There are 3 owner-reported steering complaints for the 2003 Lincoln Navigatorin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
THIS IS THE FIFTH (5TH) TIME IN 6 YEARS I HAVE BROUGHT MY CAR IN FOR REPAIR OF THE AIR SUSPENSION (COMPRESSOR, RIDE HEIGHT) , ALL BUT ONE OF THOSE TIMES WAS TO THE FORD LINCOLN DEALERSHIP. IT IS CLEAR THAT FORD IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AS THERE ARE 10 SERVICE BULLETINS ON THE 2003 AIR SUSPENSION ALONE, AS WELL AS HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS ON THE INTERNET (SEE COMPLAINTS ON EDMUNDS, EVEN FORDS WEBSITE AND SEVERAL CAR FORUMS. THESE ARE OF THE LINCOLN NAVIGATOR ONLY, NOT ITS EQUIVALENT FORD EXPEDITION, WHICH ALSO HAS HOSTS OF COMPLAINTS.) MANY OF THE COMPLAINTS STATE, MUCH LIKE MY EXPERIENCE, THAT THE DEALER CANNOT EVEN FIGURE OUT THE PROBLEM. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO DESCRIBE TO YOU THE DANGER INVOLVED WHEN THE SUSPENSION FAILS, ESPECIALLY AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. THE CAR BOUNCES VIOLENTLY AND BECOMES TOTALLY UNCONTROLLABLE. *TR
WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH FRONT TIE ROD COLLAPSED, CAUSING CONSUMER TO LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR INSPECTION. *AK
DT: WHILE MAKING A RIGHT TURN OFF ON AN EXIT, THE VEHICLE WENT OUT OF CONTROL, THE FRONT DRIVER'S TIRE ROLLED OFF, THEN THE TIE ROD SNAPPED AND THE CONSUMER WAS TRAPPED. THE CONSUMER HIT A GUARD RAIL. NO OTHER VEHICLES OR PEOPLE WERE INVOLVED. THE CONSUMER STATED THAT TIRE OR TIE ROD WAS SO HOT THAT AS IT ROLLED INTO THE GRASS IT CAUGHT ON FIRE. TIRE WAS RETRIEVED. PROBLEMS WITH REAR DIFFERENTIAL PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT. THE VEHICLE WAS REGULARLY SERVICED. THE CONSUMER WAS SLIGHTLY INJURED IN THE ACCIDENT. POLICE REPORT FILED.
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026