Lincoln MKC Reliability by YearBest & worst years, problems & recalls β NHTSA data
Comparing used Lincoln MKC options? We analyzed 5 model years (2015β2019) using real NHTSA complaint and recall data so you can spot stronger years, avoid riskier ones, and know what to inspect before buying.
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Model-year trends show patterns β they can't tell you whether this car was crashed, flooded, or rolled back. A VIN check can.
- Accident & damage history
- Odometer rollback records
- Open recalls & title brands
Based on NHTSA complaint data, the Lincoln MKC has 579 owner complaints and 27 safety recalls across model years 2015β2019. The most reported issue area is ENGINE. 2017 drew the most complaints; 2018 drew the fewest.
- Make
- Lincoln
- Model
- MKC
- Model years analyzed
- 2015β2019 (5 years)
- Total NHTSA complaints
- 579
- Safety recall campaigns
- 27
- Crash-related complaints
- 19
- Fire-related complaints
- 12
- Worst model year (by complaints)
- 2017 (188 complaints)
- Best model year (fewest complaints)
- 2018 (70 complaints)
- Top reported issue area
- ENGINE
- Reliability signal
- Poor
By model year
Lincoln MKC: which years to avoid & which to buy
Based on total NHTSA owner complaints per model year. Higher complaint counts indicate a riskier year to buy used β lower counts suggest a cleaner reliability record.
These years have the most owner complaints. Inspect carefully and always run a VIN check.
These years have the fewest owner complaints on record β lower risk starting points.
Crash test ratings
NHTSA NCAP crash test ratings
New Car Assessment ProgramNCAP crash tests measure how well a vehicle protects occupants in controlled frontal crash, side crash, and rollover scenarios. Stars are awarded per category (5 = safest). These laboratory results are independent of owner complaints and are performed by NHTSA engineers on new production vehicles.
Source: nhtsa.gov/ratings
What the complaint data suggests
PoorThe LINCOLN MKC has 579 NHTSA complaints and 27 recalls on record. 19 complaints involve crash-related incidents. This data reflects owner-reported issues submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
- 579 total complaints filed with NHTSA
- 27 federal recall campaigns
- 19 crash-related complaints on record
- Review NHTSA complaint history for the most-reported components
- Check recall completion status at nhtsa.gov/recalls
- Verify service records for frequently complained components
Consult the by-year breakdown to identify model years with elevated complaint rates.
Consult the by-year breakdown to identify model years with fewer reported issues.
- Run a VIN check on the specific vehicle you are considering
- Verify all open recalls are completed at nhtsa.gov/recalls
- Request service records for the most-reported complaint components
- Have a certified mechanic inspect the vehicle before purchase
Problems by model year (best vs. worst)
Source: NHTSA public complaints database. Updated: Aug 2026
Safety recalls
NHTSA safety recalls
27 recalls foundSafety recalls are mandatory repair campaigns ordered by NHTSA when a vehicle defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety. Manufacturers are required to fix recalled vehicles free of charge. Always verify open recalls before buying a used car.
EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:ENGINE BLOCK HEATER
EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:ENGINE BLOCK HEATER
EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:ENGINE BLOCK HEATER
EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:ENGINE BLOCK HEATER
BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA
BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA
BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA
BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH
VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
ENGINE
EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:ENGINE BLOCK HEATER
ENGINE
ENGINE
ENGINE
SEAT BELTS
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
Source: NHTSA Recalls Database. Data covers model years 2015β2019. Always run a VIN-specific check below for the most up-to-date open recall status.
Common problems
What goes wrong most often
The vehicle systems owners complain about most, ranked from all 579 NHTSA complaints β these are the areas to inspect first on a used car.
Owner complaints
NHTSA complaint reports
579 totalThese are consumer-submitted safety complaints filed directly with NHTSA. Each complaint describes a real owner's experience. Complaints flagged as crash-related or fire-related are highlighted.
Two years waiting for recall repair (rear-backup camera). Lincoln Mfg notified that a pending recall/repair for driver's rear-camera was required. As of 08/14/2026 the repair has not been performed by Lincoln Mfg or it's agents. Rear-camera fails to work consistanly and is a danger to pedestrians. Local dealerships (Sedano Lincoln, Arron Ford , and Pacific beach Ford) have failed to repair the known camera issue upon inspection. My only recourse is contract an independent technician to make the vehicle safe to operate.
2.0 Ecoboost coolant intrusion in cylinder #4 issue with block defect. Ford Motor Company wont cover issue.
The contact owns a 2016 Lincoln MKC. The contact took the vehicle for a recall repair for notice received NHTSA Campaign Number 25V572000 (Back Over Prevention). The dealer advised the contact that they had to go through the radio to complete the recall repair but this would be at the owners expense. The contact stated that the radio went out when the rearview camera went out. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The contact believes that the issue with the radio is related to the recall. The approximate failure mileage 56,000.
My 2016 Lincoln MKC with a 2.0L EcoBoost engine experienced coolant intrusion into cylinder 3, leading to engine misfire and check engine light to turn on. The dealership confirmed the issue for $176.55 and recommended a full long block engine replacement, estimated at over $11,000. This failure occurred at 98,000 miles. Two weeks before this, the check engine light illuminated and we took it to a repair shop where we paid $628 to repair the purge valve and fuel pressure sensor, while it was most likely this coolant intrusion both times! Ford and Lincoln (including concierge) have refused any assistance in this matter. The local dealership has also said that they cannot help us with any of the cost. I've found this to be a very well documented problem/engine design failure, Including HTSA ID Number: 10162062 Manufacturer Communication Number: TSB 19-2172 entitled Components: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING The TSB acknowledges a design-related coolant leak into the engine cylinders that can cause white smoke, misfire, rough running, and warning lights. Fordβs recommended repair is to replace the long block assembly. In addition, this appears to be the exact issue described in Ford TSB 19-2346, which covers 2017β2019 model year vehicles with the 2.0L EcoBoost engine, including the Lincoln MKC and MKZ. I believe this is a widespread design defect and request NHTSAβs investigation to ensure proper manufacturer accountability. I am so thankful that this car does not belong to one of my daughters as it poses a severe safety hazard on the road and it is going to be a huge financial setback that we may not recover from.
I have Coolant intrusion in cylinder #2 91000 miles this should be a recall it's a problem that's well documented There's a recall for the back up camera hope the camera can see through the white smoke!
The contact owns a 2016 Lincoln MKC. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed that the supercharger-A and the under boost needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the check engine warning light was illuminated again. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.
Read 14 more owner reports
The contact owns a 2016 Lincoln MKC. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V572000 (BACK OVER PREVENTION); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while in reverse(R), the rearview camera intermittently displayed a distorted image with squiggly, horizontal lines. The contact stated that the failure obstructed the driver's view while in reverse(R). The local dealer was contacted about the failure and confirmed that parts were not yet available. 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 failure mileage was approximately 70,000.
When driving you could smell fumes, it would jerk, and kick in and out of gear and would have no heat. Coolant was always low with no visible leaks to the mechanic.
Ford does not have the parts to repair my car; my rear camera gets fuzzy at times
I have a coolant leak and the dealership states that it's located in the engine.
The contact owns a 2016 Lincoln MKC. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V572000 (BACK OVER PREVENTION); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the rearview camera displayed a black screen or was glitching while the vehicle was in reverse(R). The contact stated that the failure obstructed the driver's visibility, which prevented the driver from safely operating the vehicle. The local dealer was not 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 failure mileage was approximately 200,000.
As far as everybody did and shut down three times in a major intersections as far as to completely shut off or keep up with the camera activity and it seems to not be able to empower through the cabin or central part of the cabin where the computer is stored when I had my f****** completely turn itself off and ran or red lights just to barely make it to my house and in the car would not start I had various problems with his car and I admit paid thousands at this point to see it keep up with it and I've seen it the under several recalls and just now seeing that my car is reaching some of the max amount that I've ever even been issue. I've never received an email on this car having a recall because I moved a few years ago and although I pick up my mail there I've never received anything from Lincoln or have I had any things in the middle for you guys my main concern is getting this rental car in place while all these updates I haven't paid for are completely addressed immediately and in their entirety no longer putting my life safety and the lives of others at risk around me
The contact owns a 2016 Lincoln MKC. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the vehicle was shaking, and the check engine warning light was intermittently illuminated. The contact stated that her brother had replaced the spark plugs and ignition coils. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that there was coolant intrusion into the engine. The contact was informed that the spark plugs and coils needed to be replaced with OEM parts, and the turbocharger, purge valve, vacuum line, long block, and fuel pressure sensor needed to be replaced. The contact stated that her nephew replaced the spark plugs and ignition coils with OEM parts, and AAMCO replaced the fuel pressure sensor; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to report the failure to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 158,000.
At 85,000 miles I was experiencing a grinding noise coming from my front end when making sharp turns to left or right. Took car to my mechanic immediately for diagnosis. They found the motor mounts and rear differential is binding and close to failure. My mechanic contacted FOMOCO to see about a replacement for the rear differential and was told that there were not any available due to a REDESIGN of the product. He was asked to check back in two weeks! Two weeks w/o my transportation! I replaced the motor mounts, (85Kmi?) After researching on line, several ford & lincoln sites the problems I am experiencing are not unique or infrequent on Lincolns and ford Edges. It would seem to me that these problems are frequent enough to have the manufacturer ininitiate a recall on these products! My mechanic also works on our Sherriff department vehicles and their Ford Edge units are experiencing same problems. I would hope these problems will initiate an investigation into this matter!
While driving a short distance to work, my 2016 MKC check engine light came on. The previous week I noticed that the engine hesitated slightly when it first started, but it drove normally. However, when the light came on, my husband took the vehicle to the dealership where we bought it in Dec 2019. We were shocked when we were told this was a very common problem with this type of engine, a 2.0 eco boost, and that the engine would have to be replaced due to coolant intrusion, at the cost of $9300! The vehicle only has 57,000 miles on it and has always been maintained at Prater Ford Lincoln in Calhoun GA. After some research I've found this to be a very well documented problem/engine design failure. Ford and Lincoln have refused any assistance in this matter. The local dealership where we purchased it has told us they won't provide any assistance either. The vehicle is currently in the shop, and the engine is being replaced. It was supposed to be completed 5 days ago. Why hasn't there been a recall? Even though there were no deaths or injuries in my case as well as the others on this site, the financial burden is immense! Since this is such a well-documented problem, there should be a recall on the affected engines, or at the very least some assistance should be provided by Ford and/or Lincoln to the unfortunate owners of these vehicles. Thank you.
Engin light came on, was diagenosed as coolent leaking in spark plug , or Bad head gasket.
Was at the Drive-thru ordering speaker and the car would not shift out of park and could not manually be shifted into neutral so the car could be moved. Drive-thru ordering window was blocked for 16 hyrs. Had to have the car towed with dolly. Vehicle was inspected by independent mechanic and found that the bushing was damaged.
The contact owns a 2016 Lincoln MKC. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. Upon inspection, the contact discovered a low coolant level. The vehicle was taken to an unknown dealer, who determined that there was coolant intrusion into cylinders #2 and #3. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.
I purchased a 2016 Lincoln MKC 2.0 with 96k miles on it 2 months ago, and we just discovered a coolant leak into the first cylinder, causing a cracked head gasket. The engine needs to be replaced, and will cost $15k. Many other drivers have experienced this problem and reported it, and Ford has done nothing to correct the main issue. This problem is causing overheating of the engine, and could potentially cause injury if not fixed.
The contact owns a 2016 Lincoln MKC. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, there was heavy white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. While driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated upon depression of the accelerator pedal, with the check engine warning light illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that the engine was consuming an excessive amount of coolant, and there were no signs of a coolant leak. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the turbos, spark plugs, and fuel injectors were replaced; however, the failure persisted after the repair. The contact then scheduled an appointment with a local dealer for a diagnostic test. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 162,000.
Showing 20 of 579 total NHTSA complaints. Source: NHTSA Complaints Database
Check the exact car
Before you buy, check the exact Lincoln MKC
These pages show model-year patterns across 5 years. Enter a VIN to verify the exact vehicle's accident history, title brands, odometer records, and open recall status before purchase.
The basics
How to read this data
Complaints, recalls, investigations β hereβs what each number actually tells you about a used Lincoln MKC, in plain English.
What is an NHTSA Complaint?
An NHTSA safety complaint is a report filed directly by a vehicle owner or driver describing a safety-related issue. Anyone can submit a complaint at NHTSA.gov. The number of complaints is a signal of how common a problem is β but complaints per model-year matter more than raw totals, since popular vehicles naturally receive more reports. The Lincoln MKC has 579 complaints on record across 5 model years.
What is a Safety Recall?
A safety recall is a mandatory campaign issued by NHTSA when a vehicle component poses an unreasonable risk to safety or does not comply with federal motor vehicle safety standards. Unlike complaints (which are owner-reported), recalls are formally investigated and confirmed by regulators. Manufacturers must fix recalled vehicles free of charge. The Lincoln MKC has 27 recall campaigns in the NHTSA database.
What Are Crash Complaints?
Crash complaints are NHTSA filings where the owner indicates a crash occurred as part of the incident. 19 of the Lincoln MKC's 579 complaints involved a crash. This metric is particularly important because it indicates how often defects resulted in actual collisions β a key safety signal beyond general reliability.
How Is the Reliability Verdict Calculated?
The reliability verdict (Poor) is generated by analyzing the vehicle's total complaints, recall history, crash complaint ratio, fire complaint ratio, and top component failures relative to class averages. This verdict gives buyers a quick interpretation before they review year-level details and VIN-level history. It should be treated as one decision input, not a substitute for a VIN-specific report.
Why Do Newer Years Have Fewer Complaints?
Newer model years appear to have fewer complaints because there has been less time for owners to file them. Complaints accumulate over years of ownership. A 2020 model year vehicle will typically show fewer complaints than a 2015 model year even if it is less reliable β simply because fewer owners have had time to report issues. Focus on complaints per year of market presence when comparing across model years.
Fleet Data vs. Individual VIN
Everything on this page reflects aggregated data across all Lincoln MKC vehicles on the road β not any specific car. Two Lincoln MKC vehicles of the same year can have very different histories: one may have been in three accidents and have an open recall; another may be clean. A VIN check gives you the individual car's history: accidents, title brands, odometer records, service history, and real-time recall status.
What Are NHTSA Investigations?
When NHTSA receives a pattern of related safety complaints, it opens a formal investigation. A Preliminary Evaluation (PE) is the first stage β NHTSA determines if a safety defect may exist. If evidence is strong, it escalates to an Engineering Analysis (EA), which can result in a mandatory recall. The Lincoln MKC has 0 investigations on record (0 active). Investigations listed above may have already led to the recalls shown on this page.
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By state
Check a Lincoln MKC by state
Title-branding rules, flood-damage exposure, and salvage laws vary by state. Run a free VIN check or explore state-specific vehicle history guidance before buying a used Lincoln MKC.
Research more
Keep researching before you buy
Compare brands and categories, then check the exact car's history by VIN.
Lincoln MKC reliability β frequently asked questions
Is the Lincoln MKC reliable?
Poor. The Lincoln MKC has 579 NHTSA owner complaints and 27 recall campaigns across model years. A commonly reported issue area is ENGINE. Use year-level data as a pattern guide, then verify the exact car with a VIN check before purchase.
Which Lincoln MKC years to avoid?
Years with the most NHTSA complaints: 2017 (188 complaints), 2015 (130 complaints), 2019 (113 complaints). Use these years as a shortlist for deeper inspection, and always run a VIN check on the exact vehicle before purchase.
What are the most common Lincoln MKC problems?
Top reported issues: ENGINE (312 complaints); ELECTRICAL SYSTEM (67 complaints); UNKNOWN OR OTHER (63 complaints).
Does the Lincoln MKC have recalls?
Yes β 27 NHTSA recall campaigns have been issued for the Lincoln MKC. Check nhtsa.gov/recalls or run a VIN check to see if your specific vehicle has open recalls.