LINCOLN MKZ · model year

2012 LINCOLN MKZ

176 NHTSA complaints, 17 crash reports, and 6 active recalls for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

4 / 5 ★

New Car Assessment Program

The 2012LINCOLNMKZ carries 176 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 17 crashes, 5 fires, 16 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 2012 MKZ is air bags with 68 filings, followed by unknown or other (22) and steering (20). 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 6 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 2012 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.

176
Complaints
17
Crashes
5
Fires
16
Injuries
0
Deaths
2012 LINCOLN MKZ — NHTSA crash-test profile NHTSA NCAP crash-test star ratings for the 2012 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

176 filings

Crashes Reported

17 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 BAGS68
UNKNOWN OR OTHER22
STEERING20
SERVICE BRAKES17
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM9
STRUCTURE:BODY9
ENGINE5
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL3
EXTERIOR LIGHTING3
POWER TRAIN2
WHEELS2
SEAT BELTS2
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)2
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC2
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING2

Recalls (6)

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

17V02400010/01/2017

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2012 Ford Fusion and Mustang and Lincoln Zephyr and MKZ vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Marian

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

20251106STEERING

The contact owns a 2012 Lincoln MKZ. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel became difficult to steer in either direction. No warning light was illuminated. The message "Power Steering Assist Fault" was displayed. The contact stated that the failure had progressed over time. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it remained for further investigation; however, the contact was informed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign: 15V340000 (Steering). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 135,000.

Mileage: 135,000

20250615STEERING

My car has lost powering steering three times now. I have replaced the rack and pinion module twice and I’m fixing to a third time. This has happened all within the last 3.5 years

20240503ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

I became the owner of a 2012 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid in 2016. At first there was no issues. Roughly a couple of months later, there was a power steering issue- so the car was driven to Ford with great difficulty where they reset the sensor or something and the power steering was working again. Now a couple of years later, the problem occurred again. The power steering chime came on, the car read “service advancetrac” in yellow and “power steering assist fault” in read, accompanied by the wheel stiffening. I pulled over turned the car off and back on, and the problem went away. It occurred several more times and turning the car off and back on remedied the problem. It would only occur every couple of months, but more recently it started happening every couple of weeks and now- the last ten days it has happened every time I drive. Each of those times, with the exception of the most recent occurrence, turning the car off and letting it sit for a couple of minutes, followed by turning i

20240503STEERING

I became the owner of a 2012 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid in 2016. At first there was no issues. Roughly a couple of months later, there was a power steering issue- so the car was driven to Ford with great difficulty where they reset the sensor or something and the power steering was working again. Now a couple of years later, the problem occurred again. The power steering chime came on, the car read “service advancetrac” in yellow and “power steering assist fault” in read, accompanied by the wheel stiffening. I pulled over turned the car off and back on, and the problem went away. It occurred several more times and turning the car off and back on remedied the problem. It would only occur every couple of months, but more recently it started happening every couple of weeks and now- the last ten days it has happened every time I drive. Each of those times, with the exception of the most recent occurrence, turning the car off and letting it sit for a couple of minutes, followed by turning i

20240503UNKNOWN OR OTHER

I became the owner of a 2012 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid in 2016. At first there was no issues. Roughly a couple of months later, there was a power steering issue- so the car was driven to Ford with great difficulty where they reset the sensor or something and the power steering was working again. Now a couple of years later, the problem occurred again. The power steering chime came on, the car read “service advancetrac” in yellow and “power steering assist fault” in read, accompanied by the wheel stiffening. I pulled over turned the car off and back on, and the problem went away. It occurred several more times and turning the car off and back on remedied the problem. It would only occur every couple of months, but more recently it started happening every couple of weeks and now- the last ten days it has happened every time I drive. Each of those times, with the exception of the most recent occurrence, turning the car off and letting it sit for a couple of minutes, followed by turning i

20240405STEERING

Power steering control module stop working. Ford is aware of this issue and refusing to classify it as a recall. Vehicle inoperable at 83k miles.

20240130STEERING

While driving I noticed that at times my steering wheel would be difficult to turn. At first, the problem seemed small until I was trying to make a left turn on a very busy 4-lane road, and without warning the steering wheel became very difficult to turn. I narrowly avoided being hit and ever since then, the steering has not been the same. I sought help at my nearest Ford dealership and after they inspected the car they determined that there was a problem with the steering assist and possibly the rack and pinion. We then discovered that the very same parts were recalled in 2011 for the same make and model car. I was never notified of any recalls and I asked why I was never contacted. The Ford dealership did not know why. According to them the vehicles that were recalled were vehicles that were made at the same facility as mine. They pointed out that normally my car would have been included in the recall and they did not know why I was excluded. I have attached the documentation they pr

20240117SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

The contact owns a 2012 Lincoln MKZ. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, he observed abnormal soft feedback from the brake pedal and that the brake pedal depressed to the floorboard before bringing the vehicle to a complete stop. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a possible brake fluid leak with the brake master cylinder or hydraulic control module. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V904000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 138,000.

Mileage: 138,000

20240117SERVICE BRAKES

My brakes stopped working with no warning while driving. All of the brake related lights came on and the pedal went to the floor and I was unable to stop the car. This is a safety issue for the driver and everyone else because there seems to be no warning that the brakes will stop working. I brought the vehicle into a repair shop and they could not find anything wrong with the brakes, however there are multiple reports on this website of the very same issue that I dealt with. When attempting to report this to the ford/lincoln manufacturing, they stated that their system was down and they had no way of taking a report. This is very dangerous and needs to be addressed.

20240117FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

My brakes stopped working with no warning while driving. All of the brake related lights came on and the pedal went to the floor and I was unable to stop the car. This is a safety issue for the driver and everyone else because there seems to be no warning that the brakes will stop working. I brought the vehicle into a repair shop and they could not find anything wrong with the brakes, however there are multiple reports on this website of the very same issue that I dealt with. When attempting to report this to the ford/lincoln manufacturing, they stated that their system was down and they had no way of taking a report. This is very dangerous and needs to be addressed.

20230913UNKNOWN OR OTHER

i cannot open the front drivers side door from the inside... it is as if the latch became disconnected

20230912SERVICE BRAKES

I was driving and all of a sudden break light came on service break system came on all at one time I never had a problem with this never got a warning before hand , I couldn’t stop the car, break pedal literally on the floor, almost hit 2 cars trying to stop the vehicle, I have brand new break pads, break fluid was checked, had to get the car towed back home because its no longer drivable

20230726SERVICE BRAKES

Breaks suddenly stopped working. Lights on dash including ABS came on. Car would not stop until pedal pressed almost to floor. Almost as quickly it started working again and our mechanic can not reproduce it. There a number (17) of other complaints describing the problem with more drama. (See [XXX] for one) Incident happened three times, twice going forward and once backing up. Please recall this quickly before someone is killed. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

20230726FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

Breaks suddenly stopped working. Lights on dash including ABS came on. Car would not stop until pedal pressed almost to floor. Almost as quickly it started working again and our mechanic can not reproduce it. There a number (17) of other complaints describing the problem with more drama. (See [XXX] for one) Incident happened three times, twice going forward and once backing up. Please recall this quickly before someone is killed. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

20230719SERVICE BRAKES

There have been several occasions now where I go to brake and there is no brake! My foot goes all the way down to the floor. This can happen at a steady speak of 50 or at 10 miles an hour. It is very scary and very dangerous. I have had to use my emergency brake to stop the car. I have had my brakes changed and "bled" several times. I am concerned this is going to cause a catastrophic accident. In researching this issue, I have seen that this is a common issue with the Lincoln MKZ. In fact prior years have already had a recall. Please, remedy this issue.

20230606FireUNKNOWN OR OTHER

On August 30, 2022, upon traveling home from Palm Springs airport, I stopped at a restaurant in Morongo Valley. As I was eating, someone said that a car was on fire under the hood. The fire department jawed up the hood and put the fire out under the hood. The police and the fire department were called and present to file a report. I had it towed to my house. I believe that this a safety issue.

20230606FireFIRERELATED

On August 30, 2022, upon traveling home from Palm Springs airport, I stopped at a restaurant in Morongo Valley. As I was eating, someone said that a car was on fire under the hood. The fire department jawed up the hood and put the fire out under the hood. The police and the fire department were called and present to file a report. I had it towed to my house. I believe that this a safety issue.

20221116STEERING

After getting an oil change and battery software update, I headed home. Before arriving home the warning light to service Power steering and traction control came on. Returned to dealer, they said the power steering needed to be calibrated. Left and before making it home power steering stopped working and warning lights returned. Dealer has stated the power steering gear needs to be replaced but because the milage is 224,000 and the car is over 10 years old Ford will not extend the warranty and it will cost $2,500 to repair.

20221007UNKNOWN OR OTHER

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!!

20220806AIR BAGS

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.

Compare 2012LINCOLNMKZ to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 1 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2012 LINCOLN MKZ have?
The 2012 LINCOLN MKZ has 176 NHTSA complaints, 17 crashes, 5 fires, 16 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What is the safety rating for the 2012 LINCOLN MKZ?
The 2012 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 2012 LINCOLN MKZ?
Yes, the 2012 LINCOLN MKZ has 6 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 2012 LINCOLN MKZ?
The most-complained component for the 2012 LINCOLN MKZ is AIR BAGS with 68 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include UNKNOWN OR OTHER and STEERING.
Is the 2012 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 2012 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.