Lincoln MKS Reliability by YearBest & worst years, problems & recalls — NHTSA data

the steering system locks up and loses power assist,and the brakes and traction control sys also malfunction, and several failure lights all come on ,as I was making a left turn in front of a police car the steering locked up and I almost hit the police car,the vehicle isn't driveable,the policeman advised me not to drive the car,he verified the steering didn't work,when the problem occurs the steering gets extremely hard and at the same time lights and bells start ringing in the car and it's very scary because between the steering and brakes not working the bells and lights are very distracting

In 2015 a recall was done to repair the power steering failure issue. In October of 2021, while driving the vehicle down the highway, the power steering went out making the vehicle almost impossible to steer. Had the vehicle towed to the dealership where they verified the issue and pulled code U3000 for steering gear failure. With 68827 miles, I was charged for the entire repair with not one mention about the extension to the power steering recall. The parts and labor that were charged were those mentioned in the recall. Fast forward to November 2022, had the vehicle towed to the same dealership for the same issue. Lights on the dash were present, and concern verified that the power steering was completely inoperative. No communication with the unit told me that the power steering control needed to be replaced. Again there was no mention or advocating involving the power steering recall that involved this exact issue. This time was told that they installed a part that was used in the previous repair so again I had to pay the entire cost. Currently, there are no issues with the vehicle but I have been looking to sell it because I have not driven it much due to the cost of these repairs. It was during my research to sell that I came across all the recall information on my vehicle and do not understand why all of these costs were not covered and why the dealership did nothing to advocate for me.

Woke up to leave house and steering wheel was very stiff and hard to control

The contact owns a 2011 Lincoln MKS. The contact stated that while attempting to secure items into the trunk of the vehicle, the rear trunk door suddenly came down and struck the contact on the head. During the incident, the contact sustained a head contusion which did not require medical treatment. The contact indicated that the failure had occurred on multiple occasions. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 100,000.

ELECTRIC POWER STEERING FAILED WHILE DRIVING. Had a difficult time pulling vehicle over after failure. Notice I missed recall by 90 days.

The contact owns a 2011 Lincoln MKS. The contact stated while her daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, she became aware that the electronic power steering was not functioning properly. The contact's daughter was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, and after restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the power steering control module and gear. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 94,000.

Was driving my 2011 Lincoln MKS (build date 06/07/2010) when the steering froze up and then a message appeared in the center stack indicating a possible steering gear failure. Luckily, I was able to get home and pull it on my driveway with great difficulty. Recall 15S18 starts with build dates of 09/2010. This recall should be extended. Repair quote: $1900 part 6.2 hours labor + Alignment ($120) from Local Ford dealer.

The contact owns a 2011 Lincoln MKS. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the steering wheel became firm. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over on the side of the road and had the vehicle towed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the contact was informed that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering). The contact was informed that the recall repair was previously performed on the vehicle. The contact was advised to contact the manufacturer for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the vehicle was already repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering) and provided no additional assistance. The failure mileage was 110,000.

The contact owns a 2011 Lincoln MKS. The contact stated while making a left turn, the steering wheel seized, and the vehicle stalled. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact restarted the vehicle and continued driving to her destination. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was approximately 101,000.

Engine/Coolant Reservoir, Yes you can inspect it. When driving, or stop at a traffic light or just parked, the car will just start smoking and getting hot, the temperature gauge would not show it was getting hot until after it started smoking. The car would stop in the middle of the street or on the freeway. All the Antifreeze would leak out of the Reservoir and be all over the Engine and the ground, when you put Antifreeze in the reservoir the next day, you can drive for a little distant, but it will start doing the same thing all over again. The Cooling Fan would come on and never goes off, it gets louder and louder, it has never done this before. I have taken my car to the Dealer 3 times and they charged me over $4.000 and still couldn't fix it. They told me that they do not know what's wrong with it. The Engine Cooling System / Reservoir should be Recalled.

The contact owns a 2011 Lincoln MKS. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the temperature gauge would rise from cool(C) to hot(H) and the vehicle started losing motive power. The contact stated that once she turned off the cooling fans, the vehicle would cool off while idle; however, the temperature would rise once she resumed normal driving. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where she was informed that the failure could not be duplicated. The contact then took the vehicle to an independent mechanic who informed her that there was a service bulletin on the vehicle and referred her back to the dealer. The dealer was again notified about the failure and referred her to the manufacturer for assistance. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred her to the NHTSA Hotline. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

As I was returning home from a haircut, my 2011 Lincoln MKS shut off as I was attempting to stop at a red light. I was able to get the car to complete stop. I looked at the dash to see if any warning signs, alerts or any gauges we abnormal. When nothing alarmed me I started my vehicle and proceeded when the light turned green approximately 1/2 mile the car stalled again as I was driving at 35 mph. I had a difficult time getting the car to stop as the steering wheel locked and the brake pedal was hard to push in. I eventually was able to get it to a complete stop on the right side of the road, by pushing extra hard on the brake and pulling the steering wheel to the right. Which the driver side of my vehicle still in the path of other vehicles I knew my car wasn’t safe there and could possibly cause an accident. I called my husband who came to the location of the car and raised the hood when he noticed the coolant in the overflow reservoir was empty. We filled the reservoir. We started the vehicle which ran normal and didn’t not illuminate any warning light or raise any gauges. Drove vehicle home which was approximately 3 miles as pulling into my driveway the temperature gauge slowly began rising above normal line. I shut car off immediately got out and raised the hood when I seen smoke emerging from under the hood. The coolant reservoir was completely empty again. My husband pulled the dipstick to check the oil where we observed antifreeze covering the entire length of dipstick. This is impossible to prevent or fix if there are no signs or symptoms given to the driver that there is a problem. We have our vehicle serviced regularly and have all the receipts to prove. Ford need to fix and /or replace these engines. People work hard everyday and depend on there vehicles for there daily lives. It’s not an honest sales when a faulty water pump is placed inside and engine knowing water pumps are a commonly replaced part and that if this water pump fails it would ruin engin

While driving the vehicle at normal speed with my wife and baby, car suddenly made a weird noise and started to smoke, the car lost power. I had to pull over right away , as car was smoking we smelled a propane like smell, and we noticed black grease leaking from the bottom. Soon as I got the car towed home , I looked under and notice the transfer box or PTO was busted with grease pouring out. I looked online and it’s a common issue with these cars. The transfer case is so close to the cat converter that it over heats the grease.

The contact owns a 2011 Lincoln MKS. The contact stated that upon start of vehicle, the air bag warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact had initially called the dealer and was informed that his vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V247000 (Air Bags). The contact then called the manufacturer and was provided the same information as the dealer. The manufacturer referred him to NHTSA for further assistance. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 113,000.