2011 Lincoln Mks Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2011 Lincoln Mks, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Steering2139.6%
- Driver assistance611.3%
- Brakes59.4%
- Engine59.4%
- Exterior lighting35.7%
- Electrical35.7%
- Fuel system35.7%
- Airbags23.8%
- Body & structure23.8%
- Powertrain (other)11.9%
- Interior & seats11.9%
- Suspension11.9%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Steering
Reports naming the steering system — racks, columns, power-steering assist and steering linkage.
From owner reports, verbatim
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Power Steering While driving yesterday, doing shopping and online order deliveries, the steering wheel started having slight resistance during turns. It became worse shortly after. As I attempted to leave a grocery store, less than 5 minutes away from home, the steering wheel was extremely difficult to turn. I didn't see any leaks under the hood nor on the ground underneath my car. Nor was there any smells nor odors. On 5/1/2026, I did hear a slight noise when I turned the steering wheel to back into the driveway at home. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Steering wheel became difficult to turn right or left. I barely made it home to park it, as the longer I drove to get home, the more difficult it became to make turns. I parked it immediately as I didn't want to make too wide of a turn on a road, risking any accidents. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Not yet. I will need the car towed to a local Ford/Lincoln dealership for assessment. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Not yet, in the process of contacting my auto insurance about it. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? The message on the dashboard was "Service Power Steering" and it appeared on 5/2/2026 for the very first time. Also, the power steering icon showed in a stable amber color. This message did not appear before.
The contact owns a 2011 Lincoln MKS. The contact stated that while reversing into a parking space, the power steering warning light illuminated. The vehicle was later restarted, and the traction control and power steering warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle then experienced a loss of power steering assist. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that the steering gear had failed and that the steering rack needed to be replaced; however, the steering rack was no longer manufactured so the vehicle required an aftermarket steering rack. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 212,000.
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Power Steering While driving yesterday, doing shopping and online order deliveries, the steering wheel started having slight resistance during turns. It became worse shortly after. As I attempted to leave a grocery store, less than 5 minutes away from home, the steering wheel was extremely difficult to turn. I didn't see any leaks under the hood nor on the ground underneath my car. Nor was there any smells nor odors. On 5/1/2026, I did hear a slight noise when I turned the steering wheel to back into the driveway at home. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Steering wheel became difficult to turn right or left. I barely made it home to park it, as the longer I drove to get home, the more difficult it became to make turns. I parked it immediately as I didn't want to make too wide of a turn on a road, risking any accidents. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Not yet. I will need the car towed to a local Ford/Lincoln dealership for assessment. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Not yet, in the process of contacting my auto insurance about it. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? The message on the dashboard was "Service Power Steering" and it appeared on 5/2/2026 for the very first time. Also, the power steering icon showed in a stable amber color. This message did not appear before.
Woke up to leave house and steering wheel was very stiff and hard to control
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Brakes
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.
From owner reports, verbatim
the steering system locks up and loses power assist,and the brakes and traction control sys also malfunction, and several failure lights all come on ,as I was making a left turn in front of a police car the steering locked up and I almost hit the police car,the vehicle isn't driveable,the policeman advised me not to drive the car,he verified the steering didn't work,when the problem occurs the steering gets extremely hard and at the same time lights and bells start ringing in the car and it's very scary because between the steering and brakes not working the bells and lights are very distracting
POWER STEERING RANDOMLY LOCKS AND UNLOCKS ITS SELF, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO PULL TO THE LEFT AND DISPLAYING DIFFICULTY TO STEER WHEEL TO THE RIGHT OR STRAIGHT AHEAD. BRAKES SEEM TO LOCK OR SLIP IN CERTAIN ENVIROMENTS AT MODERATE SPEEDS.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
The contact owns a 2011 Lincoln MKS. The contact stated while making a left turn, the steering wheel seized, and the vehicle stalled. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact restarted the vehicle and continued driving to her destination. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was approximately 101,000.
Engine/Coolant Reservoir, Yes you can inspect it. When driving, or stop at a traffic light or just parked, the car will just start smoking and getting hot, the temperature gauge would not show it was getting hot until after it started smoking. The car would stop in the middle of the street or on the freeway. All the Antifreeze would leak out of the Reservoir and be all over the Engine and the ground, when you put Antifreeze in the reservoir the next day, you can drive for a little distant, but it will start doing the same thing all over again. The Cooling Fan would come on and never goes off, it gets louder and louder, it has never done this before. I have taken my car to the Dealer 3 times and they charged me over $4.000 and still couldn't fix it. They told me that they do not know what's wrong with it. The Engine Cooling System / Reservoir should be Recalled.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Exterior lighting
Reports naming headlights, tail lights, turn signals and other exterior lighting.
From owner reports, verbatim
NON CONNECTED DAY TIME RUNNING LIGHTS. I AVOIDED A TOTAL OF THREE HEAD ON COLLISIONS WITHIN THE PAST THREE WEEKS (THE MOST RECENT WAS 08/19/2013). MY CAR IS SILVER AN APPARENTLY DRIVERS HAVE COMPLAINED TO ME, THEY HAVE GREAT DIFFICULTY SEEING MY CAR IN DAYLIGHT HOURS. IN MY CASE I MADE THREE TRIPS TO MY CLOSEST LINCOLN DEALER, PRESENTS A WEBSITE WHICH INFORMED THEIR STAFF HOW TO CONNECT THE DRL FROM THEIR SERVICE MANUAL. MY PROBLEM WITH THESE DRL SEEMS TO BE A MAJOR CONCERN TO OTHER 2011 LINCOLN MKS OWNERS!. THIS MORNING, THE SERVICE MANAGER HAD HIS STAFF CONNECT MY DRL, *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 LINCOLN MKS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH WITH THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS ACTIVATED, OTHER DRIVERS WERE COMPLAINING OF THE LIGHTS BEING EXTREMELY BRIGHT. THE DEALER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT THERE WAS NO WAY THE LIGHTS COULD BE ADJUSTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 800.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Electrical
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.
From owner reports, verbatim
VEHICLE PARKED AT RESTAURANT, WHEN CAME BACK OUT THE DOORS WERE UNLOCKED, THE WINDOWS WERE DOWN AND THE SUNROOF WAS OPEN. THIS HAS HAPPENED THREE DIFFERENT TIMES.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 LINCOLN MKX. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH, A MESSAGE ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL ASKING TO PERFORM A HEALTH REPORT SCAN OF THE VEHICLE. ONCE THE CONTACT AGREED TO THE SCAN THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE AND THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 13,000. UPDATED 8/31/12 *CN UPDATED 09/11/2012 *JS
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Fuel system
Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks.
From owner reports, verbatim
Engine/Coolant Reservoir, Yes you can inspect it. When driving, or stop at a traffic light or just parked, the car will just start smoking and getting hot, the temperature gauge would not show it was getting hot until after it started smoking. The car would stop in the middle of the street or on the freeway. All the Antifreeze would leak out of the Reservoir and be all over the Engine and the ground, when you put Antifreeze in the reservoir the next day, you can drive for a little distant, but it will start doing the same thing all over again. The Cooling Fan would come on and never goes off, it gets louder and louder, it has never done this before. I have taken my car to the Dealer 3 times and they charged me over $4.000 and still couldn't fix it. They told me that they do not know what's wrong with it. The Engine Cooling System / Reservoir should be Recalled.
ENGINE BEGAN TO RUN ROUGH AND MISFIRE WHILE TRYING TO ACCELERATE ON THE INTERSTATE, FOLLOWED BY A COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER AND VIOLENT SHUDDERING. BIG CONCERN WHEN TRYING TO PASS OTHER VEHICLES, AS I WAS ALMOST REAR ENDED BY A TRACTOR TRAILER. PROBLEM BECOMES WORSE AND MORE FREQUENT WHEN TRYING TO ACCELERATE UP HILLS. FOUND OUT THIS PROBLEM IS ADDRESSED IN FORD TSB 11-08-19, MOST LIKELY CAUSED BY POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE LOSING CALIBRATION. THIS INFORMATION WAS MADE KNOWN TO SERVICE WORKERS, BUT NOT CAR OWNERS. PROBLEM EVENTUALLY RESULTED IN THE BURNING OUT OF THE CAR'S BANK 2 CATALYTIC CONVERTER, SPARKS PLUGS, AND IGNITION COILS.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Airbags
Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights.
From owner reports, verbatim
The contact owns a 2011 Lincoln MKS. The contact stated that upon start of vehicle, the air bag warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact had initially called the dealer and was informed that his vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V247000 (Air Bags). The contact then called the manufacturer and was provided the same information as the dealer. The manufacturer referred him to NHTSA for further assistance. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 113,000.
TAKATA RECALL: I RECEIVED A NOTICE THAT MY CAR IS INVOLVED IN THE MASSIVE TAKATA RECALL A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO, AND HERE IT IS SEPTEMBER, AND I HAVEN'T BEEN CONTACTED TO GET THIS CORRECTED. THE RISK OF METAL FRAGMENTS HITTING A PASSENGER IS UNSETTLING TO SAY THE LEAST. WHY IS THIS TAKING SO LONG TO GET RECTIFIED? GOD FORBID I AM INVOLVED IN A FRONT END COLLISION WITH A PASSENGER. PLEASE ADVISE AS TO WHEN I CAN EXPECT THIS TO BE RESOLVED. THANKS
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Body & structure
Reports naming the vehicle structure, frame, body panels, doors, hood and trim.
From owner reports, verbatim
The contact owns a 2011 Lincoln MKS. The contact stated that while attempting to secure items into the trunk of the vehicle, the rear trunk door suddenly came down and struck the contact on the head. During the incident, the contact sustained a head contusion which did not require medical treatment. The contact indicated that the failure had occurred on multiple occasions. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 100,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 LINCOLN MKS. WHILE PULLING OUT OF A PARKING LOT AT 20 MPH, THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE DOOR OPENED INDEPENDENTLY AND THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR OPEN WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 68,000.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Powertrain (other)
Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials.
From owner reports, verbatim
While driving the vehicle at normal speed with my wife and baby, car suddenly made a weird noise and started to smoke, the car lost power. I had to pull over right away , as car was smoking we smelled a propane like smell, and we noticed black grease leaking from the bottom. Soon as I got the car towed home , I looked under and notice the transfer box or PTO was busted with grease pouring out. I looked online and it’s a common issue with these cars. The transfer case is so close to the cat converter that it over heats the grease.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Interior & seats
Reports naming seats, latches, locks, linkages and interior fittings.
From owner reports, verbatim
The contact owns a 2011 Lincoln MKS. The contact stated that while attempting to secure items into the trunk of the vehicle, the rear trunk door suddenly came down and struck the contact on the head. During the incident, the contact sustained a head contusion which did not require medical treatment. The contact indicated that the failure had occurred on multiple occasions. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 100,000.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Suspension
Reports naming suspension components — springs, struts, shocks, control arms and related hardware.
From owner reports, verbatim
I was driving and I hear a beeping sound,and my steering just stopped working and made it difficult to control the vehicle in a curve.. Recall Details: 2011–2013 Power Steering Electric Assist Loss •In June 2015, Ford issued Recall #15S18 (NHTSA Campaign 15V340000) for a range of vehicles—including the 2011 Lincoln MKS—due to a potential intermittent electrical connection in the steering gear. This defect could cause loss of electronic power steering assist, increasing steering effort and potential crash risk , I never received notification of this potential risk and it was lucky that my grandchildren was not in the car because I usually pick them up from school about the time this occurred. Just want to know what action can I take and how can you assist me?
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .