Lincoln Nautilus Reliability by YearBest & worst years, problems & recalls — NHTSA data
Comparing used Lincoln Nautilus options? We analyzed 8 model years (2019–2026) 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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- Accident & damage history
- Odometer rollback records
- Open recalls & title brands
Based on NHTSA complaint data, the Lincoln Nautilus has 224 owner complaints and 33 safety recalls across model years 2019–2026. The most reported issue area is POWER TRAIN. 2019 drew the most complaints; 2023 drew the fewest.
- Make
- Lincoln
- Model
- Nautilus
- Model years analyzed
- 2019–2026 (8 years)
- Total NHTSA complaints
- 224
- Safety recall campaigns
- 33
- Crash-related complaints
- 11
- Fire-related complaints
- 0
- Worst model year (by complaints)
- 2019 (100 complaints)
- Best model year (fewest complaints)
- 2023 (7 complaints)
- Top reported issue area
- POWER TRAIN
- Reliability signal
- Poor
By model year
Lincoln Nautilus: 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 — 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 — 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 NAUTILUS has 224 NHTSA complaints and 33 recalls on record. 11 complaints involve crash-related incidents. This data reflects owner-reported issues submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
- 224 total complaints filed with NHTSA
- 33 federal recall campaigns
- 11 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: Sep 2026
Safety recalls
NHTSA safety recalls
33 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.
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:GAS RECIRCULATION VALVE (EGR VALVE)
BACK OVER PREVENTION:SOFTWARE
BACK OVER PREVENTION:SOFTWARE
BACK OVER PREVENTION:SOFTWARE
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:LIGHTING CONTROL MODULE
VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS
VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
BACK OVER PREVENTION:SOFTWARE
CHILD SEAT:VEHICLE TETHER ANCHOR
SUSPENSION:REAR:SHOCK ABSORBER
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:HARD PARTS INTERNAL/MECHANICAL
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:HARD PARTS INTERNAL/MECHANICAL
BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA
POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT
SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:POWER ADJUST
BACK OVER PREVENTION:SOFTWARE
VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS
Source: NHTSA Recalls Database. Data covers model years 2019–2026. 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 224 NHTSA complaints — these are the areas to inspect first on a used car.
Owner complaints
NHTSA complaint reports
224 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.
The contact owns a 2025 Lincoln Nautilus. The contact stated that while driving 50 MPH during 105-degree weather, the contact became aware of a micro-fracture on the front windshield from the front driver's side over to the passenger’s side. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was determined that the crack was caused by possible road debris. The vehicle was not repaired. Upon further investigation, the contact stated that the cause of failure could be due to the hot temperature. The contact was adamant that the front windshield was not struck by road debris. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 2,500.
Recently took a trip from [XXX] to [XXX] and during the course of this trip the lane departure, lane keeping and automatic braking would constantly fail during the course of the drive as the facial recognition sensor kept failing to detect my face and would start going into the Resume Control mode which pulses the brakes and turns on the four way flashers. There was also two different warnings displayed on the dash from the camera failure "Driver Facing Camera Blocked" and also "Driver Facing Camera Cannot Detect Face" several times during the past couple months. Additionally, the system would go straight to the Resume Control mode, when it is supposed to begin with the "Watch the Road" preliminary warning which is supposed to be able to be cleared with either the button on the steering wheel or by shaking the wheel, and that too does not operate properly. These instances happened even more frequently when the "Blue Cruise" hands free driving system was in operation. Additionally when the Blue Cruise Hands Free Driving system was making a lane change, over half the time the Blue Cruise would suddenly disengage before the lane change was completed, so the lane assist would try to take over and jerk the wheel back into the lane, making it seem like there was a loss of control over the vehicle. Furthermore the lane centering system is highly biased to the right side lane marker as it would not center the vehicle in the lane but stay right on the right side line even when passing another vehicle it stayed close to the lane line when the system is showing that it was moving the vehicle away from the vehicle being overtaken. And when I tried to move the vehicle away manually the system was fighting the manual correction and trying to keep the vehicle along the line. Very unsafe operation, not to mention that constantly fighting against these systems made this one of the most tiring drives I have done, and I have made this trip many times since 1983. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The blind spot warning and the turn signal marker are the same color so when trying To change lanes the blind spot warning is worthlesss because it is the same color and right next to the signal flasher both yellow. It needs to be changed and have an audible warning . The Blind spot warning is essentially useless because when looking in the side mirror you can’t distinguish between the signal and the blind spot. This is true on both sides and is an accident waiting to happen. There should be a recall as A Safety feature is not a safety feature unless It works .
The panoramic display on the car went black from just left of center to almost the end of the display on the drivers side . Alll information was blacked out speed mileage Etc. I restarted the car no change went back the next day it was working. If this happens while driving it could cause a serious problem
My 2025 Lincoln Nautilus forward collision avoidance system reduces cruise control speed unexpectedly and wanders between lane markers. The driver-facing camera is also overly sensitive — triggering “watch the road” warnings even when glancing over a shoulder to change lanes, while wearing sunglasses, and does not stop warning even when looking straight ahead out windshield. Then the system activates a “resume control” warning and braking and hazard lights. This distraction has almost caused me to have three accidents. The BlueCruise also shuts off without warning, which is also dangerous. This is a time when a warning noise would be justified. Lastly, random cancelled messages appear on dashboard and I have zero idea what wa cancelled. I can only enter one date below but this is an ongoing issue. Service continues to claim there is no issue even though this is a known issue.
Driving on Interstate 10 eastbound on May 9th, the lane departure system suddenly stopped working and would not turn back on and a warning on the dash stating Driver Facing Camera is Blocked but there was nothing in front of the camera which is on top of the steering wheel column. Then when returning home later that same day, the system began operating again but now it would continually go directly to the "Resume Control" and begin the emergency brake pulsing while on the highway as the facial recognition camera is apparently failing to recognize that I was facing forward. And when it goes into the Resume Control mode, the only way to regain control is by turning off the cruise control system entirely, pressing the gas pedal or moving the steering wheel or even pressing the brake did not disengage the system as it should.
Read 14 more owner reports
Backing out of a parking spot at Lowe's in Jacksonville, vehicle was in motion and a pedestrian walked behind the vehicle and no warning or braking occurred inside the vehicle, I manually stopped when I saw the person appear in the camera as they walked behind the vehicle.
Factory windshield has what looks to be micro sized cracks clustered throughout the glass and when the sun or other bright light hits at certain angles makes it look like a star field and drastically obscures forward vision.
The contact owns a 2025 LINCOLN Nautilus. The contact stated while operating the vehicle at an undisclosed speed she stated she was coming up to a red, the vehicle was suddenly t-boned by a separate vehicle right by the right front passenger side. The contact vehicle ended up by a median which led to the other vehicle hitting the contact by the rear a second time. The vehicle came to a final stop on top of a median. The air bags were not fully deployed, the steering wheel airbag deployed partially but it was white stuffing and no actual air bag came out. The vehicle was towed to deep south towing tow yard. A police report was filed. The contact stated she was injured in the incident, stated her thumb was shattered with surgery needed, and her right arm was severely Bruised. Medical treatment was given for injuries and pain meds. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 9,800.
The rear hatchback window shattered with the vehicle sitting still overnight. All of the glass was shattered and most of it was in place and many pieces behind the vehicle on the driveway (as if it happened from inside the vehicle). Low temperature for the night was about 45 degrees, so nothing significant. The only explanation I can think of is the rear glass defroster turned on and overheated?
Driving on Interstate Highway 10 just west of Jacksonville Fl the Adaptive Cruise Control and Lane Departure systems were on and functioning and then suddenly the system shut itself off and a warning that the Driver Facing Camera cannot detect face, see manual appeared on the dash.
Driving the vehicle with the cruise control on to remain at the posted speed limit and suddenly the vehicle went into Resume Control mode, began pulsing the brakes and engaged the flashers due to the Facial Recognition camera failed to recognize that I was looking straight ahead, and even pressing the accelerator pedal to override, nor pressing the "OK" button on the steering wheel to override operated, I had to shut the cruise control completely off in order to regain control of the vehicle driving. I have a video from my camera of the incident as it was occurring, however the file size due to being video is too large to upload per the instructions.
Backing out of a parking stall at the store and as I was moving, two pedestrians walked behind the vehicle and no alert sounded in the vehicle while backing up, nor did the vehicle brake as it should to avoid hitting them. Vehicle was in electric mode and I did not notice if the rear beeper was operating at the time or not.
The rearview camera appears foggy with poor visibility even in clear weather. The problem was reported to the dealer during the December - February snowy weather; their suggestion was to keep the camera clean. At [XXX], getting out to clean a camera presents additional health and safety risks. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Owner's manual was not provided and when asked the delear mentioned that the Owner's manual is online. This is a safety risk as access to important information is only available when connected to the internet.
I am reporting a truly alarming issue with the Ford Blue Cruise Hands-Free Driving Assistance Feature where safety alert sounds have simply turned themselves off with no warning. I was previously using the BlueCruise feature on highways without incident. A few weeks ago, having changed NO settings on my vehicle, the audible alarms / safety alerts suddenly disappeared, including the audible alarms for "resume control" and "watch the road". I repeatedly carefully watched the system for several weeks wondering if it was a glitch, and I also triple checked that ALL my alert settings were set to highest sound volume. Still - NO audible alarms are sounding. The alerts "RESUME CONTROL" and "watch the road" show up on the dashboard, but no sound is made. Previously there was a very loud alert which was a critical safety warning for me to resume control. Having already gotten comfortable with using the system, that they simply disappeared one day is truly alarming. Now I know not to expect audible alerts. I am very worried this is happening on other vehicles and someone may fall asleep on blue cruise, and then suddenly not be alerted to resume control. I think the audible alarms MUSt stay on. Now, i cannot make them alarm no matter what setting I change.
Front right brakes make grinding sounds when stopping and lose traction when roads are wet. Vehicle causes safety issues when roads are wet. Due to lack of control. Issue was reported to the dealer and I was told Lincoln is aware of the issue but there’s no fix at the time. Vehicle was inspected by dealer at 7,500 miles No warning lights present
The contact owns a 2025 Lincoln Nautilus. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V953000 (VISIBILITY); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. 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 made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.
The contact owns a 2025 Lincoln Nautilus. The contact stated that the front brakes were making an abnormally loud squealing sound. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who was unable to assist. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 1,000.
The brakes on my 2025 Lincoln Nautilus make a scraping/grunting noise when first applied after the car has been sitting. when applied, in addition to the noise, the brakes require more pressure to stop. The issue is worse in the rain. My vehicle is available for inspection upon request. There were several times while I was driving that it was difficult to stop quickly when I was cut-off by another vehicle or approaching a stop light, especially while the roads were wet. On 09/16/2025 Al Packer Lincoln confirmed the issue and the service advisor verbally told me that "there is a special service message indicating that Lincoln is investigating because some other 2024/2025 Lincoln Nautilus vehicles have the same issue", however, I was not provided a copy of SSM 53329 referenced in Section A of page 1 of my attached invoice. The service advisor further indicated that "once engineering finishes investigating and comes out with a repair or recall for certain vehicles produced at one plant or another and during specific times they will send a letter to owners of affected vehicles for either a software update or repair etc., whatever they determine will rectify the issues. They estimated finishing investigations by Third Quarter 2025". Presently, there has been no need for any other entity to inspect my vehicle as I have received no correspondence. There were/are no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to failure. I leased the vehicle in April 2025 and the issue began around July 2025. My vehicle currently only has 923 miles.
Showing 20 of 224 total NHTSA complaints. Source: NHTSA Complaints Database
Check the exact car
Before you buy, check the exact Lincoln Nautilus
These pages show model-year patterns across 8 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 — here’s what each number actually tells you about a used Lincoln Nautilus, 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 — but complaints per model-year matter more than raw totals, since popular vehicles naturally receive more reports. The Lincoln Nautilus has 224 complaints on record across 8 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 Nautilus has 33 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. 11 of the Lincoln Nautilus's 224 complaints involved a crash. This metric is particularly important because it indicates how often defects resulted in actual collisions — 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 — 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 Nautilus vehicles on the road — not any specific car. Two Lincoln Nautilus 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 — 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 Nautilus 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 Nautilus 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 Nautilus.
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Lincoln Nautilus reliability — frequently asked questions
Is the Lincoln Nautilus reliable?
Poor. The Lincoln Nautilus has 224 NHTSA owner complaints and 33 recall campaigns across model years. A commonly reported issue area is POWER TRAIN. Use year-level data as a pattern guide, then verify the exact car with a VIN check before purchase.
Which Lincoln Nautilus years to avoid?
Years with the most NHTSA complaints: 2019 (100 complaints), 2020 (33 complaints), 2021 (21 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 Nautilus problems?
Top reported issues: POWER TRAIN (57 complaints); ELECTRICAL SYSTEM (44 complaints); UNKNOWN OR OTHER (39 complaints).
Does the Lincoln Nautilus have recalls?
Yes — 33 NHTSA recall campaigns have been issued for the Lincoln Nautilus. Check nhtsa.gov/recalls or run a VIN check to see if your specific vehicle has open recalls.