KnownCarProblems2011 Lincoln Mkz Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 145 complaints with NHTSA about the 2011 Lincoln Mkz, most often about the air bags (46% of complaints, typically around 42,500 miles). It is 5th of 14 Mkz model years by number of complaints and has 5 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 2011 Lincoln Mkz problems
Air bags
66 complaints · 46%Half of these problems showed up before 42,500 miles.
Takata recall am not able to sell this car because no one feels it is safe to drive. Therefore, a $20,000 vehicle is sitting in my driveway rusting away !
Received recall notice july 2016. Called numerous dealerships and they have no parts to make repair. Do you know if they will ever make repair? Cannot allow passengers to sit if passenger seat. Why would they use good air bag for driver and an inferior bag for passenger. Must be to save money.
Brakes
20 complaints · 14%Half of these problems showed up before 97,500 miles.
The vehicle remained without brakes while driving. One week and I have no news. Please call Lincoln and how the car carries for 8 years, they did not want to do anything when it is something of safety and life.
I started my car and pressed the pedal to shift into reverse and started to back up from a parking spot. The pedal suddenly went to the floor and the car kept moving, pulled the emergency brake. Had warning lcd icons in red about brakes. Tried shutting car off and restarting to see if condition changed, no change…
Steering
19 complaints · 13%Half of these problems showed up before 71,500 miles. Parts named most often: linkages.
I had heard a wheezing noise in the front end so I took the car to my mechanic. He was unable to find a problem. A week after while driving the car I was driving and as I turned the car completely shut down. Two days later it began to not drive properly I took the car back to the mechanic and said I had a bad sensor…
The contact owns a 2011 Lincoln Mkz. Upon starting the vehicle, the steering fault warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was then shifted into drive and the steering wheel seized. The contact stated that the vehicle was serviced per NHTSA campaign number: 15v340000 (steering) at cherry ford (363 harlem ave…
Engine
13 complaints · 9%Half of these problems showed up before 89,000 miles. Parts named most often: exhaust system.
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…
Car in question: 2011 Lincoln Mkz hybrid, 90,379 miles driving on a highway, wrench light comes on, check engine light comes on, no power from the engine when applying a throttle. Due to a vehicle being a hybrid, coast on battery power to a shoulder. Throttle body had to be replaced. There was a recall for a ford…
Body and structure
10 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 56,000 miles. Parts named most often: body, frame and members.
My wife got to the mall and tried to get out of the car and the door would not unlatch. She called me frantic asking what to do. She did not dare ask a stranger, so I told her to wait and I would be right there. She was very upset by the time I got there.-20 min. The door opened normally from the outside. Later I took…
Just over 5 yr warranty and only 39k miles of 50k warranty, when parked, driver's door locking system stopped working preventing driver from opening door to exit without rolling down window with extreme difficulty and/or inability in pulling outside door handle. To exit in nml case or in case of collision. Lincoln svc…
Electrical
8 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 38,000 miles. Parts named most often: 12v/24v/48v battery.
Just over 5 yr warranty and only 39k miles of 50k warranty, when parked, driver's door locking system stopped working preventing driver from opening door to exit without rolling down window with extreme difficulty and/or inability in pulling outside door handle. To exit in nml case or in case of collision. Lincoln svc…
Display in dashboard displayed "blindspot not available". Simultaneously, the blind spot warning light on passenger (right) side came on and would not go off for several minutes. Warning message in dashboard display went off on its own, but indicator light will not come on with vehicle in the blind spot.
Other or unspecified
8 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 51,500 miles.
Takata notice and dashboard where airbags are.fash is splitting and dealer said can't be fixed. Have to order and pay for a new dash. I received a class action notice about airbags. Dealer checked and no recalls I concerned
Like 2,000,000 other ford and Lincoln vehicles already under recall, my driver's side door latch is defective. Yesterday, when I went to open the door, the handle swung open without opening the door. After doing some online research, I found this is an extensive problem affecting ford and Lincoln vehicles manufactured…
Speed control
7 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 28,500 miles.
The contact owns a 2011 Lincoln Mkz. The contact stated that the vehicle unintentionally accelerated. Also, when the brake and the accelerator pedal was depressed at the same time, the pedal traveled to the floorboard. As a result, the vehicle crashed into a brick wall. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was…
I was the driver; the accident occured day;sunny around noon;I was in a library parking lot pulling into a parking space -slowly suddenly , the car leapt forward the and "something" seemed to be under the accelerator- it leapt forward I could lt not make the car stop; what stopped the car wasae concrete light post…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2011 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.
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: 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. The recall began february 13, 2019. Owners may contact ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall 19s01.
Full defect summary
Ford motor company (ford) is recalling certain 2014 ford mustang vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of 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, ford is recalling certain 2011 ford ranger and mercury milan vehicles, 2011-2012 ford fusion and lincoln zephyr/mkz vehicles and 2011-2014 ford mustang vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of 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." ford is also recalling certain 2010 ford edge and lincoln mkx vehicles, 2010-2011 ford ranger and mercury mi
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: If the air bag does not inflate as intended, there is an increased risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger air bag module, free of charge. The recall began november 21, 2018. Owners may contact ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18s34.
Full defect summary
Ford motor company (ford) is recalling certain 2010 ford fusion, mercury milan and 2010-2012 lincoln mkz vehicles that previously received a replacement passenger air bag under recall 16v-384, 17v-024 or 18v-046. In the event of a crash requiring deployment of the passenger air bag, the bracket that secures the air bag inflator to the module housing may deform, allowing the gas that inflates the air bag to leak out.
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,
Steering: electric power assist system
Risk: If the vehicle experiences a loss of power steering assist, extra steering effort will be required at lower speeds, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will check the power steering control module (pscm) for diagnostic trouble codes (dtc). If dealers find any loss of steering assist dtcs, the steering gear will be replaced, free of charge. If, no codes are found during the pscm inspection, the pscm software will be updated, free of charge. The recall began on july 21, 2015. Owners may contact ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15s18.
Full defect summary
Ford motor company (ford) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 ford fusion vehicles without a 3.5l engine and lincoln mkz hybrid electric vehicles, 2011 mercury milan vehicles, 2011-2012 ford taurus, ford flex, lincoln mks, and lincoln mkt vehicles equipped with a 3.5l gtdi engine and 2013 ford taurus, ford flex, lincoln mks, and lincoln mkt vehicles equipped with any available engine. The affected vehicles have electric power steering assist systems that may shut down as a result of a steering motor sensor fault.
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
Electric power steering failure
Summary
The office of defects investigation (odi) opened a preliminary evaluation to investigate complaints of the loss of power steering while driving. The subject vehicles are equipped with a rack mounted electric power assisted steering (epas) unit.some of the complaints alleged that the steering assist failed and resulted in increased steering efforts that contributed to a loss of control and in some cases a crash.the epas system was manufactured by trw automotive for ford and was designated as generation I.these units were first produced and put into vehicle production in july 2008 beginning with the model year (my) 2010 ford fusion and mercury milan.the system is comprised of a mechanical stee
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
Questions about the 2011 Lincoln Mkz
- What are the most common problems with the 2011 Lincoln Mkz?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: air bags (66 complaints, typically around 42,500 miles); brakes (20 complaints, typically around 97,500 miles); steering (19 complaints, typically around 71,500 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2011 Lincoln Mkz have?
- 5 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 2011 a bad year for the Lincoln Mkz?
- It is 5th of 14 Mkz model years by number of complaints, with 145 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.