KnownCarProblems2008 Lincoln Mkz Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 281 complaints with NHTSA about the 2008 Lincoln Mkz, most often about the air bags (59% of complaints, typically around 70,000 miles). It is the most complained-about Mkz model year since 2000 and has 4 recalls.
⚠ Safety advisory2 recalls for this car came with a do-not-drive warning. See below and check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Most common 2008 Lincoln Mkz problems
Air bags
166 complaints · 59%Half of these problems showed up before 70,000 miles. Parts named most often: frontal.
The contact owns a 2008 Lincoln Mkz. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 19v904000 (service brakes, hydraulic) and 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…
Takata recall I received a recall notice from Lincoln in june of 2016. Replacement parts are still not available in october of 2017. I understand the older the vehicle is the more likely there is to be a problem. The car only has 75000 mile and we plan to drive it several more years.
Brakes
73 complaints · 26%Half of these problems showed up before 99,000 miles. Parts named most often: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip, brake fluid low warning, antilock.
The contact owns a 2008 Lincoln Mkz. While the brake pedal was depressed, the vehicle experienced unintended acceleration. As a result, the vehicle was involved in a front end collision. A police report was not filed. The failure occurred without warning. The contact stated that the failure previously occurred twice.…
The contact owns a 2008 Lincoln Mkz. While driving approximately 5 MPH and depressing the brake pedal in the snow, the ABS engaged. As a result, the brake pedal had to be depressed two or three inches toward the floorboard to stop the vehicle. The failure recurred three times. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or…
Wheels and tires
32 complaints · 11%Half of these problems showed up before 43,000 miles. Parts named most often: pressure monitoring and regulating systems, rim.
The low tire pressure sensor warning light came up as we pulled away from the dealership and never quit lighting up, regardless of the number of times we took the car to dealers to have the issue fixed. The car was purchased as used, with 43,000 miles in march 2012. Apparently, the mechanics at irwin Lincoln…
After getting a low tire pressure warning, I went to tire store and they showed me the corrosion to the chrome and explained how it will affect the tire and the wheel. I was notified that I am going to constantly have issues with low tire pressure unless I replace the wheels.
Electrical
8 complaints · 3%Half of these problems showed up before 70,000 miles. Parts named most often: instrument cluster/panel.
The contact owns a 2008 Lincoln Mkz. The contact stated that there was an abnormal noise and the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was unable to restart and was towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle was to be inspected and diagnosed by a dealer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN…
The contact owns a 2008 Lincoln Mkz. While attempting to open all the vehicle's doors, the door handles fractured. Also, the rear locks failed to operate the doors. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who stated that an unknown electrical motor sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired…
Body and structure
6 complaints · 2%Half of these problems showed up before 78,000 miles. Parts named most often: body.
The contact owns a 2008 Lincoln Mkz. While attempting to open all the vehicle's doors, the door handles fractured. Also, the rear locks failed to operate the doors. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who stated that an unknown electrical motor sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired…
The contact owns a 2008 Lincoln Mkz. The contact stated that the dashboard detached and was cracked around the vent on the front passenger side. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to coconut creek Lincoln (located at 4970 north, fl-7, coconut creek, fl 33073, ([phone]), but was not…
Engine
6 complaints · 2%Half of these problems showed up before 130,000 miles.
Our vehicle is subject to NHTSA recall 19v-904. In 2020, Lincoln stopped repairing vehicles subject to this recall. Unfortunately, my vehicle is suffering from this brake problem and I have lost use of my brakes on several occasions. On june 26, 2020, my brakes failed resulting in a property damage accident. After…
The contact owns a 2008 Lincoln Mkz. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle overheated, and smoke was coming inside the cabin through the A/C vents. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road to inspect the vehicle and noticed that coolant was leaking onto the ground. The…
Other or unspecified
6 complaints · 2%Half of these problems showed up before 47,000 miles.
This is my fathers car. He is a wwii vet and just shy of 98 years old. We just replaced an AC on the car, and now the computer has failed and need replacing. The federal warranty for this state is 8 years or 80k miles. The car has 47k miles and the 8 year warranty ended 1 month and 20 days ago. Lincoln will not stand…
Driver's interior door handle does not open the door. Must lower power window and open from outside. If in a serious accident, this could have deadly consequences.
Transmission
6 complaints · 2%The vehicle sounds like it has a flat tire and has a bad vibration inside the car. It does it during motion and when stopping. Seem to be bad when its cold. Upon inspection it was found that the driveshaft needed to be replaced dur to bad carrier bearings. This is a AWD car.
Check engine light went on .. Took to tech .. Timing issues .. Further examination reveled water pump leaking, timing chain stretched on one side .. Result required water pump replacement, timing chain replacement, replacement of right bank phaser and secondary chain and tentioner, replaced upper chain guides…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2008 Lincoln Mkz recalls
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver-side airbag inflator or module with an alternate one, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on april 9, 2021 for the passenger side, and november 14, 2022 for the driver side. Owners may contact ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21s12.
Full defect summary
Ford motor company (ford) is recalling certain 2007-2011 ranger, 2006-2012 fusion, lincoln zephyr, lincoln mkz, 2006-2011 mercury milan, 2007-2010 ford edge, and lincoln mkx vehicles. The driver's side air bag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
Brakes: control unit/module
Risk: If the valves do not properly close, additional brake pedal travel may be required to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will flush the brake system with dot 4 fluid and install a new brake fluid reservoir cap. In addition, the hcu will be tested to detect a possible stuck valve condition, replacing the hcu as necessary. All services will be performed free of charge. The recall began april 1, 2021. Owners may contact ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19s54.
Full defect summary
Ford motor company (ford) is recalling certain 2006-2010 ford fusion, mercury milan, lincoln zephyr and mkz vehicles. The valves within the ABS hydraulic control units (hcu) may react with brake fluids containing specific corrosion preventative additives. This reaction may cause the valves to not close properly.
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. Interim letters informing owners of the recall and that parts are not yet available began mailing march 1, 2017. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19s01.
Full defect summary
Ford motor company (ford) is recalling certain 2012 ford fusion and mustang and lincoln zephyr and mkz vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in alabama, california, florida, georgia, hawaii, louisiana, mississippi, south carolina, texas, puerto rico, american samoa, guam, the northern mariana islands (saipan), and the u.s. Virgin islands, or "zone a." additionally, unless included in "zone a" above, ford is recalling certain 2009 ford ranger, edge, fusion and mustang, lincoln mkx, mkz and zephyr and mercury milan vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in arizona, arkansas, delaware, district of columbia, illinois, indiana, kansas, kentucky, maryland, missouri, nebraska, nevada, new jersey, new mexico, north carolina, ohio, oklahoma, pennsylvania, tennessee, virginia and west virginia, or "zone b." additionally, unless included in "zone a" or "zone b" above, ford is recalli
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. Ford mailed interim letters informing owners that parts are not yet available on july 15, 2016. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19s01.
Full defect summary
Ford motor company (ford) is recalling certain model year 2007-2011 ford ranger vehicles, 2006-2011 ford fusion, mercury milan and lincoln zephyr/mkz vehicles, 2007-2010 ford edge, lincoln mkx vehicles, 2005-2006 ford gt vehicles, and 2005-2011 ford mustang vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in alabama, california, florida, georgia, hawaii, louisiana, mississippi, south carolina, texas, puerto rico, american samoa, guam, the northern mariana islands (saipan), and the u.s. Virgin islands, or "zone a." additionally, unless included in "zone a" above, ford is recalling certain model year 2007-2008 ford ranger, edge and lincoln mkx vehicles, 2006-2008 ford fusion, mercury milan and lincoln zephyr/mkz vehicles, 2005-2006 ford gt vehicles and 2005-2008 ford mustang vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in arizona, arkansas, delaware, district of columbia, illinois, indiana,
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Extended braking distance
Summary
On april 18, 2018, the office of defects investigation (odi) opened engineering analysis (ea) 18-002 to investigate reports of braking concerns in model year (my) 2006-12 ford fusion and lincoln mkz, and my 2006-11 mercury milan vehicles manufactured with continental automotive system?s ABS hydraulic control units (hcus). Complainants report that after an ABS braking event (initiated by slippery or uneven surfaces) the brake pedal moved towards the floor and the vehicle stopping distance increased beyond driver expectations.inside the hcu are four hydraulic normally closed (nc) valves with zinc-coated moving armatures that control the flow of brake fluid. Unstable brake fluid can degrade ove
Floor mat interference with accelerator
Summary
On may 27, 2014, ford motor company submitted recall 14e-028 (ford recall #14s07) to correct a safety-related problem with certain driver's side ford optional all-weather floor mats sold for use in model year 2006 through 2011 model year ford fusion, mercury milan, lincoln zephyr, and lincoln mkz vehicles built at hermosillo assembly plant (hap) from november 9, 2007, to october 31 ,2010.NHTSA testing determined that the original accessory all-weather mat with a single retention clip (figure 1), may interfere with accelerator pedal return to idle with the mat retained by the clip and rotated clockwise.both the single- and double-clip (figure 2) all-weather floor mats may interfere with the a
Accel pedal interference - acc floormat
Summary
Unsecured mats may interfere with accelerator pedal return to idle. A heel blocker in the floor pan provides a platform that may lift an unsecured mat into contact with the pedal. Ford introduced new pedals as a running change early in model year (my) 2010 vehicles. Analysis of complaints received by odi and ford show elevated rates of pedal entrapment incidents in my 2008 through early 2010 production vehicles. Incidents typically occur following hard pedal applications to pass slower traffic or when merging into faster traffic. Drivers allege continued high engine power after releasing the accelerator pedal and difficulty braking, including reports that the incident was controlled by shift
Tire valve cracking
Summary
On october 14, 2008, odi opened pe08-060 to investigate allegations of cracked and leaking snap-in tire valves in model year (my) 2007 vehicles manufactured by ford motor company.the valves were supplied to ford by topseal auto-parts, a subsidiary of the shanghai baolong automotive corporation in china.valves made by topseal for aftermarket sale were the subject of two recent safety recalls by tech international (08t-018) and dill air controls (08t-028), the latter of which was investigated by odi in pe08-036 and ea08-022.the defect conditions addressed by the aftermarket tire valve recalls both involved inadequate resistance to ozone cracking due to issues with the supply of anti-ozonant ch
Questions about the 2008 Lincoln Mkz
- What are the most common problems with the 2008 Lincoln Mkz?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: air bags (166 complaints, typically around 70,000 miles); brakes (73 complaints, typically around 99,000 miles); wheels and tires (32 complaints, typically around 43,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2008 Lincoln Mkz have?
- 4 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from March 10, 2021 (air bags). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2008 a bad year for the Lincoln Mkz?
- It is the most complained-about Mkz model year since 2000, with 281 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.