2011 Lincoln Mkz problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Air Bags (58) · Service Brakes (17) · Steering (16)
🧭 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
74 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 21E013000 · 249 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain air bag inflator and/or module replacement service parts that may have been used as part of a collision repair. The parts include certain driver-side air bag inflators and/or modules, designed to fit 2005-2014 Ford Mustang and Mustang GT500. It also includes certain passenger-side air bag inflators and/or modules designed to fit 2005-2014 Ford Mustang, 2010-2012 Lincoln MKZ, 2010-2012 Ford Fusion, 2010-2011 Mercury Milan, 2007-2011 Ford Ranger, an
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 dealers that purchased the affected parts, and dealers will provide replacement parts to purchasers, free of charge. The recall began March 18, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S05.
Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module 2019-01-07 · campaign 19V001000 · 782,384 vehicles ⚠ DO NOT DRIVE
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2014 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 2011 Ford Ranger and Mercury Milan vehicles, 2011-2012 Ford Fusion and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles and 2011-2014 Ford Mustang ve
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. The recall began February 13, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall 19S01.
Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module 2018-11-01 · campaign 18V775000 · 215 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2010 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and 2010-2012 Lincoln MKZ vehicles that previously received a replacement passenger air bag under recall 16V-384, 17V-024 or 18V-046. In the event of a crash requiring deployment of the passenger air bag, the bracket that secures the air bag inflator to the module housing may deform, allowing the gas that inflates the air bag to leak out.
Risk: If the air bag does not inflate as intended, there is an increased risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger air bag module, free of charge. The recall began November 21, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S34.
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.
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.
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 (34)
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
Steering 2023-05-26 · SSM 51666 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some 2010-2012 fusion/milan and 2011-2012 mkz vehicles equipped with a 2.5l or 3.0l engine and electronic power assist steering (epas), a remanufactured replacement steering gear (mu2z-3v504-arm) is available which is significantly less expensive than a new replacement gear. when conducting repairs
Power Train:automatic Transmission:control Module (Tcm/Pcm/Tecm) 2023-04-07 · TSB 23-2098 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some 2010-2012 fusion hybrid electric vehicles (hev), 2010-2011 milan hev and 2011-2012 mkz hev vehicles may experience reduced electric vehicle operation and increased gasoline engine operation around 10 years of vehicle age and beyond. this may be due to software in the battery energy control modu
Showing the 6 most recent of 34 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-08-22 · Power Train“2011 lincoln mkz awd, 25000 miles. the plastic sheath that covers the transmission shift cable split in two. the split is located on the cable between the engine and firewall. preventing the driver from being able to shift the automatic transmission into park and then later could no longer shift into any gear position. the metal cable and braid rem…”
2025-08-14 · Structure:frame And Members · 100,000 mi · 🔥 fire“the contact owns a 2011 lincoln mkz. the contact's spouse stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact's spouse started the vehicle and noticed flames coming from the interior seal of the driver's door, located by the rocker panel. the contact's spouse stated that the flames were not severe. the contact’s spouse was able to extinguish the …”
2025-02-15 · Unknown Or Other“while traveling on interstate at70 mph a red triangle appears on dash engine turns off warning on dash to stop asap. all you have is electrical power which is not much. car needs to be turned off and restarted. this may occur again in a few minutes or not. took to dealer they said they replaced an o2 sensor. it still turns off. back to dealer. they…”
2024-08-16 · Engine“as i was traveling home from work, i noticed the car jerk slightly and immediately decelerate. the engine temperature gauge light came on the dash and the temperature gauge immediately moved to the “h” position on the dash. due to the fact that i was in rush hour traffic on the highway, i was worried i wouldn’t have enough speed to get to the media…”
2024-08-08 · Engine And Engine Cooling · 70,000 mi“the contact owns a 2011 lincoln mkz. the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a knocking sound coming from the front of the vehicle. the contact stated on another occasion while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine overheated. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed; however, the cause of th…”
2024-06-21 · Unknown Or Other“i was stopping at a stop sign and was unable to stop immediately, instead i coasted a little bit before stopping. then the brake warning lights and abs and traction lights came on. i pulled over to a parking lot and turned the car off and turned it back on: all the lights came back on. i put on my flashers and very carefully and slowly drove my car…”
2024-03-09 · Service Brakes“i was driving home in rush hour traffic at approximately 50 mph. i tried to brake but the pedal went to the floor and i had no brakes at all. turns out this was a recall issue for the same issue for the previous four years mkzs. replacing the fluid did not fix the problem and the 2,000 dollars charged for just the module that controls this is d…”
2023-08-29 · Tires:sidewall“the tire is a nexen 225/45r18 after driving at highway speed on an out-of-town trip for several hours, got off the highway on the way to the hotel using suburban roads. about a mile later, a noise suddenly started at the driver's side front. the "slapping noise" got worse as the car went faster. i pulled off into a parking lot and found a steel…”
2023-07-03 · Service Brakes“there have been several occasions where i am cruising at a steady spread and when i try to brake, the pedal just goes down to the floor. it's as if i don't have any brakes at all. i've had my brakes and fluid checked and all is good. this is a very scary and dangerous situation. doing my research i see that this is a common problem. how is the…”
2023-06-01 · Service Brakes“recently i have experienced a "soft brake pedal" on my 2011 lincoln mkz. i investigated online and here's what i found. so far there is no recall on this vehicle but should be. nhtsa believes the hydraulic control valves can become corroded and stuck, causing soft brake pedals and longer stopping distances. in some cases, braking returns to normal…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.