Owner-reported complaints naming the body or structure system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming the vehicle structure, frame, body panels, doors, hood and trim. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2021 Lincoln Nautilus submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 10 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
"The spot welds and inner sheet metal at the driver door check arm attachment point have structurally failed and cracked. This prevents the door from operating safely and creates an imminent risk of the door failing to latch or inadvertently opening while driving, matching the failure mechanism in NHTSA Investigation PE 23-013.
Drivers front door inner sheet metal structure has failed/torn at the hinge and check arm mounting points under normal operating conditions.. safety hazard. Dealership and Lincoln will not take full responsibility after known structural defect exists
Both front doors on my 2021 Nautilus Reserve have structural stress cracks in the sheet metal surrounding the check-arm bracket, along the edge of the recessed mount and under the weatherstrip. I first noticed cracking and popping when opening and closing the doors on 8/1/2026 at about 84,000 miles. No collision; normal use. The bracket mounts to the inner door panel with no reinforcement. The panel visibly flexes every time the door opens and checks, and that flexing has fatigued and cracked the metal. The cracks are growing. This is a safety issue. Once the bracket tears out, the door has no hold-open or stop. It can be pulled open by wind, strike a person or vehicle beside it, or swing closed on an occupant's arms or legs. Complaint 11767021 reports a 2021 Nautilus door torn from the owner's hand by wind after the check broke. In PE23-013, NHTSA's investigation of the same failure on the Ford Escape, NHTSA documented 25 injuries, mostly from doors closing on occupants, and cited risk of a door failing to latch, failing to open, or opening while driving. Both my front doors are affected, so the driver and passenger exits are both at risk. At least eight other 2021 Nautilus owners have filed NHTSA complaints on the same failure, and Ford Edge owners report it too. Ford covers this failure on the 2020-2023 Escape under CSP 23B56 (reinforcement plate or new door, no cost, no mileage limit), but no recall or program covers the Nautilus or Edge. Lincoln (case CXH-09573152) offered $4,400 goodwill instead of a full repair. Other 2021 Nautilus owners report this failure as early as 20,000 miles, so it is a design flaw, not wear. Re-welding or installing the same unreinforced door will not fix it; any remedy must add reinforcement at the check-arm mount. I request an investigation of front door check-arm related stress cracking on doors of 2019-2023 Nautilus and Edge vehicles. Photos, video, and an evidence brief are available.
Noticed cracking sound when opening and closing front drivers door. Subsequently discovered same issue on Ford Edge (recall in place) and many other owners having same problem (FaceBook posts).
The driver's side door is cracked at the door hinge assembly. This is a widely documented defect. My door cracked at 50,000 miles. There are thousands of 2019-2024 Nautilus's with this defect. Lincoln wants $5,000 to replace the door. They offered $2,000 toward the repair. This should be a recall.
The door broke and cracked the window when I opened the door to get in the car
The contact owns a 2021 Lincoln Nautilus. The contact stated that while the vehicle was at the dealer for an oil change and trade-in, the contact was informed that the front driver’s side door had a crack and that the welding was cracked and loosened. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 92,800.
The contact owns a 2021 Lincoln Nautilus. The contact stated that while opening the front driver’s door, there was a cracking sound coming from the door. While the vehicle was in for routine maintenance, the mechanic discovered that the front driver’s side door check arm stop bracket and door hinge were faulty. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who examined the vehicle and informed the contact that the front driver’s side door needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously repaired for the same failure. The failure mileage was 74,000.
Door check and spot welds are broken. The car has less the 20,000 miles on it. I was told by the mechanic that he saw this issue with Ford Escapes, there was a recall on the drive side door for the welds failing.
My doors are totally broke. Has no swing stop. Broke so bad the medal is torn
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.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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