10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
59,156 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2012 Lincoln MKZ electrical problems

electrical problem

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2012 Lincoln MKZ Owner Comments

problem #9

May 022024

MKZ

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I became the owner of a 2012 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid in 2016. At first there was no issues. Roughly a couple of months later, there was a power steering issue- so the car was driven to Ford with great difficulty where they reset the sensor or something and the power steering was working again. Now a couple of years later, the problem occurred again. The power steering chime came on, the car read -??service advancetrac-?? in yellow and -??power steering assist fault-?? in read, accompanied by the wheel stiffening. I pulled over turned the car off and back on, and the problem went away. It occurred several more times and turning the car off and back on remedied the problem. It would only occur every couple of months, but more recently it started happening every couple of weeks and now- the last ten days it has happened every time I drive. Each of those times, with the exception of the most recent occurrence, turning the car off and letting it sit for a couple of minutes, followed by turning it back on, solved the problem. The most recent time, I was traveling on the highway going 60 mph when the messages appeared and my wheel stiffened. It terrified me as I was moving fast on a Southern California highway where there are hundreds of cars. I was on my way to take a final exam, that I could not miss, so I kept driving. Steering was near impossible at low speeds. I went in to take my final and three hours later, when I turned the car back on, the power steering still was not working. After hours of research and years of dealing with this problem, I have found that there was a recall regarding the PSCM in the 2012 Lincoln MKZ. I am unsure if this problem extends to the hybrid model, and if so whether it was remedied by a past owner, but a detailed vehicle history report indicates that it was not. I have never received any notice as to this recall. I do know that my car was manufactured in the applicable time period (2011), and that it is experiencing exactly what the recall describes.

- Westminster, CA, USA

problem #8

Apr 282021

MKZ

  • 104,000 miles
The ABS system malfunction. All sensors light up and brakes did not work. You could push the brakes to the floor. Very dangerous situatiuon. This is the same ABS malfunction that has been the subject of a Ford recalled of 600, 000 vehicles in the Fusion, and mk's in the years thru 2010 but not 2011 and 2012 which yse the same braking system. This is a unacceptable and dangerous.

- Los Gatos, CA, USA

problem #7

Jan 072021

MKZ

  • 60,200 miles
In January 2021, my vehicle had reached about 60,000 miles. As I was backing out of my driveway, I noticed multiple warning lights on the instrument panel and as I tried to stop the car discovered that the brakes were not working. I pulled the emergency brake handle and stopped the car. Had the car not stopped, I probably would not have avoided going into the street. I turned off and restarted the car but the brakes did not work (after you start the car, the ABS light goes on and then the brake warning light goes on; the brakes only work a little near the floor). The vehicle was taken to the dealer and both the ABS module and hydraulic control unit had to be replaced at a cost of about $3200. I noticed a recall for basically the same thing but the recall only went up to 2010.

- Northridge, CA, USA

problem #6

Nov 012019

MKZ

  • 83,500 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Portion of led tail-lights are out. This is a known issue that has been covered on 2010's and 2011's however my 2012 is not covered even though they are identical vehicles with identical part numbers

- Harrison Township, MI, USA

problem #5

Aug 182019

MKZ

  • 200,000 miles
I was at the gas station putting gas to my car when I noticed flames coming from the engine then I told the people around the staff od the gas station shut off all the gas pumps and help me to tryied to use extinguishers toend the fire until the fire departnen people came. I do not realy know what hapoened but iwas having some electrical problems and was smoking when we were driving the car. We thought need antifreeze liquid and put it but still running weird.

- Sebring, FL, USA

problem #4

Oct 152017

MKZ

  • miles
Serious safety concern affecting many Lincoln models. Couldn't open the driver side door and had to crawl out to the passenger side. This is dangerous in the event of a car crash. So many videos on the web of this problem. This model year should also be included in the door lock recall. Huge inconvenience crawling in from the passenger side, but at least I'm small. I sure would feel sorry for a bigger person. My vehicle was also assembled at the same plant during the year the other cars were affected.

- Bryant, AR, USA

problem #3

Aug 282017

MKZ

  • 50,700 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Unable to secure vehicle. Front driver side door will not lock/unlock by using any electric method or by using key mechanically in exterior door lock.

- Troy, PA, USA

problem #2

Jun 172017

MKZ

  • 33,000 miles
The metal part on the cable connecting battery to other parts of vehicle cracked. Had stopped to get battery checked and service personnel found the crack in the metal part on cable that contains 2 fuses. Car had been hesitant on starting twice in the week. Safety problem if part had broken completely into while on interstate or in an area not heavily populated. Could have caused a serious if not fatal accident.

- Pensacola, FL, USA

problem #1

Jul 172012

MKZ 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 1,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Lincoln Mkz. The contact stated that while at a complete stop, the vehicle shook and went into limp mode. The contact also stated that while making a turn at an unknown speed, the vehicle accelerated independently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection and they could not duplicate the cause of failure. The manufacturer was notified but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 1,000. Tyhe consumer stated the vehicle idles rough at stand still. It surges when accelerating from an almost braking stop while driving. The garage door home ling fails at times. Brake pedal makes a clunking noise when released. Headlines sags in the front of rear window. Updated 06/17/2013

- Milton, DE, USA

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