Lincoln MKZ Complaints

1,851 consumer complaints on file.

#11772952October 22, 2026
ENGINE
Around end of May or beginning of June 2026 a check engine light came on in our 2018 MKZ. The code showed cylinder 3 misfire. We called our local Ford dealership for diagnosis. We almost didn't get there as it started to overheat on the way. Once at Ford they diagnosed it with coolant intrusion in cylinder 3. They said this was a known issue and needed a new block. $11,500 for replacement. They said driving it could cause catastrophic problems to the vehicle and possibly the passengers in it. The vehicle had 65,873 miles on it at time and once home it has stayed in the garage since. They said warranty was over and to call Lincoln for assistance programs as it was a known safety defect. I did call and Lincoln denied any help with repairs.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11772050October 19, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER, LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION
All dashboard warning lights come on simultaneously, randomly/without warning. This also affected the cruise control activation along with the vehicle lane change warning sensors becoming non-operational.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11772297October 19, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The recall states "the rear view camera could display a blank or distorted image on the center display screen when the vehicle is in reverse." So far this has not happened. My complaint is that in a year's time Lincoln has failed to contact me as the vehicle's owner to resolve this recall.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11771700October 16, 2026
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
The contact owns a 2010 Lincoln MKZ. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V904000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulics); however, the part to complete the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated to accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. Several unknown warning lights illuminated. The dealer was contacted; however, the tool to perform the recall remedy was unavailable. In addition, the contact stated that while attempting to decelerate, the brake pedal felt spongy and required excessive force to come to a complete stop. The vehicle was taken to another dealer, where diagnosis confirmed a Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU) failure; however, repairs were denied due to a Valve Actuation Service test requirement. The contact stated that the failure posed potential safety issues during winter driving. The manufacturer was notified of the failure by telephone. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11770858October 13, 2026
BACK OVER PREVENTION
The contact owns a 2016 Lincoln MKZ. The contact stated that while reversing, the rearview camera was intermittently inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11770611October 12, 2026
ENGINE
The engine failed due to design flaw in the engine block
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11769491October 7, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, STRUCTURE:BODY, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My 2014 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid has experienced significant water intrusion and intermittent electrical malfunctions. During heavy rain, water saturated the passenger-side floor areas, including the rear passenger floor. The source of the water intrusion has not been identified despite professional inspection and water testing. After the water-intrusion events, the vehicle experienced intermittent electrical problems including the passenger-side window not operating, HVAC/air-conditioning controls becoming inoperative, radio/front controls not responding, and at times multiple electrical functions becoming inoperative together. I also observed that moving the passenger seat sometimes appeared to coincide with the affected functions beginning to work again. I do not know whether the seat movement is causally related. An independent automotive electrical facility performed a diagnostic scan. Multiple communication-related DTCs were recorded across vehicle systems. Several were identified as current faults, including lost communication or invalid-data faults involving the Front Controls Interface Module, Door Control Module B, Gateway A and HVAC Control Module. Other codes were historical/not current. The vehicle was subsequently inspected by a Lincoln dealer. The dealer performed water testing but was unable to identify the source of the leak. Some electrical connections near the floor were inspected without visible moisture or corrosion being found. The dealer also reported an intermittent loose connection involving communication with the gateway during diagnostic testing. The underlying cause of the intermittent electrical malfunction was not identified or repaired. The electrical malfunction occurred again shortly after the vehicle was returned and remains intermittent. Because multiple vehicle functions can become unavailable unpredictably, I am concerned about the reliability and safety of the vehicle's electrical/network systems. The vehicle remains available for ins
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11769735October 7, 2026
ENGINE
I noticed on mid Sept/2026 when I started my car the engine was idling rough for a few minutes, then went idling normal. Every morning after it repeated itself when first starting the car and my check engine light came on. I scheduled a a diagnostic with an Auto shop and it was diagnosed as Cylinder 2 misfire. Shop told me to check if coolant level is lower in the next morning, I checked it was low & had to add more coolant, also no coolant on the floor. Check Engine Light on almost every day, took it to another auto shop for 2nd opinion, had them do a coolant pressure test. The Coolant pressure test showed Cylinder 2 had coolant getting inside it. Shop found TSB 19-2208 pertaining to this issue. Repair for this was to replace engine. Found out about Miller vs Ford Class action suit online which stated Ford had a Engine Block design flaw on the 1.0 L, 1.6 L, & 2.0 L EcoBoost engines which allows coolant to leak directly into the combustion Cylinders, which could cause severe overheating. My Lincoln MKZ has the 2.0 L EcoBoost engine. Eventually my engine will fail completely if I continue to drive the car. My MKZ engine was built on 08/2018
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11769212October 6, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Safety Recall 22S43 (Shifter Cable Bushing)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11768497October 2, 2026
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2017 Lincoln MKZ. The contact stated that while the vehicle was idling or driving there was a misfire. Additionally, while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle made an abnormally loud whining sound. The contact slowed down to 5 MPH and continued driving. The check engine warning light illuminated, and there was an abnormal burning odor coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was diagnosed with coolant intrusion in cylinder #3. The dealer determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure by phone. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 86,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11768009September 30, 2026
BACK OVER PREVENTION
The contact owns a 2015 Lincoln MKZ. The contact stated that while reversing, the rear-view camera displayed a black screen. The dealer was contacted by phone and made aware of the failure. The contact was informed that parts were unavailable to repair the vehicle. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The failure mileage was approximately 62,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11767035September 25, 2026
ENGINE
Head gasket and long block. I was at risk along with the public. I was driving on [XXX] when the car suddenly started to overheat and would not accelerate anymore. The problem was diagnosed today the coolant is leaking into cylinder 3. The check engine light came on and gave me p303 for a code. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11766289September 23, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I recently have been losing antifreeze, The car stared to overheat, the P303 engine code came on. The car hasn't been inspected yet but my mechanic said it's a sign of a long or short block issue. I've been looking the problem up. It seems to be a problem with many of these cars, a known issue with the card from 2017-2020.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11766190September 22, 2026
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2017 Lincoln MKZ. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the engine was faulty due to coolant intrusion and that the engine needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 75,300.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11765848September 21, 2026
ENGINE
Catalytic Converter P0420 issue that cannot be fixed.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11765568September 19, 2026
BACK OVER PREVENTION: WARNINGS
Ream view camera only works about 5% of the time. Makes it difficult for me to see behind when backing
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11764334September 15, 2026
AIR BAGS
Component Failure & Inspection: Restraints Control Module (RCM) / physical airbags failed on a 2013 Lincoln MKZ. The 44-page Bosch CDR report proves a hardware failure: Page 8 logs a "YES" command for Frontal and Rollover Discriminating Deployment. System voltage was stable (14.02V at T0), and seatbelt pretensioners successfully fired (683.0 ms and 688.0 ms). However, physical airbags completely failed to inflate and left no execution timestamps. This matches NHTSA Campaign for 2013 Lincoln MKZ for air bag but owner was never alerted. NHTSA Campaign where cracked conformal coating shunts deployment voltage to ground. The vehicle/RCM are preserved and available for inspection.Safety Risk: The failure left driver K** ****** unprotected in a violent, multi-stage crash. Entering at 50.70 MPH, the vehicle braked to 40.02 MPH at initial impact struck car then struck the road and flipped ~1 second later. Due to non-deployment, the driver suffered severe injuries requiring critical medical air evacuation (airlift) and 6 months of lost wages so far. Confirmation/Reproduction: Confirmed via forensic data extraction. A retained professional pulled the black box data, generating a 44-page Bosch CDR report proving the software commanded deployment ("YES") but the hardware mechanically failed.Inspections: The Louisiana Uniform Crash Report explicitly notes "Not Deployed" despite the rollover. State Farm Insurance reviewed these digital metrics and reassigned 100% fault to the other driver (D**** *****).Warning Symptoms: None. The system was healthy up to the millisecond of impact. Page 7 logs "No Faults Recorded" at the start of the event. At -1.0 second, the Frontal Air Bag Warning Lamp was "OFF," proving the factory defect was entirely silent and hidden.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11764046September 14, 2026
ENGINE
While driving, the car stalled. I could not restart it. It was towed to Lincoln Dealer and determined that coolant had leaked into the cylinders and seized the engine. This is a known defect on the Ford EcoBoost Engine. Fully aware of the defect, Ford redesigned the engine in 2019 for later models. I am now faced with the huge expense of having Lincoln replace the engine. Ford needs to take responsibility and pay for this. Please help me.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11763897September 13, 2026
ENGINE
My 2017 Lincoln MKZ with only 52100 miles started leaking coolant into the engine cylinders which will require a new engine. Ford/Lincoln is aware of this problem with their 2.0 liter Ecoboost engine and has even issued a service bulletin and the necessary engine replacement. I have contacted Lincoln Customer Service and their response was they have no liability since the vehicle is out of warranty. I have noted there are several class action lawsuits in progress and I believe a recall has been issued on some Ford/Lincoln Ecoboost engines. A recall should be issued for all affected engines and not just some models. Thank you for your attention in this matter. The engine replacement will cost at least $7000. Ford should be responsible for reimbursing my out of pocket costs as a result of their unwillingness to resolve this issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11762139September 4, 2026
ENGINE, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I purchased a 2017 Lincoln MKZ and began experiencing serious engine problems, including repeated overheating and an engine misfire. The vehicle developed a check-engine light and a P0301 misfire code. I was advised by a repair shop that the vehicle has a serious engine problem and that the engine needs to be replaced. I am concerned that the overheating and engine problems could cause the vehicle to suddenly lose power or suffer complete engine failure while I am driving. If the engine loses power unexpectedly while I am traveling in traffic, I could be unable to accelerate or safely move out of the way of other vehicles, creating a serious safety hazard for me, my passengers, and other motorists. I contacted Lincoln regarding these problems and asked the manufacturer for assistance, but Lincoln refused to provide assistance with the issue. I am now left responsible for addressing a potentially serious engine and safety problem. I am requesting that NHTSA document and investigate these engine, misfire, and overheating problems to determine whether they may be related to a safety defect affecting other 2017 Lincoln MKZ vehicles.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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