One problem related to noises during shifting has been reported for the 2003 Lincoln Town Car. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2003 Lincoln Town Car based on all problems reported for the 2003 Town Car.
Assisting a friend with this. The left rear axle has broken and damaged the brakes and abs sensor. He had driven the vehicle to work and parked it. After his shift ended, he started the vehicle, shifted into gear and found the vehicle would not move & was making noise. He had it towed to his house and asked me to diagnose the cause. After raising the rear axle, I was able to determine that the left rear axle bearing had worn through the axle and it broke. When I checked the NHTSA website, it showed it was not covered under the rear axle safety recall, although the conditions are similar to what was listed.