2017 Lincoln Continental reliability

Is it reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2017 Lincoln Continental holds 75 complaints after 10 years, a rate of 4 per year. That is the most complaints per year among the 4 Continental years on this site. NHTSA has 4 recalls on file, including Camera, Latch, and Inflator.

Complaints

Per year

Recalls

Years on the road

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Structure (20 of 75), then Latches, locks, and linkages (15) and Electrical system (14). Those filings include 1 that reports a crash and 1 that reports an injury.

Next to 2018

The 2018 Continental has 20 complaints, 2 per year. The 2017 has more complaints per year than the 2018.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2017 Lincoln Continental. How we count. Data as of 2026-10-16.

Recalls (4)

Recall back-over prevention, sensing system, camera 2022-08-26 · NHTSA campaign 22V644000

Summary 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.

Remedy 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.

Recall latches, locks, and linkages, doors, latch 2019-02-11 · NHTSA campaign 19V077000

Summary 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.

Remedy 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.

Recall air bags, frontal, driver side, inflator 2017-02-27 · NHTSA campaign 17V123000

Summary 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."

Remedy 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.

Recall exterior lighting, headlights 2016-10-12 · NHTSA campaign 16V731000

Summary 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."

Remedy 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.

Complaints by component (75 total)

Structure

Latches, locks, and linkages

Electrical system

Back-over prevention

Seats

Engine

Powertrain

Steering

Air bags

Air brakes

Electronic stability control (ESC)

Engine and engine cooling

Forward collision avoidance

Hydraulic brakes

Parking brake

Service brakes

Suspension

Show 9 more Show less

Crash-flagged

Fire-flagged

Injury reports

Death reports

Complaints filed per year

Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings

"Recall number 19S03 repaired prior to my purchase. Driver door latch has disassembled"
Unknown or other · filed 2026-09-02
"Date of Incident: XXX Location: [XXX] Vehicle Speed: 0 Description: The right front and right rear doors on my 2017 Lincoln Continental (VIN: [XXX]) became completely inoperable from the outside — the exact same safety…"
Electrical system, Structure · filed 2026-06-09
"The contact owns a 2017 Lincoln Continental. The contact stated while at various speeds, the contact noticed that there was an abnormal burning oil odor coming from the vehicle. Additionally, the contact stated while…"
Engine and engine cooling, Powertrain · filed 2026-05-29
"Vehicle: 2017 Lincoln Continental Black Label VIN: [XXX] I am reporting a seriously catastrophic brake system safety failure. The brake pedal intermittently travels to the floor with little to no resistance, resulting…"
Service brakes · filed 2026-04-14
"I have a 2017 Lincoln Continental that the passenger side front door will not open from the inside."
Unknown or other · filed 2026-04-09

NHTSA crash ratings

Version	Overall	Front	Side	Rollover
2017 Lincoln Continental 4 DR AWD	5 stars	5 stars	5 stars	4 stars
2017 Lincoln Continental 4 DR RWD	5 stars	5 stars	5 stars	4 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim	Engine	Transmission	Drive	City	Hwy	Combined	Annual fuel cost
Continental all-wheel drive	3L, 6-cyl	Automatic (6-speed)	All-wheel drive	16	24	19 MPG	$3400
Continental all-wheel drive	2.7L, 6-cyl	Automatic (6-speed)	All-wheel drive	17	25	20 MPG	$3250
Continental all-wheel drive	3.7L, 6-cyl	Automatic (6-speed)	All-wheel drive	16	24	19 MPG	$3400
Continental front-wheel drive	2.7L, 6-cyl	Automatic (6-speed)	Front-wheel drive	18	27	21 MPG	$3100
Continental front-wheel drive	3.7L, 6-cyl	Automatic (6-speed)	Front-wheel drive	17	26	20 MPG	$3250

Specs and fitment

Tenth generation, 2017–2020

Body styles Sedan

Oil Motorcraft SAE 5W-30 (WSS-M2C946-B1) , 6 qt capacity

Tire size 235/50R18, 255/45R19, 245/40R20 (trim dependent)

Known issues for this generation

NHTSA safety recall 19V-077 covers certain 2017-2019 Lincoln Continental vehicles. The door latch pawl motors may not function properly, possibly resulting in a door latch not fully engaging. A door that is not fully latched may open while driving, increasing injury risk. Remedy: dealers replace the latch assemblies on all four doors free of charge. NHTSA safety recall 22V-644 covers certain 2017-2020 Lincoln Continental vehicles equipped with the 360-degree camera system (also listing F-Super Duty trucks): degradation of the camera's anti-reflective lens coating can lead to a foggy or cloudy rearview camera image, reducing rearward visibility. Remedy: dealers replace the rearview camera free of charge. When NHTSA lists multiple Ford/Lincoln models in one campaign, the published unit count is shared.

Compare

Next year 2018 Lincoln Continental See every Lincoln Continental model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2017 Lincoln Continental reliable?

What are common problems with a 2017 Lincoln Continental?

Is the 2017 Lincoln Continental more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2018 Continental has 20 complaints, 2 per year. The 2017 has more complaints per year than the 2018.

Has the 2017 Lincoln Continental been recalled?

The 2017 Lincoln Continental has 4 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2017 Lincoln Continental?

Owners have filed 75 complaints about the 2017 Lincoln Continental with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2017 Lincoln Continental get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2017 Lincoln Continental is 19.8 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What oil does a 2018 Lincoln Continental use?

The 2018 US owner's manual specifies Motorcraft SAE 5W-30 (WSS-M2C946-B1), about 6.0 qt with filter across the listed engines.

What recalls affect the Lincoln Continental?

NHTSA lists 19V-077 (door latch pawl motors on 2017-2019) and 22V-644 (360-degree camera rearview image on 2017-2020); F-Super Duty trucks share the camera campaign unit count.

What tire sizes fit a Lincoln Continental?

Trim-dependent OE sizes include 235/50R18, 255/45R19, and 245/40R20; check the door placard for your Continental’s wheel package.