Shocked by lack of quality control on a 2020 Lincoln Continental

[GON]

I recently stopped at a Ford Lincoln new car dealer in Nebraska to purchase a gas cap for a 2002 F350. The dealer had a few 2020 Lincoln Continentals on the lot. The 2020 Continental will be the last sedan Lincoln will be offering for sale, and the production line stopped making them.

Always liking Ford products, I have been interested in a 2020 Continental (but not seriously interested). In the 1970s my Dad's boss lent him his 1977 Lincoln Town Car for our family vacation- I grew fond of Lincolns ever since.

As I begin walking up to the 2020 Continental I see the driver door seems off... and I don't even have my glasses on. I get closer and check it out. The driver door molding does not align with the front fender molding. Maybe it is a new fad, so I check the passenger side- it is correct. So the driver door molding is not aligned.

I am in shock- as this is flagrant defect to the eyes. How could this get pass quality control at Ford?

On a side note- the car was open so I sat inside. Seats were nice and surprisingly a lot of rear passenger leg room. But overall not impressed. I think a loaded Toyota Avalon for 20k less is likely better equipped and designed.

 

[JT20]

I just saw this.. Man, I think the Continental looks SHARP, why they stopped making it just SCREAMS "We don't want the market" to me. (Ford Thunderbird, Lincoln Mark LT other limited runs/flops. And one wasn't even really a Lincoln, it was a Ford F-150 much like a Blackwood..)

And the interior wasn't designed well? Same as how a Taurus (do they still make those, aside for the police?) is "cramped" inside, platform being OLD?

I'd buy that car in a heartbeat but not that one. I'd take a look at the door and say, "If my car comes with the door looking like that, I don't want it. I'll buy the car but the door can't look like that." Or something like that.

So now these cars will be harvested by the rich, just like they did with Volkswagen Touraeg TDI...

 

[eljefino]

This sounds like it'll be an albatross as far as finding (unique) parts goes.

 

[MrHorspwer]

So the driver door molding is not aligned.

It's far worse than that: The whole door is misaligned.

The top edge of the door, near the a-pillar, is above the fender. The gap also looks much too tight at the top. All the gaps on that door are probably off.

 

[JT20]

This sounds like it'll be an albatross as far as finding (unique) parts goes.

Don't they have to make a 10 year supply?

 

[PimTac]

Nobody in China will buy that.

 

[GON]

JT20,

A few comments on your post ""We don't want the market"". That will be the death of Ford and GM. Not in the Lincoln or Cadillac, but in the entry level sedan. Why Ford invests so much in a mustang, and Chevy invests so much in a Corvette- but they don't offer a world class entry level sedan for young adults? These young adults buying Honda Civic, Toyota Corrollas, etc will be lifelong buyers of Honda and Toyota. Many of the Mustang and Corvette buyers are older guys.....

Yes, the Continental looks great- and I would love for it to give me the "just buy it" feeling. When I sat in it- I did not get that feeling. My daily driver is a 2005 Mercedes S500 with 206k miles. My sense was it was a more comfortable drive that the 2020 Continental.

Think the days of Ford and GM will be done if they can't sell high profit pickups. Maybe americans will have the funds for 40k-80k pickups for years to come,,,,,, but if not, I sense Ford and GM will be toast.

 

[doublebase]

I think people have been saying for a few years now that Ford’s quality control has taken a dip. Lots of internet talk about the new Ford Explorer (interior trim pieces not lining up, etc).

But a $70,000 dollar Lincoln with a door that looks like it’s hanging a half an inch lower than the fender!!?? Despicable.

And someone mentioned an Avalon for $20,000 less. Those things to me are a gorgeous sedan. Not a fan of the interior, but the exterior looks insanely good to me. And I assume the quality control, being a Toyota, is legendary.

 

[KCJeep]

There is simply no excuse for that in the modern age. Our last Ford was a dumpster fire but I have had several that were positive ownership experiences, including a Lincoln. We are shopping and my wife wants an Escape, I have heard/seen so many comments like this lately I am very leery. Yet there are three other Escapes in the family and they've been okay.

I agree completely dumping sedans is not a clever move, the market can shift too quickly. If suddenly nobody can afford 50k trucks Ford will be hurting. We have seen in the past consumers will quickly bail on big SUVs and trucks simply if gas goes up. And as many manufacturers bail on sedans the demand will go up too.

 

[doublebase]

JT20,

A few comments on your post ""We don't want the market"". That will be the death of Ford and GM. Not in the Lincoln or Cadillac, but in the entry level sedan. Why Ford invests so much in a mustang, and Chevy invests so much in a Corvette- but they don't offer a world class entry level sedan for young adults? These young adults buying Honda Civic, Toyota Corrollas, etc will be lifelong buyers of Honda and Toyota. Many of the Mustang and Corvette buyers are older guys.....

Yes, the Continental looks great- and I would love for it to give me the "just buy it" feeling. When I sat in it- I did not get that feeling. My daily driver is a 2005 Mercedes S500 with 206k miles. My sense was it was a more comfortable drive that the 2020 Continental.

Think the days of Ford and GM will be done if they can't sell high profit pickups. Maybe americans will have the funds for 40k-80k pickups for years to come,,,,,, but if not, I sense Ford and GM will be toast.

I’m not so sure, I just don’t think people are life long buyers of any car manufacturer anymore. I think that has disappeared because of all the various companies and choices people have. That was “your grandfathers thing”. And probably because he only had three manufacturers to chose from, realistically. I do have a friend that only buys Hyundai’s...he has stepped up to the Genesis. But even he has talked about moving up to a Tesla, and his wife has driven almost every manufacturer of SUV’s.

Your daily driver - if you chose to upgrade to the new Mercedes S-class - are beautiful sedans. That is THE sedan. That sits on the top of the mountain top, with everything else looking up to it. I own a Mercedes, but not THAT type of Mercedes. The S class is a different level.

 

[GMBoy]

I agree that misaligned door should never have left the factory but also consider the human element that is never 100% perfect. That is why you have a warranty to fix defects. Every mass produced item will have a few defects escape....blow dryers, washing machines, radios, TV's and cars/trucks.......you will all get a bad one here and there. At my GM plant we pride ourselves on making the best Tahoes/Yukons/Denalis and Escalades but every now and then something slips past. We have had defects make to the dealer and we (at the plant) were immediately notified and implemented corrective actions to prevent it from happening again. If this dealership notifies Ford - they will do the same. We are always in a continous improvement mode - we make changes to processes and parts almost daily to keep getting better. Our plant 1st time quality percentage is currently 99.5% - that means 99.5% of every SUV we build passes all of our quality checks as a perfect truck. The .5 go to repair and back thru all quality checks again. That is a tight and robust system...but again...the HUMAN element will never be 100% perfect.

 

[350Rocket]

Don't they have to make a 10 year supply?

I remember working at Ford in 2004/2005 and there were discontinued/unavailable parts for a 96-98 (can't remember exact year) Ford escort.

Even that isn't long enough. Cars obviously should last longer than that. Aftermarket takes over if it's a popular enough vehicle. No issues getting parts for my 2005 Silverado or even my 84 Oldsmobile Cutlass (if you look hard enough).

 

[RamFan]

Reminds me of that 300 that was recently posted with missing chrome trim and non-matching light housings.

Ridiculous.

 

[PimTac]

Reminds me of the 70’s.

“We will take care of that before you drive her off the lot.”

 

[gfh77665]

In the top pic, look at all the daylight in the gap between the hood and the body. Also the hood looks a 1/4" highter than the rest of the car. QC Ford! QC!

 

[PimTac]

In the top pic, look at all the daylight in the gap between the hood and the body. Also the hood looks a 1/4" highter than the rest of the car. QC Ford! QC!

Good eyes. That hood is way off.

 

[mrsilv04]

We could just blame COVID for this... just like everything else. Can't read the date on the window sticker, but that car could have been built during the worst days of the pandemic, and the assembly plant was barely running.

On the other hand, that one would have been perfect, to have gone into a rental car fleet.

 

[Zee09]

Last new one I bought was a LS V8 in 2006
Ford always likes to leave a few interior bits amiss.................
Loved the engine in that car but not much else. Although I had great luck with it.

Now the big Ford Trucks- F250-350- had four the last decade- 2010-2020
The quality improves every year especially the underbody hardware and rust proofing.
My 2020 F250 has been stellar ( 7.3)

 

[miden851]

Clearly they do not want spend so much time on something that is obsolete

on the other hand, that sticker price is yet offensive!

 

[Danno]

That door gap fitment is not fixable with adjustments imo.
The top of the door is near level with the fender, but the emblem is way off.
Unless they restamp the door to make the emblem pocket drop a bit, that fitment issue will never be fixed with adjustments.