Consumer Safety Complaints
Search 2,245,377 safety complaints filed by vehicle owners with NHTSA, including 140,173 crashes, 56,794 fires, and 8,580 deaths.
What is a NHTSA consumer complaint?
A consumer complaint is a free-form report filed by a vehicle owner directly to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) describing a safety concern about their vehicle. NHTSA collects these reports through its Vehicle Owner Defect Report (VOQ) system and publishes them publicly. Each complaint includes the affected component, the date and circumstances of the incident, whether the failure caused a crash or fire, and any reported injuries or deaths. The owner's full narrative description is included verbatim, NHTSA does not edit or moderate the descriptions.
The database below contains over 2,245,377 individual complaints. NHTSA's investigators monitor it for clusters of similar reports, when enough owners describe the same failure mode on the same vehicle, NHTSA may open a Preliminary Evaluation that can lead to a recall. Many of the largest recalls in U.S. history, including the Takata airbag recall and the Hyundai/Kia engine fire recalls, started as patterns visible in this complaint database years before they became formal recalls.
How to interpret what you read
A few principles for reading consumer complaints usefully:
- One complaint is anecdote; a hundred similar complaints is data. NHTSA does not investigate the truthfulness of any individual report, that's the job of the Office of Defects Investigation, which looks at the full pattern. When evaluating a vehicle, look for whether multiple owners describe the same chain of events.
- Crash, fire, injury, and death flags are owner-set. They are not verified by NHTSA. They are still useful as a filter, because owners who tick those boxes are typically reporting more serious incidents than those who don't.
- Component categories are NHTSA-assigned, not owner-assigned. NHTSA standardizes the component field so that complaints can be aggregated. The owner narrative often goes into more detail than the component category captures.
- Complaint volume scales with sales volume. A best-selling model will accumulate more raw complaints than a niche model even at the same defect rate. To compare across vehicles, look at complaints per 100,000 units sold, not raw counts.
If you've experienced a defect
File a complaint. NHTSA's investigators rely on this database to detect emerging defects, and useful complaints, specific, concrete, with dates and mileage and clear descriptions of what happened, feed directly into the agency's pattern detection. The form takes about 10 minutes and is at nhtsa.gov/recalls under "Report a Safety Problem." Your complaint becomes part of the same public record that this page is built from. Owners filing detailed VOQs are how recalls get triggered.
Read more from our blog
Showing 19,021 complaints for LINCOLN
Incident date: Aug 22, 2026
Hard shifting while maintaining 30-50 MPH. If there is a slight incline it slams into 9th gear. It also shifts hard when decelerating.
LINCOLN
NAUTILUS HYBRID
(2025) - POWER TRAIN
Aug 28, 2026
Incident date: May 30, 2026
During a short drive between [XXX] and [XXX] roughly 27 miles, the red battery light on the dash display illuminated just as we were turning into the Holiday/Circle K gas station in [XXX]. No other warnings or messages appeared on the dash, and upon restart after returning to the vehicle, the red battery light did not reappear. However from that point on my return drive to [XXX], the Hybrid Elec... Read more
LINCOLN
NAUTILUS HYBRID
(2025) - ENGINE
Aug 28, 2026
Incident date: May 30, 2026
During a short drive between [XXX] and [XXX] roughly 27 miles, the red battery light on the dash display illuminated just as we were turning into the Holiday/Circle K gas station in [XXX]. No other warnings or messages appeared on the dash, and upon restart after returning to the vehicle, the red battery light did not reappear. However from that point on my return drive to [XXX], the Hybrid Elec... Read more
LINCOLN
NAUTILUS HYBRID
(2025) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Aug 28, 2026
Incident date: May 30, 2026
During a short drive between [XXX] and [XXX] roughly 27 miles, the red battery light on the dash display illuminated just as we were turning into the Holiday/Circle K gas station in [XXX]. No other warnings or messages appeared on the dash, and upon restart after returning to the vehicle, the red battery light did not reappear. However from that point on my return drive to [XXX], the Hybrid Elec... Read more
Incident date: Aug 20, 2024
I am filing this complaint regarding the recurring infotainment screen failure on my 2020 Lincoln Aviator. The center display repeatedly goes completely black while driving or when using Apple CarPlay. When this occurs, I lose the backup camera, navigation, audio, climate controls, and other vehicle functions. The loss of the backup camera creates a serious safety hazard when reversing. The vehic... Read more
Incident date: Aug 26, 2026
My 2019 Lincoln Navigator was parked sitting for 2 hours before a fire under the belly of the vehicle became a blaze. Neighbors had to use a fire extinguisher to get the fire out. I was at work (Ford Motor Company) while my wife and kids just made it home and was out of the vehicle. Jack Demmer Lincoln service the vehicle due to it shutting down completely with no warnings. (The vehicle would shu... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Jun 30, 2026
Hennessey Lincoln in Atlanta repaired my car in June 2026. My Torque converter needed to be replaced. My car was there over 20 days. Two weeks after getting it back from shop it started jerking and smoking. It needed another torque converter replacement. Two weeks after getting this car back it did the same thing again. I contacted Ford Warranty they did not help. Lincoln iin Michigan did ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 30, 2026
Hennessey Lincoln in Atlanta repaired my car in June 2026. My Torque converter needed to be replaced. My car was there over 20 days. Two weeks after getting it back from shop it started jerking and smoking. It needed another torque converter replacement. Two weeks after getting this car back it did the same thing again. I contacted Ford Warranty they did not help. Lincoln iin Michigan did ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 30, 2026
Hennessey Lincoln in Atlanta repaired my car in June 2026. My Torque converter needed to be replaced. My car was there over 20 days. Two weeks after getting it back from shop it started jerking and smoking. It needed another torque converter replacement. Two weeks after getting this car back it did the same thing again. I contacted Ford Warranty they did not help. Lincoln iin Michigan did ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 26, 2021
The vehicle displayed service advanced track, hill assist and traction control warning lights and immediately locks up steering and jars the steering wheel pulling vehicle to left or right abruptly before returning to normal. It has continued to happen and I’ve taken the vehicle to the dealership numerous times and they state they are unable to replicate yet it continues to happen and codes .thi... Read more
Incident date: Aug 24, 2026
My 2019 Lincoln Nautilus (equipped with the 8F35 8-speed automatic transmission) has developed a severe, hazardous low-speed transmission shudder and hesitating vibration, primarily occurring under 35 mph. This vehicle has 85,000 miles on it. A certified dealership has diagnosed the vehicle with a failing torque converter, which is a known engineering defect heavily documented under manufacturer T... Read more
Incident date: Aug 24, 2026
The car has started a jerking motion when it is at a stop sign, stop light, or and nu prolonged stoppage of the vehicle. It is worse when I have the auto-stop-start feature turned on. This started roughly 3 months ago.
Incident date: Aug 1, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 Lincoln MKX. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle and depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle failed to immediately stop with the message “Low Brake Fluid” displayed. Brake fluid was later added to the brake reservoir, and the vehicle was driven to the local mechanic, who diagnosed that the brake hoses were faulty and needed to be replaced. The brake hose... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 Lincoln MKX. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle and depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle failed to immediately stop with the message “Low Brake Fluid” displayed. Brake fluid was later added to the brake reservoir, and the vehicle was driven to the local mechanic, who diagnosed that the brake hoses were faulty and needed to be replaced. The brake hose... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2026
The contact owns a 2016 Lincoln MKX. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle and depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle failed to immediately stop with the message “Low Brake Fluid” displayed. Brake fluid was later added to the brake reservoir, and the vehicle was driven to the local mechanic, who diagnosed that the brake hoses were faulty and needed to be replaced. The brake hose... Read more
Incident date: Jun 20, 2026
The door broke and cracked the window when I opened the door to get in the car
Incident date: Aug 14, 2026
2011 Lincoln MKZ AWD, 25000 miles. The plastic sheath that covers the transmission shift cable split in two. The split is located on the cable between the engine and firewall. preventing the driver from being able to shift the automatic transmission into Park and then later could no longer shift into any gear position. The metal cable and braid remained intact.
Incident date: May 15, 2026
When driving at night the driver side map light will turn on randomly momentarily blinding the driver only way to turn off is to turn on interior lights and turn off may happen again with in seconds or can be minutes but does it 8-10 times in a 30 minute driving time dealership says it’s not covered under warranty because it’s a light issue however acknowledges it’s a common problem and want... Read more
Incident date: Jun 21, 2026
We are submitting this vehicle safety complaint regarding a dealer-confirmed coolant-intrusion failure in our 2017 Lincoln MKZ equipped with the 2.0L EcoBoost engine. The vehicle had approximately 60,063 miles when presented to Parks Lincoln of Longwood. The vehicle developed a check engine light, rough running, shaking, and recurring misfire symptoms. Two ignition coils had recently been replaced... Read more
Incident date: Jun 29, 2026
Coolant intrusion into the cylinder and requires a replacement of the long block engine assembly which was a known issue by Ford/Lincoln with no recalls issued. The problem has been confirmed by authorized Ford/Lincoln dealer and independent service center. Warning lights illuminated when car was brought to dealer for inspection. It poses significant safety risk that actively endanger me and pa... Read more
Incident date: Aug 20, 2026
On August 20, 2026, I was driving my 2020 Lincoln Navigator and came to a complete stop at a traffic light. While I was sitting stationary at the light, with no collision, impact, sudden braking, or other event, I suddenly heard a very loud noise that sounded like a gunshot. At the same time, the driver-side seat belt violently tightened and pulled me back into the seat. The seat belt tightened w... Read more
Incident date: May 25, 2026
The contact owns a 2022 Lincoln Corsair. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle experienced severe, erratic shifting in all gears, transmission slippage, and hesitation. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was initially taken to an independent mechanic, where a transmission replacement was recommended. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, where excessiv... Read more
Incident date: Aug 20, 2026
While a passenger was riding in the company-owned Lincoln Navigator, the front passenger seat belt suddenly tightened with significant force without a collision or other apparent triggering event. The seat belt remained extremely tight against the passenger and caused visible bruising. We later became aware that Ford has issued safety recalls involving inadvertent deployment of the seat belt retra... Read more
1 injured
Incident date: Aug 17, 2026
The contact owns a 2019 Lincoln MKC. The contact stated that the check engine warning light illuminated, and the message “Service Soon” was displayed on the app, and the failure was caused by a misfire. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed, and it was determined that there was coolant intrusion into the engine cylinders, which caused the engine failure. The contact was informed ... Read more
LINCOLN
MKZ HYBRID
(2014) - UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Aug 21, 2026
Incident date: Jan 20, 2026
Rear backup camera is defective and not working. Initially it would work intermittently and but now for the last few months it does not work at all. I went to dealership and contacted Lincoln directly and they refused to repair the defective rear camera. Despite there being an open recall for the exact same problem for model years 2015 and up.
Incident date: Aug 20, 2026
On August 20, 2026, while traveling about 45 MPH, I accelerated to merge onto a highway while passing a slow-moving semi, with traffic approaching from behind. The transmission unexpectedly disengaged and the vehicle completely lost propulsion. The gear indicator showed Neutral. The engine rapidly increased RPM/redlined but the vehicle would not accelerate. I pressed the Drive selector to re-engag... Read more
Incident date: Jul 3, 2026
The contact's wife owns a 2018 Lincoln Navigator. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the gear shifter independently shifted to park and other gears while driving over a railroad track. The vehicle was turned off and restarted and operated as intended. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 12, 2026
Engine has rough idle and can stall. Ford says engine has coolant intrusion and needs a new engine. The repair will cost between 8500 and 10000 dollars.
Incident date: Aug 3, 2026
I have experienced this issue and it's been 9 months since the first issuance from Ford on this recall. I paid $523 to repair and this is insane since mechanic told me its an OME part so still going to possibly have same issue till recall is handled.
Incident date: Sep 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2015 Lincoln MKZ. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while in reverse(R), the rear-view camera intermittently displayed a distorted image and the message "Camera Unavailable - Please Contact the Dealer" was displayed on the instrumen... Read more
Incident date: Jul 20, 2026
At around 125,000, my car developed a shudder at switching gears. Ford has previously identified a problem with my car, which was manufactured before XXX, and purchased on or around XXX. They have since sent out a Technical Service Bulletin (TSB25-2154). No diagnostic codes are identified for the car, but since my car's extended warranty expired at 100,000 miles, I have a potentially dangerous ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2020
The contact owns a 2019 Lincoln MKT. The contact stated that the third brake light plastic enclosure was cracked and detached. The windshield wiper vent screen had deteriorated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention) and 25V827000 (Structure); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were on back order. The vehicle was taken to the local dea... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2020
The contact owns a 2019 Lincoln MKT. The contact stated that the third brake light plastic enclosure was cracked and detached. The windshield wiper vent screen had deteriorated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention) and 25V827000 (Structure); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were on back order. The vehicle was taken to the local dea... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2020
The contact owns a 2019 Lincoln MKT. The contact stated that the third brake light plastic enclosure was cracked and detached. The windshield wiper vent screen had deteriorated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention) and 25V827000 (Structure); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were on back order. The vehicle was taken to the local dea... Read more
Incident date: Feb 10, 2026
There is a class action lawsuit regarding the transmission on my vehicle. The transmission is shuddering. My mechanic alerted me of the lawsuit, Lincoln Mercury has not put out a recall, but is aware of the problem. There are no error codes, tried a reset on the transmission. So it is not a software problem, but mechanical. I am concerned my transmission will go out while driving. This started ... Read more
Incident date: May 4, 2026
I have experienced harsh shifting from gear 1 to 2 and as well from 2nd to 3rd gear. This results in delayed acceleration at expressway onramps and when turning into forward traffic. This is a known risk with unresolved recall 26S48 related to transmission parking system dammage and related transmission damage. As well, there is a TSB 22-2248 related to this year/make/model transmission problem.
Incident date: May 8, 2026
On XXX, the engine in my 2019 Lincoln MKZ (Mileage 58,089) with the 2.0L EcoBoost engine suffered a catastrophic, sudden failure while driving. The vehicle began to overheat & run extremely rough, triggering multiple warning lights. It is now inoperable and unsafe to drive. The vehicle was towed to a Lincoln dealership (Tasca Lincoln in [XXX]) for diagnosis. The work order number is RO #XXX. The d... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Lincoln MKT. The contact stated that the back-over prevention camera was inoperable 95 percent of the time. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V951000 (Back Over Prevention). The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were on back order. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer wa... Read more
Incident date: Jun 19, 2026
The contact owns a 2022 Lincoln Corsair. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V117000 (Visibility); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the windshield wipers were intermittently inoperable while driving. Two dealers were contacted and confirmed that parts were not available. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The... Read more
LINCOLN
CONTINENTAL
(2018) - STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR:HINGE AND ATTACHMENTS
Aug 18, 2026
Incident date: Jun 1, 2026
The contact owns a 2018 Lincoln Continental. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked on several occasions, the contact became aware that the front driver’s side metal near the check strap was splitting, and while the driver’s door was opened, there was a cracking sound coming from the door. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the contact was informed that the door might swing... Read more
Incident date: Aug 18, 2026
The contact owns a 2025 Lincoln Aviator. The contact stated that the front passenger's side window failed to roll up or down as needed. The contact stated that the front driver's side window motor was previously replaced due to the same failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure m... Read more
Incident date: Jul 15, 2026
The vehicle needs a complete engine replacement due to a coolant intrusion issue. The safety of myself and my family are of my utmost concern. Overheating of the system can cause sudden engine stalling, catastrophic power loss at highway speeds, a risk of collision, and toxic vapor exposure inside the vehicle. Furthermore, A leaking heater core vents sweet-smelling but toxic antifreeze vapors into... Read more
Incident date: Jul 15, 2026
The vehicle needs a complete engine replacement due to a coolant intrusion issue. The safety of myself and my family are of my utmost concern. Overheating of the system can cause sudden engine stalling, catastrophic power loss at highway speeds, a risk of collision, and toxic vapor exposure inside the vehicle. Furthermore, A leaking heater core vents sweet-smelling but toxic antifreeze vapors into... Read more
Incident date: Jul 15, 2026
The vehicle needs a complete engine replacement due to a coolant intrusion issue. The safety of myself and my family are of my utmost concern. Overheating of the system can cause sudden engine stalling, catastrophic power loss at highway speeds, a risk of collision, and toxic vapor exposure inside the vehicle. Furthermore, A leaking heater core vents sweet-smelling but toxic antifreeze vapors into... Read more
Incident date: Nov 23, 2022
Unsure which individual or multiple system components failing. All occurred within 5 miles of home. Driving to destination noted that vehicle was acting or responding weird but did not show signs of any failure reported to daughter while speaking to her on the hands free system in vehicle but did not really pay much attention to what was happening because it did not affect the driving at that time... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Nov 23, 2022
Unsure which individual or multiple system components failing. All occurred within 5 miles of home. Driving to destination noted that vehicle was acting or responding weird but did not show signs of any failure reported to daughter while speaking to her on the hands free system in vehicle but did not really pay much attention to what was happening because it did not affect the driving at that time... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Nov 23, 2022
Unsure which individual or multiple system components failing. All occurred within 5 miles of home. Driving to destination noted that vehicle was acting or responding weird but did not show signs of any failure reported to daughter while speaking to her on the hands free system in vehicle but did not really pay much attention to what was happening because it did not affect the driving at that time... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Mar 3, 2022
It’s been a 4 year battle. I received a bait and switch clone vehicle A Frankenstein!! The vehicle and vin are clones. The vehicle was delivered in the dark after hours during a time I was sick. Im also disabled. I had looked at the vehicle on the [XXX] website Hyundai Genesis lot then went and looked in person and test drove it. I was told it was a one owner vehicle out of Michigan. I purchas... Read more
Incident date: Mar 3, 2022
It’s been a 4 year battle. I received a bait and switch clone vehicle A Frankenstein!! The vehicle and vin are clones. The vehicle was delivered in the dark after hours during a time I was sick. Im also disabled. I had looked at the vehicle on the [XXX] website Hyundai Genesis lot then went and looked in person and test drove it. I was told it was a one owner vehicle out of Michigan. I purchas... Read more
Incident date: Mar 3, 2022
It’s been a 4 year battle. I received a bait and switch clone vehicle A Frankenstein!! The vehicle and vin are clones. The vehicle was delivered in the dark after hours during a time I was sick. Im also disabled. I had looked at the vehicle on the [XXX] website Hyundai Genesis lot then went and looked in person and test drove it. I was told it was a one owner vehicle out of Michigan. I purchas... Read more