Owners have filed 1,308 complaints on the Lincoln MKX, covering 2007–2018. The system named most often is Air Bags (388 reports). Worst years by volume: 2007, 2008, 2013; cleanest: 2015, 2018, 2014. 50 reports describe a crash, 17 a fire, 1 a death. On average the car was 7.3 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Lincoln MKX
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 1,308 MKX complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Air Bags 388 Read
Vehicle was traveling w/b on new york state thruway when a deer jumped in front of and was hit by car. The air bags deployed ( steering wheel, knee bags and passenger side curtain.) problem is they did not deflate ! This made it impossible for driver to step on brakes or to see ! Very dangerous situation extremely…
The contact owned a 2011 Lincoln MKX. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 35 MPH, another vehicle abruptly pulled in front of her and she t-boned the vehicle. The air bags did not deploy upon impact. The other driver had to be removed from the passenger side of their vehicle due to the damage from…
Takata recall, NHTSA recall no. 16V384, lincoln recall no. 16s26 11-23-16, I turned steering wheel to begin to park in shopping mall garage. Driver airbag immediately deployed prior to impact which caused me to hit the concrete wall ahead. There were no other passengers in the vehicle. Recall notice received july 2016…
Service Brakes 221 Read
Brake pedal went to the floor causing crash. Inspected by the insurance company. No warning lamps came on
As I was driving the break peddal seem like it had gotten loose and on its on was literraly push all the way down how ever I was not able to stop and I hit a vehicle I was not speeding how ever was a soft hit but breaks are malfuctioning\
We have had numerous failures in the braking system. This started with occasional spongy pedal issues that resulted in replacement of the brake booster. This started a two year long journey to repair brake issues. This has gone thru two of the most reputable auto mechanic shops in our area. We have gone thru three…
Electrical System 135 Read
After start and short drive including a left than right turn. At stop sign, vehicle dashboard lit up with safety warnings, started shaking, lost power, and started on fire. Smoke began in drivers side engine compartment and engulfed whole engine. Vehicle was serviced two days prior
Back tail gate came back up after thought to be closed. Causing damage to the lift gate hitting the top of the garage door
The contact owns a 2016 lincoln mkx. The contact initially received notification of NHTSA campaign number:19V809000 (electrical system) however, the parts at the time were unavailable. Hassett ford (3530 sunrise hwy, wantagh, ny 11793) was contacted numerous times and confirmed each time that parts were not yet…
Power Train 121 Read
I have had to replace my rear brake pads, rotors, and the whole braking system (not related to sensors) three times in a year. I received the recall notice after the third time and had a mechanic fix my brake hose as a short-term remedy for my car. Not only does my car have a delay in breaking it is a delay in the…
I parked my vehicle on a slight incline in parking lot, when shortly thereafter, the vehicle rolled away and crashed into a gate. I had parked the vehicle, walked to the back of the vehicle and went inside to conduct my business. The fact that the roll back did not happen as I parked indicates that the car was…
The contact owns a 2014 lincoln mkx. While the vehicle was parked in the driveway and the contact was exiting, the vehicle started to roll forward down the driveway. The contact attempted to depress the brake pedal, but the vehicle failed to stop and crashed into a tree. The air bags failed to deploy. The contact…
Engine 63 Read
The contact owns a 2016 lincoln mkx. When the vehicle was started, smoke appeared under the hood of the vehicle. The contact noticed that there was a coolant leak underneath the front of the vehicle, and the radiator and reservoir containers were empty. The dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. The vehicle was…
I was driving on the road all the sudden I heard a knock in the vehicle and burning smell without any warning the car has stopped in the middle of the road. I was able to get it to a safe place. I have it towed to the dealer the entire engine has to be replaced because the coolant was going to the engine which will…
The contact owns a 2007 lincoln mkx. While driving 50 mph, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to restart the vehicle. In addition, the contact noticed smoke coming from the engine compartment. Upon inspection, the contact noticed that the water pump fractured and spilled water into the engine. The contact…
Fuel/propulsion System 43 Read
Total loss of power when approaching traffic light, numerous attempts to restart, finally started, check engine light came on as well as hill assist light (on a complete level surface at time) very close call on getting hit at intersection, unsafe situation. Once able to restart car had very limited power, was able to…
Traveling down interstate @ 70 mph, when vehicle went to "coast mode" . Service warning light appeared on dash, followed quickly by engine service light. Absolutely no response to the gas pedal. Parked on side of road, when placed in drive the car would move in idle mode only. 5700 miles on 4 month old mkx. Throttle…
I was driving in the center lane on the brooklyn queens expressway traveling home from astoria, queens to my home in brooklyn. Having passed the atlantic avenue exit at approximately 3:15 pm and pressing on the gas pedal, the car lost acceleration and no matter how much I pressed the gas pedal the car could only go…
Structure 34 Read
The driver door latch would say its till open when the door is closed. Had to repair it twice at the dealer. Now the right rear door has the same issue
Vehicle (SUV) floor board and truck had standing water from unknown source. Suspect rear hatch and/or glass roof design allows for environmental contamination to enter. Water travels down to floor and pools. For example, spare tire was found to be submerged. Rear seat and trunk carpeting were moist (saturated) to the…
1.) front bumper cover developed a bulge (came a loose) june 2016 on right front side because the bumper tabs are too thin or flimsy and will not hold bumper cover underneath the headlight assembly properly. This is a manufacturing defect by the lincoln motor company and they have failed to repair my car bumper for…
Vehicle Speed Control 27 Read
The contact owns a 2011 lincoln mkx. The contact stated that while stopped, the vehicle momentarily surged forward before stopping on its own. Approximately ten days later, the driver was attempting to park and the vehicle surged forward until it crashed into a bus shelter. The vehicle was taken to an authorized…
Unintended accelerator first happened approximately 18 months ago. I took my vehicle to a ford dealer to have a brake recall done and told them that I went to stop at a red light and something made the accelerator stick forcing me to jump a curb and run at a high speed through an empty lot in front of our library and…
The contact owns a 2010 lincoln mkz. While stopped and in reverse with the brakes applied, the vehicle suddenly accelerated and crashed into a concrete wall. The contact sustained injuries to the left arm. The vehicle was towed to a local auto body shop. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle…
MKX 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Air Bags | 2 | — | |
| 2017 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 2016 | Electrical System | 6 | 3 | |
| 2015 | Electrical System | 1 | — | |
| 2014 | Back Over Prevention | 2 | — | |
| 2013 | Air Bags | 7 | 1 | |
| 2012 | Air Bags | 2 | — | |
| 2011 | Air Bags,seat Belts | 6 | 4 | |
| 2010 | Air Bags | 9 | 1 | |
| 2009 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 2008 | Air Bags | 3 | 2 | |
| 2007 | Air Bags | 12 | 6 |
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 | 353 |
| Average complaints per series | 3.7 |
| Worst single series | 21 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 7.3 years |
A model average of 3.7 hides a worst series at 21. 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
- The original window sticker and factory options
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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 MKX?
By complaint volume, 2007, 2008, 2013 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 MKX years are the cleanest?
2015, 2018, 2014 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Lincoln MKX have?
1,308 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 2007–2018. Of those, 50 describe a crash and 17 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.