Owners have filed 1,590 complaints on the Lincoln MKZ, covering 2007–2020. The system named most often is Air Bags (636 reports). Worst years by volume: 2008, 2007, 2011; cleanest: 2020, 2019, 2018. 95 reports describe a crash, 12 a fire, 2 a death. On average the car was 7.3 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Lincoln MKZ
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 1,590 MKZ complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Air Bags 636 Read
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…
I was stationary behind a car turning left on hwy 154 s in coweta co, ga, when I was hit from behind by another automobile going approximately 50+ mph. The driver who hit me never applied his brakes, which pushed my car into the SUV in front of me. The car I was pushed into was shoved 30+ yards down the road. My…
My airbags didn't deploy resulting in me having life-long injuries. I had a car accident in august 31st, 2017. I t-boned a vehicle that came out of a parking lot illegally resulting in the accident. My airbags didn't deploy. If they had I would not have sustained the injuries that I did. It was over $17,000 worth of…
Service Brakes 237 Read
Sunday, Sept 11, 2022, 2:55 pm. Was stopped at light at 16/Mound in Warren, MI. My car lurched forward while I had my foot firmly on Brake, the brakes had failed, but no warning lamps were activated till after the crash. I bumped the vehicle in front of me, an older model Jeep. No one was injured. My hood was pushed…
The contact owns a 2016 Lincoln MKZ. The contact stated while driving 45 mph, another vehicle intercepted his lane from the left, and when depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle independently shifted to the right causing the vehicle to hit a curb and damaging the front passenger side tire. No air bags deployed. The…
This car becomes uncontrollable on a snow road. It can't make a turn when you need it. It goes very unstable on a straight road. I wasn't able to stop on a red light , and I wasn't able to make a left turn, twice on one 12 miles trip. First I drove with little speed no more than 25 miles an hour, after, on second…
Steering 124 Read
I was driving down ogeechee road in my city and the traffic was slowing down. So I began to slow down and the steering wheel went out. I ran I to the back of another vehicle because of the steering wheel
On spetember 5, 2014, I was traveling in missouri. The car didn't seem to handle as it should. I had a stop sign, and it seemed to be okay then. I decided to slow down in case there was an issue. The first curve I came to, the car would not turn right, and went down a steep embankment. According to the police report,…
I was on a city street making a left turn when I was hit by a barreling car after he hit me once then he backed up and hit me again to push me out of the way he took off then my car accelerated going up curbs the steering an brakes did not work it took two of us to avoid a brick wall after pulling the emergency brake…
Electrical System 97 Read
Not inspected no paperwork available for vehicle
I put the car in park and it accelerated and hit the corner of my garage. When it was towed to the dealer for repair - i was told the message on the car was shift malfunction there was damage to the front grill, hood and passenger side quarter panel the vehicle is at Southgate Lincoln for repair and available for…
The contact owns a 2016 lincoln mkz. While pulling into a parking space at an unknown speed with the brake pedal depressed to the floor, the vehicle failed to respond. The contact crashed the vehicle into a pole. The contact mentioned that the vehicle was equipped with motion sensors to stop the vehicle when an object…
Engine 91 Read
So I bought this car in February of last year. Since I've had it june I had to do a head gasket. Another time the high speed fuel pump had bolt come loose and oil went everywhere causing a fire. Had transmission intercooler line do the same thing. Additional fire. And just recently I problem that was supposedly fixed…
While turning into my driveway I slowed to make the turn and my car immediately accelerated rpms revved up. No damage was done. Then a couple of days later I was pulling into a parking space and slowed to make the turn and the rpms shot up again causing me to hit a parked car and also a building before I could bring…
Engine failed due to coolant intrusion into cylinders. This is a known design flaw in this engine
Power Train 76 Read
I purchased this vehicle on November 11, 2024. About one month later, I began experiencing severe problems. The engine started overheating, which marked the beginning of a downward spiral of issues. To address the overheating, a new engine was installed by Murgado Lincoln dealership, which took approximately 48 days…
I purchased my 2017 Lincoln MKZ Select on November 11, 2024. The vehicle was determined to need a new engine, per Murgado Lincoln of Chicago. They had my car for over 48 days while putting in a new engine. After this was completed the car had to be sent back due to a mistake the mechanics made by not attaching a…
I purchased a 2017 Lincoln MKZ Select which has been a continuous source of mechanical problems. After recently having a new engine installed, the vehicle has now developed significant transmission issues, making it unsafe and difficult to drive. Despite being sold this car under the assumption it was reliable, I am…
Structure 51 Read
Didn’t slow down right away
Date: may 16th 2015 road runner auto sales, inc address of business : 24560 eureka rd , taylor , mi 48180 phone : 734-947-4667 salesman known by taz(motaz) I am providing you with a written complaint and explanation of business/vehicle sale and purchase.a lemon auto. The vehicle was advertised online from road runner…
I was parked almost perpendicular to the curb (that was the way the parking spots were set.) I put the car into reverse and was about to back out when I saw a car in my rear view. I quickly shifted into drive and put my foot on the brake. The car suddenly accelerated forward about a foot or more before striking a lamp…
Wheels 44 Read
Wheel lug nuts get swollen due to the material used causing problems when the wheels need to be removed. I was lucky to not be in an emergency situation needing to change a wheel out. This could have easily happened and I would have been unable to change a wheel on the side of the road. I went to Costco to get my…
I went to the dealer for a tire rotation and could not do it because they said I had swollen lug nuts , they are not covered on my extended warranty
Factory Rim cracked causing tire to not stay inflated
MKZ 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Steering | — | — | |
| 2019 | Electrical System | 2 | — | |
| 2018 | Air Bags | 1 | — | |
| 2017 | Air Bags | 6 | 3 | |
| 2016 | Air Bags | 6 | — | |
| 2015 | Air Bags | 3 | — | |
| 2014 | Air Bags | 6 | — | |
| 2013 | Air Bags,seat Belts | 4 | 2 | |
| 2012 | Air Bags | 10 | 2 | |
| 2011 | Air Bags | 11 | 3 | |
| 2010 | Air Bags | 14 | — | |
| 2009 | Air Bags | 8 | — | |
| 2008 | Air Bags | 11 | — | |
| 2007 | Air Bags | 13 | 2 |
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 | 453 |
| Average complaints per series | 3.5 |
| Worst single series | 21 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 7.3 years |
A model average of 3.5 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
- Full research report as a PDF for the pre-purchase inspection
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- No ads, no tracking — and much more
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 MKZ?
By complaint volume, 2008, 2007, 2011 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 MKZ years are the cleanest?
2020, 2019, 2018 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Lincoln MKZ have?
1,590 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 2007–2020. Of those, 95 describe a crash and 12 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.