Lincoln Zephyr Reliability by YearBest & worst years, problems & recalls — NHTSA data
Comparing used Lincoln Zephyr options? We analyzed 1 model years (2006–2006) 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 — 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 Zephyr has 229 owner complaints and 5 safety recalls across model years 2006–2006. The most reported issue area is AIR BAGS.
- Make
- Lincoln
- Model
- Zephyr
- Model years analyzed
- 2006–2006 (1 years)
- Total NHTSA complaints
- 229
- Safety recall campaigns
- 5
- Crash-related complaints
- 9
- Fire-related complaints
- 1
- Worst model year (by complaints)
- 2006 (229 complaints)
- Top reported issue area
- AIR BAGS
- Reliability signal
- Poor
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 ZEPHYR has 229 NHTSA complaints and 5 recalls on record. 9 complaints involve crash-related incidents. This data reflects owner-reported issues submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
- 229 total complaints filed with NHTSA
- 5 federal recall campaigns
- 9 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
5 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.
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
EQUIPMENT
Source: NHTSA Recalls Database. Data covers model years 2006–2006. 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 229 NHTSA complaints — these are the areas to inspect first on a used car.
Owner complaints
NHTSA complaint reports
229 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.
I tool my car in for a recall, they said they could not fix the recall cux it was too rusted. They said the wouldn't even put it on a lift cuz of the rust, however it was just on a lift a week ago at an auto shop. Also when I dropped off my car the air conditioner blower worked, I go to pick it up and turn it on and nothing, I call and ask and they tell me they only touched the steering wheel, I said to him then why was power cux to my vehicle? You didn't disconnect the battery or anything he said no, however when I left the car with then it was on 9.83 fm radio and when I got it back it was on a 500 station from am radio. So I know power was cut somehow. I need to know what to do. I can't keep driving with my brakes like this.
The airbag sensor light is indicating a sensor needs replacement. I have replaced airbags on both the driver and passenger side due to recall. Diagnostics state it is the sensor, passenger side. I have attempted to have repaired, and after 5 weeks and 4 mechanics, no one can seem to get the new sensor to connect to the system and work properly. I did not have a vehicle for weeks! PLEASE HELP!
The contact owns a 2006 Lincoln Zephyr. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V904000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) 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 recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2006 Lincoln Zephyr. The contact stated that while driving approximately 10 mph and making a turn, an unknown truck crashed head-on into the vehicle. There were no warning indicator lights illuminated. The vehicle was able to be driven after the crash. A police report was filed. The contact sustained injuries to his tongue and neck but medical attention was not provided. There were no reported fire or air bag deployments. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted.The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V158000 ( Air bags) after the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 75,000.
The contact owned a 2006 Lincoln Zephyr. The contact received notification NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V158000 (Air Bags) and would like to be removed from the recall distribution list as he no longer owns the vehicle. The local dealer and manufacturer were not contacted.
UNKNOWN
Read 14 more owner reports
The contact owns a 2006 Lincoln Zephyr. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 19V904000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The vehicle was then taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with the brake caliper needing to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that unless the caliper was fixed, the recall repair would not be performed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure but provided no further assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 38,000.
on May 17, 2021 I was involved in a wreck which the airbags did not deploy after impact. There is a police report and an insurance claim pending on the wreck.
ON APRIL 21, 2021 I TOOK MY CAR TO BOB THOMAS LINCOLN, 310 W COLISEUM BLVD, FORT WAYNE, INDIANA 46805 PHONE (260) 482-9876 INVOICE# 687347 FOR NHTSA SAFETY RECALL 19V-904 WHICH CALLS FOR THE BRAKE SYSTEM TO BE PRESSURE FLUSHED WITH DOT 4 BRAKE FLUID, THIS DID NOT HAPPEN AS WHEN WE GOT THE CAR BACK THE BRAKE SYSTEM RESERVOIR WAS OVER FILLED AND THE BRAKE FLUID WAS VERY RUST COLORED WITH NUMEROUS BLACK PARTICLES SUSPENDED IN THE FLUID NOT THE CLEAR OR TRANSLUCENT FLUID THAT WOULD INDICATE THE FLUID HAD BEEN PRESSURE FLUSHED, I CALLED BOB THOMAS LINCOLN AND GOT THE BIG RUN AROUND.
DASHBOARD ON VEHICLE IS WARPED DEFROSTER VENT IS OUT WINDSHIELD DOES NOT DEFROST PROPERLY OBSTRUCTS VISION WHILE DRIVING
MANUFAC RECALL #19S54 NHTA RECCALL #19V904 MASTER CYLINDER VALVE. MY VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED YET AND FIRST INFORMATION WAS THAT IT WAS EXPECTED TO BE DONE IN LATE 2020 NOW 3RD MONTH IN2021. WHAT IS THE TIME FRAME FOR REPAIRS AT THIS DATE. IS THERE PROGRESS BEING MADE? AT THIS TIME BRAKES ARE WORKING OK
I HAVE AN EMAIL SAYING MY CAR HAS A POSSIBLE DRIVER AIR BAG DEFECT.GIVE MORE INFORMATION PLEASE
I CAME TO A STOP ON THE SIDE OF A GROCERY STOREAND APPLIED THE BRAKE BEFORE TURNING THE CAR OFF. THE NEXT THING I K NEW THE CAR WAS HEADED TOWARD WALL. THE CAR HIT THE WALL B WITH FORCE THAT EMPLOYED MY AIR BAG.AND DAMAGED THE FRONT OF MY CAR. THIS IS NOT THE ONLY INCIDENT I HAVE HAD WITH THE BRAKES . I ALWAYS TRY TO DRIVE A CAR LENGTH FROM THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME FOR FEAR OF THE BRAKES MALFUNCTING....
I HAVE AN AIRBAG LIGHT THAT COMES ON IN THIS CAR, THERE IS SUPPOSED TO BE EXTENDED COVERAGE FROM WHEN THEY REPLACED IT THE FIRST TIME UNDER WARRANTY FOR 1ST RECALL, DEALER TRYING TO SAY I MIGHT HAVE TO PAY TO DIAG IT BECAUSE IT COULD BE UNRELATED, BUT ALSO I JUST READ AN ARTICLE DATED 1/22/2021 STATING THERE IS ANOTHER AIRBAG RECALL FOR 2006 ZEPYHR BUT MY VIN ISNT SHOWING UP. HTTPS://WWW.CARANDDRIVER.COM/NEWS/A35283747/FORD-AIRBAG-RECALL-3-MILLION/
THE CAR HAS 82,000 MILES ON IT. THE THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR SEEMS TO BE ACTING UP. AFTER RESEARCHING THIS ISSUE ON THE NET, IT APPEARS THIS HAS BEEN AN ISSUE SINCE 04 WITH FORDS. IN ADDITION, THEY ARE ON THE 3RD GENERATION SENSOR. I WAS DRIVING NORMAL SPEEDS, THEN THE WARNING LIGHT CAME ON, KILLING THE POWER TO THE ENGINE, PUT ME IN A PRECARIOUS SITUATION ON A 45 50 MILE AN HR ROAD. SINCE THIS KNOWN ISSUE SINCE 04, SEEMS LIKE FORD SHOULD REPLACE THIS. IT'S A 20 DOLLAR PART, RETAIL, BUT WITH THIS MOTOR, YOU HAVE TO BUY A TOTALLY REBUILT THROTTLE BODY FOR 200+. IT IS DANGEROUS BECAUSE IT CAN SLOW THE CAR RIGHT DOWN AS YOU ARE DRIVING. IF YOU SHUT THE MOTOR OFF, IT 'REPAIRS' ITSELF AND WORKS NORMALLY.
THE TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT COMES ON ALL THE TIME. WHEN YOU TAKE OFF THE CAR IS GUTLESS NO POWER. UNTIL YOU HIT TRACTION CONTROL OFF. SOMETIMES DOES IT AFTER. BIT. SOMEONE ALMOST HIT ME PULLING OUT FROM THE GAS STATION LAST NIGHT AGAIN, DUE TO NO POWER! IT ALSO MESSES WITH THE SHIFTING DUE TO THE TRACTION CONTROL IVE PUT EVERYTHING INTO MY CAR. THIS IS A HUGE PROBLEM DUE TO THE FACT IT CAN MESS WITH THE TRANSMISSION AND ENGINE THROWING OFF THE TIMING. THIS SHOULD BE RECALLED, IVE SEEN MANY PEOPLE COMPLAINING ABOUT THE EXACT SAMETHING. THEN THERE'S THE BRAKES WHICH ARE NEW BUT YET THE PEDAL HAS TO BE PUSHED ALMOST TO THE FLOOR TO COME TO COMPLETE STOP.
RECIEVED RECALL NOTICE IN JANUARY 2020 INDICATING PARTS AVAILABILITY BY THE END OF FIRST QUARTER. STILL WAITING, DEALER IS STONE WALLING INFORMATION. COMPLAINT #111321247 FILED AND STILL NO CONTACT FROM LINCOLN OR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. WHEN ABS OPERATES, BRAKING IS ALMOST NON EXISTENT AND TAKES SEVERAL DAYS FOR THE BRAKE PEDAL TRAVEL TO COME BACK TO NORMAL. BRAKING DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE NORMAL!!! STOPPING ON SNOW.
I HAVEN'T BEING ABLE TO DRIVE MY CAR SINCE 2017 I HAVE 3 DIFFERENT RECALLS ON MY CAR & I FEAR FOR MY LIFE BECAUSE I HAVE A TODDLER NO BUYOUT CHECK OR RENTER CAR HAVE BEING PROVIDED FOR US BY FORD 3 ALMOST 4 YEARS LATER I JUST WANT MY BUYOUT CHECK IT CAN'T WAIT ON FORD TO FIX MY PROBLEM ANY LONGER MY RENTER I DID HAVE WAS REPORTED STOLEN BECAUSE FORD WOULD NO LONGER PAY WHICH IS PUTTING ME IN THE HOLE OF 12000 DOLLARS I DIDN'T HAVE TO PAY PLUS COURT FEES & FINES FOR A CAR THAT I DON'T WANT IN THE FIRST PLACE I'M AM NOW ASKING FOR 100,000 DOLLARS OR MORE FOR MY TIMES & TROUBLE PROBLEM & PAIN THIS HAS CAUSED ON MY LIFE I'M CAR LESS MONEY LESS & EVERYTHING WAITING ON FORD TO RESPOND PLEASE HELP MY CAR BEING SITTING FOR SO LONG IT DON'T EVEN WANNA START NOW I LOVE FORD BUT DO FORD LOVE ME...
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 LINCOLN ZEPHYR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAGS WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO JOE MACHENS FORD LOCATED AT 1911 W WORLEY ST, COLUMBIA, MO 65203, (573) 445-4411, WHERE THE DEALER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19V001000 (AIR BAGS). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 162,426.
THERE'S BEEN A RECALL ON THE VALVE THAT OPERATES THE BREAKS FORD SAYS IT'S UNSAFE TO DRIVE AND CAN'T GIVE ME AN ANSWER WHEN THESE PARTS WILL BE IN. NOW I SIT HERE WITH A CAR I CANNOT DRIVE.
Showing 20 of 229 total NHTSA complaints. Source: NHTSA Complaints Database
Check the exact car
Before you buy, check the exact Lincoln Zephyr
These pages show model-year patterns across 1 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 Zephyr, 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 Zephyr has 229 complaints on record across 1 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 Zephyr has 5 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. 9 of the Lincoln Zephyr's 229 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 Zephyr vehicles on the road — not any specific car. Two Lincoln Zephyr 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 Zephyr 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 Zephyr 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 Zephyr.
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Keep researching before you buy
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Lincoln Zephyr reliability — frequently asked questions
Is the Lincoln Zephyr reliable?
Poor. The Lincoln Zephyr has 229 NHTSA owner complaints and 5 recall campaigns across model years. A commonly reported issue area is AIR BAGS. Use year-level data as a pattern guide, then verify the exact car with a VIN check before purchase.
Which Lincoln Zephyr years to avoid?
Years with the most NHTSA complaints: 2006 (229 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 Zephyr problems?
Top reported issues: AIR BAGS (142 complaints); WHEELS (26 complaints); SERVICE BRAKES (13 complaints).
Does the Lincoln Zephyr have recalls?
Yes — 5 NHTSA recall campaigns have been issued for the Lincoln Zephyr. Check nhtsa.gov/recalls or run a VIN check to see if your specific vehicle has open recalls.