2012 Lincoln MKS problems
Owners have filed 26 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Lincoln MKS. Steering is the most reported problem area, at 31% of complaints. After that come electrical system (15%) and drivetrain & axles (8%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 26 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Steering 31% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 2 and 0
- Injuries and deaths
- 0 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 75,000 miles 16 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 2 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 2 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 0 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 5 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 0 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 5 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 1 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 1 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Among the 16 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 75,000 miles.
Safety-related details: 2 complaints mention a crash. Its complaints are less severe on average than those of 81% of model years in our database.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2012 ranks 7th most-complained-about out of 7 model years of the Lincoln MKS with enough data (9 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 3 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
I stopped the car in my garage and pushed the keyless ignition button, but did not put the car in park. I exited the car and it slowly coasted down the driveway and into a deep gully.. The damage to the car from the accident and the wreckers getting it out of the gully was $14,400. I have since learned most well-engineered cars, excluding ford/lincoln, lock the breaks or put the car into park if the keyless ignition button is pushed before the car is put into park.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 lincoln mks. While coming to a stop, the steering wheel became drastically difficult to control after an audible and power steering warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the cause of the failure could not be determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 39,000. Updated 8/6/15
Outside temp 27 f. Opened front passenger door and it would not stay shut. Had to use rope to tie passenger door to rear door behind driver to keep it shut so I could go to eye doctor, a three hour drive away. As temperature has risen, it seems to be latching to stay shut now, but I do not trust it.
Driving down the road and out of nowhere the temp gauge spikes to hot. I was able to pull over off the side of the road and the car smelled very strongly of coolant. After getting the car home and upon further inspection I determined that the internal water pump failed. This is a recurring problem with the duretec engines. No warning from the manufacturer or the dealer who sold me the car. There is currently a class action law suit addressing this issue. A recall on this part needs to happen.