general problems of the 2000 Lincoln Continental

A neighbor pointed out that the automobile was sitting several inches lower than normal closer to ground while parked in driveway. I began to check on this every time I went to use the car. Sometimes vehicle was normal height, sometimes lower. I noticed that, sometimes, when I turned the ignition key there was sound heard like a fan operating. I asked questions of people who had owned similar models and was told that there was a problem in this model showing up 4 to 8 years after manufacture. This model has a ride control which involves three "ride control" settings. As cars age there are air bags under the car which control the feel of car (plush, normal, firm) and they adjust accordingly. Before I start the car, if it sits low, turning the ignition key causes the ride mechanism to raise the car frame a few inches above the tires. Sometimes in cold weather this does not seem to operate and a message shows "check ride control". The store that does routine service regularly tells me that this is a problem in Lincoln/fords and that repairs often cost $2000 or more. The car now has about 114,000 miles on it and this problem occurs more often. I believe this has become a safety issue, and I have been told that I am not the only owner having this problem. The car was purchased from another owner, whom I know, in about 2008. He had purchased it from a Ford dealer as a "program car" I believe in 2001.

While driving on the highway the car started to accelerate on it,s own and when I applied the brakes they wouldn't work. I had to get off the next exit because I didn't want anyone to get in front of me because it went all the way up to 90 mph. Once I got off it still was accelerating so I drove up on the sidewalk to keep from hitting traffic at the light and got into the grass and it still was going fast and the brakes still not working I prayed and put it into neutral or I would have went right back into the traffic. Once I put it in neutral it stopped and then I put it in park and turned it off. I then turned it back on and it was idling so high and loud I turned it back off and called a tow truck. Once they arrived he stated that the linkage to the accelerator was stuck and that's is why the brakes weren't responding. He then called the dealership who stated he wasn't sure if the could look at the car or if he did when he would be able to work on it. Since then it has been sitting and I found out about all these other recalls and complaints for the very other things we been having problems with on this car. The tower also stated that he thought there was a recall for this acceleration if so I need to know this because this car needs to be fixed on the other recalls. This is the first time it did the acceleration but the foggy winshield,the seatbelts locking up on using the front seats, the suspension and brakes have been like this for a while and we were never notified about these recall so we could get them corrected. Others and myself could have been seriously hurt on that highway if I didn't stay calm through out the whole ordeal. I would like some response to what I need to do next and if this is a recall like the others can I take to the dealership and have it corrected. Right now it can be driven at all.

When the consumer applied the brakes, the brake pedal became hard, and consequently the consumer hit another vehicle. The vehicle pulled to the left which happened when the brakes were applied, the engine had run rough, the driver window has become inoperative, the windshield wipers left too many streaks, the left rear window had become inoperative, the rear brakes would grind when applied at 50 mph, the steering felt loose at 30 mph and the consumer had to constantly adjust, the brakes would not work at times(2 accidents occurred as a result), and the air bag did not deploy upon impact.

The moon roof was replaced because the motor did not work, the air bags were replaced several times, and the light did not illuminate. When the vehicle was returned to the consumer, the horn did not work, there was a chiming noise every 30 minutes, and also the air bags did not deploy when the vehicle was involved in an accident. The fuel pump was replaced twice, the driver side window was off track, the speakers did not work, the vehicle vibrated when a stop was made.