLE AND HAD THE LOWER BALL JOINT REPLACED. CLOCK SPRING WAS REPLACED AND DEALER HAD TO REPOSITION A DROPPED AIR BAG. *SLC

VEHICLE EXHIBITING INTERMITTENT ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS, GROUND WIRE REPLACED ON 2/28/2001, BY DEALERSHIP.

WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE WILL COMPLETELY SHUTDOWN WITHOUT WARNING, CAUSE UNKNOWN. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS.*AK