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Lincoln · NHTSA safety record

2016 Lincoln MKT

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

Owners have filed 9 safety complaints about the 2016 Lincoln MKT with the US government. Of those, 2 people were injured and no death is recorded. 3 recall campaigns are open against it.

The most complained-about system is the body structure, named in 3 complaints, 33% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 58,000 miles, the median across the 5 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers February 2018 to July 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

9 complaints on file

9

Complaints

0

Describe a crash

0

Mention fire

2

People injured

0

Deaths

A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.

A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free. Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a model year.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system
STRUCTURE 3 · 33%
BACK OVER PREVENTION 2 · 22%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2 · 22%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 · 11%
ENGINE 1 · 11%
STEERING 1 · 11%
SUSPENSION 1 · 11%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 · 11%
0 4 8

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 9.

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2018 at 3.

4 3 2 1
18 19 20 21 25 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2018 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA crashes a car into a barrier and a pole and measures what happens to the dummies inside. This is what it awarded the 2016 Lincoln MKT, and it is a separate question from what owners report going wrong later.

Test SUV AWD SUV FWD
Overall Not rated Not rated
Frontal crash Not rated Not rated
Frontal, driver Not rated Not rated
Frontal, passenger Not rated Not rated
Side crash Not rated Not rated
Side barrier Not rated Not rated
Side pole Not rated Not rated
Rollover
Chance of rollover 15.1% 16.4%
Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard

A rating belongs to a tested body style and drivetrain, not to the model as a whole, which is why more than one is listed. A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.

Recall campaigns

3 on file

STRUCTURE:BODY

25V827000 · December 1, 2025

The defect
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2019 Lincoln MKT vehicles. The driver and front passenger B-Pillar door trim may detach while driving.
The risk
Door trim that detaches while driving can create a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will repair the B-pillar trim, free of charge. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed December 23, 2025. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available, anticipated in July 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25SD5. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on December 2, 2025.

Ford Motor Company · up to 11,852 vehicles across all model years covered

SUSPENSION:REAR

20V072000 · February 10, 2020

The defect
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2018 Lincoln MKT and Ford Flex and Taurus vehicles with the Police Interceptor or SHO Performance Pack. The rear suspension toe links may fracture due to stress on the rear suspension.
The risk
A fractured rear toe link will cause a sudden change in vehicle handling and increase the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear suspension toe links, free of charge. Remedy parts are not currently available. Owners were notified about the recall on March 3, 2020. A second notice will be mailed when remedy parts become available, which is currently expected to be the end of September 2020. The recall began October 28, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332 or Lincoln customer service at 1-800-521-4140. Ford's number for this recall is 20S04.

Ford Motor Company · up to 211,207 vehicles across all model years covered

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE:TURBO/SUPERCHARGER

16V925000 · December 22, 2016

The defect
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2016 Ford Taurus, 2016-2017 Ford Flex, Lincoln MKT, 2017 Ford Explorer and Ford Explorer Police Interceptor Utility vehicles equipped with 3.5L GTDI engines. Improperly brazed turbocharger oil supply tubes may leak oil on engine components.
The risk
An oil leak, in the presence of an ignition source, increases the risk of a fire.
The remedy
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect, and if necessary, replace the turbocharger oil supply tubes, free of charge. The recall began on January 31, 2017. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16S46.

Ford Motor Company · up to 1,163 vehicles across all model years covered

In owners’ own words

Quoted from the complaint file

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

VISIBILITY/WIPER

1 injured · 24,123 miles

REAR WINDOW SPONTANEOUSLY SHATTERED. DAYLIGHT HOURS, APPROXIMATELY 70 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT, DRY WEATHER CONDITIONS, PARKED IN SHADED AREA. DRIVER WALKED TO VEHICLE, SAT IN DRIVER SEAT, CLOSED DRIVER-SIDE DOOR, AND STARTED VEHICLE UNEVENTFULLY. LESS THAN ONE MINUTE LATER THE REAR WINDOW SPONTANEOUSLY SHATTERED. DRIVER CUT LEFT HAND ON BROKEN GLASS WHEN ATTEMPTING TO RETRIEVE PERSONAL BELONGINGS IN THE REAR COMPARTMENT.

NHTSA complaint 11104438. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STRUCTURE:BODY

1 injured · 58,000 miles

I HAVE OWNED THIS CAR FOR LESS THAN A YEAR AND THE MOONROOF HAS SHATTERED ON ME TWICE ALREADY. THE FRONT ONE TO BE EXACT, BOTH TIMES IT WAS RAINING BUT NORMAL RAIN, I LIVE IN NORTHEN CALIFORNIA. NO OBJECTS HIT MY CAR AND NO ACCIDENT. IT SOUNDS LIKE A LOUD GUNSHOT NEAR YOU AND ITS VERY SCARY I ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE I SWERVED TO NEXT LANE DUE TO BEING SCARED OF THE LOUD NOISE. FIRST TIME I WAS ON MY WAY TO RENO AND I HAD TO KEEP GOING BUT IT WAS HELL AND ONE OF THE WORST EXPERIENCE OF MY LIFE. PART OF THE GLASS FLEW OFF WITHIN MINUTES OF ME DRIVING SO RAIN GOT INTO MY CAR. I HAD TO TAPE A TARP DOWN WITH GORILLA TAPE TO GET TO A SAFE DESTINATION. THERE WAS GLASS INSIDE THE CAR AND

NHTSA complaint 11180980, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STRUCTURE

103,000 miles

The contact owns a 2016 Lincoln MKT. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V827000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the passenger's side B-pillar trim had partially detached. Additionally, the contact stated that the rear-view camera was intermittently inoperable. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. 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 failure. The failure mileage was approximately 103,000.

NHTSA complaint 11752342. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The engine light continues to come on and the only reading it gives off is that the engine is running lean. Nothing seems to be smoking or wrong with the vehicle. It continues to drive well. Then the backup cameras started to go on a blink. It comes off and on intermittently sometimes on while driving forward and less frequently on when in reverse.

NHTSA complaint 11702945. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
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 this damage. I would regret not turning around and returning the car on May 4 just because I heard the sound and had no idea what the consequences of that would turn into. I will also convey this in the survey request that I have received from Carmax. Taking this up any further would only cause me more

NHTSA complaint 11417799, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SUSPENSION
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 LINCOLN MKT. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 20V072000 (SUSPENSION) HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. NEITHER THE MANUFACTURER NOR A DEALER WERE MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA complaint 11350664. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING

90 miles

WHILE MAKING A TURN ONTO HIGHWAY MY ELECTRIC POWER STEERING COMPLETELY WENT OUT WITH CARS TURNING NEXT TO ME. IT YANKED THE WHEEL OUT OF MY HAND ALMOST CAUSING A CRASH. THEN A WINDOW APPEARS IN LY CAR SAYING YOUR STEERING HAS FAILED PULL OVER SAFELY . LITTLE LATE FOR THAT. AFTER GETTING CAR TO DEALER AND WAITING I SEARCHED AND FOUND ELECTRIC STEERING RECALL FROM 2015 SOME 400K CARS. THE SAME YEAR MINE WAS BUILT. DEALER SAYS NO BUT ITS THE SAME EXACT PROBLEM.

NHTSA complaint 11231718. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Lincoln MKT

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2019 16 4 —
2015 24 6 —
2014 54 4 —
2013 70 7 —
2012 27 1 —
2011 19 1 —
2010 65 0 —

Other 2016 Lincoln models

MKX 156 MKC 80 MKZ 64 Navigator 25

Complaints on file, same model year.

Every Lincoln on this site — 85 vehicles.

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. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.

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.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst