2012 Lincoln Mkz problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Air Bags (65) · Steering (17) · Service Brakes (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 (6)
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 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.
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.
Service bulletins (38)
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
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.
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
Showing the 6 most recent of 38 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2025-11-06 · Steering · 135,000 mi“the contact owns a 2012 lincoln mkz. the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel became difficult to steer in either direction. no warning light was illuminated. the message "power steering assist fault" was displayed. the contact stated that the failure had progressed over time. the vehicle was taken to a loca…”
2025-06-15 · Steering“my car has lost powering steering three times now. i have replaced the rack and pinion module twice and i’m fixing to a third time. this has happened all within the last 3.5 years …”
2024-05-03 · Unknown Or Other“i became the owner of a 2012 lincoln mkz hybrid in 2016. at first there was no issues. roughly a couple of months later, there was a power steering issue- so the car was driven to ford with great difficulty where they reset the sensor or something and the power steering was working again. now a couple of years later, the problem occurred again. the…”
2024-04-05 · Steering“power steering control module stop working. ford is aware of this issue and refusing to classify it as a recall. vehicle inoperable at 83k miles. …”
2024-01-30 · Steering“while driving i noticed that at times my steering wheel would be difficult to turn. at first, the problem seemed small until i was trying to make a left turn on a very busy 4-lane road, and without warning the steering wheel became very difficult to turn. i narrowly avoided being hit and ever since then, the steering has not been the same. i sought…”
2024-01-17 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic · 138,000 mi“the contact owns a 2012 lincoln mkz. the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, he observed abnormal soft feedback from the brake pedal and that the brake pedal depressed to the floorboard before bringing the vehicle to a complete stop. no warning lights were illuminated. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who dia…”
2024-01-17 · Service Brakes“my brakes stopped working with no warning while driving. all of the brake related lights came on and the pedal went to the floor and i was unable to stop the car. this is a safety issue for the driver and everyone else because there seems to be no warning that the brakes will stop working. i brought the vehicle into a repair shop and they could not…”
2023-09-13 · Unknown Or Other“i cannot open the front drivers side door from the inside... it is as if the latch became disconnected…”
2023-09-12 · Service Brakes“i was driving and all of a sudden break light came on service break system came on all at one time i never had a problem with this never got a warning before hand , i couldn’t stop the car, break pedal literally on the floor, almost hit 2 cars trying to stop the vehicle, i have brand new break pads, break fluid was checked, had to get the car towed…”
2023-07-26 · Service Brakes“breaks suddenly stopped working. lights on dash including abs came on. car would not stop until pedal pressed almost to floor. almost as quickly it started working again and our mechanic can not reproduce it. there a number (17) of other complaints describing the problem with more drama. (see [xxx] for one) incident happened three times, twice go…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.