Lincoln
Lincoln MKX years to avoid
Years to avoid: 2016 and 2017.
The 2016 and 2017 Lincoln MKX draw the most owner complaints for their age: 2016 has 156 complaints (14 for each year on the road) and 2017 has 52 complaints (5 for each year on the road), against a median of 3 a year across the 5 model years old enough to judge. The most reported problem on the 2016 is brake wear (56 reports).
- 156complaints
- 7recall campaigns
- 1model years with a page
Newest report Sep 28, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
Pick your model year
Owner complaints on file for each year.
Years to avoid
2016
Most reported: brake wear (56 reports, median 66,000 miles) and stalling (23 reports, median 5,500 miles).
2017
Too few complaints for a page of its own.
Best years
- No year since 2016 is clearly better than the rest.
Complaints for each year on the road
Each model year's NHTSA complaints divided by the calendar years it has been on sale, counting this one (a 2018 model has had 9). Older cars have had longer to collect complaints, so raw totals flatter the new ones. Blue bars are the years to avoid.
Within one model, sales change less from year to year than they do between models, so a jump here is mostly a jump in problems. The call: the years to avoid are the (up to three) highest at 1.5 times the model's median rate or more, and the best are the (up to three) lowest at two thirds of it or less, from 2016 on.
Guide How much should a years-to-avoid list decide? What these lists get wrong
At a glance
- Where the complaints sit
- The 2016 has the most complaints of any Lincoln MKX year here: 156 of 156 (100%).
- Problem across the years
- Brake wear is the top problem in every model year with a page, 56 reports in all. Pooled across the years, half of the 19 owners who gave a mileage for brake wear were under about 66,000 miles.
- Crash, fire and injury reports
- 7% of Lincoln MKX complaints report a crash, a fire or an injury, against 6% for the typical vehicle on this site.
- Recalls on the top problem
- Every model year where owners report brake wear also has a recall on the same system. A recall on the same system doesn't always cover the failure owners describe, so compare its summary with the complaints.
- When owners filed
- Filings peaked in 2016 at 28 (full calendar years only). In 2025 there were 18. So far in 2026, 27 more have come in.
Photo: Mr.choppers, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Model years with too few complaints for a page of their own: 2014 (33), 2015 (19), 2017 (52), 2018 (31).
Year by year
2016 Lincoln MKX avoid
156 owner complaints, 14 for each year on the road (4.1 times the model median). Most reported: brake wear (56 reports, median 66,000 miles), stalling (23 reports, median 5,500 miles) and infotainment (11 reports). 6 reports involved a crash and 3 people were hurt. 7 recalls, including 25V-544 on the brakes and 20V-469 on the brakes.
Questions
What Lincoln MKX years should you avoid?
The 2016 and 2017 Lincoln MKX draw the most owner complaints for their age: 2016 has 156 complaints (14 for each year on the road) and 2017 has 52 complaints (5 for each year on the road), against a median of 3 a year across the 5 model years old enough to judge. The most reported problem on the 2016 is brake wear (56 reports).
What are the best years for the Lincoln MKX?
No Lincoln MKX model year since 2016 draws clearly fewer complaints for its age than the rest. Model years before 2016 aren't called best, because complaints filed before 2015 aren't in the files this site reads and their counts run short.
What is the most common problem on the Lincoln MKX?
Brake wear, with 56 reports across the 1 model years that have a page here. It's the single most reported problem on the 2016.
How many recalls does the Lincoln MKX have?
7 recall campaigns cover the Lincoln MKX model years 2016 on this site.
How many Lincoln MKX complaints involve a crash, fire or injury?
7% of them, against 6% for the typical vehicle on this site.
Is there a recall for brake wear on the Lincoln MKX?
Yes, on every model year where owners report it.