2011 Lincoln Mkz Owner Complaints

The contact owns a 2011 Lincoln MKZ. The contact's spouse stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact's spouse started the vehicle and noticed flames coming from the interior seal of the driver's door, located by the rocker panel. The contact's spouse stated that the flames were not severe. The contact’s spouse was able to extinguish the fire. The contact stated that after inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed moisture leaking into the rocker panel wiring. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for brake and rotor repair. The contact and the mechanic noticed that the whole rear of the vehicle was severely corroded. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

NHTSA ID

11680701

Incident

Aug 14, 2025

Mileage

100,000 mi

While traveling on interstate at70 mph a red triangle appears on dash engine turns off warning on dash to stop asap. All you have is electrical power which is not much. Car needs to be turned off and restarted. This may occur again in a few minutes or not. Took to dealer they said they replaced an O2 sensor. It still turns off. Back to dealer. They can’t reproduce. Has happened to me at least 8 times on surface streets and highways. Extremely dangerous to loose power on highways. This started about 6 months ago. Still happening. Last incident was today

NHTSA ID

11642912

Incident

Jul 1, 2024

As I was traveling home from work, I noticed the car jerk slightly and immediately decelerate. The engine temperature gauge light came on the dash and the temperature gauge immediately moved to the “H” position on the dash. Due to the fact that I was in rush hour traffic on the highway, I was worried I wouldn’t have enough speed to get to the median. I turned on my hazards and coasted safely to the side of the road but was nearly ran over by other vehicles not realizing the issue I was having. I was unable to accelerate out of the way and at the mercy of other drivers being courteous and give me space to move. I turned the car off and looked under the hood locating the coolant reservoir. It appeared empty. I was able to get a ride to the nearest auto parts store and buy coolant. When I returned to my car, I emptied coolant into the reservoir and cranked the vehicle. Within a minute the gauge returned to normal temp and carefully got back in flow of traffic but stayed close to the emergency lane. Within a couple hundred yards of driving again, the lights and gauges indicated another overheating issue. At the next stop, I pulled into a gas station. And parked the car to have it towed. My mechanic informed me that the coolant was leaking from the coolant pump into my oil pan. Now the engine is flooded with a mixture of oil and coolant and I will need a new engine. He said this issue has been reported before but wasn’t sure what Ford/Lincoln may be doing about it. I’m lucky I didn’t have an engine fire or some sort of collision while driving along a highway during rush hour traffic.

NHTSA ID

11609001

Incident

Aug 15, 2024

The contact owns a 2011 Lincoln MKZ. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a knocking sound coming from the front of the vehicle. The contact stated on another occasion while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine overheated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed; however, the cause of the failure was not yet determined. The contact was informed that it might have been an axle leak. The contact then took the vehicle to an independent mechanic who in turn advised her to take the vehicle to a dealer. The contact had the vehicle towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with water pump failure. The contact was informed that the water pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was being repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

NHTSA ID

11607300

Incident

Apr 30, 2024

Mileage

70,000 mi

I was stopping at a stop sign and was unable to stop immediately, instead I coasted a little bit before stopping. Then the brake warning lights and ABS and traction lights came on. I pulled over to a parking lot and turned the car off and turned it back on: all the lights came back on. I put on my flashers and very carefully and slowly drove my car to Jiffy Lube. They did an $108 oil change and checked the brake pads and brake fluid levels and said everything was fine and I would need to take it to a larger shop. I contacted the Apple Ford dealer near me and had my family follow me as I dropped it off. They said it would be a total of $310 for diagnostic and brake flush. I did the flush and it didn’t work. They said it would cost just shy of $3k to replace the entire hydraulic system. I took the car home because that is too much for a 2011 vehicle. I ended up having to get a new car because I need transportation for me and my two young children. My neighbor took a look at the car (he works on trucks) and the battery wouldn’t work. I bought a new battery for the car at $238.14. The lights are still on. I would like to have this car fixed or be able to trade it in. I am now being recommended to run a computer test on it to reset the codes. I would like to have this fixed as this seems to be a known issue with this car and I could have crashed if I wasn’t already driving slowly.

NHTSA ID

11595694

Incident

May 22, 2024

I was driving home in rush hour traffic at approximately 50 mph. I tried to brake but the pedal went to the floor and I had no brakes at all. Turns out this was a recall issue for the same issue for the previous four years MKZs. Replacing the fluid did not fix the problem and the 2,000 dollars charged for just the module that controls this is disgraceful. That doesn't include the other thousand for a mechanic to install the part. I managed to avoid hitting anyone, but not by much. This is extremely dangerous and should be addressed

NHTSA ID

11576429

Incident

Jun 15, 2023

The tire is a NEXEN 225/45R18 After driving at highway speed on an out-of-town trip for several hours, got off the highway on the way to the hotel using suburban roads. About a mile later, a noise suddenly started at the driver's side front. The "slapping noise" got worse as the car went faster. I pulled off into a parking lot and found a steel bead from the tire had come loose and was hitting the inside fender well. I also noticed there were cracks in the side wall. I changed the tire using the spare tire and drove to the hotel. The next day, I went to a local tire dealer to buy replacement tires. Since the car is an All Wheel Drive vehicle, I had to replace all four tires. And, it is a good thing I did since when I inspected the old tires, the other front tire (the passenger side) had side wall cracks worse than the driver's side tire that had the bead separation. The two rear tires showed no evident side wall cracks. I kept the two front tires with the failures and one of the rear tires that did not have any evident cracks. There was not enough room in the car to bring all four tires back home. Attached are photographs of the two failed tires. NOTE: I am a former Director of the Office of Defects Investigation [XXX] ) and this is my wife's car. I brought the tires back with me since I believe ODI may want to have the tires in the event it believes a PE is appropriate. The tires are in my garage in Northern Virginia. The email and phone number are mine, not my wife's. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11541366

Incident

Aug 25, 2023

There have been several occasions where I am cruising at a steady spread and when I try to brake, the pedal just goes down to the floor. It's as if I don't have any brakes at all. I've had my brakes and fluid checked and all is good. This is a very scary and dangerous situation. Doing my research I see that this is a common problem. How is there not a recall on this? This could be a fatal situation. Please advise.

NHTSA ID

11530068

Incident

Jun 1, 2023

Recently I have experienced a "soft brake pedal" on my 2011 Lincoln MKZ. I investigated online and here's what I found. So far there is no recall on this vehicle but SHOULD BE. NHTSA believes the hydraulic control valves can become corroded and stuck, causing soft brake pedals and longer stopping distances. In some cases, braking returns to normal when the valves subsequently become unstuck, causing an intermittent condition that makes a correct diagnosis difficult. On Ford's side, engineers discovered a gelatinous material that prevented control valves from properly returning to the closed positions after actuation. The automaker also found the gelatinous material likely occurred when brake fluid hit the valve coating. Federal investigators were able to recover affected brake components in some of the vehicles that were involved in crashes, and engineers confirmed stuck valves and corrosion of the zinc control valves. This problem has just recently evolved and it is very scary when applying the brakes and they go down to the floor. The car stops if you pump the brake pedal. My mileage is 150000 on my Lincoln MKZ but the car looks like new and is excellent shape.

NHTSA ID

11524892

Incident

May 24, 2023

While making a right turn into Walmart parking lot, car was suddenly very difficult to turn. We almost hit the car in the lane next to us. We had to back up into the main road and risked a collision there as well just to pull into the parking lot. Like the power steering went out. Just a mile before that turn we made a turn and had no issue. Highway driving is okay, it is just difficult to steer in low speed city driving conditions. I had a mechanic look at it. he could not find anything wrong so we flushed the power steering with fresh fluid. It did not seam to help. He concluded that the electric assist is probably what failed. We looked this up, and it is a common problem with this model year MKZ and a recall has been out for this. But, for some reason my car does not pull up this recall.

NHTSA ID

11502687

Incident

Nov 8, 2021

Brakes worked perfectly until I had to stop suddenly. Brake pedal went almost to the floor before brakes engaged, and then only slightly. I made it home with them in that same condition. When I took it to the shop, the brakes worked perfectly again. At no time was any code shown. So far the shop can't get the brakes to do it again, but I can't trust the car I paid for. The NHTSA had a recall for the Lincoln MKZ up to 2010, but my 2011 has the same ABS module issue. Please expand the recall before someone else gets injured or killed.

NHTSA ID

11500983

Incident

Dec 31, 2022

Takata recall. The contact owns a 2011 Lincoln MKZ. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V158000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact recently received a recall notice stating that parts were available; however, the contact was informed by the dealer that the parts were still not available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ID

11486097

Incident

Jan 1, 2022

The contact owns a 2011 Lincoln MKZ. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V158000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. An unknown dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ID

11479825

Incident

Mar 25, 2021

Driving down the road all of a sudden Accutrac warning came up and then check brake system. The brakes were like a sponge and stopping was very difficult and required using emergency brake. Shut car off for a few minutes and then problem went away. Then it did it again. This is the same exact issue a recall was issued for the 2006-2010 model of Lincoln MKZ hybrid. Mine is a 2011 but built in the same plant. This car now has an unrepaired air bag from another recall that they still cannot fix and now no brakes and can't be driven. I feel this model should be included in the other model years recall.

NHTSA ID

11474898

Incident

Jul 16, 2022

Takata recall. The contact owns a 2011 Lincoln MKZ. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V158000 (Air Bags) 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 manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ID

11471627

Incident

Jun 29, 2022

The contact owns a 2011 Lincoln MKZ. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed the water pump needed to be replaced. The contact was informed that water had leaked into the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no additional assistance was provided. The approximate failure mileage was 115,000. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA ID

11464857

Incident

Apr 1, 2022

Mileage

115,000 mi

The contact owns a 2011 Lincoln MKZ. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal knocking noise detected and the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that water had entered the engine and the water pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no additional assistance was provided. The approximate failure mileage was 115,000.

NHTSA ID

11463184

Incident

Apr 11, 2022

Mileage

115,000 mi

My vehicle has a safety recall for a possible exploding driver airbag, recall number 21V158. This recall was issued 3/25/21, about 10 months ago, and the manufacturer still does not have a fix for it. This is unacceptable given the severity of the recall. The NHTSA website states that if the manufacturer has not remedied a recall in a reasonable amount of time, then a vehicle complaint should be submitted. In my mind, 10 months is an unreasonable amount of time. I hope that the NHTSA can put additional pressure on Ford/Lincoln to remedy this recall ASAP.

NHTSA ID

11448056

Incident

Mar 25, 2021

During a braking event that caused my ABS to activate, my brake pedal traveled almost all the way to the floor. I was able to stop the car without accident but feel unsafe driving it. After much research I located Ford safety recall 19S54 which describes my issue exactly, unfortunately Ford has decided to only issue the recall for model years 2006 to 2010.

NHTSA ID

11441895

Incident

Nov 26, 2021

SECONDS AFTER STARTING AND DRIVING APPROX 200 FEET MY, 2011 LINCOLN MKZ HYBRID , CARS POWER STEERING STOP WORKING. ON THE MESSAGE CENTER ON THE DASH LITE UP LISTING THE POWER STEERING ASSIST FAILURE IN RED LETTERS. I STOPPED TURN THE KEY OFF RESTARTED THE CAR UPON STEERING WAS NORMAL, THIS HAS HAPPENED 4 TIMES IN THE LAST TWO MONTHS, I HAD THE FORD DEALER,"MULLAHEY FORD" IN ARROYO GRANDE LOOK AT IT. HE STATED THAT NO CODES CAME UP SO THEY WOULD NOT DO ANY REPAIRS, WE PURCHASED A FULL WARRANTY, $3500 FOR REPAIRS BUT HE WASNT WILLING TO REPAIR IT SINCE NO CODES AROSE ON THE CARS COMPUTER.

NHTSA ID

11431294

Incident

Aug 31, 2021

My brakes completely gave out forcing me to use the handbrake. I took it to a Ford service shop and they said the problem was the HYDRAULIC CONTROL UNIT. The part itself is on hold due to a recall. However, my car has not been placed on the recall list. I ended up paying out of pocket to have it fixed but was advised that Ford could reimburse me once NHTSA sends the recall notice. Side note: Ford was the third shop I took it to. The other two mechanics could not diagnose the problem. The attached invoice has my name wrong. It's [XXX]. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA ID

11419202

Incident

May 4, 2021

MY CAR COULDN'T BREAK, SUDDENLY GOT WARNING WHILE DRIVING THROUGH A PARKING LOT BY WALMART STORE. RED "CHECK BRAKE SYSTEM" YELLOW "SERVICE ADVANCE TRAC" "BREAK" AND "ABS" DASH LIGHTS STARTED POPPING UP AND I COULD NOT EVEN BREAK A LITTLE BIT EVEN AFTER STEPPING ON THE BREAK PEDAL REAL HARD, I WAS FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO NOT HAVING ANYONE IN FRONT OF ME ON THE PARKING LOT AS I ABSOLUTELY COULDN'T BREAK!!!!!! I PUT MY BLINKERS ON AND PLACED THE CAR IN PARKING GEAR, YET IT WOULDN'T STOP!! I FINALLY HAD TO TURN OFF THE IGNITION THEN THERE WAS A BIG SHAKE AND THE ENGINE STALLED FINALLY AND VEHICLE CAME TO A HALT. VEHICLE HAD TO BE TOWED TO THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP VIA AAA TOWING. THE LOCAL LINCOLN DEALERSHIP DID NOT SHOW ANY CONCERN AND WERE COMPLETELY IGNORANT OF MY NARRATING THIS TO THEM. THEY SIMPLY SLAPPED A CHARGE OF $3061 AND SAID THAT IT NEEDS REPLACING ABS MODULE AND A CHANGE OF HCU (HYDRAULIC CONTROL UNIT) AND STATED THAT THERE IS NO RECALL ON THESE COMPONENTS. I CALLED LINCOLN GLOBAL TO PLACE A COMPLAINT AND TO CHECK IF THIS WAS A 'KNOWN' ISSUE WITH LINCOLN MKZ 2011 MODEL. THEY SAID CURRENTLY THEY DO NOT HAVE A RECALL ON THIS COMPONENT. I STRONGLY BELIEVE THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERN AS IT AFFECTS BRAKES DIRECTLY AND THERE IS ZERO POSSIBILITY TO STOP THE VEHICLE. I WAS FORTUNATE THIS OCCURRED IN A PARKING LOT WHERE THERE WAS NOT ANYONE IN FRONT OF MY VEHICLE WHILE IT OCCURRED. WHILE I'M WORKING WITH THE DEALERSHIP ON GETTING THE PRICE OF THE SERVICE A LITTLE DOWN, THATS NOT OF MY MAIN CONCERN. THE BRAKE FAILURE OF THIS NATURE COULD BE FATAL FOR BOTH DRIVER/PASSENGER AND PEOPLE ON THE WAY OF THE VEHICLE. PLEASE LODGE THIS AS A RECALL INVESTIGATION/COMPLAINT. THERE IS NO ISSUE FOUND WITH THE BREAK PADS OR BREAK LINING, DRUM ETC. ALL ARE NORMAL. VEHICLE IS REGULARLY MAINTAINED WITH SAME LINCOLN DEALERSHIP AT ALL TIMES AT ALL GIVEN INTERVALS.

NHTSA ID

11407408

Incident

Apr 8, 2021

Mileage

116,427 mi

I WAS DRIVING, NORMALLY AROUND TOWN. MY BRAKES HAVE BEEN WORKING FIND AND NORMAL UP UNTIL THIS POINT. THEN, ALL OF SUDDEN I WENT TO PRESS MY BRAKES AND THE PEDAL ALMOST WENT TO THE FLOOR. LUCKILY, THERE WAS NOT ANY CARS IN FRONT OF ME OR WAS AT AN INTERSECTION. SEVERAL WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON: CHECK ENGINE WRENCH, ABS LIGHT, SERVICE ADVANCE TRACK AND E BRAKE LIGHT. SO, I WAS CLOSE TO MY HOME AND I DROVE IT SLOWLY TO MY HOUSE AND CHECKED UNDERNEATH THE HOOD. THE BRAKE FLUID LEVEL WAS FINE AND NO BRAKE LINE LEAKS WHATSOEVER. NEXT, I RESEARCHED THE PROBLEM ONLINE AND FOUND OUT THAT IT IS AN ABS MODULE FAILURE. I ALSO FOUND OUT THAT FORD HAD A RECALL ON THEIR ABS SYSTEM, BUT FOR ONLY YEARS 2006-2010. GO FIGURE, THE NEW MODULE COSTS OVER $500 PLUS, THEN LABOR CHARGES AND A DEALER HAS TO REPROGRAM THE ABS SYSTEM. WOW, WHAT A SUPER EXPENSIVE UNFORESEEN REPAIR PILL.

NHTSA ID

11399304

Incident

Mar 2, 2021

Mileage

135,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 LINCOLN MKZ HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE MAKING A TURN FROM A STOP SIGN, THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME HARD TO MANEUVER. AS A RESULT, THE VEHICLE WAS HIT ON THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE BY ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYED INJURING HIS GIRLFRIEND. HIS GIRLFRIEND SUSTAINED CUTS TO THE STOMACH AS THE CONTACT STATED IT SEEMED THAT METAL SHRAPNEL HAD DEPLOYED FROM THE AIR BAG. THE PASSENGER IN THE REAR MIDDLE ALSO SUSTAINED INJURIES TO THE HIP. MEDICAL ATTENTION WAS REQUIRED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CONTACT STATED PRIOR TO THE COLLISION, HE CONTACTED ST AUTO SALES INC (4545 GLENWOOD RD, DECATUR, GA) TO MAKE THEM AWARE OF THE STEERING WHEEL FAILURE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THEY ADVISED HIM TO ADD STEERING FLUID TO THE RESERVOIR. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC OR DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS AFTER THE COLLISION. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 120,000.*DT

NHTSA ID

11395560

Incident

Jan 29, 2021

Mileage

120,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 LINCOLN MKZ. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE ATTEMPTING TO PARK THE VEHICLE, THE POWER STEERING BECAME INOPERABLE. THE POWER STEERING SENSOR LIGHT, STABILITY CONTROL LIGHT AND CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHTS WERE ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS UNABLE TO BE STARTED. CENTRAL FLORIDA LINCOLN (2055 W COLONIAL DR, ORLANDO, FL 32804, (407) 841-4550) STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V340000 (STEERING). THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 89,000.

NHTSA ID

11385303

Incident

Dec 26, 2020

Mileage

89,000 mi