2011 Lincoln Mks problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Steering (18) · Vehicle Speed Control (3) · Exterior Lighting (3)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Lincoln Mks model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
29 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (3)
Air Bags:frontal 2016-04-26 · campaign 16V247000 · 695 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2009-2012 Ford Flex, 2008 and 2010-2012 Ford Taurus, 2008-2009 Ford Taurus X, 2008 Mercury Sable, 2009 and 2011 Lincoln MKS vehicles. The driver frontal air bag may improperly inflate during second-stage deployment in the event of a high speed crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Risk: An improperly inflated air bag increases the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the driver's frontal air bag module, as necessary, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on June 13, 2016. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16C06.
Steering:electric Power Assist System 2015-06-02 · campaign 15V340000 · 393,623 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Ford Fusion vehicles without a 3.5L engine and Lincoln MKZ hybrid electric vehicles, 2011 Mercury Milan vehicles, 2011-2012 Ford Taurus, Ford Flex, Lincoln MKS, and Lincoln MKT vehicles equipped with a 3.5L GTDI engine and 2013 Ford Taurus, Ford Flex, Lincoln MKS, and Lincoln MKT vehicles equipped with any available engine. The affected vehicles have electric power steering assist systems that may shut down as a result of a ste
Risk: If the vehicle experiences a loss of power steering assist, extra steering effort will be required at lower speeds, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will check the Power Steering Control Module (PSCM) for Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTC). If dealers find any loss of steering assist DTCs, the steering gear will be replaced, free of charge. If, no codes are found during the PSCM inspection, the PSCM software will be updated, free of charge. The recall began on July 21, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15S18.
Structure:body:door 2015-01-28 · campaign 15V040000 · 194,889 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2010-2013 Ford Taurus vehicles manufactured December 1, 2009, to July 31, 2010, and 2011-2013 Lincoln MKS vehicles manufactured June 1, 2011, to October 31, 2011. In the affected vehicles, the interior door handle return spring may unseat, resulting in interior door handle that does not return to the fully stowed position after actuation.
Risk: If the interior door handle return spring is unseated, the door may unlatch in the event of a side impact crash, increasing the risk of personal injury.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect all four of the interior door handles and either repair or replace them, free of charge. The recall began March 23, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15S02.
Service bulletins (31)
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.
Structure 2023-04-04 · SSM 51536 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
for 2000-2024 ford and lincoln vehicles, swapping a module from a vehicle for diagnosis purposes is likely to cause errors and is not recommended. it is also not recommended to order a replacement module using a vehicle identification number (vin) from a different vehicle. most modules on these affe
Engine And Engine Cooling 2020-09-25 · SSM 49210 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some 2009-2020 ford and lincoln vehicles equipped with turbochargers may exhibit an oil leak from the turbocharger oil supply or return tubes, o-rings or 6.7l pedestal gasket. although oil may collect on the turbocharger, it is very rare for a turbocharger to leak oil. to isolate the source of the l
Visibility:glass, Side/Rear 2019-08-09 · SSM 48130 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some 2010-2020 vehicles may exhibit distorted glass with a subtle orange peel pattern or streaking etched into the surface. this is caused by hydrofluoric acid which is used in some car wash solutions as a cleaning agent. hydrofluoric acid can attack the glass and cause visual distortion and/or disc
Power Train 2019-05-10 · SSM 47976 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
on vehicles equipped with an automatic transmission it is imperative that the converter pilot hub be greased with motorcraft multi-purpose grease spray xl-5-a even if grease was not applied from the factory. also verify that the engine/transmission alignment dowel pins are present as well as the eng
Engine 2019-04-26 · SSM 47948 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
ssm 47948 - 2010-2019 various vehicles - turbocharged engines - oil supply filter replacement when replacing the turbocharger or the turbocharger oil supply tube for 2010-2019 vehicles equipped with turbocharged engines, when diagnosing and/or replacing turbo related concerns, all steps within the
Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:gasoline:turbo/Supercharger 2018-11-14 · SSM 47662 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
for 2010-2019 vehicles equipped with turbocharged engines, when diagnosing and/or replacing turbo related concerns, all steps within the workshop manual (wsm) procedure must be followed including replacement of all mandatory discarded parts. for all turbocharged engine applications, the turbocharger
Showing the 6 most recent of 31 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-05-03 · Vehicle Speed Control“what component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? power steering while driving yesterday, doing shopping and online order deliveries, the steering wheel started having slight resistance during turns. it became worse shortly after. as i attempted to leave a grocery store, less than 5 minutes away f…”
2025-12-10 · Steering · 212,000 mi“the contact owns a 2011 lincoln mks. the contact stated that while reversing into a parking space, the power steering warning light illuminated. the vehicle was later restarted, and the traction control and power steering warning lights were illuminated. the vehicle then experienced a loss of power steering assist. the vehicle was taken to the deal…”
2025-09-10 · Suspension“i was driving and i hear a beeping sound,and my steering just stopped working and made it difficult to control the vehicle in a curve.. recall details: 2011–2013 power steering electric assist loss •in june 2015, ford issued recall #15s18 (nhtsa campaign 15v340000) for a range of vehicles—including the 2011 lincoln mks—due to a potential intermitte…”
2024-04-22 · Unknown Or Other“the steering system locks up and loses power assist,and the brakes and traction control sys also malfunction, and several failure lights all come on ,as i was making a left turn in front of a police car the steering locked up and i almost hit the police car,the vehicle isn't driveable,the policeman advised me not to drive the car,he verified the st…”
2024-02-22 · Steering“in 2015 a recall was done to repair the power steering failure issue. in october of 2021, while driving the vehicle down the highway, the power steering went out making the vehicle almost impossible to steer. had the vehicle towed to the dealership where they verified the issue and pulled code u3000 for steering gear failure. with 68827 miles, i wa…”
2024-02-10 · Steering“woke up to leave house and steering wheel was very stiff and hard to control …”
2024-01-23 · Structure · 100,000 mi“the contact owns a 2011 lincoln mks. the contact stated that while attempting to secure items into the trunk of the vehicle, the rear trunk door suddenly came down and struck the contact on the head. during the incident, the contact sustained a head contusion which did not require medical treatment. the contact indicated that the failure had occurr…”
2024-01-05 · Steering“electric power steering failed while driving. had a difficult time pulling vehicle over after failure. notice i missed recall by 90 days.…”
2023-11-21 · Steering · 94,000 mi“the contact owns a 2011 lincoln mks. the contact stated while her daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, she became aware that the electronic power steering was not functioning properly. the contact's daughter was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, and after restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but …”
2023-10-31 · Steering“was driving my 2011 lincoln mks (build date 06/07/2010) when the steering froze up and then a message appeared in the center stack indicating a possible steering gear failure. luckily, i was able to get home and pull it on my driveway with great difficulty. recall 15s18 starts with build dates of 09/2010. this recall should be extended. repair quo…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.