2012 Lincoln MKZ problems
The 2012 Lincoln MKZ has 176 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (39%) concerns air bags. Next are brakes (11%) and steering (11%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 176 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Air bags 39% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 17 and 5
- Injuries and deaths
- 16 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 54,000 miles 97 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 | 14 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 19 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 22 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 13 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 6 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 6 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 10 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 1 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 2 |
| 200k+ miles | 4 |
What the data shows
Of the 97 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 54,000 miles. For air bags specifically, the median reported mileage is about 42,000 miles (16 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 17 complaints mention a crash; 5 complaints mention a fire; 16 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2012 ranks 1st most-complained-about out of 12 model years of the Lincoln MKZ with enough data (96 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 5 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.
Aug 2, my husband & I were approaching a 4-way light near our neighborhood. We were slowing down to turn right at the intersection. As we began the turn, the tires locked & our car slide left across lanes that resulted in a crash. Both airbags deployed. I was thrown into the windshield, despite my seat-belt, busting it. Then, my airbag deployed. It was like my husband had no control of the vehicle. Both airbags deployed. Tires were still locked when tow-truck arrived. Other car involved did not have this issue.
Traveling n on 95 just beyond richmond va on 11/26/16 traffic came to a stop and I was attentive and recognized the need to brake quickly. The car initially slowed but did not respond further to applying brakes. I rear ended a jeep grand cherokee. Major damage to my car - minimal to the jeep. Airbags did not deploy. I am still confused by what happened - I had time to stop the vehicle but it did not respond. I am 60 years old and a long time city commuter along with having traveled this route regularly since 1979.
The ABS module in my car failed on 11/20/19. The car had approximately 53,500 miles at the time of failure. The car had been serviced at the dealer five days prior on 11/15/19 including a multi point system inspection and replacement of the recalled air bags . No "warning" or indicator of a problem with the ABS system was identified.