Owners have filed 337 complaints on the Lincoln MKS, covering 2009–2016. The system named most often is Steering (117 reports). Worst years by volume: 2013, 2010, 2009; cleanest: 2016, 2012, 2015. 22 reports describe a crash, 7 a fire, 46 a death. On average the car was 6.5 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Lincoln MKS
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 337 MKS complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Steering 117 Read
I was driving down the street when all of a sudden my Lincoln beeps at me. It says “Service Advancetrac” and “Steering Assist Fault”. I lost all steering to my car and it swerved across four lanes of oncoming traffic until I crashed into a curb. This car almost killed me and multiple other people. The car has 79k…
The contact owns a 2013 lincoln mks. While driving approximately 70 mph, the contact noticed grey smoke coming from the hood of the vehicle. The contact mentioned that the engine was on fire. The fire department extinguished the fire. A police report was filed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who…
The contact owned a 2013 lincoln mks. The contact stated that while driving at 20-25 mph, the steering wheel seized and the vehicle went across the road and hit a mailbox then a pole. The air bags deployed and caused a chin abrasion, nosebleed, chest and rib pain to the contact and medical attention was received.…
Electrical System 39 Read
I took my 2015 lincoln mks to the ford dealership to replace a water pump. After they inspected my vehicle, they determined that it was indeed a bad water pump. They quoted that it would take 15 hours for the repair and cost $2,500. I had no other choice but to have my car repaired and paid $2,547. 5 days later my son…
The vehicle was a total loss. The cause of the fire was electrical. There was a recall on this particular make, model, & year to fix a problem which would lead to a fire. However, the recall notice was never received. The insurance company, fiduciary, have denied the claim as they do not cover fires caused by…
I stopped the car in my garage and pushed the keyless ignition button, but did not put the car in park. I exited the car and it slowly coasted down the driveway and into a deep gully.. The damage to the car from the accident and the wreckers getting it out of the gully was $14,400. I have since learned most…
Engine 24 Read
Https://youtu.be/cu8j1msz8oe cam phaser with documentation
The contact owned a 2013 lincoln mks. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 55 mph, the vehicle started smoking under the hood. The contact had to pull over to the side of the road and flames were emerging from the engine. The police and fire departments extinguished the fire. The vehicle was towed to…
The contact owns a 2015 Lincoln MKS. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH or faster, the vehicle lost automotive power. During the failure the vehicle was coasted over to the side of the road and turned off for one minute before the vehicle restarted and continued driving. The failure was intermittent…
Power Train 21 Read
Vehicle started to loose power. The "see owner's manual" light illuminated. The vehicle was coasted to a nearby dealer at: atchinson ford, belleville, mi, where it was diagnosed that the throttle mechanisn was faulty and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that there was no…
My vehicle suddenly lost power while I was driving on highway. I have to stop vehicle on sideline open the door and start it again for it to start. I didn't ran into this issue for few days but it occurred again today in morning while I was driving. The issue get resolved when I stop the car and start it again and…
At times, while driving, my engine will stall and slow down regardless if I'm still pressing the gas pedal. I generally shut the engine down and wait like thirty seconds and restart. It is usually ok then until the next episode. I included the last date it happened. It has been doing it over my years of ownership
Service Brakes 21 Read
The front sensor to bumper coming up to check ok at every time you start the vehicle. In-between 30mph to 50mph It hesitates and feels like it's jumping in and out, if you do a hard acceleration you don't feel it, not sure if it's through the fuel system for the transmission. Check to see if codes were coming up with…
Whenever I drive 55 miles per hour or higher depending on where I am and I attempt to stop the vehicle or I have to come to an abrupt slow down, the vehicle does not slow down properly and it makes a revving noise until the vehicle speed gets to approximately 40 miles per hour. This vehicle has been to the lincoln…
I heard on the news that there is a recall on the brake hose and I am always putting brake fluid in i just put some in 03/27/2023 but when I put my vin # in nothing comes up for a recall I have a 2012 lincoln mks awd
Air Bags 18 Read
The contact owns a 2013 lincoln mks. While the contact was driving 40 mph with the seat belt fastened, a deer crashed into the front driver's side corner panel, grill, windshield, and bumper. The driver and passenger side air bags deployed. The air bags impacted the contact's abdomen and pelvic area, but there were no…
The contact owns a 2009 lincoln mks. The contact stated his wife the driver was at a stopped sign and while preceding into the intersection the vehicle front passenger side collided with another vehicle. The air bags deployed and within a few seconds a fire was started. However, the flames extinguished themselves and…
My father pulled away from a stop sign on a city street, crossed traffic and hit the back bumper of a pickup truck after which his foot slipped on to the accelerator and drove his car directly into a utility pole. The impact with the pole was hard enough to sheer off pole and the front of his car was damaged…
Vehicle Speed Control 14 Read
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…
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
The contact owns a 2010 lincoln mks. The contact was driving approximately 50 mph with the cruise control activated. As the brake pedal was engaged, the cruise control deactivated with an abnormal acceleration. The vehicle then crashed into another vehicle. There were no injuries. A police report was filed of the…
Fuel System 12 Read
We had a 2009 mks which accelerated by it self on april 21, 2014 and caused my wife to hit a tree and spend three days in the hospital and also totaled out our car. Not knowing that there was a problem with the car, we brought a 2010 mks on may 7, 2010 and on may 8, 2014 when my wife pulled into our driveway, that car…
The contact owns a 2015 lincoln mks. The contact stated that the fuel gauge was reading 3/4 of a tank after filling up the tank. The contact stated she noticed a fuel leak inside the vehicle. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA campaign number: 15V605000 (fuel system, gasoline) however,…
TSB: 16V621000 this happened to my car, I replaced the fuel pump control module, there is a recall but only for the 3.5 liter. I have the 3.7 liter AWD. The consumer stated he paid for the vehicle to be repaired as the VIN was not included in the recall
MKS years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Electrical System | — | — | |
| 2015 | Air Bags | — | 1 | |
| 2014 | Back Over Prevention | 1 | — | |
| 2013 | Air Bags | 5 | 4 | |
| 2012 | Electrical System,structure | 1 | — | |
| 2011 | Air Bags | 3 | 1 | |
| 2010 | Air Bags | 8 | — | |
| 2009 | Air Bags | 4 | 1 |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 153 |
| Average complaints per series | 2.2 |
| Worst single series | 9 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 6.5 years |
A model average of 2.2 hides a worst series at 9. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
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How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the MKS?
By complaint volume, 2013, 2010, 2009 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which MKS years are the cleanest?
2016, 2012, 2015 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Lincoln MKS have?
337 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 2009–2016. Of those, 22 describe a crash and 7 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.