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: Jun 1, 2021
Vehicle Leased for 36 months December, 2016. 3 miles on it. At end of lease then purchased the vehicle with a Lincoln Premier Warranty. June 2021 the passenger side dashboard began to lift from its mounting and bubbling up and sort of waffeling across the top of the dashboard then migrating toward the Airbag assembly. Complaint made to Lincoln June 2021. Instructed to take it to a local Lincoln... Read more
Incident date: May 20, 2021
The steering all of a sudden became impossible to turn the vehicle. I almost had an accident trying to get over to the shoulder. While pulling over on the shoulder the warning signal on the mirror didn’t tell me that another car was next to me. These issues could have cost me my life
Incident date: Oct 26, 2021
We just purchased this car and shortly after we were driving home and it just starts beeping and suddenly the heat comes on full blast, no one is touching the controls. This happens quite frequently and once it starts rising there doesnt seem to be a way to stop it. A simple google search shows that this is a well known problem by lincoln and happens a lot, there are a lot of forums and videos all... Read more
Incident date: Oct 25, 2021
2018 LINCOLN MKX. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO AIRBAG MALFUNCTION SAFETY RECALL. THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED IN AUGUST OF 2018, WITH A RECTANGULAR HOLE CUT INTO THE CARPET. THE HOLE WAS LOCATED UNDER THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT EXPOSING THE WIRING HARNESS. THE CONSUMER STATED THE CRPET WAS REPAIRED, BUT THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED UNEXPLAINED INTERRUPTIONS IN CERTAIN ELECTRICAL COMPON... Read more
Incident date: Oct 8, 2021
LINCOLN MKX SUDDENLY HAD A HARD PEDAL AND CHECKED FOR THE POSSIBLE FLUID LEAKS AND BLEED THE SYSTEM. NO BRAKE FLUID LEAKS WERE FOUND. IT HAS BEEN INCORMED THIS COULD BE A BRAKE BOOSTER OR ABS PUMP ISSUE, ALMOST CRASHED MY VEHICLE IN A HIGHWAY
Incident date: Oct 1, 2021
Vehicle has turned of twice while driving. Had to coast to the side of the road. Very dangerous situation. No warning lights illuminated. Vehicle has an appt on Nov 1, 2021 for further inspection.
Incident date: Oct 17, 2021
Rear toe-link failure, and part is available. The failure occurred while I was driving, about 20 mph, heard a loud noise from the back of the vehicle. The vehicle swerved a bit but managed to regain control and come to a complete stop. Was not diagnosed by the dealership, but have determined,through TSB lookup, that this component has been a failure point across various Ford models including the ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2019
The Lincoln Mercury factory chrome plated rims leak air all the time making the tires low on air or flat very often! This is a very dangerous safety hazard that can cause loss of control and having an accident resulting in serious bodily injury or death! There are many numerous other Lincoln car owners that report the same symptoms and problems. The manufacturer never plated the rims properly with... Read more
Incident date: Oct 13, 2021
I had my MKC at the dealership to get an oil change and check for an issue with electrical. They were checking the car and they had to replace all 20 lugnuts because they swelled. I think it's absolutely ridiculous that even the dealers say they have problems with those lug nuts and ford/Lincoln refuses to pay for it! I called who refused to pay for them
Incident date: Oct 1, 2021
My wife and I purchased a Certified, Pre-Owned, 2018 Lincoln MKT for her in July. Last month we finally looked at dash covers. Many Ford vehicles, including ours, have Adaptive Cruise Control. One feature included in this option is a Collision Warning System which flashes a row of red lights on the dash when it activates. Several manufacturers required the dash cover purchaser to check off whe... Read more
Incident date: Oct 12, 2021
Vehicle shifted into neutral while driving. Had to stop the vehicle in the median to put it back in drive.
Incident date: Oct 9, 2021
while driving on highway power steering assist failure light went on after power steering stopped working. Vehicle has only 60000 miles and both dealer and ford were notified and both said vehicle was not covered by recall after vin was supplied to them.Analysis coeds U 0416 , U 0415 and u 3000 were found and dealer offered to replace steering gear at cost of $4000.00
Incident date: Jun 1, 2020
The contact owns a 2012 Lincoln MKZ. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the power steering assist fault message intermittently appeared on the instrument panel. The contact restarted the vehicle and the vehicle resume normal operation. Recently, the contact stated that the traction control and the power steering warning lights would illuminate at start-up and remained illuminated d... Read more
Incident date: Oct 11, 2021
Intermittent power steering failures at low speeds - appears to be random. No warning lights or indicators of problem.
Incident date: Oct 10, 2021
The steering wheel locked up while I was driving. A message on the screen said power steering assist fault. I could not turn left or right and the brake was very difficult to press
Incident date: Sep 13, 2021
When I started my car is was idling low and engine light came on
Incident date: Oct 7, 2021
Out of nowhere, a full accessory power active display showed, the ignition started to jerk and car shaking. Car was towed for a detailed dealership investigation, which is currently pending.
Incident date: Oct 7, 2021
Brake pressure loss without warning
Incident date: Oct 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2016 Lincoln MKX. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who replaced the battery and indicated that the gear selector indicator on the gauge cluster and shifter buttons remained illuminated while the vehicle was off causing the battery to drain. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer and manuf... Read more
Incident date: Sep 21, 2021
The contact owns a 2012 Lincoln MKX. The contact stated that while reversing the vehicle, the backup camera was inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who replaced the backup camera assembly and the failure was remedied. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 109,000.
Incident date: Oct 4, 2021
exhaust manifold leaks gas fumes into the cabin via a/c
Incident date: Oct 4, 2021
exhaust manifold leaks gas fumes into the cabin via a/c
Incident date: Oct 4, 2021
Sudden loss of power and deceleration. This happens intermittently and sets a code P2111 every time. Can drive for days between incidents and never know when it will happen. Gives no warning just shuts down immediately. This is very dangerous and my wife almost got hit yesterday in traffic due to malfunction
Incident date: Oct 3, 2021
The contact owns a 2014 Lincoln MKT. The contact stated that while her husband was driving 40 MPH, the power steering was seized, and the contact's husband had to manually steer the vehicle. The "Service Advance Trac" and "Steering Assist Fault Service Required" messages were displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and diagnosed with intermittent sensor failure. The mechanic re... Read more
Incident date: Sep 16, 2021
I took car in to get oil change found coolant leaking. Car has 32000 miles. I went to ford store and they said coolant is leaking out side of engine and cylinders no 3 and 4 have coolant inside Ford replaced engine. 2.0 Eco bost Engine
Incident date: Jan 1, 2020
The contact owns a 2007 Lincoln MKZ. The contact had initially received a recall notice for NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19V904000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part was unavailable. The contact also stated that while driving at various speeds, the brakes would intermittently fail to operate as needed and would depress to the floorboard without warning. The contact then received a second reca... Read more
Incident date: Aug 15, 2021
I had to slam on the brakes due to a driver pulling out in front of me without looking. The brakes went to the floor and I had difficulty getting the car stopped. I took it in to my mechanic and they diagnosed as a master cylinder, which I had replaced 7 months prior for a similar incident. But, replacing the master cylinder didn’t solve the problem. After more work, they replaced the entire ABS... Read more
Incident date: Sep 25, 2021
The brakes on my car stopped working and this caused me to crash into a wall. This accident caused by my brakes failing nearly killed me and put others at risk. There were no recalls, or warnings about the brakes failing before the accident.
Crash
LINCOLN
CONTINENTAL
(2019) — UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Sep 28, 2021
Incident date: Sep 28, 2021
I am not aware of an accident involving this defect. I am reporting a safety concern that occurred to me after I bought the car. All door controls(inside and out) are electronic. Doors are electronically opened by pressing a button. In the event of a crash that disables the electric system, occupants would be trapped in a locked car with no way to open the door. For this apparent reason, the ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 19, 2021
In a 55mph frontal crash the airbags failed to inflate to protect the driver. Severe damage to the front of the vehicle.
Crash
3 injured
Incident date: Sep 14, 2021
The backup warning at times doesn't alert you to cross-traffic. Also the backup camera image is terrible in the daytime and at night is almost impossible to see the image quality is so bad.
Incident date: May 2, 2021
The contact owns a 2017 Lincoln MKX. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 20V469000 (Service Brakes, 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 local dealer and the manufacturer were made aware of the issue. The contac... Read more
Incident date: May 2, 2021
The contact owns a 2017 Lincoln MKX. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 20V469000 (Service Brakes, 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 local dealer and the manufacturer were made aware of the issue. The contac... Read more
LINCOLN
CONTINENTAL
(2019) — SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:PEDALS AND LINKAGES
Sep 23, 2021
Incident date: Aug 2, 2020
The contact owns a 2019 Lincoln Continental. The contact stated while exiting out of a parking spot, he attempted to depress the brake pedal but could not reach or find the brake pedal. The contact moved his foot closer to the accelerator pedal and was able to depress the brake pedal. The contact stated that the failure recurred several times. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, he was unable... Read more
Incident date: Apr 11, 2021
The rear backup camera is not working when you put the vehicle in reverse. I was told it was an issue with the camera, they replaced the camera - which I paid for - and its still not working! Then they said its not the camera - again, I paid for a NEW camera, and they still have not been able to fix my vehicle. Today is Sept 22, they have had my car since Sept 1!!!! They've had it 3 weeks and have... Read more
Incident date: Sep 20, 2021
The contact owns a 2013 Lincoln MKS. The contact stated that while driving at low speeds, the "electric power steering assist system, service required" warning message appeared on the instrument panel. The contact stated that excessive force was needed to steer the vehicle while driving at various speeds. The contact had then taken his vehicle to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagn... Read more
Incident date: Sep 14, 2021
The contact owns a 2011 Lincoln MKS. The contact stated that upon start of vehicle, the air bag warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact had initially called the dealer and was informed that his vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V247000 (Air Bags). The contact then called the manufacturer and was provided the same information as the dealer. The manufacturer... Read more
Incident date: May 21, 2021
Acutely while driving, the brake petal went all the way to the floor. The brakes slowly slowed the car but didn’t stop it. Car was towed to the dealership May 21st. I was refused a loaner. Despite receiving two separate notices (one of which was after they had my car) telling me to go get the free fix, they have failed to provide the part. Leaving me without a car for four months. This has ... Read more
Incident date: May 21, 2021
Acutely while driving, the brake petal went all the way to the floor. The brakes slowly slowed the car but didn’t stop it. Car was towed to the dealership May 21st. I was refused a loaner. Despite receiving two separate notices (one of which was after they had my car) telling me to go get the free fix, they have failed to provide the part. Leaving me without a car for four months. This has ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 25, 2021
The lights on the visor mirrors and the garage door opener located on the visor stopped working. 2 days later, all of the switches on the drivers door ( window controls and mirror adjustments) stopped working. Now the dome lights have stopped working. The dealership had the car for a week and performed a master reset and a DDM configuration and window learn procedure. None of these problems we... Read more
Incident date: Aug 25, 2021
The lights on the visor mirrors and the garage door opener located on the visor stopped working. 2 days later, all of the switches on the drivers door ( window controls and mirror adjustments) stopped working. Now the dome lights have stopped working. The dealership had the car for a week and performed a master reset and a DDM configuration and window learn procedure. None of these problems we... Read more
LINCOLN
MKZ HYBRID
(2020) — SEATS
Sep 20, 2021
Incident date: Sep 12, 2021
[XXX] came out to his vehicle and rear seats and seat belts were melted from interior part of the seats. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
LINCOLN
MKZ HYBRID
(2020) — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Sep 20, 2021
Incident date: Sep 12, 2021
[XXX] came out to his vehicle and rear seats and seat belts were melted from interior part of the seats. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Incident date: Sep 20, 2021
DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR LOCK WILL NOT UNLOCK FROM INSIDE OF CAR. THIS IS A SAFETY FACTOR IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT. NOT ABLE TO OPEN DOOR FROM INSIDE - HAD TO ROLL WINDOW DOWN AND OPEN FROM HANDLE ON OUTSIDE OF CAR. VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY. Note There is at least one other report of this happening on your web site and YouTube has several videos of others having this problem and how to replace the hand... Read more
Incident date: Sep 17, 2021
The rear back-up camera regularly fails during vehicle operation, sometimes as soon as the vehicle is turned on. Turning the vehicle off and then on again will fix it temporarily. According to vehicle recall number 21V223000, the image processing module may become unable to provide video feed to the display, resulting in a loss of backup camera image. Not stated in the recall is that this has also... Read more
Incident date: Sep 13, 2021
I was driving my 2010 Lincoln MKX in heavy traffic when the signal light turned red. When I pushed the brake to stop it was very stiff and I almost hit another vehicle. I could have been seriously injured if I had it another car because there is another safety recall on this vehicle relating to the driver airbag spewing shrapnel in a front end collision. I have had the recall notice regarding t... Read more
LINCOLN
CONTINENTAL
(2017) — UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Sep 16, 2021
Incident date: Sep 2, 2021
Defective E-Latch (press button activated door latch), rear passenger side door. The button is defective- subject to recall, however, my VIN not included. In addition to the defective button installed on our car; this car has a safety design defect in that the manufacturer has not provided the rear passengers a mechanical means of escape in the event of an accident and the button malfunctions or... Read more
Incident date: Sep 11, 2021
Our power steering went out while driving into town. I'm lucky my husband was driving because it was so hard to turn the car to get to a safe location. Honolulu Ford stated we have a faulty steering rack and there is a recall for this issue 19V632000 but our car is not on the recall because the state we purchased is not listed. We purchased the car in Alaska and we currently live in Hawaii. We ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 8, 2021
REAR END - REAR DIFFERENTIAL I TOOK CAR IN MANY MANY TIMES BECAUSE OF A STRANGE NOISE IT WAS MAKING AND THEY KEPT TELLING ME NOTHING IS WRONG, WELL NOW MY REAR END SOUNDS LIKE IT IS FALLING APART. THEY GAVE ME MY CAR BACK AND TOLD ME PARTS ARE ON A NATIONAL BACKORDER. NO WARNING LIGHTS IN THE CAR ARE ON, NOR EVER CAME ON. MY CAR WAS SERVICED REGULARLY BY THE LINCOLN DEALERSHIP, Bob Ferrando in Gir... Read more
Incident date: Sep 2, 2021
The power steering assist failure began showing up as warning light when started and power steering failed. Restarting the car removed the warning light and the power steering worked again. The restart failed to clear the problem last week and I brought the vehicle into the dealership. I had found on several sites that vehicle in question is included in a Ford recall along with several other vehic... Read more