LINCOLN MKZ · model year

2011 LINCOLN MKZ

180 NHTSA complaints, 23 crash reports, and 7 active recalls for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

4 / 5 ★

New Car Assessment Program

The 2011LINCOLNMKZ carries 180 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 23 crashes, 8 fires, 10 injuries, and 0 fatalities. For crash performance, NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program gave this cohort an overall 4/5 rating, with 3/5 front crash, 4/5 side crash, and 5/5 rollover scores derived from standardized barrier and dynamic tests.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2011 MKZ is air bags with 66 filings, followed by service brakes (20) and steering (18). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability. This model year has 7 active recall campaigns, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle — the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.

NHTSA currently has 15 investigation files overlapping the 2011 MKZ, and 1 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

180
Complaints
23
Crashes
8
Fires
10
Injuries
0
Deaths
2011 LINCOLN MKZ — NHTSA crash-test profile NHTSA NCAP crash-test star ratings for the 2011 LINCOLN MKZ. Overall composite: 4.0 of 5 stars across 3 safety dimensions. Front CrashSide CrashRollover 4.0 NHTSA NCAP of 5 stars
  • Front Crash 3.0 ★
  • Side Crash 4.0 ★
  • Rollover 5.0 ★
NHTSA overall 4.0/5 stars, with front-crash, side-crash and rollover ratings from standardized NCAP barrier and dynamic tests.

Total Complaints

180 filings

Crashes Reported

23 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

NHTSA NCAP overall: 4/5 — Strong NCAP rating · Front: 3/5 · Side: 4/5 · Rollover: 5/5

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
AIR BAGS66
SERVICE BRAKES20
STEERING18
ENGINE10
STRUCTURE:BODY9
UNKNOWN OR OTHER8
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL7
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM7
POWER TRAIN3
EXTERIOR LIGHTING3
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)3
SEATS2
TIRES:SIDEWALL2
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH2
TIRES2

Recalls (7)

16V38400031/05/2016

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2007-2011 Ford Ranger vehicles, 2006-2011 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles, 2007-2010 Ford Edge, Lincoln MKX vehicles, 2005-2006 Ford GT vehicles, and 2005-2011 Ford Mustang vehicles originally sold, or ever register

14E02800029/05/2014

EQUIPMENT

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain all weather driver side accessory floor mats sold for use in model year 2006-2011 Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan, 2006 Lincoln Zephyr, and 2007-2011 Lincoln MKZ vehicles manufactured November 9, 2007, through October 31, 2010. The affected floor mats ma

21E01300016/02/2021

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain air bag inflator and/or module replacement service parts that may have been used as part of a collision repair. The parts include certain driver-side air bag inflators and/or modules, designed to fit 2005-2014 Ford Mustang and Mustang GT500. It also i

21V15800010/03/2021

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2007-2011 Ranger, 2006-2012 Fusion, Lincoln Zephyr, Lincoln MKZ, 2006-2011 Mercury Milan, 2007-2010 Ford Edge, and Lincoln MKX vehicles. The driver's side air bag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to

19V00100007/01/2019

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2014 Ford Mustang vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Vi

15V34000002/06/2015

STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Ford Fusion vehicles without a 3.5L engine and Lincoln MKZ hybrid electric vehicles, 2011 Mercury Milan vehicles, 2011-2012 Ford Taurus, Ford Flex, Lincoln MKS, and Lincoln MKT vehicles equipped with a 3.5L GTDI engine and 2013 Ford

18V77500001/11/2018

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2010 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and 2010-2012 Lincoln MKZ vehicles that previously received a replacement passenger air bag under recall 16V-384, 17V-024 or 18V-046. In the event of a crash requiring deployment of the passenger air bag, the bracket tha

Recent Complaints

20250814FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The contact owns a 2011 Lincoln MKZ. The contact's spouse stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact's spouse started the vehicle and noticed flames coming from the interior seal of the driver's door, located by the rocker panel. The contact's spouse stated that the flames were not severe. The contact’s spouse was able to extinguish the fire. The contact stated that after inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed moisture leaking into the rocker panel wiring. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for brake and rotor repair. The contact and the mechanic noticed that the whole rear of the vehicle was severely corroded. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

Mileage: 100,000

20250814FireSTRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS

The contact owns a 2011 Lincoln MKZ. The contact's spouse stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact's spouse started the vehicle and noticed flames coming from the interior seal of the driver's door, located by the rocker panel. The contact's spouse stated that the flames were not severe. The contact’s spouse was able to extinguish the fire. The contact stated that after inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed moisture leaking into the rocker panel wiring. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for brake and rotor repair. The contact and the mechanic noticed that the whole rear of the vehicle was severely corroded. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

Mileage: 100,000

20250215ENGINE

While traveling on interstate at70 mph a red triangle appears on dash engine turns off warning on dash to stop asap. All you have is electrical power which is not much. Car needs to be turned off and restarted. This may occur again in a few minutes or not. Took to dealer they said they replaced an O2 sensor. It still turns off. Back to dealer. They can’t reproduce. Has happened to me at least 8 times on surface streets and highways. Extremely dangerous to loose power on highways. This started about 6 months ago. Still happening. Last incident was today

20250215FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

While traveling on interstate at70 mph a red triangle appears on dash engine turns off warning on dash to stop asap. All you have is electrical power which is not much. Car needs to be turned off and restarted. This may occur again in a few minutes or not. Took to dealer they said they replaced an O2 sensor. It still turns off. Back to dealer. They can’t reproduce. Has happened to me at least 8 times on surface streets and highways. Extremely dangerous to loose power on highways. This started about 6 months ago. Still happening. Last incident was today

20250215UNKNOWN OR OTHER

While traveling on interstate at70 mph a red triangle appears on dash engine turns off warning on dash to stop asap. All you have is electrical power which is not much. Car needs to be turned off and restarted. This may occur again in a few minutes or not. Took to dealer they said they replaced an O2 sensor. It still turns off. Back to dealer. They can’t reproduce. Has happened to me at least 8 times on surface streets and highways. Extremely dangerous to loose power on highways. This started about 6 months ago. Still happening. Last incident was today

20240816ENGINE

As I was traveling home from work, I noticed the car jerk slightly and immediately decelerate. The engine temperature gauge light came on the dash and the temperature gauge immediately moved to the “H” position on the dash. Due to the fact that I was in rush hour traffic on the highway, I was worried I wouldn’t have enough speed to get to the median. I turned on my hazards and coasted safely to the side of the road but was nearly ran over by other vehicles not realizing the issue I was having. I was unable to accelerate out of the way and at the mercy of other drivers being courteous and give me space to move. I turned the car off and looked under the hood locating the coolant reservoir. It appeared empty. I was able to get a ride to the nearest auto parts store and buy coolant. When I returned to my car, I emptied coolant into the reservoir and cranked the vehicle. Within a minute the gauge returned to normal temp and carefully got back in flow of traffic but stayed close to the

20240808ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

The contact owns a 2011 Lincoln MKZ. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a knocking sound coming from the front of the vehicle. The contact stated on another occasion while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine overheated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed; however, the cause of the failure was not yet determined. The contact was informed that it might have been an axle leak. The contact then took the vehicle to an independent mechanic who in turn advised her to take the vehicle to a dealer. The contact had the vehicle towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with water pump failure. The contact was informed that the water pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was being repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

Mileage: 70,000

20240621SERVICE BRAKES

I was stopping at a stop sign and was unable to stop immediately, instead I coasted a little bit before stopping. Then the brake warning lights and ABS and traction lights came on. I pulled over to a parking lot and turned the car off and turned it back on: all the lights came back on. I put on my flashers and very carefully and slowly drove my car to Jiffy Lube. They did an $108 oil change and checked the brake pads and brake fluid levels and said everything was fine and I would need to take it to a larger shop. I contacted the Apple Ford dealer near me and had my family follow me as I dropped it off. They said it would be a total of $310 for diagnostic and brake flush. I did the flush and it didn’t work. They said it would cost just shy of $3k to replace the entire hydraulic system. I took the car home because that is too much for a 2011 vehicle. I ended up having to get a new car because I need transportation for me and my two young children. My neighbor took a look at the car (he

20240621UNKNOWN OR OTHER

I was stopping at a stop sign and was unable to stop immediately, instead I coasted a little bit before stopping. Then the brake warning lights and ABS and traction lights came on. I pulled over to a parking lot and turned the car off and turned it back on: all the lights came back on. I put on my flashers and very carefully and slowly drove my car to Jiffy Lube. They did an $108 oil change and checked the brake pads and brake fluid levels and said everything was fine and I would need to take it to a larger shop. I contacted the Apple Ford dealer near me and had my family follow me as I dropped it off. They said it would be a total of $310 for diagnostic and brake flush. I did the flush and it didn’t work. They said it would cost just shy of $3k to replace the entire hydraulic system. I took the car home because that is too much for a 2011 vehicle. I ended up having to get a new car because I need transportation for me and my two young children. My neighbor took a look at the car (he

20240309SERVICE BRAKES

I was driving home in rush hour traffic at approximately 50 mph. I tried to brake but the pedal went to the floor and I had no brakes at all. Turns out this was a recall issue for the same issue for the previous four years MKZs. Replacing the fluid did not fix the problem and the 2,000 dollars charged for just the module that controls this is disgraceful. That doesn't include the other thousand for a mechanic to install the part. I managed to avoid hitting anyone, but not by much. This is extremely dangerous and should be addressed

20230829TIRES:SIDEWALL

The tire is a NEXEN 225/45R18 After driving at highway speed on an out-of-town trip for several hours, got off the highway on the way to the hotel using suburban roads. About a mile later, a noise suddenly started at the driver's side front. The "slapping noise" got worse as the car went faster. I pulled off into a parking lot and found a steel bead from the tire had come loose and was hitting the inside fender well. I also noticed there were cracks in the side wall. I changed the tire using the spare tire and drove to the hotel. The next day, I went to a local tire dealer to buy replacement tires. Since the car is an All Wheel Drive vehicle, I had to replace all four tires. And, it is a good thing I did since when I inspected the old tires, the other front tire (the passenger side) had side wall cracks worse than the driver's side tire that had the bead separation. The two rear tires showed no evident side wall cracks. I kept the two front tires with the failures and one of

20230829TIRES:BEAD

The tire is a NEXEN 225/45R18 After driving at highway speed on an out-of-town trip for several hours, got off the highway on the way to the hotel using suburban roads. About a mile later, a noise suddenly started at the driver's side front. The "slapping noise" got worse as the car went faster. I pulled off into a parking lot and found a steel bead from the tire had come loose and was hitting the inside fender well. I also noticed there were cracks in the side wall. I changed the tire using the spare tire and drove to the hotel. The next day, I went to a local tire dealer to buy replacement tires. Since the car is an All Wheel Drive vehicle, I had to replace all four tires. And, it is a good thing I did since when I inspected the old tires, the other front tire (the passenger side) had side wall cracks worse than the driver's side tire that had the bead separation. The two rear tires showed no evident side wall cracks. I kept the two front tires with the failures and one of

20230703SERVICE BRAKES

There have been several occasions where I am cruising at a steady spread and when I try to brake, the pedal just goes down to the floor. It's as if I don't have any brakes at all. I've had my brakes and fluid checked and all is good. This is a very scary and dangerous situation. Doing my research I see that this is a common problem. How is there not a recall on this? This could be a fatal situation. Please advise.

20230601SERVICE BRAKES

Recently I have experienced a "soft brake pedal" on my 2011 Lincoln MKZ. I investigated online and here's what I found. So far there is no recall on this vehicle but SHOULD BE. NHTSA believes the hydraulic control valves can become corroded and stuck, causing soft brake pedals and longer stopping distances. In some cases, braking returns to normal when the valves subsequently become unstuck, causing an intermittent condition that makes a correct diagnosis difficult. On Ford's side, engineers discovered a gelatinous material that prevented control valves from properly returning to the closed positions after actuation. The automaker also found the gelatinous material likely occurred when brake fluid hit the valve coating. Federal investigators were able to recover affected brake components in some of the vehicles that were involved in crashes, and engineers confirmed stuck valves and corrosion of the zinc control valves. This problem has just recently evolved and it is very scary when a

20230119STEERING

While making a right turn into Walmart parking lot, car was suddenly very difficult to turn. We almost hit the car in the lane next to us. We had to back up into the main road and risked a collision there as well just to pull into the parking lot. Like the power steering went out. Just a mile before that turn we made a turn and had no issue. Highway driving is okay, it is just difficult to steer in low speed city driving conditions. I had a mechanic look at it. he could not find anything wrong so we flushed the power steering with fresh fluid. It did not seam to help. He concluded that the electric assist is probably what failed. We looked this up, and it is a common problem with this model year MKZ and a recall has been out for this. But, for some reason my car does not pull up this recall.

20230110SERVICE BRAKES

Brakes worked perfectly until I had to stop suddenly. Brake pedal went almost to the floor before brakes engaged, and then only slightly. I made it home with them in that same condition. When I took it to the shop, the brakes worked perfectly again. At no time was any code shown. So far the shop can't get the brakes to do it again, but I can't trust the car I paid for. The NHTSA had a recall for the Lincoln MKZ up to 2010, but my 2011 has the same ABS module issue. Please expand the recall before someone else gets injured or killed.

20220923AIR BAGS

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 the dealer that the parts were still not available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

20220817AIR BAGS

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 was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

20220720SERVICE BRAKES

Driving down the road all of a sudden Accutrac warning came up and then check brake system. The brakes were like a sponge and stopping was very difficult and required using emergency brake. Shut car off for a few minutes and then problem went away. Then it did it again. This is the same exact issue a recall was issued for the 2006-2010 model of Lincoln MKZ hybrid. Mine is a 2011 but built in the same plant. This car now has an unrepaired air bag from another recall that they still cannot fix and now no brakes and can't be driven. I feel this model should be included in the other model years recall.

20220629AIR BAGS

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 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 not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Compare 2011LINCOLNMKZ to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 1 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2011 LINCOLN MKZ have?
The 2011 LINCOLN MKZ has 180 NHTSA complaints, 23 crashes, 8 fires, 10 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What is the safety rating for the 2011 LINCOLN MKZ?
The 2011 LINCOLN MKZ received an overall NHTSA safety rating of 4/5, front crash rating of 3/5, side crash rating of 4/5, and rollover rating of 5/5.
Are there any recalls for the 2011 LINCOLN MKZ?
Yes, the 2011 LINCOLN MKZ has 7 recall(s). The most common affected component is AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2011 LINCOLN MKZ?
The most-complained component for the 2011 LINCOLN MKZ is AIR BAGS with 66 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include SERVICE BRAKES and STEERING.
Is the 2011 LINCOLN MKZ safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. The 2011 LINCOLN MKZ has an NHTSA safety rating of 4/5. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.