Known Problems (Consistent only please)

I'm heavily considering the purchase of a low mileage (<40k), pre-owned V8 LS in the next few days. I love the styling, crave the comfort, and need a great car for my 65 mile daily commute.

Besides the rear window issue, are there any other COMMON known problems for the LS? I'd like to know if a $18-20,000 investment is gonna hurt me in the future.

Thanks for any help you can offer!

I bought my 2000 V8 LS almost a year ago and I have enjoyed it 98% of the time. On the open highway the V8 is powerful and quick. Using the cruise to control to increase speed feels like your heavy on the pedal, very responsive. On winding roads and mountains its nimble and has tight handling. The interior is comfortable, quiet and the buttons and controls are easy to understand. The trunk has alot of room and the spare tire compartment and equipment is easy/almost effortless to use (aside from the actual loostening of the bolts with some elbow grease).
The only problems I have had with it is the problem that many have complained about including the rear window mechanisms breaking. They were covered under warranty, and you should ask the dealer whether it has already been fixed on the car your looking at. I also had to have the 6 disc changer replaced (also under my warranty) because the fuse ended up blowing leaving the radio useless and shorted out. Also im not sure how many miles are on the car that you are looking at, but ask about the brakes. I just had to put new breaks in (around 316$) after I heard squeaking that was misdiagnosed by two mechanis before bing fixed by the third (also a problem stated by others).
In general I think that youll really enjoy this car. I already have been back to my dealer in the last couple of weeks to look at buying a used 2002 LSE (the ls sports model). I would definatly buy a used LS with low miles than look at a brand new one. Youll get alot of enjoyment out of both driving the LS and with the few amount of problems.

Thanks for the reply. I'm glad to know that somebody really enjoys the LS, especially enough to buy another one. And I agree, I do not consider the purchase of a new vehicle to be worthwhile - in any case.

I LOVE my LS!!! So does my wife. We will be getting a second one (for her) when mine is paid-off. Mine is a 2000 V8 Sport and has been flawless. At this point, I can't imagine owning any other car. Seriously.

Common problems are leaky headlights, slow/harsh shifting, window regulators. All three of those have been addressed by Lincoln engineering and have permanent fixes available. High-dollar problems are rare. I've heard of a few folks with electrical problems that never seem to get solved and usually result in either a buyback or lawsuit. If your test driver has any electrical "bugs", run away. Other than that, I can't recommend it more.

Yeah i had the headlight problem too...easily fixed and hasnt happened again in over a year. When i bought it the driver side had moisture in the lense...the dealer changed it.. ta da!

I forgot that the early cars with heated seats had a tendency to fail. The constant flexing caused the elements to break. This was addressed with revised parts as well. Be warned that most dealerships are far from experts at upolstery work and your seats may look horrible when you get them back. Make sure they know what they're doing before they tear into it.

Yup, my 2000's heated seats are broke too, and will stay that way. The upholstery is much too nice for me to start carving them up - and it isn't a feature that is terribly important to me.

Problems so far - my power steering lines rubbed through, and my computer sent a bad signal to cylinder #6 causing a mis-fire. Both were replaced under warrenty.

Other problems - yes, headlamps on most LS's get wet. Simply open them, silicone the grove, and reseal them.

Another that isn't listed above is a driveline 'howl', caused by defective half-shafts.

Overall, I'm not likely to get anything other than an LS or Jag S type for my next vehicle, I live my LS that much http://llsoc.ibforums.com/html/emoticons/llsoclogomorph1.gif

Hello All, I'm both a newbie to the forum and also to major problems with my 2000 LS8. While still under warranty, I had some of the minor problems mentioned in several posts (rear window regulators replaced, driver heated seat coil replaced) I also had the passenger seat belt retractor replaced as it was no longer working. Not major...it was under warranty so the only hassle was getting it to a dealer to fix.

Which brings me to a new set of problems...At 59K miles it's no longer under warranty, and 2 weeks ago wouldn't start. Got it towed to my mechanic (not the dealer). Spark plugs were oil-soaked due to leaky valve cover gasket. $550 to fix including all new spark plugs. I also had him clean transmission system and replace fluid ($724 total, after taxes)

Drove the car to Destin the day I got it back, ran fine, just as always. One week later, it was jerking between approx. 42-48 mph. Then it progressed to jerking all the time including idle. Computer says it's a misfire in the #6 cylinder. My mechanic took the boot/coils out and they are still soaked with oil, though he said he did his best to clean them from the gasket leak. He's putting 8 new coils on today for $550. Will this fix the problem? Is it even related? I read about a # 6 mis-fire on this thread but there was no mention of the problem being related to the leak/coils..etc. Any advice??? Please help!

I'm new hear as well and I've owned my LS for about 3 months now. Black 2000 LS with Sport Package. Problems I've had and fixed

Rear window regulators bad: Replaced under warranty
Sluggish slow shifting: PCM reflash under warranty
Leaky valve cover : Replaced under warranty

If you do purchase an LS check to see if those fixes have been done or can be done under warranty. Without warranty the bill for the aforementioned fixes would've run around $600.

Oil soaked coils due to leaking covers are just as common as the leaks, obviously. Replacing the coils and gaskets should solve the problem.

eringrenon, my #6 misfire wasn't related to anything on or around the engine, it was a computer error. We probed the wiring at the computer and discovered that no signal was being sent to the #6 cylinder (which would throw that code).

Your problem seems to be more about seepage, but it should only affect the cylinders that are on the side of the engine where the leak is.

I'm sorry to say, but it sounds like you are getting hosed by your dealer. After already paying $550 to fix the faulty gasket, they want another $550 to replace all 8 coils (which probably don't need doing!) when their 'fix' doesn't fix the initial problem? And $725 for a tranny fluid flush? The $150 my dealer charges is already a rip-off.

Plugs and coils could simply be cleaned off and work properly assuming that the gasket was fixed properly in the first place.

Best of luck with these problems Sir, and do look for another dealer.

I bought a 2000 LS V8 Sport with 64,000 miles.. I now have 79k miles. Since then I have had the following issues:

1. Total Climate Control Module Failure: $850
2. Heated Seats: Crazy. Burn my butt sometimes othert timers don't work at all. Never looked into having them fixed.
3. Crazy engine/trans issue. Both check engine and trans light would come on periodically while excellerating at which time the car was puking. Answer: Dealership said 7 of 8 "coils" bad. Wanted $700 to replace them all. Upon further conversations and computer record reviews, they determined 3 of the 8 coils were actually mis firing. Had those three replaced 2 weeks ago for $400. Seems to be O.K. now, but I am leary that it isn't as smooth as it used to be. Not sure if that is perception or reality. Dealership coil tester apparently reads either good or bad under stress testing. Apparently 7 of mine were reading bad. What a fricken joke. Give me a good ole distributer........
4. Rear Brake Caliper needed to be replaced due to malfunction that burned through pad and router. Thus total brake job for $350 including caliper.
5. Damn car locks the doors randomly. No rhyme or reason. This is not user error. This is a car electrical issue. Thus after being locked out of the car twice at gas stations, I no longer EVER leave the keys in the car.
6. Leaky valve gaskets. $400 to fix. Leaving it alone.
7. Leaky headlights. Leaving it alone.
8. Random beeps peridoically while driving God knows from what. Beeps once then nothing. No idea.
9. Blows cold while idling. Dealer now says "thermostat" and is happy to replace the $13 part for $400 of labor.

Probably several other items I have forgotten at the moment that irk me.

So lets see other than not having any type of climate control in the cabin, the fact that I don't trust the engine & transmission, and with half of the lousy "luxary" items non working I don't see any reason why anyone would buy this car ever........... Especially with a 40k plus price tag. Who are they kidding? But hey I could continue to spend $500 a month in repairs/maintenance to the local dealership or I can throw this thing away and put a turnequte on to stop the hemmorenging.

Plus side. Car is dang fast and has nice radio. Oops forgot to mention that when I use the up/down volume controls on the steering wheel it will often times randomly change the station to the next preset...

End result. I got hosed. This car is junk. I sure wish I had my 1997 sable with 130k miles back........

Spam from Giveortake?

Yes i definetely think that giveortake is spamming. $400 labor to replace a $13 dollar thermostat is impossible. All you have to do is remove the upper radiator hose where it meets with the engine cooling lines, and you will find the thermostat located there.

I am considering purchasing a used 2000 LS with a 5-speed manual trans. Anybody have any thoughts on the manual. Also aside from the leaky lights, rear window and seat gigs is there anything else I should look into before I buy this thing?

Thanks!

If the price is right, the Getrag is an excellent choice. Both the tranny and engine are very nearly bullet-proof. The manual avoids most of the problems associated with the other cars and provides a level of performance nearly equal to the V8.

Go for it!

Yes i definetely think that giveortake is spamming. $400 labor to replace a $13 dollar thermostat is impossible. All you have to do is remove the upper radiator hose where it meets with the engine cooling lines, and you will find the thermostat located there.
On the 2000 LS V8 the thermostat is under the engine, $400 from deaker is the price, I had to pay also
JB

It is a good buy for the buck if you haggle them down as close to trade in value as you can. I have had some serious problems with but I love it. In closing the only consistent trend with cars is that the will always be inconsistent.

Shop hard and then travel well.

I love my car. I bought it with 65k on it and now has 70k. Is a sweet ride. However, My problems are as follow:

-Breaks:
I do hear some squiky noise on front right tire when going in reverse and aplying the brakes. Mechanic said I need new brakes. What I wonder is, Why squiks only when going in reverse?

-My major porblem, I think almost everyone in this forum already knows, is my SRS.
-SRS:
My Airbag linght Has never been ON/comes On at all. I Went to dealer and paid $25 for the connector.
I took the seat out and inspected every single conenctor under it. Unpluged all connectors and plugged them back in. Every single one of them.
Spliced the cable and connected it. Put the seat back in place and my problem Still remains unresolved. I don't know if I need to reset something or what?

There are 5 sets of 5 beeps each with about 4 seconds between set. It comes up everytime I start the car and sometimes it comes up while driving and goes through the cycle all over again.

There is no message on the Message Center and no lights comes ON, on the cluster.

-Beeps Oce:
While driving, I do somethimes hear one beet. Just like the one you hear when you are low on Gas. No light comes ON on the cluster and no message is displayed on the message center.

-Cruise Control:
I don't think they work properly. I turn it ON and to set it I have to press the -sign. To Accelerate, again the -. To slow down I have to press the + sign.

-Remote Controls on Steering:
Some times it works fine and some other, it just drives me nuts. When there is a good song playing, I want to turn it up.. The damn control either changes to Tape, station, skips to the next song or starts the song from the beginning.
Also, when trying to turn volume Down, instead, it turns it up. let me tell you, this is very agrevating. But i still love my car.

-Heated Seats:
Only Passenger side works. Drivers side does nothing.

-Noisy:
When driving on the Hiway, I'm constatly cheking windows to make sure they are all up. Is not as quite as my Diamante LS.

-Transmision Jerks:
I have noticed that it sometimes jerks when upshifting. You can feel it kicking in gear. There has also been some hesitation when shifting in revere. I'll have to pay more attention to this jerking and keep you guys Updated.

I guess that's all. Like I said, in spite of all these problems, I still love this ride. No engine porbles so far and I hope it stays that way. I know one day i get my share. I just hope I don't get it anytime soon.

Yoni A.

Sometimes I go ino the driveway at dusk and look at my LS (My wife does the same). I look at this beast crouched in the driveway waiting to be let loose.

I know that when I get in and buckle myself up, that I will have an experience, whether I'm going to the "Fruit and Vegatable" store or getting in a cruise of 400-500 miles.

These cars are as addictive as the Chargers/Daytonas/Barracudas of my youth, except that they are more refined, more comfortable, and when your co-workers ask you what you're driving and you answer "A Lincoln LS," they look at you with a kind of awe. If you say that you bought a V6 with a 5-speed, they look at you with total respect.

Don't get a V8 with an automatic transmission. Get a V6 with a 5-spd. Feel the corners under your tie-rod ends. You're totally conected with he road. You will be, I guarantee - totally connected to this car.

Another LS freak from Canada.

Sometimes I go ino the driveway at dusk and look at my LS (My wife does the same). I look at this beast crouched in the driveway waiting to be let loose.

I know that when I get in and buckle myself up, that I will have an experience, whether I'm going to the "Fruit and Vegatable" store or getting in a cruise of 400-500 miles.

These cars are as addictive as the Chargers/Daytonas/Barracudas of my youth, except that they are more refined, more comfortable, and when your co-workers ask you what you're driving and you answer "A Lincoln LS," they look at you with a kind of awe. If you say that you bought a V6 with a 5-speed, they look at you with total respect.

Don't get a V8 with an automatic transmission. Get a V6 with a 5-spd. Feel the corners under your tie-rod ends. You're totally conected with he road. You will be, I guarantee - totally connected to this car.

Another LS freak from Canada.


I agree it has a nice ride, and looks good, that's why I bought it in the first place. However, the quality control for the 2000 LS was non existent. My cruise control doesn't work, and the AC blows hot air out of the passenger side. So AC is totally useless. This is beside the 20 other problems that cost me thousands to fix.
** I would never in a hundred years, buy another Lincoln product. As far as JD Power associates-"Car of the year" for 2000-- I wouldnt pay much attention to their opinion any more either!

Sometimes I go ino the driveway at dusk and look at my LS (My wife does the same). I look at this beast crouched in the driveway waiting to be let loose.

I know that when I get in and buckle myself up, that I will have an experience, whether I'm going to the "Fruit and Vegatable" store or getting in a cruise of 400-500 miles.

These cars are as addictive as the Chargers/Daytonas/Barracudas of my youth, except that they are more refined, more comfortable, and when your co-workers ask you what you're driving and you answer "A Lincoln LS," they look at you with a kind of awe. If you say that you bought a V6 with a 5-speed, they look at you with total respect.

Don't get a V8 with an automatic transmission. Get a V6 with a 5-spd. Feel the corners under your tie-rod ends. You're totally conected with he road. You will be, I guarantee - totally connected to this car.

Another LS freak from Canada.

Yeah, I used to feel the same way until recently. I own a 2000 LS,V8 and it has been riddled with issues.

Rear window issues
Rearview mirror leaked
replaced coils
trunk would not stay shut
sunroof replaced two times and it's starting to break again
tension bracket broke on the timing chain for no apparent reason
replaced timing chain, tension brackets
as a result of the above two rods got bent
got the car back a week ago and now the pistons are blown!
I'm told the enigine has to be totally rebuilt
To date, between warranty and my own money, I have spent $27,000 used for the car and have put in over $9000 into repairs.

I sitll love the car and the ride, but I think I'm going foreign from here on...I'm looking at the new audi!

What's the saying, Ford = Fix Often Repair Daily

[QUOTE=giveortake]I bought a 2000 LS V8 Sport with 64,000 miles.. I now have 79k miles. Since then I have had the following issues:

1. Total Climate Control Module Failure: $850
2. Heated Seats: Crazy. Burn my butt sometimes othert timers don't work at all. Never looked into having them fixed.
3. Crazy engine/trans issue. Both check engine and trans light would come on periodically while excellerating at which time the car was puking. Answer: Dealership said 7 of 8 "coils" bad. Wanted $700 to replace them all. Upon further conversations and computer record reviews, they determined 3 of the 8 coils were actually mis firing. Had those three replaced 2 weeks ago for $400. Seems to be O.K. now, but I am leary that it isn't as smooth as it used to be. Not sure if that is perception or reality. Dealership coil tester apparently reads either good or bad under stress testing. Apparently 7 of mine were reading bad. What a fricken joke. Give me a good ole distributer........
4. Rear Brake Caliper needed to be replaced due to malfunction that burned through pad and router. Thus total brake job for $350 including caliper.
5. Damn car locks the doors randomly. No rhyme or reason. This is not user error. This is a car electrical issue. Thus after being locked out of the car twice at gas stations, I no longer EVER leave the keys in the car.
6. Leaky valve gaskets. $400 to fix. Leaving it alone.
7. Leaky headlights. Leaving it alone.
8. Random beeps peridoically while driving God knows from what. Beeps once then nothing. No idea.
9. Blows cold while idling. Dealer now says "thermostat" and is happy to replace the $13 part for $400 of labor.

Probably several other items I have forgotten at the moment that irk me.

So lets see other than not having any type of climate control in the cabin, the fact that I don't trust the engine & transmission, and with half of the lousy "luxary" items non working I don't see any reason why anyone would buy this car ever........... Especially with a 40k plus price tag. Who are they kidding? But hey I could continue to spend $500 a month in repairs/maintenance to the local dealership or I can throw this thing away and put a turnequte on to stop the hemmorenging.

Plus side. Car is dang fast and has nice radio. Oops forgot to mention that when I use the up/down volume controls on the steering wheel it will often times randomly change the station to the next preset...

End result. I got hosed. This car is junk. I sure wish I had my 1997 sable with 130k miles back........


For those that have stated I am spamming, after several thousand more dollars spent at the dealership for additional items not listed, on 2/14/06 and 115,000 the transmission failed and the dealer wants another $4,100 to fix. That is on top of the $650 to pull it and they refuse to put it back together. Thus it is listed on Ebay http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4614119056

So those that doubt my sincerity can eat crow. Lincoln has produced a total piece of crap......... I didnt bother to mention the "hop" that couldnt be corrected or the fact that the car defrosting system totally failed. It blew hot, but must be leaking antifreeze or something somewhere but dealer could not identify thus they said it was operator error. I know how to hit the dag defrost button, but after two hours driving if I cant see out of 75% of my windows, it is not an operator error. The car is up for sale on Ebay for parts.. You be the judge............. Lincoln LS now being discontinued. SHOCK. DUH. This is indeed a total piece of garbage that on the surface is a great ride!

Spam from Giveortake?
The Lincoln LS is a nice looking disease. Addicting because of its nice styling and features, a death sentence to anyone that buys it from a maintenance perspective. You have questions about my authenticity, I have now listed my LS on Ebay for parts since the Transmission has failed and the dealer wants $4,100 to replace with a "used" one.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4614119056

Buyer beware. Frankly the best news I could hear is that Ford is shutting down the plant that makes the LS in the Detroit MI area (Wixom).

Spam from Giveortake?


The Lincoln LS is a nice looking disease. Addicting because of its nice styling and features, a death sentence to anyone that buys it from a maintenance perspective. You have questions about my authenticity, I have now listed my LS on Ebay for parts since the Transmission has failed and the dealer wants $4,100 to replace with a "used" one.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4614119056

Buyer beware. Frankly the best news I could hear is that Ford is shutting down the plant that makes the LS in the Detroit MI area (Wixom).

I can understand your frustration! FYI, I had my transmission(2000LS) replaced by a new one(Ford) from the dealer for $2900.00. You can negotiate with them a bit. If not try another local dealer. My dealer also wanted $800 to replace both valve gaskets, another dealer did it for $500. the difference was the labor charge varies from dealer to dealer.

There is a vacum hose that is shooting oil onto your coils. he will continue to replace the coils thinking the oil is coming for a leaky gasket but it's being dumped in through that hose. I know had exact same problem.

First off, I am new here, so HELLO to all.

I bought my 2000 LS V8 about 8 months ago. I had to get out of my mustang gt to a family car for my husband and my first child. This was a fair trade off other than the gt was still more fun. But the LS is great. The previous owner had gone through and fixed a majority of the known problems on the car before I got it so the only problems that I have had to deal with is the valve cover leak issue and the climate control issue.

The deal with the valve covers is simple (in a sense). The reason the cars still might "jerk" around after you have the cover PROPERLY fixed is caused by the COP. The coils are known (ford and lincoln alike) to go bad when they get "messed with". Simply put. The initial leak problem fixed the initial problem, but it creates a new one. I have to replace two coils that went bad from the valve seal repair. It can be costly if you can't work on cars. The valve seal kit is $40 per side from the dealer and easy to replace. It took me about 3 hrs to do both of them. Now I am getting a miss-fire on the #4 and #7 coils. Those are a little more costly. I believe $100 each. But they will take even less time to replace.

These cars are known to have many problems. But the repairs are not to bad and actually fix the problem properly that they had engineered wrong originally. I believe they are worth every penny you pay. When they are repaired, they run like a dream and ride even better. I feel like I am in a larger version of my mustang (when it was stock) most of the time. I would not trade it for anything else.

Has anyone had this problem with their 2000 lincoln LS V8? In the morning when I start the car and put it in and gear it will not engage the Transmission. It is just like I am still in park or neutral. Once I reve up the engine for what ever reason the transmission will finnaly engage. I must also say I have hade nothing but trouble out of this Transmission and also the engine. This car has been nothing but problems. Any help would be appriciated. My dealership has been no help.:banghead: