Lincoln MKZ Complaints
1,851 consumer complaints on file.
- #11544022September 12, 2023SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
The contact owns a 2015 Lincoln MKZ. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V162000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that the “Service Brakes” message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the brake fluid was leaking from the vehicle. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 59,000. Parts distribution disconnect.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11542076September 1, 2023STEERING
The contact owns a 2012 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid. The contact stated that while his grandson was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the power steering control module was reprogrammed; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where it was determined that the steering gear assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 122,000.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11541872August 31, 2023SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
The contact owns a 2017 Lincoln MKZ. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V162000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11541617August 30, 2023SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
The contact owns a 2017 Lincoln MKZ. The contact stated while driving 30-40 MPH and depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle failed to respond immediately. The contact stated that the vehicle responded when the brake pedal was depressed down to the floorboard. The contact stated that as she continued driving, the message "Brake Fluid" was displayed. The contact drove to the residence, where she noticed that brake fluid was leaking onto the ground. The contact later became aware that the VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V162000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer and a second dealer Ford of Latham (637 Columbia St Ext, Latham, NY 12110) were contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 71,000. Parts distribution disconnect.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11541366August 29, 2023TIRES:SIDEWALL, TIRES:BEAD
The tire is a NEXEN 225/45R18 After driving at highway speed on an out-of-town trip for several hours, got off the highway on the way to the hotel using suburban roads. About a mile later, a noise suddenly started at the driver's side front. The "slapping noise" got worse as the car went faster. I pulled off into a parking lot and found a steel bead from the tire had come loose and was hitting the inside fender well. I also noticed there were cracks in the side wall. I changed the tire using the spare tire and drove to the hotel. The next day, I went to a local tire dealer to buy replacement tires. Since the car is an All Wheel Drive vehicle, I had to replace all four tires. And, it is a good thing I did since when I inspected the old tires, the other front tire (the passenger side) had side wall cracks worse than the driver's side tire that had the bead separation. The two rear tires showed no evident side wall cracks. I kept the two front tires with the failures and one of the rear tires that did not have any evident cracks. There was not enough room in the car to bring all four tires back home. Attached are photographs of the two failed tires. NOTE: I am a former Director of the Office of Defects Investigation [XXX] ) and this is my wife's car. I brought the tires back with me since I believe ODI may want to have the tires in the event it believes a PE is appropriate. The tires are in my garage in Northern Virginia. The email and phone number are mine, not my wife's. 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
- #11541241August 28, 2023WHEELS, WHEELS:LUGS/NUTS/BOLTS/STUDS
Took car in for an oil change and tire rotation. The dealer did the oil change but could not do the tire rotation because the lug nuts needed to be replaced.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11540859August 26, 2023ENGINE
Check engine light came on, car ran hot, and emitted smoke. It also began to run rough. Frightening to say the least. I immediately drove home and took it to my mechanic the next day. He found coolant leaked into cylinder 3. He did research and found tons of reports of the same problem with the Ford 2.0 eco boost engine. Several people reported engine seizing, smoke, or fires. This is a safety hazard.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11540511August 24, 2023SERVICE BRAKES
The contact owns a 2017 Lincoln MKZ. The contact stated that upon depressing the brake pedal, the brake pedal made an abnormal squeaking sound. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was determined that the brakes had failed. The contact stated that the brakes had been replaced twice, including the rotors; however, the failure persisted. The contact stated that the vehicle had been taken to the independent mechanic several times for repairs. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11538780August 15, 2023ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
I push my start button and it makes the starting nose and after a few minutes it starts and when I go to move it stalls out and then won't start again or starts and stalls again. But the next day drives fine. And it has been happening now for months even after we fixed the high rich codes it was giving out but now there's no codes appearing.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11538489August 14, 2023STEERING
The contact owns a 2014 Lincoln MKZ. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the steering wheel became significantly loosened. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V167000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11538144August 12, 2023ENGINE
2017 lincoln mkz 2.0L ecoboost engine Coolant intrusion into cylinder due to cracked engine block from factory defects in water jacket design. This will cause engine to fail, over heat, potential fire risk. Issue identified by certified dealer and lincoln refuses to fix due to out of warranty. Issue is known by lincoln and is same as 1.6L ecoboost recall. Check engine light indicated misfire in cylinder, however light is intermittently illuminated and does not identify the actual issue.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11537859August 11, 2023SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:ABS WARNING LIGHT
The contact owns a 2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH and depressing the brake pedal, the brake pedal went down to the floorboard and the stopping distance was extended. The "Check Braking System" and "Service Advancetrac" messages were displayed. The ABS, brakes, and the electronic stability control warning lights were illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road and engaged the electronic parking brake. The contact stated that when she turned off and restarted the vehicle, the warning lights turned off and the vehicle operated as needed. The contact stated that the failure recurred on two separate occasions; however, on the last occasion, the warning lights remained illuminated upon restarting the vehicle, and the brake failure persisted. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 95,000. The contact stated the ABS module failed, the older model years were under the recall but the newer cars were not included in this recall. The contact is requesting reimbursement for repairs made to this vehicle.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11537567August 9, 2023ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA
User interface for HVAC, entertainment system, and everything through the Ford Sync screen is unusable. Had this repaired 11 months prior. Issue returned. Dealer says , “There are several things going on with it. 1 The front inter face control module 2. Display screen and 3. APIM. Parts labor and tax it would run $2,670.00.” There are many instances of reports of these issues with not only the MKZ models, but with many of Ford’s lineup including Ford and Lincoln vehicles. Safety implications are uncontrollable heat (unsafe temperature levels and fatigue inducing), uncontrollable sound levels (distracting and can’t hear environment), loss of hands free, loss of backup camera.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11536906August 7, 2023SERVICE BRAKES, SERVICE BRAKES, AIR:DISC:CALIPER
The contact owns a 2010 Lincoln MKZ. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to slow as intended. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the contact was informed that the brake hoses and brake caliper hoses needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 116,000.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11536963August 7, 2023ENGINE
While driving my 2017 Lincoln MKZ 3.0L in March 2023, I experienced a loss of power and then engine stalled, fortunately I was at a stop and was able to re-start the vehicle and limp home, (which was nearby). If this loss of power and then stall would have happened while I was moving in traffic the failure could have lead to a catastrophic outcome including loss of life. It was determined via OBDII analysis conducted by the Lincoln Service department that DTC P0302 was triggered. Upon further inspection by the service department it was revealed that the issue was related to TSB 19-2243, which reads "2.7L/3.0L - Oil Consumption With DTC P0524 And/Or P06DD, Rough Idle, Misfire And/Or White Or Blue Exhaust Smoke - Built On 1-Apr-2016 And Through 1-Jan-2017". Unfortunately, my vehicle was built during this known defect time frame. And the remedy required new cylinder head. The new cylinder head and subsequent parts and labor cost me $3,126.58. This was extremely unfair as my only because my vehicle did not fall within the warranty period or mileage. The vehicle was over 6 years old with 36,934 miles. This very serious failure mode could have resulted in a loss of life if experienced while driving on a highway or any other situation in which the vehicle was mobile and experienced a sudden loss of power in traffic. Further disappointing is that I would estimate that there were many vehicles that experienced the defect noted in the TSB but these were not reported publicly because they were "lucky enough" to fail during the warranty period. My costs should be reimbursed by Lincoln given this was a known defect during the build time frame. And at minimum there should be a safety recall for the vehicles built during the time period noted in the TSB. I will personally never purchase another Lincoln not to mention a Ford, of which I currently have 3 Ford/Lincoln.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11536595August 4, 2023ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2016 Lincoln MKZ. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated and the contact smelled a odor of burning. The contact was able to pull over into a parking lot and examined under the hood and notice that coolant had leaked. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic for diagnosis and stated that cylinder two had misfired and coolant had leaked into the engine and the engine needed to be replaced and advised to contact the local dealer. The vehicle was towed to the dealer that also stated that the engine needed to be replaced and advised to contact the manufacturer for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted but did not provide any assistance and was advised to contact NHTSA. The failure mileage was 70,000.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11536241August 3, 2023STEERING
The steering wheel on my 2014 Lincoln MKZ almost came off while driving. An internet search yielded information that there was a 2018 recall on Lincoln and Ford vehicles with the same problem. I took my vehicle to the local Lincoln dealer for repair and asked them to find the recall. They told me that it had not had a recall and refused to fix it based on the recall, but at my expense. The specifics of the recall (Ford reference 18S08) were that it was for 2014-2108 MKZ manufactured in the Hermosillo Assembly Plant in Mexico. Research has shown that my MKZ was manufactured in the Hermosillo Assembly Plant. My complaint is that the recall was for an identical year, make and model in the same manufacturing plant and common sense would tell you that there was a manufacturing defect, but that FORD/Lincoln did not capture all the affected vehicles. This is a serious and dangerous problem. The steering wheel almost came off in my hands 9 years later. Lincoln should be required to identify the vehicles manufactured in that facility during that time period that were not identified for recall and contact those owners for repair at their expense. I contacted Lincoln corporate recall center and while somewhat helpful with information, they were totally uninterested in my suggestions.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11536310August 3, 2023SERVICE BRAKES
The contact owns a 2016 Lincoln MKZ. The contact stated while driving 45 mph, another vehicle intercepted his lane from the left, and when depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle independently shifted to the right causing the vehicle to hit a curb and damaging the front passenger side tire. No air bags deployed. The contact stated no one was injured nor sought medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was not drivable. The vehicle was towed to a towing lot. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The VIN was associated with NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V162000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 68,000.
- Crash:
- Yes
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11535619July 31, 2023STEERING
The contact owns a 2012 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid. The contact stated while starting the vehicle the steering wheel was firm. The "power steering assist fault" and "service advance trac" messages were displayed. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle and the steering operated normally. The dealer was contacted and stated that the vehicle needed to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the recall for the failure had expired and provided no additional assistance. The failure mileage was 100,288.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11534950July 28, 2023ENGINE
In September 2022, I began noticing issues with my 2017 Lincoln MKZ. Despite notifying Lincoln and the dealer, they delayed inspection due to their policy that a check engine light was not a sufficient reason for an early inspection without an appointment. It was only inspected in November. I also was told both by the dealer and Lincoln corporate customer service that I couldn't take my car to other dealers to get it inspected. In November 2022, it was finally inspected, but they were unable to diagnose the issue. By July 2023, the issues escalated - my car was now diagnosed as requiring a new engine due to coolant leakage into the engine. I was shocked and horrified at this outcome, given that I had only driven the car for 25k miles since its purchase in 2020. Over a third of submitted complaints to nhtsa regarding this vehicle model are related to engine failure due to coolant leakage. TSB reports and existing class action lawsuits indicate that the issue is a known design flaw in the engine affecting both Lincoln MKZ and certain Ford Fusion models. Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) 22-2134, indicates that the problem may present "with or without an illuminated malfunction indicator lamp (MIL)". A complete engine replacement is their proposed solution. Despite the urgent need for corrective action, Lincoln's response has been neither prompt nor transparent. They seem to be avoiding responsibility rather than addressing this critical defect, as evident in their decision to discontinue the MKZ and the Ford Fusion in 2020 a year after acknowledging these issues. This is a case of warranty and insurance fraud, not to mention a critical failure in maintaining public safety. I urge NHTSA to thoroughly investigate this defect affecting numerous vehicles and compel Lincoln to rectify it. For the past two weeks, I've requested multiple times my vehicle records from Lincoln but received none, leaving my car hostage in the shop. Please consider this plea for action.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0