2012 Lincoln Mks problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Steering (5) · Fuel System, Gasoline (2) · Visibility/Wiper (1)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Lincoln Mks model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (3)
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.
Fuel System, Gasoline:storage:tank Assembly 2013-03-27 · campaign 13V109000 · 3,037 vehicles
Defect: Ford is recalling certain model year 2012 Taurus, Lincoln MKS, and model year 2013 Explorer vehicles manufactured July 19, 2011, through March 15, 2012. In the affected vehicles, the fuel tanks may have a marginally sealed seam in the side of the tank. As a result, the fuel tanks may not provide the expected strength in the event of an impact. The tanks may also leak.
Risk: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source may result in a fire.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the fuel tanks and replace them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on May 9, 2013. Ford's recall campaign number is 13S03. Owners may contact Ford Motor Company Customer Relationship Center at 1-866-436-7332.
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 2024-10-10 · SSM 53040 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
while performing a transmission repair on some 2012-2024 ford and lincoln vehicles, a transmission seal kit may be on backorder due to supply chain interruptions.
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
Electrical System 2019-08-07 · SSM 48123 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
for ford and lincoln vehicles that require positive or negative battery terminal replacement, it is not necessary to replace the complete battery cable harness (14300 and 14301) for this concern. positive battery cable clamp bt4z-14450-aa and negative battery cable clamp bt4z-14450-ba are available
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
Showing the 6 most recent of 34 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-08-10 · Fuel System, Gasoline · 130,000 mi“the contact owns a 2012 lincoln mks. the contact stated that while driving 40 mph, there was an abnormal fuel odor coming from the vehicle. the contact pulled over the right side of the road and exited the vehicle and became aware of a leak underneath the vehicle. no warning light was illuminated. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an indepen…”
2025-08-09 · Unknown Or Other“this is additional information related to my prior complaint 1167880 regarding the 2012 lincoln mks steering issue.…”
2025-08-06 · Unknown Or Other“i’ve owned my 2012 lincoln mks for 3 years. a warning recently appeared saying “power steering assist fault,” and now the steering is very hard to turn, especially at low speeds. i’ve already paid around $1,800 in the past to fix this issue once, but now i’m experiencing the same or similar problems again. i haven’t had it officially diagnosed this…”
2025-07-03 · Steering“after starting the vehicle on thursday 6/26/2025, the power steering assist fault message appeared in the message center. the owner's manual was consulted and as recommended, the engine was turned off for over 10 seconds, turned back on, and the message returned. the power steering assist fault message has appeared each time upon starting the engin…”
2024-10-09 · Steering · 158,000 mi“the contact owns a 2012 lincoln mks. the contact stated while attempting to drive out of a parking space, the message "power assist failure" was displayed, and the vehicle lost power steering functionality. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was determined that the power steering control module (pscm) needed to be reprogramm…”
2023-03-29 · Steering:electric Power Assist System · 104,000 mi“the contact owns a 2012 lincoln mks. the contact stated while driving 30 mph, the vehicle jerked and lost power steering functionality. there was no warning light illuminated. the contact stated that after several minutes the vehicle regained power steering functionality. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and the dealer stated that the lower cont…”
2023-03-27 · Service Brakes“i heard on the news that there is a recall on the brake hose and i am always putting brake fluid in i just put some in 03/27/2023 but when i put my vin # in nothing comes up for a recall i have a 2012 lincoln mks awd …”
2023-02-13 · Fuel System, Gasoline · 22,000 mi“the contact owns a 2012 lincoln mks. the contact stated that after refueling, there was an abnormal gasoline odor inside the cabin of the vehicle. the contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. the contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed. the vehicle had not been repaired. the manufact…”
2020-11-10 · Exterior Lighting · 72,500 mi“i have an exceptionally large amount of moisture in the passenger headlamp assembly. i've had it checked at 3 different body shops, including a lincoln one here in tulsa. all 3 shops couldn't figure out where the moisture is coming from. i have seen this on a couple of other lincoln mkss. on the other automobiles that i have seen their peers to be …”
2019-07-25 · Power Train · 100,000 mi“driving down the road and out of nowhere the temp gauge spikes to hot. i was able to pull over off the side of the road and the car smelled very strongly of coolant. after getting the car home and upon further inspection i determined that the internal water pump failed. this is a recurring problem with the duretec engines. no warning from the manuf…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.