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2017 Lincoln Continental
Solid pick. The complaint record is strong for its age. It does carry safety recalls, so confirm every one shows "remedy completed" on the VIN before money changes hands.
74 owner complaints · 4 recalls · data verified July 21, 2026 · source: NHTSA
Why buy?
Body & structure problems dominate (27% of complaints).
Very few owner complaints for its age and sales volume.
Complaints are overwhelmingly minor: almost none involve crashes, fires, or injuries.
Score breakdown, by factor
Full methodology →#144 of 467Among the 2017 models with a matured record, the 2017 Lincoln Continental ranks #144, scoring higher than 67% of them. See the 2017 ranking →
Complaints filed per year
Fading = early teething worked out. Climbing = problems aging in.
How it crashes
NHTSA’s own crash tests, separate from the reliability score above.
5/5 overall
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Rating · 2017 Lincoln Continental 4 DR AWD
Rollover risk in a single-vehicle crash: 11%
No open NHTSA defect investigations on file.
Source: nhtsa.gov/ratings. Star ratings compare vehicles within the same class and size, not across every car on the road.
The road ahead
What breaks on a 2017 Lincoln Continental, plotted where owners report it happening.
Also reported (mileage varies): Body & structure (20) · Latches & locks (15) · Electrical system (14) · Backup camera & sensors (11)
Mileage medians come from owners who mentioned an odometer reading in their NHTSA complaint, a rough guide, not a schedule.
Body & structure
27%20 complaints · 9 in the last 2 years
“Doors open while driving , happened 4 times in the last month . Back right door and drivers door 2 occasions on both doors . On line it says all Lincoln Continentals f…”
Latches & locks
20%15 complaints · 5 in the last 2 years
“The contact owns a 2017 Lincoln Continental. The contact was unable to open the rear doors after several attempts. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campai…”
Electrical system
19%14 complaints · 9 in the last 2 years
“The rear doors on my 2017 Lincoln Continental do not open from the outside when the exterior handle button is pressed. The doors do open from the inside. This failure …”
Backup camera & sensors
15%11 complaints · 1 in the last 2 years
“The contact owns a 2017 Lincoln Continental. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V644000 (Back Over Prevention) however, the part to do the r…”
Check it against this car’s mileage
Type the odometer reading on the actual car you’re looking at to see which of these problem areas owners tend to report before it, around it, or after it.
Too few owners named a mileage on this model to place issues against an odometer yet.
Read all 74 owner complaints in their own words → · just the 2 crash/fire/injury reports →
Recalls (4)
Safety recall repairs are free at the brand’s franchised dealers. Before buying, run the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls and make the seller show the work was done.
Back Over Prevention · 22V644000
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017-2020 F-Super Duty F-250, F-350, F-450, and 2017-2020 Lincoln Continental vehicles equipped with the 360-degree camera system. Degradation of the camera's anit-reflective lens coating can lead to a foggy or cloudy rearview camera image.
Risk: Lack of a clear rearview camera image can reduce the driver's visibility of what is behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the rearview camera, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 14, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-800-1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S51.
Latches/locks/linkages · 19V077000
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Lincoln Continental vehicles. The door latch pawl motors may not function properly, possibly resulting in a door latch not fully engaging.
Risk: A door latch that is not fully engaged may result in a door opening while driving, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the latch assemblies on all four doors, free of charge. The recall began October 14, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S03.
Air Bags · 17V123000
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2017 Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX vehicles and 2017 Lincoln Continental vehicles. In the event of a crash, the driver's frontal air bag may not fully inflate or the air bag cushion may detach from the air bag module. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Risk: During deployment, if the air bag does not fully inflate or the cushion detaches, there is an increased risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall began June 16, 2017. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17C02.
Exterior Lighting · 16V731000
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2017 Lincoln Continental vehicles manufactured June 14, 2016, to September 23, 2016 and equipped with high intensity discharge (HID) headlights. The headlights may have been built with incorrect lenses, adversely affecting the turn signal visibility as well as not being properly marked. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Assoc. Equipment."
Risk: Reduced turn signal visibility to other drivers and pedestrians can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the headlights, replacing them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 16, 2016. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16C15.
Questions to ask the seller
Questions worth asking the seller of this Lincoln before you buy, drawn from its public record:
- NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns for the 2017 Lincoln Continental. Can you run this car's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls and confirm each one shows "Remedy Completed"?
- Owners of this model report body & structure problems more than anything else. Has this car shown any body & structure symptoms, and are there repair records for it?
- Owners of this model report latches & locks problems more than anything else. Has this car shown any latches & locks symptoms, and are there repair records for it?
- Has this car been in any accident or had any structural, airbag, or flood-related repair? Do you have a clean title and a recent history report (Carfax / AutoCheck)?
- How many owners has it had, do you have the maintenance records, and why are you selling it?
- Are you open to me having an independent mechanic inspect it before we settle on a price?
Before you hand over money
Verify the recall work was done
NHTSA’s free lookup shows whether this exact car had its recall remedies completed.
Free NHTSA VIN check ↗Get a pre-purchase inspection
A $150 to $250 independent inspection of this exact 2017 Lincoln CONTINENTAL beats every score on the internet, including ours.
What to ask forNot set on the 2017? See how every Continental model year scores →
Cross-shopping? Compare the 2017 Lincoln Continental against another car →
What owners say
Real owners of this exact model-year, shown separately from the NHTSA score. If they disagree, that’s worth knowing.