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: Jul 9, 2022
Fuel gauge says zero miles to empty and will not take any gas more than a few gallons before kicking pump off. Gauge shows it's over heating but if you turn ignition off and turn right back on it resets and is fine. Codes come back saying nothing about fuel or cooling, but only something about speed control in the hub. Sounds like an electrical issue but no where to be found.
LINCOLN
MKZ HYBRID
(2012) - AIR BAGS
Sep 2, 2022
Incident date: Apr 1, 2021
Takata recall. The contact owns a 2012 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V158000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reaso... Read more
Incident date: Sep 2, 2022
I had several instances and two minor collisions now where the back up camera glitches as well as the warning alert. I’ve come close to hitting object only to stop just in time, however in these two collisions I was I situations where I needed to maneuver faster and needed accurate guidance. I dont recall the screen ever showing up until after the collisions and the louder long warning tone went... Read more
Incident date: Aug 12, 2022
I have had fairly issues with overheating and have had several repairs done including: 12/29/2019 - Radiator Fan Assembly and Electric Fan Motor Replacement 10/02/2021 - Replace Thermostat and Gasket & Replace Coolant Recovery Tank 8/9/2022 - Installed Module, Control, Sensors and Fuel Filler (all done with regards to presumably fixing the overheating and RPM fluctuation while overheating) I paid... Read more
Incident date: Aug 12, 2022
I have had fairly issues with overheating and have had several repairs done including: 12/29/2019 - Radiator Fan Assembly and Electric Fan Motor Replacement 10/02/2021 - Replace Thermostat and Gasket & Replace Coolant Recovery Tank 8/9/2022 - Installed Module, Control, Sensors and Fuel Filler (all done with regards to presumably fixing the overheating and RPM fluctuation while overheating) I paid... Read more
Incident date: Aug 12, 2022
I have had fairly issues with overheating and have had several repairs done including: 12/29/2019 - Radiator Fan Assembly and Electric Fan Motor Replacement 10/02/2021 - Replace Thermostat and Gasket & Replace Coolant Recovery Tank 8/9/2022 - Installed Module, Control, Sensors and Fuel Filler (all done with regards to presumably fixing the overheating and RPM fluctuation while overheating) I paid... Read more
LINCOLN
MKZ HYBRID
(2017) - ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Sep 1, 2022
Incident date: Aug 27, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the message "Engine Overheating" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the engine was misfiring, the coolant level was extremely low, and coolant had intruded into cylinder #4. The vehicle was not repaired. The local dea... Read more
LINCOLN
MKZ HYBRID
(2017) - ENGINE
Sep 1, 2022
Incident date: Aug 27, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the message "Engine Overheating" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the engine was misfiring, the coolant level was extremely low, and coolant had intruded into cylinder #4. The vehicle was not repaired. The local dea... Read more
Incident date: Aug 21, 2022
For a number of years, since purchasing vehicle new, the "Power Steering Assist Fault" light would come on upon engine startup. The MKT had only about 20,000 miles on it. I had NO POWER STEERING. Per different Lincoln mechanics, the "remedy" was to turn the car off & then restart it to clear light & restore power steering. This worked every time until this past week when after several attempts res... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2017
8/31/22 While I am driving, at 25 miles per hour in my neighborhood, or 45 mph through town, or 65 mph on the freeway, without any warning there occasionally will be an EXTREMELY LOUD BANG!! I actually duck down and cover my head for fear a huge rock has come through the windshield. Or a double-barreled shotgun was aimed at my car, or a major jetliner had fallen out of the sky and landed on my roo... Read more
Incident date: Aug 25, 2022
4th time in 12 years that the moonroof has broken and the side shields that hold each side in place need to be replaced. This is a recurrent issue at least with me on this vehicle causing my roof to stay open until fixed. Not sure if tis because the roof is so big or if its just faulty equipment/engineering. But I think every three years is a bit much
Incident date: Aug 30, 2022
Vehicle loses power, steering and braking without warning. Orange wrench alert illuminates. Car must be shut off and restarted. Very dangerous condition. Several other complaints online. This has happened twice, luckily at low speeds and little traffic.
Incident date: Aug 30, 2022
Vehicle loses power, steering and braking without warning. Orange wrench alert illuminates. Car must be shut off and restarted. Very dangerous condition. Several other complaints online. This has happened twice, luckily at low speeds and little traffic.
Incident date: Aug 30, 2022
Vehicle loses power, steering and braking without warning. Orange wrench alert illuminates. Car must be shut off and restarted. Very dangerous condition. Several other complaints online. This has happened twice, luckily at low speeds and little traffic.
Incident date: Aug 26, 2022
My car will intermittently (more times than not) lose its power steering assist, making it almost impossible for me to drive. I've had the car looked at, replaced the rack and pinion assembly, put on new tires, ran a diagnostic, and the car still lacks power steering most of the time. When starting the vehicle, the wheel will lock up, and the message "Power Steering Assist Fault" displays, no matt... Read more
Incident date: Aug 26, 2022
My car will intermittently (more times than not) lose its power steering assist, making it almost impossible for me to drive. I've had the car looked at, replaced the rack and pinion assembly, put on new tires, ran a diagnostic, and the car still lacks power steering most of the time. When starting the vehicle, the wheel will lock up, and the message "Power Steering Assist Fault" displays, no matt... Read more
Incident date: Aug 15, 2022
The contact owns a 2012 Lincoln MKX. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to respond. The All-Wheel Drive (AWD) warning light and the power train warning light were illuminated. The contact stated that he veered to the side of the road and turned off the vehicle and waited for 15-20 seconds. The contact then continued drivin... Read more
Incident date: Mar 25, 2021
Takata recall. The contact owns a 2010 Lincoln MKZ. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V158000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had... Read more
Incident date: Aug 15, 2022
The contact owns a 2010 Lincoln Town Car. The contact stated while driving at 30 MPH and steering the steering wheel, the steering wheel was resistant and was emitting abnormal metallic sounds, and the accelerator pedal was making clicking sounds. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to continue driving. However, the failure reoccurred increasingly. Upon inspecting the vehi... Read more
Incident date: Aug 15, 2022
The contact owns a 2010 Lincoln Town Car. The contact stated while driving at 30 MPH and steering the steering wheel, the steering wheel was resistant and was emitting abnormal metallic sounds, and the accelerator pedal was making clicking sounds. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to continue driving. However, the failure reoccurred increasingly. Upon inspecting the vehi... Read more
Incident date: Aug 19, 2022
The contact owns a 2013 Lincoln MKX. The contact stated that on several occasions while the brake pedal was depressed, extreme pressure was needed to stop the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a Mr. Tire to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the brake booster needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer wa... Read more
Incident date: Jul 15, 2022
2014 Lincoln MKT, approx 80,000 miles, excellent condition. For the second time in two years now our factory installed panoramic roof has spontaneously exploded. First incident was January 21, 2020 and the second was July 15, 2022. Both times my husband was driving on the freeway and heard a loud explosion, sounded like gunshots inside the car. Both times the sound startled us so badly that a ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 22, 2022
The contact owns a 2013 Lincoln MKS. The contact stated while driving approximately at 55 MPH, the contact lost power steering. The contact stated that the "loss of power steering" warning light was illuminated. The contact managed to steer the vehicle off the side of the road, however, the vehicle steering remained locked. The contact had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed... Read more
Incident date: Aug 19, 2022
I experienced unintended acceleration upon entering a highway. The vehicle accelerated normally in first gear, but upon shifting into second gear, acceleration exceeded pedal input, as though the cruise control 'Resume' function had activated. Acceleration continued with my foot completely off the accelerator pedal and with full brake application. The event stopped when I kicked the accelerator pe... Read more
Incident date: May 24, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Lincoln MKZ. The contact stated while driving approximately 50 MPH, there was smoke coming from the exhaust pipe, and the steering wheel was vibrating. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact safely pulled over and exited the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to her residence. The next day the vehicle started; however, the failure reoccurred and the check engine ... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2021 Lincoln Navigator. The contact received notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V346000 (Engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The dealer was contacted after receiving the recall notification and the contact was informed that parts were not available because the cause of the defect was not yet determined. The contact was then notified that the... Read more
Incident date: Jan 5, 2022
The instrument cluster gives multiple message fault. Navigation and voice activation inoperative. Lincoln cannot resolve the issues. Lincoln has reprogrammed and reset the system and the issue still exist for over 3 months. Lincoln stated the APIM must be rework and they do not know when this will be provide with new date. The phone, radio/sirius sometimes won't change and the screen freezes... Read more
Incident date: Mar 25, 2021
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 not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. An unknown dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 5, 2022
Front left brake line split open and lost brake fluid. This was not caused by any damage from outside items ...there was a failure of the tubing right near the end crimp.
Incident date: Jul 14, 2021
2016 LINCOLN MKC parked on driveway for over 24 hours, when my father was outside gardening he noticed smoke and flames coming from under the hood, the Fire Department was called who out the fire out and stated it was "totaled". Fire Department conducted their own investigation to determine the cause of the fire. The report returned indicating the "Engine" was the origin of the fire. Thank the ... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Jul 14, 2021
2016 LINCOLN MKC parked on driveway for over 24 hours, when my father was outside gardening he noticed smoke and flames coming from under the hood, the Fire Department was called who out the fire out and stated it was "totaled". Fire Department conducted their own investigation to determine the cause of the fire. The report returned indicating the "Engine" was the origin of the fire. Thank the ... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Jul 14, 2021
2016 LINCOLN MKC parked on driveway for over 24 hours, when my father was outside gardening he noticed smoke and flames coming from under the hood, the Fire Department was called who out the fire out and stated it was "totaled". Fire Department conducted their own investigation to determine the cause of the fire. The report returned indicating the "Engine" was the origin of the fire. Thank the ... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Aug 2, 2022
Had one headlight issue for months that I knew about. Told BCM issue but the BCM for this vehicle has been discontinued. Was pulled over by the police only to be told the taillights are out. Took it back in and was told electrical issue that the dealer needed to address. Already knew it was the same issue, the BCM. Unfortunately, I have to get rid of this car, and it is still being sold. This car ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 9, 2022
No sensor on this year of Lincoln However front blind spot between windshield and rear view outside mirror is horrible which resulted in my accident 2 days ago...I have 2 witnesses that can confirm such difficulty seeing while turning
Crash
Incident date: Aug 9, 2022
No sensor on this year of Lincoln However front blind spot between windshield and rear view outside mirror is horrible which resulted in my accident 2 days ago...I have 2 witnesses that can confirm such difficulty seeing while turning
Crash
Incident date: Aug 10, 2022
Front left brake hose had an immediate large leak during driving causing vehicle to lose all braking during driving. There was no warning prior to this or during the failure, no lights on dashboard, brake pedal went all the way to the floor. Placed flashers on, and rolled to a stop. Vehicle needed to be towed. Vehicle is on the way (today August 11) to Apple Ford in Shakopee, MN to be fixed o... Read more
Incident date: Jul 31, 2022
The contact owns a 2013 Lincoln MKS. The contact stated while driving 55-60 mph, she lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a guardrail. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. No air bags deployed. The contact did not sustain any injuries nor sought medical attention. No police report was filed. The contact stated she continued driving to her residence. The contact's father ins... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jul 27, 2022
The contact owns a 2013 Lincoln MKS. The contact stated while his wife was driving at 40 MPH, the steering wheel locked up, almost causing her to lose control of the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact's wife slammed on the brakes and veered to the side of the road. The contact's wife wiggled the steering wheel and was able to continue driving. However, the failure reocc... Read more
Incident date: Apr 21, 2022
In April 2022 my steering wheel started jerking and I felt my car starting to drive unusual. By the end of April my check engine light was on so I went and got it checked out. Code P0217, P0302, P0316 showed up. I thought this must be a mistake so I took it to the dealership for another look and they told me that this is a common problem with my vehicle and I got the short end of the stick with th... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2021
I was notified April 2021, that my vehicle had an airbag safety recall repair. To date, I have not been notified to bring my vehicle in for the repair to be performed. The parts were to be in the third quarter of 2021, I have been patient. But, this recall addresses the driver side airbag. I am concerned that if it explodes, I could be seriously hurt. Please advise me. What is my next step.
Incident date: Aug 17, 2021
We have owned this car for about 3 years and it has been one problem after another and see same problems on line 1) Will start over heating sometimes at idle sometimes while driving (try being in DFW rush hour traffic and deal with that 2) Wife was driving one day and a bolt on right lower control arm broke sending her across 4 lanes of traffic including on coming. 3) All of a sudden when brake pe... Read more
Incident date: Aug 17, 2021
We have owned this car for about 3 years and it has been one problem after another and see same problems on line 1) Will start over heating sometimes at idle sometimes while driving (try being in DFW rush hour traffic and deal with that 2) Wife was driving one day and a bolt on right lower control arm broke sending her across 4 lanes of traffic including on coming. 3) All of a sudden when brake pe... Read more
Incident date: Aug 17, 2021
We have owned this car for about 3 years and it has been one problem after another and see same problems on line 1) Will start over heating sometimes at idle sometimes while driving (try being in DFW rush hour traffic and deal with that 2) Wife was driving one day and a bolt on right lower control arm broke sending her across 4 lanes of traffic including on coming. 3) All of a sudden when brake pe... Read more
Incident date: Dec 15, 2021
The contact owns a 2018 Lincoln MKC. The contact stated that after refueling, the vehicle would not immediately start. The driver had to turn the ignition key and depress the accelerator pedal simultaneously to start the vehicle. Additionally, while attempting to refuel the vehicle, the fuel nozzle would constantly click off and on. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who replaced a fuel sys... Read more
Incident date: May 29, 2022
******* DELETE VOQ ******* THIS COMPLAINT IS BEING MARKED FOR DELETION BECAUSE IT IS AN INADVERTENT DUPLICATE OF ODI# 11477621 *DJR ******* DELETE VOQ *******
Incident date: May 29, 2022
******* DELETE VOQ ******* THIS COMPLAINT IS BEING MARKED FOR DELETION BECAUSE IT IS AN INADVERTENT DUPLICATE OF ODI# 11477621 *DJR ******* DELETE VOQ *******
Incident date: Jul 30, 2022
The contact owns a 2013 Lincoln MKS. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the power steering assist failed without warning. The contact pulled over and restarted that vehicle but the failure persisted. The contact used excessive force to steer the vehicle home. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred him to a dealer. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed wi... Read more
Incident date: Jul 29, 2022
The contact owns a 2014 Lincoln MKS. The contact stated while driving at approximately 75 MPH, the steering fault and traction control warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that one mile from home, the steering wheel failed to respond. As a result, the contact pulled over. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was not yet diagnosed. The manufacturer was not no... Read more
LINCOLN
CONTINENTAL
(2017) - LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES
Aug 3, 2022
Incident date: Aug 3, 2021
The contact owns a 2017 Lincoln Continental. The contact stated that the front driver’s side door failed to close and lock automatically as designed. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer who stated that the latch needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V077000 (Latches/Locks/Linkages) however, the VIN was not included.... Read more
Incident date: Jun 9, 2022
On 6/9/22 I ran off the road and down a ravine. I hit a large tree head on and hit some smaller trees on the right side of the vehicle. After the head on collision with the large tree, it broke the frame in two places. The car had severe damage on the front and right side as you will notice in the pictures I am sending. No airbags deployed during this collision. I was shocked that none of the... Read more
Crash
Fire