RoadVitals

2025 Lincoln Nautilus Hybrid

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
9
Latest Aug 28, 2026
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
2
Latest Jun 30, 2026
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
0
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
0

Overview

Our database contains 9 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2025 Lincoln Nautilus Hybrid, most frequently naming the driver assistance, electrical and engine categories. 2 safety recalls have been issued covering this model year; and 2 manufacturer communications are on file.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Driver assistance538.5%
  • Electrical430.8%
  • Engine17.7%
  • Other / unspecified17.7%
  • Powertrain (other)17.7%
  • Steering17.7%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

2 campaigns cover this model year

Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.

Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov

BACK OVER PREVENTION:WARNINGS:EXTERNAL/PEDESTRIAN ALERT; FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS:EXTERNAL/PEDESTRIAN ALERT

Jun 30, 2026
66,383 units potentially affected
The defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2024-2027 Lincoln Nautilus Hybrid and 2025-2027 Explorer Hybrid vehicles. A software error may prevent the vehicle from making the pedestrian warning sound at certain speeds.
The risk: A vehicle that does not produce a warning sound may fail to alert pedestrians of an approaching vehicle, increasing the risk of injury.
The remedy: Note: This is an expansion of Recall 25V691. Any vehicles previously repaired under 25V691 must have the new remedy completed. Ford will release an over-the-air (OTA) update or dealers will update the APIM software, free of charge. Additionally, dealers will replace the digital signal processing module in Nautilus Hybrid vehicles equipped with 28 speakers, free of charge. This will be a phased campaign, with the remedy becoming available in different phases based on model and model years. Owner notification letters were mailed August 7, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S51. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning July 7, 2026.
Ford Motor CompanyManufacturer number 26S51View on NHTSA.gov

BACK OVER PREVENTION:WARNINGS:EXTERNAL/PEDESTRIAN ALERT; FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS:EXTERNAL/PEDESTRIAN ALERT

Oct 10, 2025
43,438 units potentially affected
The defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2024-2026 Lincoln Nautilus Hybrid and 2025 Explorer hybrid police vehicles. A software error may prevent the vehicle from emitting the pedestrian warning sound at certain speeds.
The risk: A vehicle that does not produce a warning sound may fail to alert pedestrians of an approaching vehicle, increasing the risk of injury.
The remedy: The audio control module and digital signal processing module software will be updated by a dealer, or through an over-the-air (OTA) update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 5, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25SA2. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on October 10, 2025.
Ford Motor CompanyManufacturer number 25SA2View on NHTSA.gov

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

ElectricalEnginePowertrain (other)
Filed Aug 28, 2026

During a short drive between [XXX] and [XXX] roughly 27 miles, the red battery light on the dash display illuminated just as we were turning into the Holiday/Circle K gas station in [XXX]. No other warnings or messages appeared on the dash, and upon restart after returning to the vehicle, the red battery light did not reappear. However from that point on my return drive to [XXX], the Hybrid Electric Drive would not engage unless I was fully coasting with zero accelerator input and even when letting off the accelerator the vehicle would slow down far more noticeable than it did prior to the battery light on, it acted as though I had applied the brakes compared to a normal coasting. I kept track of the number of miles on electric only and the percentage of miles on electric dropped from a normal 15-18% per tank to 5.7% over the next full tank. I did notice that the system began working normally again in [XXX] on the return trip and the percentage on electric only has returned to the normal 15-18% per tank since. A service appointment was made and on XXX the dealership brought the vehicle in and during tests the technician provided a video of their testing, and three readings of the Hybrid Battery CCV (coolant control valve) were very high with one at 254% and two at 255% and clear red bars stating off scale. The technicians verbal comments in the provided video which is too large to upload here initially stated that these were nothing to be concerned about but then later stated that the red battery light came on because the hybrid battery was beginning to overheat, clearly related to the hybrid coolant control valve malfunctioning. He also stated that the system did not set any fault codes, clearly this could be a major issue if the hybrid battery CCV is not functioning properly or sending the correct readings and the lithium ion high voltage battery could overheat and potentially catch on fire. Serious defect in software or design. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.

NHTSA ID
11760280
Incident
May 30, 2026
Driver assistanceSteering
Filed Jul 3, 2026

The vehicle’s BlueCruise/adaptive cruise system has repeatedly slowed unexpectedly while traveling on interstate highways. In some instances, the vehicle slowed to approximately 40 mph in a 70 mph zone without an apparent traffic reason. The system also slows excessively in curves. These events create a rear-end collision risk and require immediate driver intervention. The concern has occurred more than once and has not been limited to one isolated event.

NHTSA ID
11748209
Incident
Jun 12, 2026
Driver assistance
Filed Jul 2, 2026

Traveling from [XXX] to [XXX] and when I had the lane departure/lane keeping system turned on, the system was constantly going into the Watch the Road warning and many times it went straight to Resume Control without first putting up the Watch the Road that is supposed to be the initial stage. More than once when the system would go directly to the Resume Control, the only way to get rid of the warning and the brake pulsing and four way activation was by turning the cruise control completely off - pressing the Cancel or OK to acknowledge the warnings will not clear the the warning. I do have video on my smart phone available but the file is 17.7 Mb which is larger than allowed to upload, so I am uploading a screen shots from a couple of the times that it was occurring when I was able to get video while it was happening. On many occasions and the one in particular that I got video on, even pressing the Off switch for the cruise control would not turn the system off, it continued to stay active with the Resume Control warning, brake pulsing and four way flashers on until several presses on the off switch. This occurred multiple times during the trip so the date is just one of the dates that it occurred on while driving, and it happened in more than one state. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID
11747879
Incident
May 31, 2026
Electrical
Filed Oct 1, 2025

My vehicle is having problems with GPS signal issues over. Keep losing it location, when driving. Trying to get to the bottom line problems

NHTSA ID
11690816
Incident
Jul 29, 2025
Electrical
Filed Sep 19, 2025

The contact owns a 2025 Lincoln Nautilus. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the infotainment system was displaying a frozen screen. No warning light was illuminated. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the infotainment system needed to be replaced. The infotainment system was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 9,000.

NHTSA ID
11688410
Incident
Aug 15, 2025
Mileage
9,000 mi
Driver assistance
Filed Sep 4, 2025

Driving on the freeway, with nothing in front except road, the Bluecruise/adaptive cruise control suddenly started slowing the vehicle to 25 mph from 70 mph. This has happened 5 times. The fifth time, the lane keeping system and adaptive cruise quit working but did not give any warning on the lane keeping having stopped working. In town, adaptive cruise will vary between the local speed and 25 mph but there is no speed limit sign showing a change of speed. Sometimes, the vehicle will slow down when that happens but recently it keeps going at the speed I have set even though the screen shows a different speed. The first 2 times, the adaptive speed changed were on August 24, 2025. The next three were on August 31, 2025. There were no vehicles behind us or there might have been a crash because the speed slowed so suddenly with a change shown on the panoramic view and self-steering quit without a warning on the screen. The vehicle was picked up today for repair.

NHTSA ID
11684922
Incident
Aug 31, 2025
ElectricalOther / unspecified
Filed Jul 15, 2025

The contact owns a 2025 Lincoln Nautilus. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the panoramic and center display went blank, failing to display critical safety information. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V337000 (Electrical System, Equipment), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 7,000.

NHTSA ID
11673794
Incident
Jul 15, 2025
Mileage
7,000 mi
Driver assistance
Filed Apr 4, 2025

While using the Ford BlueCruise system which is supposed to keep the vehicle centered in the lane along when it is in use on the highways it is programmed for, the system in this vehicle wanders throughout the lane from one side lane marker to the other lane marker. When first setting the cruise control which activates the lane assist program in this vehicle, it wants to initially justify to the left (drivers side) lane marker and fights any input from the driver to re-center the vehicle in the lane. If I let the system take the full control, after this initial left line hugging the vehicle will drift over towards the right side lane marker then go back towards the left lane marker and this continues until I deactivate the cruise control entirely when on a BlueCruise enabled highway. Additionally when this is in use, the lane changes the system performs is very abrupt as though the steering wheel was being grabbed and jerked fast to move to the adjacent lane. If this were to occur when there is a slippery spot in the road, I could see this cause a spinout. It is currently at the time of this writing at the Lincoln dealership for this and several other minor issues along with the recall noted as still open on this vehicle - as they cannot get the vehicle to accept the programming for the recall. I have also seen others on the Lincoln Nautilus forums complain about their vehicle doing the same lane wandering like the vehicle is drunk, one person stated in their reply that the almost impacted a vehicle in the other lane. As of the update from the service advisor yesterday (4/3/25) they still have no resolution for the recall issue and have not indicated anything about this issue despite them having put on 44 miles as of this writing on test drives.

NHTSA ID
11652766
Incident
Mar 14, 2025

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

26B19

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Recommended Repair Prior to Sale Customer Satisfaction Program 26B19 2024-2025 MY Nautilus 2.0L Hybrid Vehicles Powertrain Control Module (PCM) Update for Inspection and Maintenance Testing

SSM 54250

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM; SERVICE BRAKES

Some 2024-2025 Escape Hybrid/Maverick Hybrid/Nautilus Hybrid/F-150 non-Lightning/F-Super Duty/Bronco and 2025 Expedition/Navigator/Ranger vehicles where customers have installed an aftermarket supplemental braking system may experience a discharged 12-volt battery after recreational towing. This may be due to the supplemental braking system keeping the vehicle awake during brake applications. Advise customers that while recreational towing the vehicle with a supplemental braking system installed, it is recommended to use a 12-volt battery charger connected to a power source external to the vehicle being towed. The Owners Manual is in process of being updated with this information.

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Lincoln Nautilus Hybrid by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2027010—
2026320—
2025Viewing920—
2024122037.6

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. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.