Lincoln MKZ Complaints (2011)

185 consumer complaints on file.

#11758814August 22, 2026
POWER TRAIN
2011 Lincoln MKZ AWD, 25000 miles. The plastic sheath that covers the transmission shift cable split in two. The split is located on the cable between the engine and firewall. preventing the driver from being able to shift the automatic transmission into Park and then later could no longer shift into any gear position. The metal cable and braid remained intact.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11680701August 14, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS
The contact owns a 2011 Lincoln MKZ. The contact's spouse stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact's spouse started the vehicle and noticed flames coming from the interior seal of the driver's door, located by the rocker panel. The contact's spouse stated that the flames were not severe. The contact’s spouse was able to extinguish the fire. The contact stated that after inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed moisture leaking into the rocker panel wiring. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for brake and rotor repair. The contact and the mechanic noticed that the whole rear of the vehicle was severely corroded. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11679126August 7, 2025
STEERING
The contact owns a 2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact became aware that the electronic power steering was not functioning properly, requiring an increased effort to maneuver the vehicle. The EPS warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the steering rack. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 130,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11669507June 26, 2025
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
The contact owns a 2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at 45 MPH, the brake service warning light illuminated. The contact used excessive force on the brake pedal and the brake pedal was depressed to the floorboard. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 168,258.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11642912February 15, 2025
ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
While traveling on interstate at70 mph a red triangle appears on dash engine turns off warning on dash to stop asap. All you have is electrical power which is not much. Car needs to be turned off and restarted. This may occur again in a few minutes or not. Took to dealer they said they replaced an O2 sensor. It still turns off. Back to dealer. They can’t reproduce. Has happened to me at least 8 times on surface streets and highways. Extremely dangerous to loose power on highways. This started about 6 months ago. Still happening. Last incident was today
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11609001August 16, 2024
ENGINE
As I was traveling home from work, I noticed the car jerk slightly and immediately decelerate. The engine temperature gauge light came on the dash and the temperature gauge immediately moved to the “H” position on the dash. Due to the fact that I was in rush hour traffic on the highway, I was worried I wouldn’t have enough speed to get to the median. I turned on my hazards and coasted safely to the side of the road but was nearly ran over by other vehicles not realizing the issue I was having. I was unable to accelerate out of the way and at the mercy of other drivers being courteous and give me space to move. I turned the car off and looked under the hood locating the coolant reservoir. It appeared empty. I was able to get a ride to the nearest auto parts store and buy coolant. When I returned to my car, I emptied coolant into the reservoir and cranked the vehicle. Within a minute the gauge returned to normal temp and carefully got back in flow of traffic but stayed close to the emergency lane. Within a couple hundred yards of driving again, the lights and gauges indicated another overheating issue. At the next stop, I pulled into a gas station. And parked the car to have it towed. My mechanic informed me that the coolant was leaking from the coolant pump into my oil pan. Now the engine is flooded with a mixture of oil and coolant and I will need a new engine. He said this issue has been reported before but wasn’t sure what Ford/Lincoln may be doing about it. I’m lucky I didn’t have an engine fire or some sort of collision while driving along a highway during rush hour traffic.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11607300August 8, 2024
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2011 Lincoln MKZ. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a knocking sound coming from the front of the vehicle. The contact stated on another occasion while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine overheated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed; however, the cause of the failure was not yet determined. The contact was informed that it might have been an axle leak. The contact then took the vehicle to an independent mechanic who in turn advised her to take the vehicle to a dealer. The contact had the vehicle towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with water pump failure. The contact was informed that the water pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was being repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11595694June 21, 2024
SERVICE BRAKES, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I was stopping at a stop sign and was unable to stop immediately, instead I coasted a little bit before stopping. Then the brake warning lights and ABS and traction lights came on. I pulled over to a parking lot and turned the car off and turned it back on: all the lights came back on. I put on my flashers and very carefully and slowly drove my car to Jiffy Lube. They did an $108 oil change and checked the brake pads and brake fluid levels and said everything was fine and I would need to take it to a larger shop. I contacted the Apple Ford dealer near me and had my family follow me as I dropped it off. They said it would be a total of $310 for diagnostic and brake flush. I did the flush and it didn’t work. They said it would cost just shy of $3k to replace the entire hydraulic system. I took the car home because that is too much for a 2011 vehicle. I ended up having to get a new car because I need transportation for me and my two young children. My neighbor took a look at the car (he works on trucks) and the battery wouldn’t work. I bought a new battery for the car at $238.14. The lights are still on. I would like to have this car fixed or be able to trade it in. I am now being recommended to run a computer test on it to reset the codes. I would like to have this fixed as this seems to be a known issue with this car and I could have crashed if I wasn’t already driving slowly.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11576429March 9, 2024
SERVICE BRAKES
I was driving home in rush hour traffic at approximately 50 mph. I tried to brake but the pedal went to the floor and I had no brakes at all. Turns out this was a recall issue for the same issue for the previous four years MKZs. Replacing the fluid did not fix the problem and the 2,000 dollars charged for just the module that controls this is disgraceful. That doesn't include the other thousand for a mechanic to install the part. I managed to avoid hitting anyone, but not by much. This is extremely dangerous and should be addressed
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11541366August 29, 2023
TIRES: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
#11537859August 11, 2023
SERVICE 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
#11530068July 3, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES
There have been several occasions where I am cruising at a steady spread and when I try to brake, the pedal just goes down to the floor. It's as if I don't have any brakes at all. I've had my brakes and fluid checked and all is good. This is a very scary and dangerous situation. Doing my research I see that this is a common problem. How is there not a recall on this? This could be a fatal situation. Please advise.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11524892June 1, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES
Recently I have experienced a "soft brake pedal" on my 2011 Lincoln MKZ. I investigated online and here's what I found. So far there is no recall on this vehicle but SHOULD BE. NHTSA believes the hydraulic control valves can become corroded and stuck, causing soft brake pedals and longer stopping distances. In some cases, braking returns to normal when the valves subsequently become unstuck, causing an intermittent condition that makes a correct diagnosis difficult. On Ford's side, engineers discovered a gelatinous material that prevented control valves from properly returning to the closed positions after actuation. The automaker also found the gelatinous material likely occurred when brake fluid hit the valve coating. Federal investigators were able to recover affected brake components in some of the vehicles that were involved in crashes, and engineers confirmed stuck valves and corrosion of the zinc control valves. This problem has just recently evolved and it is very scary when applying the brakes and they go down to the floor. The car stops if you pump the brake pedal. My mileage is 150000 on my Lincoln MKZ but the car looks like new and is excellent shape.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11522318May 16, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC, SERVICE BRAKES, AIR:ANTILOCK:ABS WARNING LIGHT
The contact owns a 2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH, the brakes failed to operate upon depression of the brake pedal with several unknown warning lights flashing on the instrument panel. The contact immediately applied the parking brake and drifted the vehicle off to the roadway. The contact restarted the vehicle three times and the warning lights reappeared on the instrument panel. The contact drove the vehicle home and later had the vehicle towed to a dealer. The dealer inspected the vehicle and informed him that the ABS hydraulic control unit was defective and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 69,500. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11512380March 17, 2023
STEERING
The contact owns a 2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the power steering failure message was displayed. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The contact was relating the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V34000 (Steering). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and confirmed that the vehicle was not repaired under the recall, and that the recall had expired. The approximate failure mileage was 128,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11502687January 19, 2023
STEERING
While making a right turn into Walmart parking lot, car was suddenly very difficult to turn. We almost hit the car in the lane next to us. We had to back up into the main road and risked a collision there as well just to pull into the parking lot. Like the power steering went out. Just a mile before that turn we made a turn and had no issue. Highway driving is okay, it is just difficult to steer in low speed city driving conditions. I had a mechanic look at it. he could not find anything wrong so we flushed the power steering with fresh fluid. It did not seam to help. He concluded that the electric assist is probably what failed. We looked this up, and it is a common problem with this model year MKZ and a recall has been out for this. But, for some reason my car does not pull up this recall.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11500983January 10, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES
Brakes worked perfectly until I had to stop suddenly. Brake pedal went almost to the floor before brakes engaged, and then only slightly. I made it home with them in that same condition. When I took it to the shop, the brakes worked perfectly again. At no time was any code shown. So far the shop can't get the brakes to do it again, but I can't trust the car I paid for. The NHTSA had a recall for the Lincoln MKZ up to 2010, but my 2011 has the same ABS module issue. Please expand the recall before someone else gets injured or killed.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11486097September 23, 2022
AIR BAGS
Takata recall. The contact owns a 2011 Lincoln MKZ. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V158000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact recently received a recall notice stating that parts were available; however, the contact was informed by the dealer that the parts were still not available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11479825August 17, 2022
AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2011 Lincoln MKZ. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V158000 (Air Bags) 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. An unknown dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11474898July 20, 2022
SERVICE BRAKES
Driving down the road all of a sudden Accutrac warning came up and then check brake system. The brakes were like a sponge and stopping was very difficult and required using emergency brake. Shut car off for a few minutes and then problem went away. Then it did it again. This is the same exact issue a recall was issued for the 2006-2010 model of Lincoln MKZ hybrid. Mine is a 2011 but built in the same plant. This car now has an unrepaired air bag from another recall that they still cannot fix and now no brakes and can't be driven. I feel this model should be included in the other model years recall.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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