2018 Lincoln Mkx problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Service Brakes, Hydraulic (4) · Service Brakes (3) · Engine (3)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Lincoln Mkx model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (5)
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:hoses, Lines/Piping, And Fittings 2025-08-22 · campaign 25V544000 · 499,129 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Lincoln MKX and 2015-2018 Edge vehicles. The rear brake jounce hose may rupture and leak brake fluid.
Risk: A brake fluid leak can extend the distance required to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the brake jounce hoses and adjust brake jounce hoses with no damage present, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 17, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S87.
Service Brakes 2020-08-10 · campaign 20V469000 · 488,594 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Ford Edge and 2016-2018 Lincoln MKX vehicles. The front brake hoses may rupture prematurely.
Risk: A ruptured front brake hose will cause a brake fluid leak, lengthening the distance needed to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front brake hoses with the new hoses that have a revised braid material, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on May 13, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S42.
Seats:front Assembly:power Adjust 2020-07-17 · campaign 20V414000 · 19,299 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company, Inc. (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Lincoln MKX and 2019-2020 Nautilus vehicles equipped with 16-way electric tilt seats. The seat cushion frame edge may contact the wire harness when the seat occupant uses the tilt function of the seat, potentially damaging one or more wires within the harness, which can result in either inadvertent deployment of the air bag or nondeployment of the air bag in the event of a crash.
Risk: An air bag that deploys inadvertently increases the risk of a crash. An air bag that does not deploy in the event of a crash increases the risk of injury.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will install protective flocking tape onto the exposed edge of the 16-way seat cushion frames, and inspect the wire harness for damage, and repair or replace it as needed, free of charge. This recall began August 12, 2020. Owners may contact Ford/Lincoln customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S37.
Latches/Locks/Linkages:doors:latch 2018-09-11 · campaign 18V612000 · 503 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018 Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX vehicles. These vehicles may have door striker bolts that are shorter than intended. Vehicles with shorter door striker bolts fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 206, "Door Locks and Door Retention Components" potentially resulting in the doors opening in the event of a crash.
Risk: If the doors open in the event of a crash, there is an increased risk of injury.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the door striker bolts, free of charge. The recall began October 18, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18C06.
Electrical System:starter Assembly 2018-08-20 · campaign 18V548000 · 87 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018 Ford Edge, Lincoln MKX, 2019 Ford Flex, and Lincoln MKT vehicles. The power supply cables at the starter and the alternator may not have been properly secured, possibly resulting in an electrical arc.
Risk: An electrical arc can increase the risk of a fire.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the alternator and starter motor power supply cables to verify that they are properly secured, correcting them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began September 26, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S25.
Service bulletins (142)
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.
Service Brakes 2026-09-11 · 25N13 · Other
customer satisfaction program 25n13 certain 2015-2018 model year edge and 2016-2018 model year mkx vehicles rear brake flexible hose replacement
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
Electrical System 2025-11-26 · TSB 25-2570 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this article supersedes tsb 24-2165 to update the tsb service procedure. some vehicles listed in the model statement above may exhibit various sync performance related concerns including but not limited to: display operation concerns navigation inoperative voice recognition concerns phone co
Power Train 2025-11-25 · 25E02 · Emissions
the affected vehicles have an emissions control system that does not account for certain in-use conditions and might not control tailpipe emissions effectively over time.
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 2025-10-13 · 25E02 · Emissions
the affected vehicles have an emissions control system that does not account for certain in-use conditions and might not control tailpipe emissions effectively over time.
Showing the 6 most recent of 142 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-09-16 · Steering“my vehicle had an electrical recall; i took it in and it gotten worse. the vehicle is making noise, and saying 911 operator is unavailable. the turning signals turn on and off, if i turn one going left, it stays on a while, or i have to shut car off a while to get it to cooperate of it doesn't signal at all. the brake light is on, no airbag light o…”
2026-08-20 · Service Brakes“i have experienced this issue and it's been 9 months since the first issuance from ford on this recall. i paid $523 to repair and this is insane since mechanic told me its an ome part so still going to possibly have same issue till recall is handled.…”
2026-06-01 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic“the contact owns a 2018 lincoln mkx. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 25v544000(service brakes, hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. the contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the manufacturer was made aware of the issue. the c…”
2026-04-14 · Engine“faulty catalytic converters. ford has a csp for the 2018 lincoln mkx 3.7l engine and only included police driven mkx's which is totally unfair when they're well aware that faulty/failing emissions catalytic converters were installed on all of them and they fail and produce p0430 codes regardless of driving habits, i've never driven any of my vehicl…”
2026-04-04 · Engine“my vehicle has had emissions vehicle since before i owned it up to now. the catalytic converter has been replaced 4 times which is unheard of. its presently giving the same codes/issues. the last catalytic converter replacement was november of 2024. it has to be a computer programming issue as my mechanic express. im asking that this be looked int…”
2026-03-23 · Unknown Or Other“the 2018 lincoln mkx third brake light lens cracked off in 3 pieces while going through the automatic car wash dryer on the evening of friday march 20, 2026. this appears to be an engineering design issue.…”
2026-03-12 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic“the contact owns a 2018 lincoln mkx. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 25v544000 (service brakes, hydraulic); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. the local dealer was contacted. the contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the manufac…”
2025-12-01 · Electrical System“the rear view camera is intermittent. the camera listed for replacement is f2gz19g490c. that was a recall item listed for the problem that we are having . it is intermittent and is a safety hazard as indicated in the lincoln mkx 2015 thru 2019. why is it indicated as not having a recall to my 2018 lincoln mkx vin [xxx] . it is the same problem. the…”
2025-12-01 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic“the contact's husband owns a 2018 lincoln mkx. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 25v544000 (service brakes, hydraulic); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. the local dealer was not made aware of the issue. the contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the…”
2025-11-26 · Electrical System“the 3rd brake light lens has separated from light assembly while in a drive thru carwash.…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.