Lincoln Navigator 1998–2002
1st generation · UN173 (Ford U platform)
NHTSA data through 13 August 2026696 complaints, 309 with mileageMethod
- Reports with mileage
- 309
- Median of reported failures
- 86,000 mi
- Most-reported system
- Tyres (21.8%)
- Recalls
- 0
Before-you-buy checklist ↓Check this VIN — NHTSA ↗
On this generation, failures are spread across the mileage range, with the middle half between 56,641 and 121,000 miles.
Figure 1 · Lincoln Navigator 1998–2002 · 309 reports with mileage
Mileage at failure
Complaints per 10,000-mile bin, 0 to 200,000 miles, equal bins on a linear scale. Tallest bar = 32 complaints.
- Rest of the range
- Median
- 200,000+ — 13 complaints (4.2%), plotted separately
- 10%
- 34,219
- 25%
- 56,641
- Median
- 85,500
- 75%
- 121,000
- 90%
- 163,000
Show the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 0–10,000 | 12 | 3.9% |
| 10,000–20,000 | 6 | 1.9% |
| 20,000–30,000 | 9 | 2.9% |
| 30,000–40,000 | 13 | 4.2% |
| 40,000–50,000 | 25 | 8.1% |
| 50,000–60,000 | 17 | 5.5% |
| 60,000–70,000 | 32 | 10.4% |
| 70,000–80,000 | 22 | 7.1% |
| 80,000–90,000 | 29 | 9.4% |
| 90,000–100,000 | 22 | 7.1% |
| 100,000–110,000 | 17 | 5.5% |
| 110,000–120,000 | 23 | 7.4% |
| 120,000–130,000 | 18 | 5.8% |
| 130,000–140,000 | 8 | 2.6% |
| 140,000–150,000 | 12 | 3.9% |
| 150,000–160,000 | 9 | 2.9% |
| 160,000–170,000 | 12 | 3.9% |
| 170,000–180,000 | 5 | 1.6% |
| 180,000–190,000 | 3 | 1.0% |
| 190,000–200,000 | 2 | 0.6% |
| 200,000+ | 13 | 4.2% |
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain. Complaint counts reflect what owners reported and are not a measure of failure rate per vehicle sold.
What this can and cannot tell you: these are complaints owners chose to file, not a failure rate. Popular models accumulate more of them simply by being common. How this is built.
Owners filed 696 complaints with NHTSA about the 1998–2002 Lincoln Navigator, and 309 of them record the mileage at which the failure happened. That is enough to show not just what fails, but when.
Failures are spread across the mileage range, with the middle half between 56,641 and 121,000 miles. The median is 85,500 miles.
The most-reported areas are the tyres (21.8% of complaints, typically around 50,000 miles), the electrical system (9.9% of complaints, typically around 94,000 miles), the suspension (8.2% of complaints, typically around 73,000 miles).
If you arrived asking “is it reliable?” — this page answers the version of that question the data can support: which problems owners reported, and at what mileage.
How many miles does a 1998–2002 Lincoln Navigator last?
Half of the failure reports on the 1998–2002 Lincoln Navigator were filed by 86,000 miles and 90% by 163,000 miles — figures drawn from 309 NHTSA complaints that record an odometer reading, so they time reported failures, not the cars whose owners never filed one.
13 reports (4.2%) came in past 200,000 miles — each one proof a Navigator reached that mileage, not that it died there.
Before you buy a 1998–2002 Navigator: the 3-minute check
Generated from 309 mileage-tagged complaints, 2 documented problem areas. Print this page — the checklist survives print.
- Check air suspension on 1998–2002 cars. Rear (and on 4x4 models, front) air springs leak and the compressor burns out from over-cycling; symptoms are a sagging or squatting rear end, ride-height faults and nose-dive under braking. Height sensors and control…
- Check cylinder head spark plug threads (5.4l 2-valve) on 1998–2002 (5.4L 2–valve) cars. The 2-valve Triton aluminum heads have too few spark plug thread engagements; plugs (commonly #2/#3/#4) work loose and eject from the head under compression, typically at 60,000-100,000 miles, stripping the threads.…
- Complaint reports are not spread evenly across model years here — see the by-model-year table below before you settle on a year.
- End with a pre-purchase inspection of this car. Aggregate data describes the population; the example in front of you has its own history.
For a buyer, failures on this generation are spread rather than concentrated: the middle half falls between 57,000 and 121,000 miles, with a median of 86,000. There is no single mileage threshold to watch, which means condition and maintenance records are more informative than the odometer.
On inspection, the tyres and the electrical system are where this generation's reports concentrate, so those are the areas worth a specific look. The tyres in particular shows a median failure mileage of 50,000, which gives a concrete number to compare against the odometer of any car you are considering.
None of this is a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection on the individual car. Aggregate patterns describe a population; the example in front of you has its own history.
What fails, and when
Figure 2 · Lincoln Navigator 1998–2002
When each system fails
Bar spans the middle half of reports; the notch inside each bar is the median. Miles at failure on a proportional scale — equal distances are equal ratios, not equal miles.
- Tyres152 reports50,00038,000–78,000Tyres: 152 reports, median 50,000 miles, middle half 38,000 to 78,000 miles.
- Steering41 reports69,00053,000–92,000Steering: 41 reports, median 69,000 miles, middle half 53,000 to 92,000 miles.
- Suspension57 reports73,00052,000–124,000Suspension: 57 reports, median 73,000 miles, middle half 52,000 to 124,000 miles.
- Transmission and driveline44 reports76,00066,000–100,000Transmission and driveline: 44 reports, median 76,000 miles, middle half 66,000 to 100,000 miles.
- Throttle and speed control55 reports94,00070,000–117,000Throttle and speed control: 55 reports, median 94,000 miles, middle half 70,000 to 117,000 miles.
- Electrical system69 reports94,00072,000–133,000Electrical system: 69 reports, median 94,000 miles, middle half 72,000 to 133,000 miles.
- Engine and its cooling system57 reports101,00081,000–134,000Engine and its cooling system: 57 reports, median 101,000 miles, middle half 81,000 to 134,000 miles.
- Your odometer — appears after you enter it in “Where your car sits”
Ordered by median mileage, earliest first. The first 12,000 miles are shaded: that is the boundary this site uses between a manufacturing defect and ordinary wear, not a property of the world.
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain.
| System | Complaints | Share | Median | 25–75% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyres | 152 | 21.8% | 50,000 | 38,000–78,000 |
| Electrical system | 69 | 9.9% | 94,000 | 72,000–133,000 |
| Suspension | 57 | 8.2% | 73,000 | 52,000–124,000 |
| Engine and its cooling system | 57 | 8.2% | 101,000 | 81,000–134,000 |
| Throttle and speed control | 55 | 7.9% | 94,000 | 70,000–117,000 |
| Transmission and driveline | 44 | 6.3% | 76,000 | 66,000–100,000 |
| Steering | 41 | 5.9% | 69,000 | 53,000–92,000 |
| Wheels | 28 | 4.0% | — | — |
| Airbag system | 28 | 4.0% | 90,000 | 34,000–160,000 |
| Visibility equipment | 27 | 3.9% | — | — |
Where your car sits
Failure reports by the odometer reading they were filed at. Pick the anchor nearest your car — or type the exact mileage: your marker lands on this curve and on the timing chart above.
Figure 3 · Lincoln Navigator 1998–2002 · 309 reports with mileage
Share of reports below each mileage
Share of mileage-tagged reports filed at or below each odometer reading. Steps rise only at bin edges, by exact counted shares.
- 60,000 mi — 27% of reports below
- 90,000 mi — 53% of reports below
- 120,000 mi — 73% of reports below
- Median — the staircase crosses the 50% line here
- Your odometer — appears after you enter it below
The staircase tops out at 96%: the remaining 4.2% of reports (13) came above 200,000 miles.
Nothing is smoothed or interpolated. Linear axis, same as Figure 1.
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain.
At 60,000 miles
27% of the failure reports on this generation came below this mileage. That describes reports, not your odds.
In the reporting window
- Tyres — middle half 38,000–78,000 mi
- Suspension — middle half 52,000–124,000 mi
- Steering — middle half 53,000–92,000 mi
Mostly reported later
- Electrical system — middle half 72,000–133,000 mi
- Engine and its cooling system — middle half 81,000–134,000 mi
- Throttle and speed control — middle half 70,000–117,000 mi
- Transmission and driveline — middle half 66,000–100,000 mi
At 90,000 miles
53% of the failure reports on this generation came below this mileage. That describes reports, not your odds.
Reported earlier than this mileage — ask for repair records
- Tyres — median 50,000 mi
In the reporting window
- Electrical system — middle half 72,000–133,000 mi
- Suspension — middle half 52,000–124,000 mi
- Engine and its cooling system — middle half 81,000–134,000 mi
- Throttle and speed control — middle half 70,000–117,000 mi
- Transmission and driveline — middle half 66,000–100,000 mi
- Steering — middle half 53,000–92,000 mi
At 120,000 miles
73% of the failure reports on this generation came below this mileage. That describes reports, not your odds.
Reported earlier than this mileage — ask for repair records
- Tyres — median 50,000 mi
- Throttle and speed control — median 94,000 mi
- Transmission and driveline — median 76,000 mi
- Steering — median 69,000 mi
In the reporting window
- Electrical system — middle half 72,000–133,000 mi
- Suspension — middle half 52,000–124,000 mi
- Engine and its cooling system — middle half 81,000–134,000 mi
Which systems, and when
Complaints about this generation are not spread evenly across the vehicle, and the systems that generate the most of them do not all fail at the same point in a car's life. The median failure across all systems here is 85,500 miles; the figures below show which parts of the car run ahead of that and which run behind.
The tyres account for 21.8% of complaints (152 reports, 37 of them with a mileage figure), and they fail early — a median of 50,000 miles, well before the vehicle's overall median. Failures clustered this far below the rest of the car usually point to a design or manufacturing problem rather than wear, because wear does not selectively target one system on low-mileage examples. The middle half of these reports falls between 38,000 and 78,000 miles.
The electrical system accounts for 9.9% of complaints (69 reports, 44 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 94,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 72,000 and 133,000 miles.
The suspension accounts for 8.2% of complaints (57 reports, 24 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 73,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 52,000 and 124,000 miles.
The engine and its cooling system accounts for 8.2% of complaints (57 reports, 37 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 101,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 81,000 and 134,000 miles.
Throttle and speed control accounts for 7.9% of complaints (55 reports, 32 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 94,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 70,000 and 117,000 miles.
The transmission and driveline accounts for 6.3% of complaints (44 reports, 21 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 76,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 66,000 and 100,000 miles.
Differences between model years
Within this generation, complaint volume is not constant across model years. The 1998 model year drew the most — 240 complaints — while 2002 drew the fewest at 48. The median year sits at 137.
The first year of the generation, 1998, sits above the median. That is a common pattern — early production of a redesigned vehicle tends to surface problems that later years do not repeat — and it is worth weighing when choosing between years.
Recalls and what they cover
No recall campaigns covering this generation appear in NHTSA's post-2010 recall file. That is not the same as an absence of problems — recalls address safety defects specifically, and many of the complaints above concern faults that are expensive or annoying without meeting that threshold.
Reported severity
What owners reported alongside the failure itself, out of 696 complaints against this generation:
- Crashes
- 59 (8.5%)
- Fires
- 77
- Injury reports
- 56
- Fatality reports
- 3
These flags are self-reported by complainants and unverified by NHTSA; one report can carry several flags, so the counts overlap and do not sum to a total. They are not adjusted for how many of these vehicles are on the road. No chart is drawn here on purpose: overlapping counts spanning very different magnitudes cannot be honestly encoded as lengths.
Documented problems
Air Suspension 1998–2002
Rear (and on 4x4 models, front) air springs leak and the compressor burns out from over-cycling; symptoms are a sagging or squatting rear end, ride-height faults and nose-dive under braking. Height sensors and control module electrical faults are secondary causes.
Cylinder Head Spark Plug Threads (5.4l 2-Valve) 1998–2002 (5.4L 2–valve)
The 2-valve Triton aluminum heads have too few spark plug thread engagements; plugs (commonly #2/#3/#4) work loose and eject from the head under compression, typically at 60,000-100,000 miles, stripping the threads. Ford revised the head design for 2003.
By model year
| Year | Complaints | With mileage |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 240 | 81 |
| 1999 | 155 | 66 |
| 2000 | 137 | 54 |
| 2001 | 116 | 74 |
| 2002 | 48 | 34 |
What owners reported
the contact owns a 1998 Lincoln Navigator. The vehicle speed control was deactivated for the Ford recall. The contact stated that the dealer deactivated the speedometer when the cruise control was deactivated. While driving approximately 65 MPH, the contact's vehicle was rear ended by another vehicle and destroyed.…
1998 · 10,000 miles · Throttle and speed control
While driving, the left tie rod separated, which almost caused an accident. *Jb while driving, the right tie rod separated. (All parts were replaced by the dealer) the consumer was able to stop the vehicle without causing an accident because both failures occurred at a low speed. When the tie rod broke, along with the…
1998 · 38,000 miles · Steering
I was driving on a straight stretch of road through riverside, pa doing 35 MPH when i experienced violent shaking in the front end of the vehicle. I had extreme difficulty maintaining control of the vehicle and almost hit 3 people walking alongside the road. When i was able to stop the vehicle i discovered that the…
1998 · 53,000 miles · Steering
Spark plugs!! I have a 98 Lincoln Navigator, i just had a 60,000 mile service completed on it 3,000 miles ago. The truck was sputtering and stalling out in traffic, the Lincoln dealership assured me it was a hose EGR/pcv, i can't really recall which. They replaced the hose along with the service. I deploy to korea in…
1998 · 60,000 miles · Electrical system
Built from 309 NHTSA complaints with mileage · snapshot 2026-08-18 · open data · reproduce this page