2009 Lincoln Mkz problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Air Bags (63) · Service Brakes (16) · Service Brakes, Hydraulic (7)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Lincoln Mkz model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
38 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (7)
Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module 2021-03-10 · campaign 21V158000 · 2,602,668 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2007-2011 Ranger, 2006-2012 Fusion, Lincoln Zephyr, Lincoln MKZ, 2006-2011 Mercury Milan, 2007-2010 Ford Edge, and Lincoln MKX vehicles. The driver's side air bag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver-side airbag inflator or module with an alternate one, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on April 9, 2021 for the passenger side, and November 14, 2022 for the driver side. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S12.
Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module 2021-02-16 · campaign 21V081000 · 1,067 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2005-2014 Mustang, 2004-2011 Ranger, 2009-2011 Mercury Milan, 2006 Ford GT, 2008-2012 Fusion, 2007-2010 Edge and Lincoln MKX, and 2009-2010 Lincoln MKZ vehicles. These vehicles may be equipped with a driver or passenger frontal air bag inflator used as a replacement service part, that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the frontal air bag, an inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the driver and passenger air bag module, and replace either the module or the inflator, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 17, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S05.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip:control Unit/Module 2019-12-18 · campaign 19V904000 · 600,166 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2006-2010 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan, Lincoln Zephyr and MKZ vehicles. The valves within the ABS Hydraulic Control Units (HCU) may react with brake fluids containing specific corrosion preventative additives. This reaction may cause the valves to not close properly.
Risk: If the valves do not properly close, additional brake pedal travel may be required to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will flush the brake system with DOT 4 fluid and install a new brake fluid reservoir cap. In addition, the HCU will be tested to detect a possible stuck valve condition, replacing the HCU as necessary. All services will be performed free of charge. The recall began April 1, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S54.
Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module 2018-01-11 · campaign 18V046000 · 327,796 vehicles ⚠ DO NOT DRIVE
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013 Ford Mustang vehicles sold, or ever registered in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Additionally, Ford is recalling certain 2010 Ford Edge, Fusion, Mustang and Ranger, Lincoln MKX and Zephyr/MKZ, and Mercury Milan vehicles ever registered in the states of
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S01.
Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module 2017-01-10 · campaign 17V024000 · 654,695 vehicles ⚠ DO NOT DRIVE
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2012 Ford Fusion and Mustang and Lincoln Zephyr and MKZ vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Ford is recalling certain 2009 Ford Ranger, Edge, Fusion and Mustang, Lincoln MKX, MKZ
Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. Interim letters informing owners of the recall and that parts are not yet available began mailing March 1, 2017. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S01.
Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module 2016-05-31 · campaign 16V384000 · 1,892,343 vehicles ⚠ DO NOT DRIVE
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2007-2011 Ford Ranger vehicles, 2006-2011 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles, 2007-2010 Ford Edge, Lincoln MKX vehicles, 2005-2006 Ford GT vehicles, and 2005-2011 Ford Mustang vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islan
Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. Ford mailed interim letters informing owners that parts are not yet available on July 15, 2016. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S01.
Equipment 2014-05-29 · campaign 14E028000 · 82,579 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain all weather driver side accessory floor mats sold for use in model year 2006-2011 Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan, 2006 Lincoln Zephyr, and 2007-2011 Lincoln MKZ vehicles manufactured November 9, 2007, through October 31, 2010. The affected floor mats may move and possibly interfere with the accelerator pedal.
Risk: The floor mat could shift such that it could interfere with the accelerator pedal, preventing its return to an idle position, which could result in unintended vehicle speeds, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will install new replacement mats, free of charge. The recall began in July 2014. Owners may contact Ford's customer service at 1-800-392-3673. Ford's number for this recall is 14S07. NOTE: Vehicles built after October 31, 2010, while potentially equipped with the same floor mats, are equipped with a Brake Over Accelerator (BOA) feature that prevents simultaneous accelerator and brake application, allowing the vehicle to be safely stopped by pressing firm
Service bulletins (15)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Unknown Or Other 2026-02-24 · SSM 54601 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
ford and lincoln vehicles equipped with wired keyless entry keypad systems and accessory wireless keyless entry keypad systems may or may not come with a wallet card containing the master code. unlike the integrated wired keypad, the accessory wireless keypad master code cannot be retrieved from the
Equipment 2024-04-24 · SSM 52476 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
all accessory stick-on keyless entry keypads come with a wallet card containing the master code. if the accessory keypad was factory installed, this card will be placed in the glove box and should be handed to the vehicle s owner during initial delivery. unlike the integrated (wired) factory keypad,
Engine And Engine Cooling 2024-02-08 · SSM 52243 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
when performing any transmission fluid change or topoff involving motorcraftâ® premium atf, merconâ® v has replaced all versions of motorcraftâ® premium atf and can be used going forward. mixing motorcraftâ® premium atf and merconâ® v in the same transmission is acceptable. after 31-jan-2024, motorc
Air Bags 2023-07-27 · 22B05 S1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
certain 2005-2014 mustang, 2005-2006 gt, 2004-2011 ranger, 2006-2012 fusion and mkz/zephyr, 2006-2011 milan, and 2007-2010 edge & mkx vehicles driver & passenger airbag module quality control inspection reason for this supplement ã¢â⢠updated ranger technical information to include images of a
Air Bags 2022-03-28 · 22B05 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
certain 2005-2014 mustang, 2005-2006 gt, 2004-2011 ranger, 2006-2012 fusion & mkz/zephyr, 2006-2011 milan, and 2007-2010 edge & mkx vehicles driver & passenger airbag module quality control inspection: ford motor company has determined that some vehicles claimed by dealers as repaired under takata a
Service Brakes, Hydraulic 2021-12-07 · 21N11-S3 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
certain 2006-2010 model year fusion/milan/mkz/zephyr vehicles equipped with anti-lock brake systems dot 3 brake fluid and anti-lock brake system function in some of the affected vehicles, customers may return to the dealer with complaints of extended brake pedal travel after either 19s54 or 20s14
Showing the 6 most recent of 15 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2025-08-15 · Air Bags“indicator light came on for passenger side airbag says it has recall and it looks as though the airbag is trying to come out of its compartment…”
2025-08-06 · Service Brakes · 110,000 mi · 💥 crash“the contact owns a 2009 lincoln mkz. the contact stated that while parked in a semi-truck parking lot, another driver was reversing where she was blocking, and the contact then attempted to avoid the collision and drive forward. the accelerator pedal was depressed however, the vehicle accelerated excessively, and the brake pedal was then depressed …”
2025-06-18 · Air Bags“2 years ago air bags were replaced on a recall notice. last week dash board is showing a warning notice with the air bag(s) again. is there another recall for the air bags? do i have to pay for replacement?…”
2023-05-17 · Fuel/Propulsion System“my mkz suddenly cut off without warning lamps or messages at highway speed. there was a very quick shudder and all power lost. after pulling onto the road shoulder and waiting a few minutes, it restarted and drove normally. i stopped about 15 minutes later and switched it off. when returning to the vehicle, it would not start. i had it towed to a g…”
2022-03-10 · Visibility/Wiper“complaint lincoln 2009 mkz air vent grid on dash board broke in various places and collapse also, it appears the dash board in front of air vent grid is raised. causing the defroster to not work properly and the window shield does not clear properly. i was told to fix the problem the whole dash board needs to be replaced. i see this as a design an…”
2022-03-07 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic“the contact owns a 2009 lincoln mkz. the contact received notifications of nhtsa campaign numbers: 19v904000 (service brakes, hydraulic) and 21v158000 (air bags) however, the parts to do the recall repair were not yet available. the local dealer was contacted. the contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the…”
2022-01-25 · Unknown Or Other“brake pedal failure 7 months after brake fluid recall was done.…”
2021-10-17 · Wheels“the lincoln mercury factory chrome plated rims leak air all the time making the tires low on air or flat very often! this is a very dangerous safety hazard that can cause loss of control and having an accident resulting in serious bodily injury or death! there are many numerous other lincoln car owners that report the same symptoms and problems. th…”
2021-07-05 · Service Brakes“leaking brakes had to be fixed twice before recalled parts were available. when the last repair was done, dealership said they would reimburse us (since we paid full price) recalled parts labor that we had to pay for since they were on the recall. this has never happened even though we have tried multiple times to remedy. dealership says they se…”
2021-05-26 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic · 22,000 mi“the contact owns a 2009 lincoln mkz. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 19v904000 (service brakes, hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer for the recall repair and the hydraulic control unit (hcu) was tested but failed. the dealer informed the c…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.