Consumer Safety Complaints
Search 2,215,138 safety complaints filed by vehicle owners with NHTSA — including 138,663 crashes, 56,255 fires, and 8,561 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 2,215,138 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 18,739 complaints for LINCOLN
Incident date: Oct 15, 2022
Electrical system totally shuts down and car is dead.This happened 4 times.The battery is not dead but the electrical system shuts it down.You have to jump or separate battery to re activate system.Last incident not even emergency key worked to open the car.Danger is if someone is in the car and you cannot get them out.The car was so dead I had to call road service.They towed to dealer.Last time w... Read more
Incident date: Oct 15, 2022
Back up camera does not work all the time most of the time, camera does not come on when in reverse or when camera button is pressed.
Incident date: Oct 9, 2022
Steering wheel locked up while the car was in motion. "Steering Assist Fault Service Required" appears on the dash. Mechanic has checked out the car and believes the steering rack might have to be replaced.
Incident date: Oct 3, 2022
Both mirrors continue to show that there is an obstruction in the mirrors. The mirror warning stays illuminated. Upon vehicle start up, the BLIS and Cross Traffic warning indicates the system is inoperable. Both side obstacle detection control modules have been replaced. The dealer is having issues getting the system to work. Parts are available for inspection.
Incident date: Oct 3, 2022
Both mirrors continue to show that there is an obstruction in the mirrors. The mirror warning stays illuminated. Upon vehicle start up, the BLIS and Cross Traffic warning indicates the system is inoperable. Both side obstacle detection control modules have been replaced. The dealer is having issues getting the system to work. Parts are available for inspection.
Incident date: Aug 1, 2022
I haven’t had any issues but there are many online that have had to have the engine replaced and charged out of their pocket for the defect the manufacturer KNOWS is their own fault and refuses to do a recall on
Incident date: Jun 10, 2022
The contact owns a 2014 Lincoln Mkz. The contact stated while reversing out of his parking lot, the vehicle stalled and the contact felt the vehicle lose power and several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact had to restart the vehicle several times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where they stated that the PCN had a failure and the PCN was replaced but the failure continued, the ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 10, 2022
The contact owns a 2014 Lincoln Mkz. The contact stated while reversing out of his parking lot, the vehicle stalled and the contact felt the vehicle lose power and several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact had to restart the vehicle several times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where they stated that the PCN had a failure and the PCN was replaced but the failure continued, the ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 4, 2022
The contact owns a 2002 Lincoln LS. The contact stated while driving at 50-55 MPH, the vehicle accelerated unintendedly. The brake pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to respond. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that he stood on the brake pedal until the vehicle responded 8-10 minutes later. The vehicle speed was 120 MPH at the time the contact regained control of ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 4, 2022
The contact owns a 2002 Lincoln LS. The contact stated while driving at 50-55 MPH, the vehicle accelerated unintendedly. The brake pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to respond. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that he stood on the brake pedal until the vehicle responded 8-10 minutes later. The vehicle speed was 120 MPH at the time the contact regained control of ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 24, 2022
There are some major transmission issues with my vehicle. The gears do not change properly causing the SUV to stall on the highway while I was driving 65 MPH. I took it to the Mark Ficken Ford Lincoln dealership for repair. They stated that the torque converter needed repair along with the 3rd gear and 5th gear clutch had issues. The thumping/grinding sound I've been hearing since I purchased the... Read more
Incident date: Sep 15, 2022
The contact owns a 2022 Lincoln Corsair. The contact stated that while driving 76 MPH a loud booming sound suddenly occurred when the front section of the panoramic sunroof exploded and shattered. Moments later, the glass from the shattered sunroof fell into to vehicle hitting the driver. While attempting to prevent the glass from striking the head, the driver’s right hand and arm sustained lace... Read more
1 injured
Incident date: Oct 7, 2022
Took the car to the dealer to have the driver airbag inflator replaced when it says here there are no parts available yet the dealer fixed something? The dashboard airbag light never went out!!
Incident date: Sep 1, 2022
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 ... Read more
Crash
1 injured
LINCOLN
CONTINENTAL
(2019) — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Oct 4, 2022
Incident date: Oct 4, 2020
The contact owns a 2019 Lincoln Continental. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the “No Key Detected” warning light was illuminated and the vehicle would not start. The contact stated that whenever the sign was off, the vehicle would start up right away. The contact stated that the vehicle would start normally while at his residence. The contact stated that he thoug... Read more
Incident date: Oct 2, 2022
I believe I have problem with the ,safety recall ,the vehicle experience a loss of steering, and I was almost crash my vehicle on the highway ,and also believe car was recalled but not fixed .
Incident date: Oct 2, 2022
I believe I have problem with the ,safety recall ,the vehicle experience a loss of steering, and I was almost crash my vehicle on the highway ,and also believe car was recalled but not fixed .
Incident date: Sep 2, 2022
This has happened to me 3 times in the past 3 months. While driving interstate highway at night and traveling 65 to 70 miles per hr., without any warning or symptoms, the headlights turn off. They then turn on and off a few times and then seem to correct themselves and stay on. This happens on trips after 1 hour or more. Has never occurred on shorter trips under 1 hour. Very dangerous and scary wh... Read more
LINCOLN
AVIATOR PHEV
(2020) — LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST
Oct 2, 2022
Incident date: Jun 1, 2021
Lane keep assist does not keep vehicle in the center of the lane, but pulls the vehicle to the left almost on top of the strip dividing lanes. Since I first purchased the Lincoln Aviator, the center screen used to interface with audio, HVAC, settings and especially Apple CarPlay goes completely black hence losing many controls. This has been consistent since I purchased the vehicle. Lincoln has... Read more
LINCOLN
AVIATOR PHEV
(2020) — UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Oct 2, 2022
Incident date: Jun 1, 2021
Lane keep assist does not keep vehicle in the center of the lane, but pulls the vehicle to the left almost on top of the strip dividing lanes. Since I first purchased the Lincoln Aviator, the center screen used to interface with audio, HVAC, settings and especially Apple CarPlay goes completely black hence losing many controls. This has been consistent since I purchased the vehicle. Lincoln has... Read more
Incident date: Sep 28, 2022
the electric power steering in my 2013 Lincoln MKT fails to operate.. making this vehicle very dangerous to drive.Ford has issued a recall 15s18 for this problem, but they say my car is not included in the recall. how can that be, I have the same problem on my car... why isn't my car included?
Incident date: Sep 20, 2022
The contact owned a 2011 Lincoln MKX. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 35 MPH, another vehicle abruptly pulled in front of her and she t-boned the vehicle. The air bags did not deploy upon impact. The other driver had to be removed from the passenger side of their vehicle due to the damage from the accident; the driver was transported to the hospital by ambulance, and their i... Read more
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: Sep 20, 2022
The contact owned a 2011 Lincoln MKX. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 35 MPH, another vehicle abruptly pulled in front of her and she t-boned the vehicle. The air bags did not deploy upon impact. The other driver had to be removed from the passenger side of their vehicle due to the damage from the accident; the driver was transported to the hospital by ambulance, and their i... Read more
Crash
2 injured
Incident date: Sep 19, 2022
Brake Booster problem. When looking online this is a common problem with my year make and model. This is very dangerous concern as I had my children in the car and my brakes would not stop no matter how hard I pressed my brakes. I was lucky there was no on coming traffic or I would have been in an accident
Incident date: Sep 5, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Lincoln MKC. The contact stated upon starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that there was a coolant leak into cylinder #3 and the engine block needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact that they could not assi... Read more
Incident date: Aug 22, 2022
The contact owns a 2022 Lincoln Corsair. The contact stated while driving approximately 20 MPH and depressing the brake pedal, the braking system malfunctioned and the vehicle continued driving forward without slowing down. On one occasion, the front passenger’s side wheel made contact with the curb due to braking failure. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and loc... Read more
Incident date: Sep 26, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Lincoln MKC. The contact stated that upon having the tires serviced by an independent mechanic, the mechanic informed him that all the lug nuts were swollen and difficult to be removed. The dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was given an estimate for the repair. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure and informed him that they were aware of the fa... Read more
Incident date: Aug 17, 2022
Lately when I put the car in park it still beeps and say place in park. I have to take it in and out of park to get it to know that it is in park. the other day I put it in park and got out of the car with it still running and then it started rolling up the driveway. it was in the park position but it was moving up the hill like it was in reverse
Crash
LINCOLN
AVIATOR PHEV
(2022) — AIR BAGS
Sep 23, 2022
Incident date: Sep 17, 2022
Brakes failed, car crashed, imminent crash warning system did not come on and air bags did not deploy in direct frontal crash.
Crash
LINCOLN
AVIATOR PHEV
(2022) — SERVICE BRAKES
Sep 23, 2022
Incident date: Sep 17, 2022
Brakes failed, car crashed, imminent crash warning system did not come on and air bags did not deploy in direct frontal crash.
Crash
LINCOLN
AVIATOR PHEV
(2022) — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Sep 23, 2022
Incident date: Sep 17, 2022
Brakes failed, car crashed, imminent crash warning system did not come on and air bags did not deploy in direct frontal crash.
Crash
Incident date: Jan 1, 2022
Takata recall. The contact owns a 2011 Lincoln MKZ. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V158000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact recently received a recall notice stating that parts were available; however, the contact was informed by th... Read more
Incident date: Sep 12, 2022
The contact owns a 2013 Lincoln MKT. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel was seized. The driver restarted the vehicle and the steering functionality returned and operated as designed. The electronic power steering fault message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 1, 2021
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 w... Read more
Incident date: Aug 25, 2022
while driving my 2013 Lincoln MKT the steering became impossible to navigate the vehicle. Luckily we were able to get out of traffic and shut the car down. after letting it sit for a few minutes we restarted the car and it was working okay.but, the outcome could have been disastrous. being unable to steer the car in traffic could have caused an serious accident.
Incident date: Sep 11, 2022
Sunday, Sept 11, 2022, 2:55 pm. Was stopped at light at 16/Mound in Warren, MI. My car lurched forward while I had my foot firmly on Brake, the brakes had failed, but no warning lamps were activated till after the crash. I bumped the vehicle in front of me, an older model Jeep. No one was injured. My hood was pushed in, front bumper and lighted were damaged. Little damage to back bumper of Jeep. ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Sep 21, 2022
Lug nuts need to be replaced due to swelling
Incident date: Sep 9, 2022
The contact owned a 2007 Lincoln MKX. The contact stated that while driving at 50 MPH, he dosed off and hit a tree. The air bags did not deploy upon impact. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was able to be driven back to his home after the accident. The contact sought medical treatment for an injury to his pelvis due to the accident. The vehicle was placed under NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Sep 14, 2022
Car accelerated very fast while in reverse and brake would not work. After reversing into other cars the car Finally stopped. When the car was turned back on it would not going to gear because the break was not being registered as being pressed
Crash
Incident date: Sep 14, 2022
Car accelerated very fast while in reverse and brake would not work. After reversing into other cars the car Finally stopped. When the car was turned back on it would not going to gear because the break was not being registered as being pressed
Crash
Incident date: Sep 14, 2022
Car accelerated very fast while in reverse and brake would not work. After reversing into other cars the car Finally stopped. When the car was turned back on it would not going to gear because the break was not being registered as being pressed
Crash
LINCOLN
CONTINENTAL
(2019) — LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH
Sep 19, 2022
Incident date: Sep 17, 2022
The contact owns a 2019 Lincoln Continental. The contact stated while driving 68-70 MPH, an unknown chime engaged and the message "Door May Open Unexpectedly - Caution" was displayed. Additionally, the power train warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to drive to her destination. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repair... Read more
LINCOLN
CONTINENTAL
(2019) — POWER TRAIN
Sep 19, 2022
Incident date: Sep 17, 2022
The contact owns a 2019 Lincoln Continental. The contact stated while driving 68-70 MPH, an unknown chime engaged and the message "Door May Open Unexpectedly - Caution" was displayed. Additionally, the power train warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to drive to her destination. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repair... Read more
Incident date: Sep 19, 2022
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.
Incident date: May 19, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Lincoln Navigator. The contact stated while driving 65-70 MPH, the vehicle decelerated independently. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal and the vehicle responded as needed. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle would emit abnormally loud sounds intermittently while depressing the brake pedal. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring whi... Read more
Incident date: Aug 15, 2022
Unknown. I purchased the car like this from a car dealership. When turning the tires are rubbing against something that makes the car start shaking every time it turns. The seat started going sideways and won’t move anymore The tires make an ugly noise when you press on the brakes
Incident date: Aug 15, 2022
Unknown. I purchased the car like this from a car dealership. When turning the tires are rubbing against something that makes the car start shaking every time it turns. The seat started going sideways and won’t move anymore The tires make an ugly noise when you press on the brakes
Incident date: Aug 15, 2022
Unknown. I purchased the car like this from a car dealership. When turning the tires are rubbing against something that makes the car start shaking every time it turns. The seat started going sideways and won’t move anymore The tires make an ugly noise when you press on the brakes
Incident date: Aug 1, 2022
My vehicle exhibits an illuminated malfunction indicator light (MIL) and sometimes a wrench light in the instrument cluster. I had a diagnostic done on my truck to troubleshoot issue and the code was P0720. Ford issued a recall on Lincoln Navigator built between April 11, 2011 through August 19, 2013. My truck was built October 2013 and Tom Wood Ford of Indianapolis Indiana states my vehicle doe... Read more
Incident date: Aug 20, 2022
The contact owns a 2007 Lincoln MKX. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V682000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer for the recall repair; however, the dealer was waiting for approval from the manufacturer to perform ot... Read more