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: Aug 1, 2020
The contact owns a 2017 Lincoln MKZ. The contact stated that the headlight housing was cracked. The vehicle was diagnosed but not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and informed the contact that the Vin was not under recall. The failure mileage was approximately 53,000.
Incident date: Jun 23, 2021
The contact owns a 2013 Lincoln MKS. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the power steering failed, and the steering wheel was difficult to steer. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who informed the contact that the vehicle was put into reverse then turned off the vehicle numerous times before the power steering functionality returned. The dealer and manufacturer were made... Read more
Incident date: Jun 23, 2021
The contact owns a 2011 Lincoln MKX. The contact stated while the vehicle was turned off, the driver’s side turn signal and parking lights remained illuminated with the other lights in the vehicle being inoperable. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 10V659000 (Structure) however, the Vin was not included.... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2021
The daytime running lights fail to illuminate which is a safety hazard. A message to check the headlights is displayed on the dashboard ONLY when the car is started with the remote start feature. This is a known problem as confirmed by technical service bulletin (TSB #SSM 46508)
Incident date: Sep 21, 2020
Knocking in the driver's side footboard when accelerating.
Incident date: Jun 20, 2021
The fuel system was faulty on my 2008 MKX, my life as well as my family life was almost loss due to the fact that my MKX caught on fire. Everytime I would put gas in my truck when i got back in the cabin I always smell gas. One time when i was on my way to work I walked outside and smelled gas and when I looked under my truck I could see the gas leaking out at an alarming rate, i put a pan under... Read more
Fire
2 injured
Incident date: Jun 20, 2021
Now on my 3rd Battery in 3 months. A section in front of the battery gets very hot. It's a section with a lot of thick wires coming together. Most of the time my car will not start, I just have to keep moving wires until I get a connected for the car to start. I expecting the car to start a fire or a battery explosion pretty soon. l researched 2017 Lincoln MKC's and it seems this is a car with a l... Read more
Incident date: Jun 18, 2021
Today (6/18/2021) was a totally dry day with no precipitation here in Meade County, KY. Today at or about 7:00 PM, I went into the garage, got in the car, closed the driver's door, and put on my seat belt, started and put the car into drive, & moved the car out of the garage without incident. Once outdoors in the driveway, I immediately stopped the car, leaving the OEM FOB inside of the running... Read more
Incident date: Jun 2, 2021
The contact owns a 2013 Lincoln MKS. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the steering wheel ceased. The contact stated that the power steering warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was turned off, restarted, and driven to his destination. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer and it was diagnosed with needing the power steer... Read more
Incident date: Jun 15, 2020
The contact owns a 2008 Lincoln MKZ. The contact had 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 while driving at various speeds, the brake pedal needed to be gently depressed several times to engage. The contact stated that whenever the brake pedal was depressed force... Read more
Incident date: Jun 14, 2021
On 7/5/2020, I experienced a sudden brake loss on my vehicle. To stop the vehicle I had push the brake pedal down to the floor board. On 7/6/2020 I had the vehicle towed to David McDavid dealership in Plano, TX to have the brake problem fixed and it was returned to me on 7/10/2020. On 6/14/2021 I had the same brake problem again and I called the same dealer and I just took in this date 6/15/202... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2020
The contact owns a 2008 Lincoln MKZ. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V904000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) and 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. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated w... Read more
Incident date: Oct 1, 2020
The contact owns a 2008 Lincoln MKZ. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V904000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) and 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. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated w... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2020
The contact owns a 2016 Lincoln MKX. The contact initially received notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V469000 (Service Brakes, Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact recently received a recall letter that informed him that parts were available. The dealer had been notified about the recall however, the contact was informed that par... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2020
The contact owns a 2016 Lincoln MKX. The contact initially received notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V469000 (Service Brakes, Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact recently received a recall letter that informed him that parts were available. The dealer had been notified about the recall however, the contact was informed that par... Read more
Incident date: Jun 14, 2021
I’ve only had the car 2 weeks brought brand new from Crest Lincoln on May 28,2020. Every time I try to accelerate the car doesn’t want to move , it sounds like it’s trying to get power. It makes a humming noise then it slowly starts to move and the care jerks and pick up speed. I don’t like it, I’m afraid that when i come to a light and it doesn’t accelerate I might get hit from beh... Read more
Incident date: May 30, 2021
Car brakes in front of my son, hit the brakes they did not respond pedal went to floor. Car did slow but ended up rear ending car in front of us.
Crash
Incident date: May 11, 2021
The contact owns a 2018 Lincoln Navigator. The contact stated that there was a loud rattle, rough idle, and loss of power during acceleration after starting the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and diagnosed that there was a cold start rattle on the eco-boost engine related to the cam phaser. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The dealer where the vehicle was purc... Read more
Incident date: Jun 11, 2021
When braking to stop there was sudden acceleration that braking could not control resulting in hitting the rear of a stopped car in front of me. This has happened in the past with no warning. It usually happens when braking, but not always. I have had the car to a Ford dealership twice with this problem. They claim they can find nothing wrong with the car. I took it into them today after this i... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jun 11, 2021
2008 Lincoln MKZ> Consumer writes in regards to hydraulic control unit and anti-lock braking system. THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE BEGAN EXPERIENCING INTERMITTENT ABS AND STABILITY CONTROL WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATION. THE CONSUMER WAS INFORMED THE FAILURE WAS UNRELATED TO THE RECALL.
Incident date: Jun 9, 2021
Both right and left side view mirrors folded in on their own without being commanded to while the vehicle was being driven down the highway. Key fob was stowed and secure so it did not trigger the system. Was unable to adjust the mirrors back out until the vehicle was shutdown and restarted. Vehicle has 30,000 miles on it and this never happened before!
Incident date: Jun 4, 2021
The contact owns a 2013 Lincoln MKT. The contact stated while driving 5 mph, the power steering failed, making the vehicle difficult to steer. The contact stated that the power steering warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer and diagnosed with the power steering needing to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was relating the failure to NHTSA campa... Read more
Incident date: Oct 30, 2020
The rear seatbelt buckle isn't functioning correctly and is causing a seatbelt light. We are now told we have to spend close to $1,000 to get the buckle replaced OR there's a chance my airbags will malfunction across the entire car should I get in an accident.
Incident date: Oct 30, 2020
The rear seatbelt buckle isn't functioning correctly and is causing a seatbelt light. We are now told we have to spend close to $1,000 to get the buckle replaced OR there's a chance my airbags will malfunction across the entire car should I get in an accident.
Incident date: Nov 15, 2019
The contact owns a 2019 Lincoln Navigator. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal rattling sound coming from the front and the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the sound. The vehicle was not repaired however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed ... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2021
All safety warning systems - blind spot, cross traffic, etc work through the vehicles FRONT DRIVER & PASSENGER speakers only . The MKC THX Certified system amplifier stops sending sound to the front speakers and drivers do nit get warnings causing significant safety risk.
Incident date: Jun 4, 2021
2016 LINCOLN MKX. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO NHTSA SAFETY RECALL 20V-469. THE CONSUMER STATED MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME COMPLETING THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND STATED THE PARTS WERE NOT YET AVAILABLE.
Incident date: May 28, 2021
The contact owns a 2012 Lincoln MKT. The contact stated while making a turn, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The contact stated that the power steering assist warning light was illuminated. The contact drove at a slow speed to his residence. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer and was informed that the vehicle was over 150,000 miles and NHTSA campaign number: 15V340000 (S... Read more
Incident date: Mar 9, 2021
The contact owns a 2003 Lincoln Town Car. The contact stated that he noticed fuel on the pavement in the driveway at his residence. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the intake manifold was faulty. The mechanic also confirmed that the manifold was leaking and needed to be replaced. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was notifie... Read more
Incident date: May 4, 2021
My brakes completely gave out forcing me to use the handbrake. I took it to a Ford service shop and they said the problem was the HYDRAULIC CONTROL UNIT. The part itself is on hold due to a recall. However, my car has not been placed on the recall list. I ended up paying out of pocket to have it fixed but was advised that Ford could reimburse me once NHTSA sends the recall notice. Side note: For... Read more
Incident date: May 29, 2021
Warning light message: Vehicle transmission is not in Park Google search found many same complaints for older Lincolns. When repaired, would reoccur.
Incident date: May 5, 2021
The contact owns a 2009 Lincoln MKZ. 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 took the vehicle to the dealer for the recall repair and the Hydraulic Control Unit (HCU) was tested but failed. The dealer informed the contact that the HCU part for the recall repair was... Read more
Incident date: May 17, 2021
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.
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Mar 30, 2020
I purchased my vehicle from Randy Wise Hyundai formly Randy wise Lincoln Auto Mall here in Flint MI on 4350 Lennon Rd 48507 on June 8 2020 is the date i purchased it i only had it for 8 months i am still paying a car note and car insurance on it i am spending countless of money on it i have to pay 7245.00 on a brand new engine as i speak luckily Lincoln Motor co in Dearborn MI is going half i just... Read more
Incident date: May 20, 2021
Not always, but when it is wet raining weather the wipers will not work properly. They slow step across the windshield and/or stop working all together. This was repaired a few months after we purchased the vehicle in September 2019. It happen again in March 2021 and now in May 2021. The dealer kept the vehicle for two weeks in March and said it was a ground wire issue. I took the vehicle back May... Read more
Incident date: Apr 30, 2021
On April 30, 2021 as I was driving down the road my steering wheel suddenly starting turning left to right involuntarily causing me to lose control of my car and crash. My vehicle is a total loss and I had just paid heavty deposit and financed a Lincoln Mkt with a dealership that never disclosed to me that my vehicle I just purchased had a recall on it that had been issued last year. Now I am out ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Apr 30, 2021
On April 30, 2021 as I was driving down the road my steering wheel suddenly starting turning left to right involuntarily causing me to lose control of my car and crash. My vehicle is a total loss and I had just paid heavty deposit and financed a Lincoln Mkt with a dealership that never disclosed to me that my vehicle I just purchased had a recall on it that had been issued last year. Now I am out ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Apr 30, 2021
On April 30, 2021 as I was driving down the road my steering wheel suddenly starting turning left to right involuntarily causing me to lose control of my car and crash. My vehicle is a total loss and I had just paid heavty deposit and financed a Lincoln Mkt with a dealership that never disclosed to me that my vehicle I just purchased had a recall on it that had been issued last year. Now I am out ... Read more
Crash
Incident date: May 14, 2021
Panoramic sunroof shattered and it’s broken in pieces now; No longer just shattered I am on the phone with a George Hilliker from the Newark CarMax now. To my dismay there is nothing that can be done since this is not a mechanical defect. So at this point I am going to definitely cancel the extended CarMax care that I did sign up for him to help offset my cost for my deductible to deal with thi... Read more
Incident date: May 6, 2021
THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 LINCOLN MKX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS INCLUDED IN A MANUFACTURER AIR BAG RECALL FOR WHICH THE LOCAL DEALER REMOVED THE PASSENGER’S SIDE FRONT AIR BAG. NO WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT MOST RECENTLY RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 21V158000 (AIR BAGS). THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT T... Read more
Incident date: May 16, 2021
20E03 & 20CI9 BOTH RECALL HAVE NOT BEEN DONE AND DO NOT WORK
Incident date: May 6, 2021
VEHICLE HAS LESS THAT 50K MILES AND RARELY DRIVEN. THREE DIFFERENT INSTANCES OF THE BRAKES FAILING WITH THE PEDAL BEING PUSHED GOING ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR WAS DIAGNOSED TO BE AN ISSUE WITH A RECALL FOR THE BRAKE BOOSTER (RECALLL 13N02). SYMPTOMS OF "SPONGY BRAKES" ALWAYS PRESENT. OTHER BRAKE COMPONENTS WERE CHECKED AND VERIFIED TO BE OPERATIONAL. DEALER INDICATED THIS IS NOT A SAFETY ISSUE A... Read more
Incident date: May 5, 2021
THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 LINCOLN MKT. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH, THE FRONT DRIVER’S SIDE DOOR OPENED INADVERTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO BE DIAGNOSED. A DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 14,000.
Incident date: May 5, 2021
THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 LINCOLN MKT. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH, THE FRONT DRIVER’S SIDE DOOR OPENED INADVERTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO BE DIAGNOSED. A DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 14,000.
Incident date: Mar 12, 2021
THE POWER JUST COMES ON ON MY CLIMATE CONTROL AND THE TEMPERATURE STARTS TO GO ALL THE WAY UP, AND WHEN YOU TRY TO TURN IT OFF IT COMES BACK ON AND IF YOU TRY TO TURN IT DOWN IT GOES BACK UP IT HAPPENS WHEN MY VEHICLE IS IN MOTION OR STATIONARY, IT DOES THAT FOR A LITTLE WHILE AND STOP THEN IT STARTS DOING IT AGAIN. THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPEN WAS 03/12/2021 BUT IT HAPPENS ALMOST EVERYDAY.
Incident date: Apr 16, 2021
I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD TO THE STORE IN TOWN AT 25 MPH, AND A LIGHT CLANGING STARTED COMING FROM UNDER THE CAR. UPON HEADING BACK TOWARD MY HOUSE THE CAR BEGAN MAKING A LOUDER CLANGING AND THE CAR SUDDENLY LOCKED UP. I THOUGH MY CAR WAS SEIZING UP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. IT DID NOT WANT TO MOVE FORWARD!! IT LOOSENED UP TO MAKE IT THE 2 BLOCKS HOME.WHEN BACKING INTO MY DRIVEWAY I WAS TOLD ON... Read more
Incident date: Dec 8, 2020
ABS LIGHT CAME ON AND THE REPAIR SHOP SAYS THE ABS MODULE HAS FAILED AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED.
Incident date: May 12, 2021
JUST LIKE ALL THE OTHER CARS MADE BY FORD ON THEIR PLATFORM THE POWER STEERING LOCKED UP WHILE DRIVING. CAUSE A NEAR FATAL ACCIDENT.
Incident date: May 12, 2021
JUST LIKE ALL THE OTHER CARS MADE BY FORD ON THEIR PLATFORM THE POWER STEERING LOCKED UP WHILE DRIVING. CAUSE A NEAR FATAL ACCIDENT.
Incident date: Apr 24, 2021
MY MKX DRIVER SEAT AND PASSENGER SEAT KEEP ROCKING BACK AND FORTH. MY FIANC WAS DRIVING 40 MPH WE START TO SLOW DOWN ON A CITY STREET AND AS HE IS STOPPING HIS SEAT ROCKS BACK AND HIS FOOT COMES OF THE BREAK AND ALMOST HITS THE BACK OF ANOTHER CAR. I'M SITTING IN THE PASSENGER SEAT ALSO FEELING MY SEAT MOVE AS WELL. I LOOK OVER AT HIM AND SEE HIS FACE AND YOU CAN TELL HE GOT SCARED FOR A SECOND BE... Read more