2016 Lincoln MKX problems, complaints & recalls

2016 Lincoln MKX recalls (7)

• Recall 25V544000Aug 22, 2025499,129 vehicles
  SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS

  Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Lincoln MKX and 2015-2018 Edge vehicles. The rear brake jounce hose may rupture and leak brake fluid.

  Risk: A brake fluid leak can extend the distance required to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

  Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the brake jounce hoses and adjust brake jounce hoses with no damage present, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 17, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S87.

• Recall 20V469000Aug 10, 2020488,594 vehicles
  SERVICE BRAKES · SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS

  Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Ford Edge and 2016-2018 Lincoln MKX vehicles. The front brake hoses may rupture prematurely.

  Risk: A ruptured front brake hose will cause a brake fluid leak, lengthening the distance needed to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

  Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front brake hoses with the new hoses that have a revised braid material, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on May 13, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S42.

• Recall 20V414000Jul 17, 202019,299 vehicles
  AIR BAGS · ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:INTERIOR/UNDER DASH · SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:POWER ADJUST

  Ford Motor Company, Inc. (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Lincoln MKX and 2019-2020 Nautilus vehicles equipped with 16-way electric tilt seats. The seat cushion frame edge may contact the wire harness when the seat occupant uses the tilt function of the seat, potentially damaging one or more wires within the harness, which can result in either inadvertent deployment of the air bag or nondeployment of the air bag in the event of a crash.

  Risk: An air bag that deploys inadvertently increases the risk of a crash. An air bag that does not deploy in the event of a crash increases the risk of injury.

  Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will install protective flocking tape onto the exposed edge of the 16-way seat cushion frames, and inspect the wire harness for damage, and repair or replace it as needed, free of charge. This recall began August 12, 2020. Owners may contact Ford/Lincoln customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S37.

• Recall 19V809000Nov 12, 201954,411 vehicles
  ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY:CABLES

  Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2017 Lincoln MKX vehicles equipped with 3.7L engines. The battery positive cable harness may contact the transmission shifter cable bracket resulting in a short circuit.

  Risk: An electrical short increases the risk of a fire.

  Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will remove the battery harness clips and elbow guide, and install a wire channel shield and protective sleeve to the battery cable harness, free of charge. Interim notices informing owners of the safety risk were mailed on December 2, 2019. Owners will receive a second notice when the remedy becomes available, currently expected to be the end of April 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S41.

• Recall 19V632000Aug 29, 2019116,160 vehicles
  STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM

  Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2016 Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ, 2015-2016 Ford Edge, and 2016 Lincoln MKX vehicles originally sold, or currently registered in Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. Road salt or other contaminants may corrode the electric power steering gear motor attachment bolts.

  Risk: If the bolts corrode, the steering gear motor may detach from the gear housing resulting in a loss of power steering assist, requiring a greater steering effort, especially at lower speeds, and increasing the risk of a crash.

  Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering gear motor bolts and apply a wax sealer. If any of the steering gear motor attachment bolts are broken or missing, a new steering gear will be installed in the vehicle. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began October 18, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S26.

• Recall 17V123000Feb 27, 201727,531 vehicles
  AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

  Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2017 Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX vehicles and 2017 Lincoln Continental vehicles. In the event of a crash, the driver's frontal air bag may not fully inflate or the air bag cushion may detach from the air bag module. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

  Risk: During deployment, if the air bag does not fully inflate or the cushion detaches, there is an increased risk of injury in the event of a crash.

  Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall began June 16, 2017. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17C02.

• Recall 16V343000May 24, 20165 vehicles
  CHILD SEAT:TETHER: CONNECTOR/CLIP

  Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2016 Lincoln MKX vehicles manufactured September 24, 2015. An incorrect seat back trim cover was installed on the affected vehicles, blocking the child seat tether anchors in the second row center seating position. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 225, "Child restraint anchorage systems."

  Risk: An improperly anchored child seat can increase the risk of injury in a crash.

  Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the seat back trim cover and tether cover bezel on the second row, free of charge. The recall began on June 16, 2016. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16C09.

NHTSA defect investigations

• EA21002Opened Sep 17, 2021Open

  Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture

  From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. See 2016 Blomquist Report at www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/documents/expert_report-hrblomquist.pdf.C…

Recent 2016 Lincoln MKX complaints

Excerpts of the newest owner complaints, lightly cleaned of personal details. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

1. Filed Sep 28, 2026NYOther / UnknownSteeringTransmission & Drivetrain

   "AWD Temporarily Disabled" warning notification came on while driving 55 mph in the middle lane of an expressway during late afternoon/early evening hours. The roadway was clear of debris and the weather was sunny. There was no further instruction of what to do from the dashboard. However, after the warning came on, the vehicle started to smell bad and a noise from the rear passenger side could be heard. While slowing down to a stop, the vehicle started to vibrate and…

   NHTSA complaint #11767481 · source
2. Filed Sep 8, 202685,446 miWIBrakes

   The contact owns a 2016 Lincoln MKX. The contact stated that while driving 30 MPH, the brake pedal became inoperable, and the brake warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled away from oncoming traffic to ensure that the vehicle stopped and avoided a crash. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with a failure of the front caliper and brake hydraulic system, which needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired multiple times. The…

   NHTSA complaint #11762870 · source
3. Filed Sep 2, 202679,000 miILBrakes

   The contact owns a 2016 Lincoln MKX. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V544000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer confirmed that parts were not yet available for the recall repair. The contact stated that there was increased brake pedal travel while coming to a complete stop. There was no warning light illuminated. The manufacturer was not…

   NHTSA complaint #11761576 · source
4. Filed Aug 28, 2026ILBrakes

   Unknown there were no incidents But the recall is almost 1 year old I received the notice September 2025 regarding a possible brake hose defect waiting almost 1 year for a Fix is Rediclous there had been no updates from Ford/Lincoln motor company brake issue should be taken more Seriously

   NHTSA complaint #11760452 · source
5. Filed Aug 24, 202652,000 miWVBrakesDriver Assistance & Safety Tech

   The contact owns a 2016 Lincoln MKX. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle and depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle failed to immediately stop with the message “Low Brake Fluid” displayed. Brake fluid was later added to the brake reservoir, and the vehicle was driven to the local mechanic, who diagnosed that the brake hoses were faulty and needed to be replaced. The brake hoses were replaced, and the vehicle was repaired. The contact previously received…

   NHTSA complaint #11759040 · source
6. Filed Aug 14, 2026GABrakes

   It has been almost a year since this recall came out and there is not a remedy available. the manufacturer has failed to provide a remedy for it since it came out on August 25, 2026

   NHTSA complaint #11756997 · source
7. Filed Aug 10, 2026NYBrakes

   The contact owns a 2016 Lincoln MKX. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V544000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); 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 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…

   NHTSA complaint #11755967 · source
8. Filed Aug 5, 2026ILBrakes

   The contact owns a 2016 Lincoln MKX. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V544000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle slowly responded, requiring hard braking, causing the stopping distance to become extended. Several warning lights illuminated with the message "Parking Aid" displayed. The…

   NHTSA complaint #11754901 · source

Compare the 2016 Lincoln MKX with another vehicle →

Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Defects Investigation public data, as of Oct 11, 2026. Complaints are submitted by owners and are not verified by NHTSA or by us; a complaint does not prove a defect exists. View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov Methodology