23
Complaints Reported

Complaints by Component

ENGINE
4 complaints
Check engine light came on. Error code 0302 and 0316 on ODB at dealer. Was advised that engine needed to be replaced due to coolant intrusion into cylinder 2 which cause the vehicle to overheat. Engine has 3200 miles on it. Safety hazard due to engine seizing at high speed and causing an accident due to loss of power. Also possible engine fire due to loss of coolant/overheating.
Nov 26, 2025
Coolant Intrusion of Cylinder 3, car has less than 50,000 miles total and has been very well taken care of. Has had over a gallon of coolant added within the month of Aug
Aug 25, 2025
I have been told by a ford mechanic on 7.11.2024, 6 weeks before buying the car that there is coolant intrusion in cylinder 2 and the only fix to this would be to replace the long block that cost a little over 8k, some how some way this vehicle dont have any recalls about this well known issue. This in no way should be on the customer due to a defect by Ford engine in there vehicles.
Jul 31, 2024
I own a 2018 Lincoln MKZ. Starting the second week in January I started to notice a strange smell in the cabin of my car and outside of my car. I told my husband that I was smelling something strange, and he noticed that the exhaust was a billowy white smoke. My husband noticed that this was not a good sign. We also noticed that my Lincoln app was saying there was a misfire in cylinder 2. My husband checked my coolant and saw that my coolant reservoir was completely empty. My husband added coolant and informed me that we would need to take the car to the shop. By the following week ([XXX]) my husband checked my coolant again and saw that my reservoir was empty again and my app was saying cylinder 2 was misfiring again. On Tuesday [XXX], we took the car to the Suburban Ford of Waterford to have my car looked at. On Wednesday [XXX], the dealership called my husband and informed him that I would need a new engine in my car because the coolant is leaking into cylinder and mixing with the oil which is causing the misfire in cylinder 2. The dealership informed us that this was a problem that Ford and Lincoln had with the 2.0 and 1.5 engines for the MKZ and Fusion. The 2018 MKZ was affected by this problem. The dealership informed us that Ford/Lincoln replaced the engines after they noticed the problem, but they said my car must have had the older engine that had the problem. As you can imagine I was very upset to hear that my car, which is only six years old, would need a new engine. Not only was I upset to hear this, but I am also upset about possibly shouldering the financial burden of a new engine when this is a manufacturing problem that is no fault of my own. Also, since Ford/Lincoln knew about this issue why did they not send out a recall notice about this issue? I have found out that the oil mixing with the coolant causes corrosion in the cylinders. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Jan 30, 2024
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE
3 complaints
My 2018 Lincoln MKZ with the 2.0 Ecoboost Engine incurred premature engine failure at ONLY 40k miles. My safety as well as other drivers' safety at risk due to EcoBoost Engine in certain model year 2013-2019 Ford and Lincoln vehicles have an inherent design defect which makes them predisposed to leak coolant, including allowing the coolant to seep into the engine cylinder, which causes overheating and cylinder head cracking, and can cause the engine to misfire, suddenly stall, or even catch fire while driving. In April the car began to "shake" at start up. The shaking was intermittent. After a few days of this, the check engine light came on. I took it to the mechanic (T&H) to have it looked at. They said the "shaking" is the car misfiring at start up. They were not able to locate any leaks or identify the cause of the misfire. They code on the check engine light was Code P0301-Cylinder #1. During April and May the misfires have continued and got worse. I was going back and forth to T&H trying to diagnose the issue. On May 12th, while taking the kids to school, I went to pull out into traffic and the car would not accelerate. The dashboard lights said the engine was overheating. The car would not go above 10mph. Luckily my mechanic is down the street. They were concerned about excessive use of coolant and not seeing a leak anywhere. They filled the coolant, and I made a follow up appt in one week to do a borescope inspection. On May 19th, T&H did a Borescope inspection and visually confirmed coolant in cylinder #1. They provided me a copy of a TSB 22-2229 that states the engine block needs to be replaced. The cost of the engine block replacement was estimated at $8k. Engine failure at 40k miles is unacceptable. An engine block replacement due to a manufacturing/design flaw should be covered by Lincoln Motor Co as a goodwill repair regardless of warranty status.
May 30, 2025
I own a 2018 Lincoln MKZ. The vehicle Engine overheating warnings came up, and I took the car to the dealership. They informed that the Lincoln MKZ vehicle had a frequent problem with coolant leaking into the engine due to faulty power train assembly. The dealer has seen and repaired hundreds of vehicles with this problem. Lincoln company denies responsibility for this manufacturing defect. The vehicle is only 7 years 3 months and 30 days old with 67914 miles used by single owner. A reputed company like Lincoln should be held responsible for manufacturing and marketing vehicles where the power train and engine fails on a fairly new vehicle.
Feb 04, 2025
Initially when buying the vehicle in 2021, it had 30k miles. Car continued to give me a "cylinder 2 misfire code" after numerous trips to different garages and then the car beginning to start up rough and anti freeze missing i came across a "service bulletin" regarding it being a faulty ring in the engine. I took the vehicle to Ford and they replaced the engine. My car just hit 100k miles All of the sudden one day when trying to stop at a red light the car was shaking . There was no codes and only happened while in drive and at a red light or stop sigh:( complete stop) I took the card to Ford, who diagnosed it and open up my tranny and found out there was no fluid ,was burnt and had metal in it. There is still no code on my dash board and i need to pay 7k to replace a transmission. The fluid is housed internally , there was no leaks, and no codes was thrown on the dash. How was i to know transmission fluid was leaking and wher was it going?
Jan 07, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
3 complaints
Upon driving north on rt. 95 in GA our pan Aramaic moonroof unexpectedly exploded. There was no apparent reason. No debris was present and environmental conditions were not extreme. ( sunny day about 72 degrees F) . The explosion was very loud and alarming creating a risk of losing control of the vehicle. Bodily injury could have resulted if the moon roof cover was open and chards of glass were shot into the vehicle. We have not contact the manufacturer yet , but plan to. There was absolutely no warning of this. It was sudden, unexpected and explosive. The tempered glass was shattered and glass was missing from all along all 4 sides of the moon roof. Very scary. I assume this is due to a manufacturing defect.
Feb 28, 2024
IF YOU ARE ON A HILL SUCH AS A DRIVEWAY AND YOU TURN YOUR CAR ON TO ACCESSORY MODE AND THEN FORGET YOUR CAR IS NOT TURNED ON YOU CAN PUT YOUR CAR INTO GEAR. IF YOU PUT YOUR CAR INTO REVERSE AND THE CAR STARTS ROLLING IT IS DIFFICULT TO STOP IT BECAUSE YOU HAVE NO POWER ON THE BRAKES AND CANNOT TURN THE STEERING WHEEL BECAUSE IT IS LOCKED. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS. THERE MAY BE A CHILD BEHIND A CAR AND IT WILL ROLL BACK UNTIL YOU CAN GET IT TURNED OFF. I DON'T THINK YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO PUT THE CAR IN DRIVE OR REVERSE WHEN THE CAR IS NOT TURNED ON AND YOUR FOOT IS ON THE BREAK.
Jan 15, 2020
DRIVER CAME TO PICK ME UP. DRIVER STOPPED, HE THOUGHT HE PUSHED PARK BUTTON. STARTED TO GET OUT OF CAR. GOT LEFT FOOT ON GROUND, SWUNG RIGHT FOOT OUT AND CAR STARTED ROLLING BACKWARDS. CAR DOOR KNOCKED HIM DOWN, CATCHING LEFT FOOT BETWEEN DOOR AND FRAME. CAR STARTED DRAGGING DRIVER DOWN STREET IN REVERSE. I HAD TO RUN AROUND DOOR, PUT CAR IN PARK. DRIVER DRAGGED BETWEEN 5-10 FEET(EST). DRIVER ENDED UP WITH FRACTURED LEFT ANKLE, 3 BROKEN BONES IN LEFT FOOT, ABRASIONS ON RIGHT SHOULDER AND LEFT ELBOW, HEMATOMA ON RIGHT LEG. CAR WAS ON A VILLAGE PAVED STREET, IN REVERSE INSTEAD OF PARK. IT WAS DARK , THE DRIVER THOUGHT HE PUSHED THE PARK BUTTON BUT EVIDENTLY PUT THE CAR IN REVERSE BY MISTAKE. CAR STARTED ROLLING WHEN HE TOOK RIGHT FOOT OFF BRAKE.
Aug 22, 2019
Injuries: 1
POWER TRAIN
3 complaints
Torque converter stuck off pcm code 6f35 transmission vin look up doesn't show recall but it has same transmission installed with the same problem as 2017 model
Dec 05, 2023
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 LINCOLN MKZ. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION FAILED. THE CONTACT SWITCHED GEARS AND THE VEHICLE DECELERATED. THE VEHICLE ROLLED AND STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. THE CONTACT RESTARTED THE ENGINE AND THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO DRIVE OFF. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO OLATHE FORD LINCOLN (1845 E SANTA FE ST, OLATHE, KS 66062) WHERE THEY DIAGNOSED THE VEHICLE, BUT COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE MECHANIC STATED THAT NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 3,000.
Jun 05, 2019
UPON DRIVING THE VEHICLE, IT HAS STALLED SEVEN TIMES. TWO OF THOSE INCIDENTS INVOLVED VEHICLE GOING INTO PARK WITHOUT TOUCHING THE PARK BUTTON. AS IT WAS SHIFTING INTO PARK, THERE WAS A LOUD CLICKING SOUND AS THOUGH THE VEHICLE WAS 'FIGHTING' GOING INTO PARK. THEN THE VEHICLE DIED. ON AT LEAST FIVE OTHER OCCASIONS, IT JUST DIED. NOTHING INDICATING ON MY WAY APP, OR AT SERVICE DEPARTMENT FOR LOCAL LINCOLN DEALERSHIP. THIS BEGAN ONE WEEK AGO YESTERDAY AND WITHOUT PATTERN, HAS CONTINUED. UPON RETURN FROM LINCOLN SERVICE DEPARTMENT, ISSUE RESURFACED THIS MORNING WHEN IT WENT INTO PARK WHILE DRIVING.
May 10, 2019
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
2 complaints
The contact owns a 2018 Lincoln MKZ. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that there was a coolant intrusion into the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 46,000.
Oct 04, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Lincoln MKZ. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the engine light illuminated. While the vehicle was idling, there was an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who referred the contact to the local dealer for assistance. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was coolant intrusion into the engine and that the engine needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.
Sep 03, 2024
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
1 complaint
2018 LINCOLN MKZ. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO FAULTY FUEL PUMP. THE CONSUMER IS REQUESTING TO BE REIMBURSED FOR THE FAULTY FUEL PUMP.
Nov 14, 2022
VISIBILITY
1 complaint
On 10/20/2022 while driving the sun roof exploded. Nothing hit the roof. The glass shatter all around the perimeter of the roof. The sound was like a shot gun blast next to your ears. Fortunately, the shattering glass did not cause a wreck or injury. The Ford garages I called stated I would have to pay for the damage. It seems this is not an uncommon occurance.
Oct 27, 2022
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
1 complaint
The contact owns a 2018 Lincoln MKZ. The contact stated while driving at night at approximately 35 MPH, the low beam light's visibility was blinding and made the vehicle unsafe to drive. The vehicle was diagnosed at a local dealer with a headlight failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 20,300.
Apr 13, 2022
SERVICE BRAKES
1 complaint
The contact owns a 2018 Lincoln MKZ. The contact stated while driving approximately 3 MPH, the brakes locked up. The ABS warning light was flashing on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 21,000.
Apr 13, 2022
AIR BAGS
1 complaint
I had a accident almost a year ago if not longer. I hit a deer on the freeway they couldn’t understand why my airbags didn’t deploy. They say the bar was cracked in two different spots that makes the airbag deploy. Luckily my car wasn’t total for that reason. But I always wondered why my airbags didn’t deploy ? I thought I should let you know that .
Feb 24, 2022
Crash: 1
LANE DEPARTURE,BACK OVER PREVENTION
1 complaint
This is [XXX] my customer is missing and has been missing since 7:45pm 8/17/21 by this vin number i was wondering if you could put a trace on the vin number 3LN6L5D92JR[XXX] PARTS OF THIS DOCUMENT HAVE BEEN REDACTED TO PROTECT PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Aug 18, 2021
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,LANE DEPARTURE
1 complaint
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 LINCOLN MKZ. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DEPRESSING THE WINDOW SWITCH FOR THE DRIVER'S SIDE REAR WINDOW, THE BLIND SPOT WARNING SYSTEM WAS DEACTIVATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. A DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER HAD NOT BEEN INFORMED OF FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 6,000.
Nov 12, 2020
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,STRUCTURE
1 complaint
REAR LIFT GATE ASSEMBLY CENTER LED STRIP IS FILLED WITH WATER. THIS CAUSES AN ELECTRICAL SHORT CONDITION THAT RESULTS IN THE REVERSE LIGHTS TO BE ON AT ALL TIMES WHEN DRIVING. VEHICLE WILL NOT PASS MA INSPECTION AND HAS BEEN CITED FOR THIS INFRACTION. NO DAMAGE TO LIFT GATE, EITHER A PART OR MANUFACTURING DEFECT.
Oct 02, 2019
4.9/5.0
52 reviews

Frequently Asked Questions

How many problems does the 2018 LINCOLN MKZ have?

The 2018 LINCOLN MKZ currently has 23 owner-reported complaints according to NHTSA database. These complaints are organized by component to help identify common issues.

What are the most common problems with 2018 LINCOLN MKZ?

The most common problems reported for the 2018 LINCOLN MKZ are organized by component above. Each component section shows owner-reported issues, crash reports, and fire incidents to help identify patterns and problem areas.

Where does this 2018 LINCOLN MKZ problem data come from?

All problem and complaint data for the 2018 LINCOLN MKZ comes directly from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) database. These are real complaints submitted by actual vehicle owners.

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