Lincoln
Lincoln MKZ years to avoid
Years to avoid: 2017. Best years: 2018 and 2019.
The 2017 Lincoln MKZ draws the most owner complaints for its age: 139, or 14 for each year on the road, against a median of 6 a year across the 6 model years old enough to judge. The most reported problem on the 2017 is overheating (58 reports).
- 139complaints
- 4recall campaigns
- 1model years with a page
Newest report Sep 22, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
Pick your model year
Owner complaints on file for each year.
Years to avoid
2017
Most reported: overheating (58 reports, median 72,400 miles) and misfire (52 reports, median 60,063 miles).
Best years
2018
Too few complaints for a page of its own.
2019
Too few complaints for a page of its own.
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 2017 has the most complaints of any Lincoln MKZ year here: 139 of 139 (100%).
- Problem across the years
- Overheating is the top problem in every model year with a page, 58 reports in all. Pooled across the years, half of the 29 owners who gave a mileage for overheating were under about 72,000 miles.
- Crash, fire and injury reports
- 9% of Lincoln MKZ complaints report a crash, a fire or an injury, against 6% for the typical vehicle on this site.
- Recalls on the top problem
- None of the 1 model years where owners report overheating has a recall on the same system.
- When owners filed
- Complaints are still climbing. 2025 brought 32, the most of any year so far. So far in 2026, 25 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 (89), 2015 (82), 2016 (64), 2018 (35), 2019 (20).
Year by year
2017 Lincoln MKZ avoid
139 owner complaints, 14 for each year on the road (2.2 times the model median). Most reported: overheating (58 reports, median 72,400 miles), misfire (52 reports, median 60,063 miles) and engine failure (41 reports, median 74,000 miles). 6 reports involved a crash and 4 people were hurt. 4 recalls, including 23V-162 on the brakes and 18V-390 on the transmission and drivetrain.
Questions
What Lincoln MKZ years should you avoid?
The 2017 Lincoln MKZ draws the most owner complaints for its age: 139, or 14 for each year on the road, against a median of 6 a year across the 6 model years old enough to judge. The most reported problem on the 2017 is overheating (58 reports).
What are the best years for the Lincoln MKZ?
The 2018 and 2019 draw the fewest complaints for their age: 2018 has 35 (4 a year) and 2019 has 20 (2 a year). 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 MKZ?
Overheating, with 58 reports across the 1 model years that have a page here. It's the single most reported problem on the 2017.
How many recalls does the Lincoln MKZ have?
4 recall campaigns cover the Lincoln MKZ model years 2017 on this site.
How many Lincoln MKZ complaints involve a crash, fire or injury?
9% of them, against 6% for the typical vehicle on this site.
Is there a recall for overheating on the Lincoln MKZ?
No. None of the 1 model years where owners report it has one on the same system.