2016 Lincoln Mkz problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Steering (11) · Service Brakes (10) · Engine (6)
🧭 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
28 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (7)
Latches/Locks/Linkages:doors:latch 2023-11-17 · campaign 23V775000 · 45,173 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015 Fiesta, 2016 Fusion, and 2016 Lincoln MKZ vehicles sold, or ever registered in Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Washington, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands. A component inside the door latches may break, which can make it difficult to latch or possibly
Risk: Vehicle doors opening unexpectedly while driving can increase the risk of a crash or injury.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the door latch date codes and if necessary, replace all four side door latches, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 20, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S15. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall number 20V-177.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:hoses, Lines/Piping, And Fittings 2023-03-10 · campaign 23V162000 · 1,280,726 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2018 Fusion and Lincoln MKZ vehicles. The front brake hoses may rupture and leak brake fluid.
Risk: A brake fluid leak will increase brake pedal travel and extend the distance needed to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the front brake hoses, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 27, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23S12.
Exterior Lighting:headlights 2020-04-24 · campaign 20E025000 · 130 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain Replacement Headlamps, part number DP5Z-13008-T and DP5Z-13008-V, sold for use with 2013-2016 Lincoln MKZ vehicles. The headlamps may have an improper beam pattern and incorrect horizontal adjustment, the side markers may not illuminate and DOT markings may be missing. As such, these headlamps fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
Risk: The incorrect headlamps may reduce the driver's visibility or make the vehicle less visible, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Ford will notify vehicle manufacturers, and dealers will inspect the headlamps, and replace the headlamps, as necessary, free of charge. Additionally, Ford will instruct dealers to return all improper headlamps and not to install them on any vehicles. The recall began June 3, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20C10.
Latches/Locks/Linkages:doors:latch 2020-03-23 · campaign 20V177000 · 288,110 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2014-2015 Fiesta, 2014-2016 Fusion and Lincoln MKZ vehicles sold, or ever registered in Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Washington, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands. A component within the door latches may break making the doors difficult to latch and/or lea
Risk: A door that is not securely latched could open while the vehicle is in motion, increasing the risk of injury to a vehicle occupant.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and Ford or Lincoln dealers will replace the side door latches, free of charge. The recall began September 21, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S15.
Steering:electric Power Assist System 2019-08-29 · campaign 19V632000 · 116,160 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2016 Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ, 2015-2016 Ford Edge, and 2016 Lincoln MKX vehicles originally sold, or currently registered in Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. Road salt or other contaminants may corrode the electric power steering
Risk: If the bolts corrode, the steering gear motor may detach from the gear housing resulting in a loss of power steering assist, requiring a greater steering effort, especially at lower speeds, and increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering gear motor bolts and apply a wax sealer. If any of the steering gear motor attachment bolts are broken or missing, a new steering gear will be installed in the vehicle. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began October 18, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S26.
Steering: Steering Wheel/Handle Bar 2018-03-12 · campaign 18V167000 · 1,301,986 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2014-2018 Lincoln MKZ and Ford Fusion vehicles. The steering wheel retaining bolt may loosen allowing the steering wheel to detach while driving.
Risk: A steering wheel detachment can cause a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering wheel bolt with a longer bolt, free of charge. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S08.
Fuel System, Gasoline:storage 2015-10-01 · campaign 15V618000 · 658 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2016 Ford Fusion vehicles manufactured September 3, 2015, to September 13, 2015, and 2016 Lincoln MKZ vehicles manufactured September 3, 2015, to September 12, 2015. The affected vehicles have a fuel tank that may have insufficent wall thickness. As a result, the fuel tanks may crack in the event of a crash and thus the vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 301, "Fuel Syste
Risk: A fuel tank that cracks may leak fuel, increasing the risk of a fire.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel tank, free of charge. The recall began on October 19, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15C11.
Service bulletins (143)
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 2026-03-25 · 25N17 · Other
advance notice – customer satisfaction program 25n17 certain 2015-2025 model year multiple vehicle lines rear view camera replacement if required after dealer evaluation
Power Train 2025-11-12 · SSM 54366 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some 2015-2021 ford and lincoln vehicles may exhibit an illuminated mil with diagnostic trouble codes (dtcs) p0011, p0012, p0014, p0015, p0016, p0017, p0018, p0019, p0021, p0022, p0024 and/or p0025. pinpoint test hk in the powertrain control and emissions diagnosis (pc/ed) or in section 303-14 of th
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.
Unknown Or Other 2024-08-08 · 20R01 S1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
certain 2014-2015 model year fiesta, 2014-2016 model year fusion, mkz and 2014-2016 model year transit connect vehicles not covered in safety recall: 20s15 or 23s36 door latch replacement and inspection
Engine And Engine Cooling 2024-03-06 · SSM 52335 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
for 2015-2024 ford and lincoln vehicles equipped with turbocharged engines and customer concern of an engine oil leak, refer to workshop manual (wsm), section 303-00 for oil leak inspection and testing methods. ford has evaluated turbochargers replaced for oil leak symptoms and although oil may coll
Power Train 2024-03-01 · SSM 52314 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
during service and repair requiring removal and replacement of a crankshaft bolt and/or crankshaft damper, achieving proper torque of the crankshaft pulley bolt is critical. incorrect torque may allow the bolt to loosen resulting in the timing gear breaking and engine damage. replacement of the bolt
Showing the 6 most recent of 143 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-09-21 · Engine“catalytic converter p0420 issue that cannot be fixed.…”
2026-07-15 · Service Brakes · 72,000 mi“the contact owns a 2016 lincoln mkz. the contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact became aware that the brake light had remained illuminated. the contact stated that the failure occurred while the vehicle was unoccupied. in addition, the contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the gear shifter independently shifted ou…”
2026-06-25 · Latches/Locks/Linkages:doors:latch · 115,000 mi“the contact owns a 2016 lincoln mkz. the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the rear passenger's side door independently unlatched and opened. no warning lights were illuminated. the contact stated that while attempting to close the door, the door failed to close or latch as intended. the contact stated that the contact's gr…”
2026-05-11 · Wheels“-the front bumper of the car is nearly coming off. this is attached by a "bra" covering the front bumper and if not on the whole front bumper would fall off. the tires/rims are also nearly run down and need to be replaced. -this is caused me great concern when transporting my children as a divorced father to and from the other party's premise. at …”
2026-05-06 · Back Over Prevention · 140,000 mi“the contact owns a 2016 lincoln mkz. the contact stated that the back over prevention camera would display a black screen whenever in reverse. the camera would fail the majority of the time when in reverse. the failure related to nhtsa campaign number: 25v572000 (back over prevention); however, the vin was not included. the dealer was contacted, an…”
2026-03-23 · Steering · 110,000 mi“the contact owns a 2016 lincoln mkz. the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel became loose, and the vehicle became difficult to steer. the contact stated that the front end made an abnormal humming sound. the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist functionality. the contact pulled over, and the …”
2026-03-10 · Electrical System“regarding the rear view camera. it stopped working intermittently and now it shows the picture inverted (backwards) i see an extensive list of vehicles that have been recalled, but my vin is not listed. how do i get this repaired?…”
2025-10-03 · Electrical System“the back up camera mostly is blank and doesn’t warn me of a vehicle coming from either side resulting in almost getting hit several times …”
2025-09-25 · Electrical System“rear camera malfunction in that the image is reversed and the reference lines are missing, fertile lines also appear obstructing view…”
2025-09-17 · Unknown Or Other“my back up camera fails the majority of the time. when in reverse it will say camera not available, or it will just go black. and every once in a while it will actually work. i have goiter used to using the camera to check for cars and children behind me. it is hard to see things behind me when i just look out the back window. yes had a ford dealer…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.