2011 LINCOLN MKS Problems & Complaints

The contact owns a 2011 Lincoln MKS. The contact stated that while reversing into a parking space, the power steering warning light illuminated. The vehicle was later restarted, and the traction control and power steering warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle then experienced a loss of power steering assist. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that the steering gear had failed and that the steering rack needed to be replaced; however, the steering rack was no longer manufactured so the vehicle required an aftermarket steering rack. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 212,000.

In 2015 a recall was done to repair the power steering failure issue. In October of 2021, while driving the vehicle down the highway, the power steering went out making the vehicle almost impossible to steer. Had the vehicle towed to the dealership where they verified the issue and pulled code U3000 for steering gear failure. With 68827 miles, I was charged for the entire repair with not one mention about the extension to the power steering recall. The parts and labor that were charged were those mentioned in the recall. Fast forward to November 2022, had the vehicle towed to the same dealership for the same issue. Lights on the dash were present, and concern verified that the power steering was completely inoperative. No communication with the unit told me that the power steering control needed to be replaced. Again there was no mention or advocating involving the power steering recall that involved this exact issue. This time was told that they installed a part that was used in the previous repair so again I had to pay the entire cost. Currently, there are no issues with the vehicle but I have been looking to sell it because I have not driven it much due to the cost of these repairs. It was during my research to sell that I came across all the recall information on my vehicle and do not understand why all of these costs were not covered and why the dealership did nothing to advocate for me.

ELECTRIC POWER STEERING FAILED WHILE DRIVING. Had a difficult time pulling vehicle over after failure. Notice I missed recall by 90 days.

The contact owns a 2011 Lincoln MKS. The contact stated while her daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, she became aware that the electronic power steering was not functioning properly. The contact's daughter was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, and after restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the power steering control module and gear. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 94,000.

Was driving my 2011 Lincoln MKS (build date 06/07/2010) when the steering froze up and then a message appeared in the center stack indicating a possible steering gear failure. Luckily, I was able to get home and pull it on my driveway with great difficulty. Recall 15S18 starts with build dates of 09/2010. This recall should be extended. Repair quote: $1900 part 6.2 hours labor + Alignment ($120) from Local Ford dealer.

As I was returning home from a haircut, my 2011 Lincoln MKS shut off as I was attempting to stop at a red light. I was able to get the car to complete stop. I looked at the dash to see if any warning signs, alerts or any gauges we abnormal. When nothing alarmed me I started my vehicle and proceeded when the light turned green approximately 1/2 mile the car stalled again as I was driving at 35 mph. I had a difficult time getting the car to stop as the steering wheel locked and the brake pedal was hard to push in. I eventually was able to get it to a complete stop on the right side of the road, by pushing extra hard on the brake and pulling the steering wheel to the right. Which the driver side of my vehicle still in the path of other vehicles I knew my car wasn’t safe there and could possibly cause an accident. I called my husband who came to the location of the car and raised the hood when he noticed the coolant in the overflow reservoir was empty. We filled the reservoir. We started the vehicle which ran normal and didn’t not illuminate any warning light or raise any gauges. Drove vehicle home which was approximately 3 miles as pulling into my driveway the temperature gauge slowly began rising above normal line. I shut car off immediately got out and raised the hood when I seen smoke emerging from under the hood. The coolant reservoir was completely empty again. My husband pulled the dipstick to check the oil where we observed antifreeze covering the entire length of dipstick. This is impossible to prevent or fix if there are no signs or symptoms given to the driver that there is a problem. We have our vehicle serviced regularly and have all the receipts to prove. Ford need to fix and /or replace these engines. People work hard everyday and depend on there vehicles for there daily lives. It’s not an honest sales when a faulty water pump is placed inside and engine knowing water pumps are a commonly replaced part and that if this water pump fails it would ruin engin

I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH MY 2011 LINCOLN MKS. I SMELL EXHAUST OR GAS FUMES IN THE CABIN WHEN DRIVING. THE SMELL IS GIVING ME HEADACHES. WHEN I CHECK UNDER THE HOOD I DON'T GET THE SMELL. PLUS THE SMELL IS STRONGER WHEN I PUT THE AIR FLOW ON RECIRCULATION. I'M NOW AFRAID TO DRIVE MY CAR. HAVE YOU RECEIVED ANY OTHER COMPLAINS ABOUT FUMES IN THIS VEHICLES? THANKS FOR YOUR HELP WITH THIS ISSUE.

The contact owns a 2011 Lincoln MKS. The contact stated that upon start of vehicle, the air bag warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact had initially called the dealer and was informed that his vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V247000 (Air Bags). The contact then called the manufacturer and was provided the same information as the dealer. The manufacturer referred him to NHTSA for further assistance. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 113,000.

TAKATA RECALL: I RECEIVED A NOTICE THAT MY CAR IS INVOLVED IN THE MASSIVE TAKATA RECALL A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO, AND HERE IT IS SEPTEMBER, AND I HAVEN'T BEEN CONTACTED TO GET THIS CORRECTED. THE RISK OF METAL FRAGMENTS HITTING A PASSENGER IS UNSETTLING TO SAY THE LEAST. WHY IS THIS TAKING SO LONG TO GET RECTIFIED? GOD FORBID I AM INVOLVED IN A FRONT END COLLISION WITH A PASSENGER. PLEASE ADVISE AS TO WHEN I CAN EXPECT THIS TO BE RESOLVED. THANKS

WHILE DRIVING MY CAR IT INSTANTLY LOST STEERING NO FOREWARNING LIGHTS. IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO TURN OR CONTROL THE CAR. I TOOK IT TO LINCOLN AND THEY SAID THEY CAN'T COVER THIS EXACT THING THESE CARS HAVE A RECALL ON BECAUSE MY CAR WAS PAST THE WARRANTY. THEY EVEN CHARGED ME TO LOOK AT IT BECAUSE ITS PAST WARRANTY. MY CAR IS 4,000 MILES PAST COVERAGE SOO THEY'RE CHARGING ME $2800 FOR A MALFUNCTION THAT IS NOTED A FLAW FOR THIS SAME CAR.

WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD ABOUT TO MERGE ONTO THE FREEWAY WHEN I NOTICED THE "POWER STEERING ASSIST FAULT" MESSAGE IN THE DISPLAY CENTER AND MY ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING HAD SHUT OFF. IT WAS A 20 MILE DRIVE HOME WITH NO POWER STEERING IN BELOW FREEZING TEMPERATURES. HAD I BEEN DRIVING AT A MORE BUSY TIME, I MIGHT HAVE HAD A COLLISION WITH ANOTHER VEHICLE. *TR

HTTPS://YOUTU.BE/CU8J1MSZ8OE CAM PHASER WITH DOCUMENTATION

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 LINCOLN MKS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 15 MPH AND MAKING A RIGHT TURN, THE VEHICLE STALLED INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO RESTART AFTER THREE ATTEMPTS. THE FAILURE RECURRED ON ONE OTHER OCCASION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED OR DIAGNOSED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 43,000.

WHEN PULLING INTO A PARKING SPOT GOING UNDER 5 MPH AND COMING TO A STOP, THE CAR SURGED FORWARD JUMPING THE SIDEWALK AND CRASHING INTO A CEMENT PATIO TABLE AND BENCH. SMOKE APPEARED AND RADIATOR FLUID WAS LEAKING.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 LINCOLN MKS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE ACCELERATING FROM A COMPLETE STOP ON AN INCLINE, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AND THE VEHICLE SURGED UNEXPECTEDLY. IN ADDITION, THE UNINTENDED ACCELERATION OCCURRED WHEN DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT ON A SEPARATE OCCASION THE VEHICLE SURGED AND CRASHED INTO A DOG. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS, WHO WAS UNABLE TO PROVIDE A REMEDY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 49,000.

VEHICLE PARKED AT RESTAURANT, WHEN CAME BACK OUT THE DOORS WERE UNLOCKED, THE WINDOWS WERE DOWN AND THE SUNROOF WAS OPEN. THIS HAS HAPPENED THREE DIFFERENT TIMES.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 LINCOLN MKX. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH, A MESSAGE ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL ASKING TO PERFORM A HEALTH REPORT SCAN OF THE VEHICLE. ONCE THE CONTACT AGREED TO THE SCAN THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE AND THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 13,000. UPDATED 8/31/12 *CN UPDATED 09/11/2012 *JS

POWER STEERING RANDOMLY LOCKS AND UNLOCKS ITS SELF, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO PULL TO THE LEFT AND DISPLAYING DIFFICULTY TO STEER WHEEL TO THE RIGHT OR STRAIGHT AHEAD. BRAKES SEEM TO LOCK OR SLIP IN CERTAIN ENVIROMENTS AT MODERATE SPEEDS.

POWER STEERING WENT OUT AND HAD POWER STEERING ASSIST FAULT ERROR. INCIDENT OCCURRED AFTER BACKING OUT OF DRIVEWAY AND PUTTING THE CAR INTO DRIVE. *TR

NON CONNECTED DAY TIME RUNNING LIGHTS. I AVOIDED A TOTAL OF THREE HEAD ON COLLISIONS WITHIN THE PAST THREE WEEKS (THE MOST RECENT WAS 08/19/2013). MY CAR IS SILVER AN APPARENTLY DRIVERS HAVE COMPLAINED TO ME, THEY HAVE GREAT DIFFICULTY SEEING MY CAR IN DAYLIGHT HOURS. IN MY CASE I MADE THREE TRIPS TO MY CLOSEST LINCOLN DEALER, PRESENTS A WEBSITE WHICH INFORMED THEIR STAFF HOW TO CONNECT THE DRL FROM THEIR SERVICE MANUAL. MY PROBLEM WITH THESE DRL SEEMS TO BE A MAJOR CONCERN TO OTHER 2011 LINCOLN MKS OWNERS!. THIS MORNING, THE SERVICE MANAGER HAD HIS STAFF CONNECT MY DRL, *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 LINCOLN MKS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH WITH THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS ACTIVATED, OTHER DRIVERS WERE COMPLAINING OF THE LIGHTS BEING EXTREMELY BRIGHT. THE DEALER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT THERE WAS NO WAY THE LIGHTS COULD BE ADJUSTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 800.

I was driving and I hear a beeping sound,and my steering just stopped working and made it difficult to control the vehicle in a curve.. Recall Details: 2011–2013 Power Steering Electric Assist Loss •In June 2015, Ford issued Recall #15S18 (NHTSA Campaign 15V340000) for a range of vehicles—including the 2011 Lincoln MKS—due to a potential intermittent electrical connection in the steering gear. This defect could cause loss of electronic power steering assist, increasing steering effort and potential crash risk , I never received notification of this potential risk and it was lucky that my grandchildren was not in the car because I usually pick them up from school about the time this occurred. Just want to know what action can I take and how can you assist me?

the steering system locks up and loses power assist,and the brakes and traction control sys also malfunction, and several failure lights all come on ,as I was making a left turn in front of a police car the steering locked up and I almost hit the police car,the vehicle isn't driveable,the policeman advised me not to drive the car,he verified the steering didn't work,when the problem occurs the steering gets extremely hard and at the same time lights and bells start ringing in the car and it's very scary because between the steering and brakes not working the bells and lights are very distracting

Woke up to leave house and steering wheel was very stiff and hard to control

The contact owns a 2011 Lincoln MKS. The contact stated that while attempting to secure items into the trunk of the vehicle, the rear trunk door suddenly came down and struck the contact on the head. During the incident, the contact sustained a head contusion which did not require medical treatment. The contact indicated that the failure had occurred on multiple occasions. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 100,000.

The contact owns a 2011 Lincoln MKS. The contact stated while making a left turn, the steering wheel seized, and the vehicle stalled. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact restarted the vehicle and continued driving to her destination. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was approximately 101,000.

Engine/Coolant Reservoir, Yes you can inspect it. When driving, or stop at a traffic light or just parked, the car will just start smoking and getting hot, the temperature gauge would not show it was getting hot until after it started smoking. The car would stop in the middle of the street or on the freeway. All the Antifreeze would leak out of the Reservoir and be all over the Engine and the ground, when you put Antifreeze in the reservoir the next day, you can drive for a little distant, but it will start doing the same thing all over again. The Cooling Fan would come on and never goes off, it gets louder and louder, it has never done this before. I have taken my car to the Dealer 3 times and they charged me over $4.000 and still couldn't fix it. They told me that they do not know what's wrong with it. The Engine Cooling System / Reservoir should be Recalled.

The contact owns a 2011 Lincoln MKS. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the temperature gauge would rise from cool(C) to hot(H) and the vehicle started losing motive power. The contact stated that once she turned off the cooling fans, the vehicle would cool off while idle; however, the temperature would rise once she resumed normal driving. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where she was informed that the failure could not be duplicated. The contact then took the vehicle to an independent mechanic who informed her that there was a service bulletin on the vehicle and referred her back to the dealer. The dealer was again notified about the failure and referred her to the manufacturer for assistance. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred her to the NHTSA Hotline. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

While driving the vehicle at normal speed with my wife and baby, car suddenly made a weird noise and started to smoke, the car lost power. I had to pull over right away , as car was smoking we smelled a propane like smell, and we noticed black grease leaking from the bottom. Soon as I got the car towed home , I looked under and notice the transfer box or PTO was busted with grease pouring out. I looked online and it’s a common issue with these cars. The transfer case is so close to the cat converter that it over heats the grease.

ENGINE BEGAN TO RUN ROUGH AND MISFIRE WHILE TRYING TO ACCELERATE ON THE INTERSTATE, FOLLOWED BY A COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER AND VIOLENT SHUDDERING. BIG CONCERN WHEN TRYING TO PASS OTHER VEHICLES, AS I WAS ALMOST REAR ENDED BY A TRACTOR TRAILER. PROBLEM BECOMES WORSE AND MORE FREQUENT WHEN TRYING TO ACCELERATE UP HILLS. FOUND OUT THIS PROBLEM IS ADDRESSED IN FORD TSB 11-08-19, MOST LIKELY CAUSED BY POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE LOSING CALIBRATION. THIS INFORMATION WAS MADE KNOWN TO SERVICE WORKERS, BUT NOT CAR OWNERS. PROBLEM EVENTUALLY RESULTED IN THE BURNING OUT OF THE CAR'S BANK 2 CATALYTIC CONVERTER, SPARKS PLUGS, AND IGNITION COILS.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 LINCOLN MKS. WHILE PULLING OUT OF A PARKING LOT AT 20 MPH, THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE DOOR OPENED INDEPENDENTLY AND THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR OPEN WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 68,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 LINCOLN MKS. WHILE DRIVING DURING INCLEMENT WEATHER AT 60 MPH, THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE TIRE LOCKED WHENEVER THE BRAKES WERE ENGAGED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 51,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 LINCOLN MKS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AND THE VEHICLE VIBRATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THE REAR ROTORS WERE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND THEY OFFERED TO ASSIST WITH THE REPAIR EXPENSES. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 17,000. UPDATED 03/20/13*LJ

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 LINCOLN MKS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT ANOTHER DRIVER INFORMED HIM THAT FUEL WAS LEAKING FROM THE ENGINE AND HE SMELLED A STRONG ODOR IN THE VEHICLE. UPON EXAMINING THE VEHICLE, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT A FUEL LINE WAS PUNCTURED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER, WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT A RODENT CHEWED THROUGH THE PLASTIC FUEL LINES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND SENT AN INVESTIGATOR TO EXAMINE THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 5,000.

DEALERS PAMPHLETS AND OWNERS MANUAL LISTS PERIMETER LIGHTS AS A FEATURE ON 2011 LINCOLN MKZ BUT THE VEHICLES DO NOT HAVE THEM (HEADLIGHTS COMING ON WHEN YOU UNLOCK VEHICLE AT NIGHT WITH FOB. THIS IS AN IMPORTANT SAFETY FEATURE. FORD SAYS IT IS A MISPRINT ALTHOUGH PAST YEARS MODEL DO HAVE THE FEATURE. *TR