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2018 Lincoln Mkz

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2018 Lincoln Mkz do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 109.

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

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Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

All reported categories

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

Limited mileage data: 10 of 33 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Engine. Review the 11 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 9 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 3 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

1 crash reports0 fire reports1 injury reports

Unknown Or Other complaints

4 reports
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Mileage unknown · Jun 14, 2026
EngineUnknown Or Other

My Check Engine Light came on, I took my car to the dealership that I have using for eight years with less than 38k miles on it and I was told by the service technician who gave the diagnose as, there was coolant in the cylinder where the spark plug #3 is housed. He stated that the car is misfiring and I was told I needed to ge…

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My Check Engine Light came on, I took my car to the dealership that I have using for eight years with less than 38k miles on it and I was told by the service technician who gave the diagnose as, there was coolant in the cylinder where the spark plug #3 is housed. He stated that the car is misfiring and I was told I needed to get an new engine replace to correct the problem. I was given a Service Bulletin stating the manufacturer knew of the problem with this model. I talk to the dealership service manager and questioned why no indication, clue, or suggestion was told to me of the problem with that type of engine. I have not contact my insurance company and I don't if they have information on the problem of the engine problem. I did tell the service technician on routine maintenance for the car that is running "rich" in using gas. In May of this year is when the engine problem started, 3 weeks before actually being eight years officially, no other indication lights came. I drive to work on the streets and freeway everyday.

NHTSA ODI #11743958

Mileage unknown · Feb 28, 2024
Unknown Or Other

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 …

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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.

NHTSA ODI #11574587

Mileage unknown · Jan 15, 2020
Unknown Or Other

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 I…

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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.

NHTSA ODI #11299439

1,600 miles · Aug 22, 2019
Unknown Or OtherInjury

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 AROUN…

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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.

NHTSA ODI #11245947

Official recalls

2

23V162000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:hoses, Lines/piping, And Fittings

Mar 10, 2023

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2018 Fusion and Lincoln MKZ vehicles. The front brake hoses may rupture and leak brake fluid.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A brake fluid leak will increase brake pedal travel and extend the distance needed to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the front brake hoses, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 27, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23S12.

18V167000 · Steering: Steering Wheel/handle Bar

Mar 12, 2018

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2014-2018 Lincoln MKZ and Ford Fusion vehicles. The steering wheel retaining bolt may loosen allowing the steering wheel to detach while driving.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A steering wheel detachment can cause a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering wheel bolt with a longer bolt, free of charge. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S08.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

1

RQ22004 · Front Brake Jounce Hose Failures

Opened Aug 8, 2022 · Closed Mar 24, 2023

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:hoses, Lines/piping, And Fittings

On August 8, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this investigation based on 50 Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQs) alleging front brake jounce hose ruptures on model year (MY) 2013-2018 Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ vehicles. A ruptured front brake hose results in a brake fluid leak. As a result, the driver may experience an increase in pedal travel and a reduction in the rate of deceleration, increasing the risk of a crash. It should be noted that the subject vehicles identified fell outside the scope of NHTSA Safety Recall 20V-469, which addressed front brake hoses rupturing on certain MY 2015-2018 Ford Edge and 2016-2018 Lincoln MKX vehicles. The result causes a brake fluid leak, lengthening the distance needing to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.On March 10, 2023, Ford Motor Company (Ford) submitted to NHTSA Safety Recall 23V-162 (Ford Recall 23S12) to address front brake jounce hoses that may rupture. Ford found the rupture occurs from a localized failure of the internal reinforcement braid due to cyclic fatigue through tensile/bending and torsional inputs during suspension and steering articulations. The supplier for the front brake jounce hoses is Hitachi. This recall affects the subject vehicles equipped with non-hybrid engines and the suspect front brake jounce hoses (a total of 1,280,726 vehicles). The recall covers subject vehicles built from February 3, 2012 to July 19, 2017 when the suspect hoses were used in vehicle production. The remedy is for dealerships to replace both front brake jounce hoses with new hoses that have a revised braid material at no cost. The vehicles equipped with hybrid engines are excluded from the recall because the internal hose pressure is much lower due to the regenerative braking provided by the hybrid brake system. No failures of brake hoses on hybrid vehicles have been reported to ODI or Ford.Ford's actions address ODIs concerns at this time. Hybrid vehicles will be monitored for related failures. The agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by new circumstances.The 103 ODI numbers cited above can be viewed at NHTSA.gov under the following ID numbers:11511014, 11510867, 11510318, 11509030, 11505993, 11504989, 11504400, 11502147, 11502082, 11501820, 11501283, 11498439, 11498296, 11496842, 11496335, 11494931, 11494851, 11494252, 11493001, 11492084, 11492070, 11491444, 11491274, 11488858, 11488027, 11487627, 11487416, 11487233, 11486150, 11484924, 11484526, 11484080, 11483948, 11483926, 11483739, 11483723, 11482773, 11482690, 11481077, 11480788, 11480294, 11480052, 11479338, 11479334, 11479252, 11479247, 11479187, 11479094, 11479048, 11478985, 11478953, 11478729, 11478216, 11476892, 11476282, 11470558, 11468994, 11467109, 11466294, 11462746, 11461217, 11456065, 11455367, 11444848, 11436419, 11436376, 11430685, 11428329, 11425083, 11421026, 11420738, 11420735, 11420298, 11418197, 11403926, 11397549, 11366991, 11366757, 11361016, 11359968, 11354569, 11352165, 11350344, 11348799, 11343929, 11343205, 11331947, 11329020, 11319596, 11310529, 11292271, 11288455, 11254787, 11253479, 11253244, 11234622, 11230669, 11230050, 11228240, 11221111, 11143630, 11129392 and 11120228.