One problem related to cruise control has been reported for the 1998 Lincoln Continental. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
Spontaneous fire in engine compartment. Vehicle last driven about 12 hours before, and had been off since that time. During a downpour, and while parked in the driveway, the vehicle ignited shortly after 6am - 02/06/10. Events and remaining evidence closely match those described in the cruise control switch fires for other Ford models (including same model-year town cars).