2019 Lincoln Navigator problems, complaints & recalls

Updated from NHTSA data · How we count

Owners have filed 82 complaints with NHTSA about the 2019 Lincoln Navigator, most often about transmission & drivetrain. There are 10 recalls for this model year.

Complaints
82
Recalls
10
Crashes
3
Fires
1
Injuries
11
Median mileage
73,500 mi
at time of problem

Key facts

  • Seats & Seat Belts is the most-reported problem area, named in 24 of 82 complaints (29%).
  • Transmission & Drivetrain (24) and engine (12) follow.
  • Half of the complaints that list mileage happened before 73,500 mi.
  • Owners reported 3 crashes, 1 fire and 11 injuries.
  • The 2019 Lincoln Navigator has 10 recalls on file.
  • NHTSA has opened 1 defect investigation covering this vehicle.
  • It has the most serious complaint record of all 21 Lincoln Navigator model years we track.
  • That is 74% more complaints than the 2018 model year (47).

2019 Lincoln Navigator problems by category

  • Seats & Seat Belts · 2 crashes
    24 complaints
  • Transmission & Drivetrain
    24 complaints
  • Engine
    12 complaints
  • Other / Unknown
    11 complaints
  • Electrical System
    11 complaints
  • Driver Assistance & Safety Tech
    5 complaints
  • Visibility & Wipers
    3 complaints
  • Body & Structure · 1 crash
    3 complaints
  • Acceleration & Cruise Control
    3 complaints
  • Steering
    3 complaints
  • Suspension
    2 complaints
  • Wheels & Tires
    2 complaints
  • Airbags · 1 crash
    2 complaints
  • Lighting
    1 complaints

A complaint can mention more than one problem area, so categories add up to more than the total.

Most-reported components

Component (as filed with NHTSA)Complaints
Power train24
Seat belts22
Engine11
Unknown or other11
Electrical system10
Seats3
Steering3
Vehicle speed control3

When problems happen (mileage)

1Under 10k210k–30k530k–60k760k–100k3100k–150k150k+
Mileage at the time of the problem, for 2019 Lincoln Navigator complaints that list mileage.

2019 Lincoln Navigator recalls (10)

  • Recall 26V402000Jun 24, 2026741,195 vehicles
    POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

    Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2021 Navigator, Expedition, 2020-2021 Explorer, Lincoln Aviator, and 2021 F-150 vehicles. The transmission park pawl may engage while the vehicle is in motion, resulting in park system damage.

    Risk: Park system damage may result in a vehicle rollaway, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Remedy: Dealers will update the powertrain control module software, and inspect and replace any damaged transmission components as necessary, free of charge. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed July 10, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the remedy is available, anticipated in April 2027. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S48. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on June 26, 2026.

  • Recall 26V372000Jun 9, 20262,349 vehicles
    ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL

    Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2019 Ford Mustang, Lincoln Nautilus, and Lincoln Navigator vehicles previously repaired incorrectly under recall number 19V076. At vehicle start-up, the Instrument Panel Cluster Assembly (IPC) may not function, showing a blank display. As a result, these vehicles fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 101, "Controls and Displays."

    Risk: A blank instrument cluster that fails to display critical safety information, such as vehicle speed or safety system warnings, increases the risk of a crash.

    Remedy: Dealers will reprogram the Instrument Panel Cluster Assembly (IPC) software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 13, 2026. Owners may contact customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26C27. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov on July 6, 2026.

  • Recall 26V344000May 27, 2026419,967 vehicles
    SEAT BELTS:PRETENSIONER

    Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2022 Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles. The seat belt pretensioner in the driver and/or front passenger seat may inadvertently lock the seat belt, which will not allow the belt to retract or extend.

    Risk: Seat belts that do not retract or extend can fail to restrain an occupant as intended, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.

    Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the seat belt retractors as necessary, free of charge. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed June 8, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the remedy is available, anticipated in August 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S34. This recall replaces and expands previous NHTSA recalls 24V099 and 25V197. Vehicles previously inspected or repaired under the prior recalls will need the new repair completed.

  • Recall 25V197000May 23, 2025112,951 vehicles
    SEAT BELTS:PRETENSIONER

    Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2020 Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles. The seat belt pretensioner in the driver and/or front passenger seat may inadvertently lock the seat belt, which will not allow the belt to retract or extend.

    Risk: Seat belts that do not retract or extend can fail to restrain an occupant as intended, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.

    Remedy: Dealers will replace the seat belt retractors as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 22, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S31. Some vehicles in this recall that were previously inspected under recall 24V-099 and did not have parts replaced will need to have this new recall remedy completed.

  • Recall 24V852000Nov 8, 202427,678 vehicles
    EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS

    Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2025 Explorer, Lincoln Aviator, 2020-2024 Escape, Lincoln Corsair, 2018-2024 F-150, Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles. The air bag warning label may be missing from the dashboard. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirement Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

    Risk: Without a label that shows the proper restraint usage guidelines, the occupants may have an increased risk of injury in the event of a crash.

    Remedy: Ford will mail owners the warning labels, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 19, 2024. Owners may call Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 24C39.

  • Recall 24V099000Feb 9, 202477,574 vehicles
    SEAT BELTS:PRETENSIONER

    Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2020 Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles. The seat belt pretensioner in the driver and/or front passenger seat may inadvertently deploy and lock the seat belt, which will not allow the belt to retract or extend.

    Risk: Seat belts that do not retract or extend may fail to restrain an occupant as intended, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.

    Remedy: Dealers will replace the seat belt retractors, as necessary. Additionally, dealers will install an HVAC drain tube elbow if it is missing. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on July 8, 2024. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 24S06.

  • Recall 23V598000Aug 25, 2023177,402 vehicles
    BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA

    Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2023 Lincoln Aviator, 2018-2021 Lincoln Navigator, 2022-2023 Ford Transit, and 2021 Ford Bronco vehicles. The rearview camera, or 360-degree view camera if equipped, may not display a rearview image when the vehicle is placed in reverse.

    Risk: Loss of the rearview camera image can reduce the driver's rear visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Remedy: Dealers will replace the rearview camera, and update the software and wiring as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 20, 2023 to Lincoln owners. Ford vehicle owners notification letters were mailed March 4, 2024. Ford remedy parts are anticipated 2nd Quarter 2024. Ford's number for this recall is 23S48.

  • Recall 23V420000Jun 9, 2023691,133 vehicles
    EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL

    Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2023 Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles equipped with third-row seating; and 2019-2023 F-Super Duty F-250, F-350, F-450, and F-550 SuperCab vehicles. The owner's manual does not include instructions for adjusting or removing certain head restraints. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 202, "Head Restraints."

    Risk: Without instructions, the head restraints may be improperly adjusted, increasing the risk of injury in the event of a crash.

    Remedy: Ford will mail the Owner's Manual addendums that describe how to adjust and remove the head restraints for the center seating positions, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 21, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23C20.

  • Recall 19V773000Oct 28, 201918 vehicles
    SUSPENSION:REAR

    Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2019 Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles. The rear suspension toe link fasteners may not have been properly tightened to the frame, possibly allowing separation from the frame.

    Risk: A disconnected toe link can cause a sudden change to vehicle handling, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Remedy: Ford has notified owners, and dealers will inspect and tighten the rear toe link fasteners, check and adjust the rear toe alignment, and inspect the rear tires for abnormal tire wear, replacing them if necessary. Repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began November 14, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S36.

  • Recall 19V076000Feb 11, 20194,212 vehicles
    ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL

    Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2019 Ford Mustang, Lincoln Nautilus, and Lincoln Navigator vehicles. At vehicle start-up, the Instrument Panel Cluster Assembly (IPC) may not function, showing a blank display. As a result, these vehicles fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 101, "Controls and Displays."

    Risk: A blank instrument cluster will not show important information like vehicle speed, fuel or temperature level, or safety system warnings. Driving with an inoperative cluster can increase the risk of a crash.

    Remedy: Ford has notified owners, and dealers will reprogram the Instrument Panel Cluster Assembly (IPC), free of charge. The recall began March 8, 2019. Owners may contact customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19C03.

NHTSA defect investigations

  • PE23021Opened Nov 22, 2023Closed Jul 29, 2024led to recall 24V099

    Seat Belt Pretensioner Inadvertent Deployment

    On November 22, 2023, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE23-021 to investigate instances of seat belt pretensioner inadvertent deployment in model year (MY) 2019 Ford Expedition vehicles manufactured by Ford Motor Company. Some complaints allege hearing a loud, explosion-like sound immediately followed by the seatbelt tightening around the occupant’s torso area. The complaints do not allege a crash occurred that may have resulted in the deployment of the pretensioner system. The investigation revealed certain seatbelt pretensioners may develop corroded squib pins where the brid…

Recent 2019 Lincoln Navigator complaints

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

  1. Filed Oct 8, 2026FLDriver Assistance & Safety TechOther / UnknownTransmission & Drivetrain
    How do you have a problem with a Parking issue transmission or automatically going into parking on neutral when I was driving it started like three years ago with a little knocking sound every time I used to shift The dealer always told me that the hard shifting was something normal every time I wanna ask him to check and they did nothing. They just say it was normal now my transmission is failing and I don’t wanna be responsible because that same knock intensify and now it…
    NHTSA complaint #11769875 · source
  2. Filed Oct 6, 2026ILTransmission & Drivetrain
    Vehicle: 2019 Lincoln Navigator (equipped with 10R80 10-speed automatic transmission). Incident Description: While operating the vehicle in normal traffic conditions, the transmission experiences severe internal hydraulic failure, resulting in a violent jolt/jerk. Immediately following this event, the vehicle’s Powertrain Malfunction Indicator (Wrench Light) illuminates, and the vehicle enters a fail-safe "limp mode." Once in this state, the transmission suffers a complete…
    NHTSA complaint #11769448 · source
  3. Filed Oct 6, 2026TXSeats & Seat Belts
    Seatbelts are not functioning properly. They have been in a locked position for some time now. I have contacted Lincoln and they state a remedy is not yet available. This puts anyone driving the vehicle in grave danger without being properly restrained.
    NHTSA complaint #11769244 · source
  4. Filed Sep 22, 2026GASeats & Seat Belts
    My vehicle was moving slowly in a pickup line for my child. Randomly, the seat belt retractor went off and pulled me back into the seat. Initially, I thought it was a gunshot. Smoke was all in the car. My neck/shoulder has some bruising and cuts from the seat belt. There was a seatbelt light on the dash. It has been there for some time, but the recall's hasn't been issued and it's not realistic to not have a car until FoMoCo issues the fix.
    NHTSA complaint #11766237 · source
  5. Filed Sep 21, 2026TX1 injuredOther / UnknownSeats & Seat Belts
    On XXX, around 7:00–8:00 PM, I was driving a 2019 Lincoln Navigator normally when the driver's seat-belt pretensioner suddenly deployed without any crash, collision, or impact. The seat belt tightened forcefully against my chest, causing an injury, and I noticed a strong chemical/fume smell immediately afterward. A [XXX] infant was in the rear seat at the time. I was evaluated by a doctor the following day and diagnosed with a contusion of the unspecified front wall of the…
    NHTSA complaint #11765894 · source
  6. Filed Sep 4, 2026TXTransmission & Drivetrain
    The dealership said the Cam Phasers were bad, and I saw that there was a NHTSA report on it. The manufacturer paid a percentage of the cost to fix, but not the entire thing. This is a vehicle that an elderly woman purchased before her husband passed and now runs her grand kids around in. Although the problem was fixed it was bothersome to not have this known issue addressed and risk stranding the occupants. NO warning lights no messages, just a rattling noise at start up.…
    NHTSA complaint #11762156 · source
  7. Filed Sep 2, 202685,000 miTXTowedSeats & Seat Belts
    The contact owns a 2019 Lincoln Navigator. The contact stated that while parking the vehicle, the front driver’s side seat belt pretensioner inadvertently deployed and released smoke. The vehicle was towed to the residence and could not be repaired by a mobile technician. The vehicle was then towed to a dealer, where it was determined that the seat belt needed to be replaced. The contact later received notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V344000 (Seat Belts); however,…
    NHTSA complaint #11761712 · source
  8. Filed Sep 2, 2026110,157 miTX1 injuredSeats & Seat Belts
    The contact owns a 2019 Lincoln Navigator. The contact stated that while driving 20 MPH with his wife inside the vehicle, seated in the front passenger seat, there was an explosion like a gunshot coming from the front passenger seat. The restraint warning light illuminated after the explosion. There was a sulfur odor inside the vehicle after the explosion. The contact's wife sustained injuries to the left hip and lower spine, and was treated at the ER, where a CT scan,…
    NHTSA complaint #11761624 · source

Compare the 2019 Lincoln Navigator with another vehicle →

Other 2019 Lincoln models

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