I have to post this story as I am in disbelief on how a customer service situation is being handled by Ford/Lincoln.

I purchased a 2017 Lincoln MKX about three months ago. The body style caught our eye and it drove great. Over the past three months the car has shut off without warning 6 times in the middle of driving. When the car shuts off the power steering cuts off and you either coast or brake to a stop and then you can restart the car. I have found this to be a very serious safety issue if the car shuts off when you are driving in the fast lane or making a left across oncoming traffic.

We took the car to our local Ford dealer (Jerry’s Ford of Leesburg VA) to fix the issue. They told us the car wasn’t showing any maintenance codes for the issue and they couldn’t do anything about it. Jerry’s advised me to contact Ford Motor Company directly to see how they could help.

I contacted Ford/Lincoln to discuss the issue with them directly and they opened case# CAS-17221031-Z4L4R3. I explained to the Concierge contact (Kelly) the issue and how serious of a safety concern I felt it was for whom ever was driving the car. They told me there was nothing they could do and we should drive the car until it reproduces the issue and to not restart the car as it would reset the system and not log the maintenance code and have it towed back to Jerry’s immediately. I found this advice to be extremely unsafe and the furthest from good customer service.

I emailed many examples of this same exact issue on the Lincoln MKX models found on websites. I asked Kelly if Ford was aware of any issues like this with other MKX and her response was if there are no maintenance codes found on the car or if there aren’t any recalls on my make, model and year there was nothing Ford/Lincoln could do for me except to follow their guidance and try to reproduce the issue and capture a maintenance code. I asked for this guidance to be put in writing as I am in awe Ford/Lincoln would risk the safety of one of their customers so we could reproduce the issue. Below is the message from the email I received from Kelly.

“Hello Mr. McDowell,

While I understand your frustration, at this time, until the vehicle’s stalling concern can be duplicated by the service department, there is no repair that can be performed. I was advised by your service advisor at Jerry’s Leesburg Ford that If the issues does happen again, please try to have the vehicle towed in immediately so the service department may be able to diagnosis the issue.

Regards, Kelly C. Concierge Service Manager Lincoln Client Relationship Center”

I have filed a complaint with NHTSA (ID#11182361). I have found two other NHTSA complaints for the same exact issue with the same make and model (#11047965 & 11055106). I can see from doing research online this is an issue with my make and model and other Ford models. Be aware of this before you decide to purchase a Ford. This is the first Ford I have purchased and good chance the last if Ford doesn’t take a wiser path in problem solving known issues with their vehicles. Ford would rather put a customer's life at risk than spend money to determine the source of the issue.