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Lincoln · NHTSA safety record

2010 Lincoln MKS

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

51

Complaints

8

Crashes

0

Fires

2

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2010 Lincoln MKS have filed 51 safety complaints with NHTSA between February 2010 and February 2026. The most complained-about system is the steering, named in 15 of them (29%). The typical failure was reported at 65,500 miles, the median across the 40 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

No recall campaign was matched to this year, make and model. That is not the same as a clean vehicle: recalls are issued against production ranges, and the only reliable check is your own VIN.

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 51.

STEERING 15 29%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 10 20%
ENGINE 7 14%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 6 12%
AIR BAGS 5 10%
SERVICE BRAKES 4 8%
POWER TRAIN 3 6%
STRUCTURE 3 6%
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 2%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 1 2%
EQUIPMENT 1 2%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 1 2%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2017 at 8.

2010 2017 2026
2010 to 2026, the last of them a part year

In owners' own words

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

1 injured · crash

LETTER IN REGARDS TO THE INVESTIGATION OF HYUNDAI KIA BEEN CONDUCTING WHICH WAS IN THE LAS VEGAS JOURNAL ON MAY 21; SEEKING COMMENTS. *LD THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED UNINTENDED ACCELERATION CAUSING A 4 CAR ACCIDENT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT COMPLAINING OF THE PROBLEM. THE DEALER DID NOT FIND A PROBLEM. THE CONSUMER FOUND A CLASS ACTION SUIT PERTAINING TO THE SAME ISSUE , BUT THE MANUFACTURER CLAIMS NO LIABILITY. *JS

NHTSA complaint 10993588. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STRUCTURE

1 injured

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 LINCOLN, MKS. WHILE SITTING IN THE PASSENGER SEAT WITH HIS ELBOW ON THE MIDDLE ARMREST, THE CONTACT'S HAND BECAME CAUGHT BETWEEN THE CLOSINGS CAUSING HIM TO INJURE HIS HAND. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN INSPECTED AT THE TIME OF THE COMPLAINT. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE UNKNOWN.

NHTSA complaint 10335485. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STRUCTURE:BODY

crash · 10,000 miles

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 LINCOLN MKS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 1 MPH, THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO A LARGE ROCK. AS A RESULT, THE FRONT BUMPER CRACKED THE WINDSHIELD WIPER RESERVOIR WHICH MADE LIQUID SPILL OUT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THE BUMPER WAS PUSHED BACK IN PLACE BUT THERE WAS A HOLE IN THE WIPER WASHER FLUID TANK. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 10,000. UPDATED 03/07/11*LJ UPDATED 11/22/11 *CN

NHTSA complaint 10365493. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

crash · 21,000 miles

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 LINCOLN MKS. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL ACTIVATED. AS THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS ENGAGED, THE CRUISE CONTROL DEACTIVATED WITH AN ABNORMAL ACCELERATION. THE VEHICLE THEN CRASHED INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED OF THE INCIDENT. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT AUTO MECHANIC AND HAD NOT BEEN DIAGNOSED FOR THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 21,000.

NHTSA complaint 10483524. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING
No power steering and Power steering assist failure warning message. Took to dealer, and they said the epas needed to be replaced. Also, that the oem part was no longer available, so they had to use after market part and would not guarantee the labor. 3 months later same problem. There is a recall for 2011-2013 same car with the same problem, but not for 2010. Defective epas system causing the failure. Spoke to Lincoln concierge and Ford concierge and they would not help with a remedy or with dealer support.

NHTSA complaint 11714754. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

crash · 104,272 miles

There have been 2 separate incidents involving a front collision at high speeds. Both times, the air bags did not deploy as they should have. The 2nd incident was today. The car is now totaled. The impact Both times should have deployed the air bags. My son was injured today due to this. A truck ran a stop sign and we hit him. None of the bags deployed. Speed was 45 mph. The whole front of the car and hood are completely crushed. There were no alarms during or before impact. This is the 2nd wreck.

NHTSA complaint 11549383. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The 2011 through 2013 Lincoln MKS were recalled for the electric power steering assist suddenly going out and it is the same on this car and could have gotten someone seriously hurt these need to be added to the recall thanks for looking.

NHTSA complaint 11482781. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING
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 matter how many times I try to restart the car and allow the computer to reset, the fault does not go away. I rarely have times when I can drive with a power steering assist. The car has become a serious problem because I cannot get to work or school safely; when driving the other day, the power

NHTSA complaint 11481899, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE

50,000 miles

The contact owns a 2010 Lincoln MKS. The contact stated that upon placing her vehicle into park(P), the temperature gauge indicated that the engine was hot. The engine then failed to restart after the failure. The contact had the vehicle towed to a dealer where she was informed that the water pump was defective and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired and remained in the possession of the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

NHTSA complaint 11475091. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
exhaust manifold leaks gas fumes into the cabin via a/c

NHTSA complaint 11435803. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Lincoln MKS

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2015 17 3 —
2014 44 2 —
2013 142 7 18
2012 17 3 —
2011 43 3 40

Other 2010 Lincoln models

MKZ 169 MKX 111 MKT 65 Town CAR 13

Every Lincoln on this site — 84 vehicles, 269 recall campaigns and 2 open investigation s.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

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Independent developer and analyst