2002 Lincoln LS

Typical pattern

2.9% of complaints about the 2002 Lincoln LS came in the first year, which is unremarkable for a 2002 vehicle — around the middle of the 230 model-years on record. The median complaint arrives at 7.8 yr in service. The most-reported system is engine cooling (26 complaints), typically at 3.8 yr or about 57,000 miles.

Complaints: 174
Median age at failure: 7.8 yr
Median mileage: 81,005 n=138
Crash / fire / tow: 19.5% of reports
Safety recalls: 0

In owners’ own words

Engine cooling mileage not reported 10 mo in service

WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED AND WITH NO WARNING VEHICLE WILL SHUT OFF, CAUSING CONSUMER TO PULL OVER. IT WILL BE HARD TO GET VEHICLE TO START AGAIN. DEALER NOTIFIED.*AK

Engine cooling 17,600 mi 1.4 yr in service

2002 LINCOLN LS SOMETIMES SHUTS OFF ABRUPTLY WHEN UNDER BRAKING, INCLUDING LIGHT BRAKING. SO FAR IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN AT LOW SPEED. HOWEVER, ONE INCIDENT RESULTED IN MINOR DAMAGE BECAUSE THE FEMALE DRIVER WAS UNABLE TO STEER AROUND A VERY SHARP CORNER DUE TO LOSS OF ENGINE (AND THEREFORE POWER STEERING). *JB

Engine cooling 8,500 mi 11 mo in service

2002 LS, UNDER SLOW SPEEDS AND MAKING A RIGHT TURN, VEHICLE SHUTS DOWN, INCLUDING POWER STEERING AND POWER BRAKES. VEHICLE MUST COAST TO A STOP BEFORE ATTEMPTING TO RE-START ENGINE. *JB

Air bags mileage not reported 1.9 yr in service crash / fire / tow

WHILE DRIVING AT 25 MPH. ANOTHER VEHICLE HIT CONSUMER'S VEHICLE FROM THE DRIVERS SIDE DOOR. UPON IMPACT, SIDE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. *AK

Other LS model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

2002 Lincoln LS

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

In owners’ own words

Other LS model years

How to read this