← New search

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.

About this comparison →

How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

Other model years Selected year
Compare all Mkz years →

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

What owners actually said

33 reports
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…

Read full complaint

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

3,000 miles · Jun 5, 2019
Power Train

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 S…

Read full complaint

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.

NHTSA ODI #11218137

135,000 miles · May 10, 2019
Power Train

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.…

Read full complaint

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.

NHTSA ODI #11206840

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.