- Safety
- 5
- of 5 stars
- Recalls
- 7
- on record
- MPG
- —
- combined
Open recalls on record
7 safety recalls. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer — check the VIN before you buy.
Vehicle Summary
2016 Lincoln MKX
Before You Buy
Safety record at a glance
- Recall campaigns
- 7
- Owner complaints
- 145
- Complaints citing a crash
- 6
These are raw counts from NHTSA records. They are not normalized by how many of these vehicles are on the road, so a model that sold in large numbers will tend to show more of everything. We do not publish a composite safety or reliability score.
7 Recalls on Record
These recalls have been issued by the manufacturer. Contact any authorized dealer to verify they have been completed — repairs are free.
Safety recalls
7 NHTSA campaigns affecting this model year.
- 19V632000high
Steering issue
STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2016 Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ, 2015-2016 Ford Edge, and 2016 Lincoln MKX vehicles originally sold, or currently registered in Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. Road salt or other contaminants may corrode the electric power steering gear motor attachment bolts.
Consequence
If the bolts corrode, the steering gear motor may detach from the gear housing resulting in a loss of power steering assist, requiring a greater steering effort, especially at lower speeds, and increasing the risk of a crash.
Full campaign recordRemedy
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering gear motor bolts and apply a wax sealer. If any of the steering gear motor attachment bolts are broken or missing, a new steering gear will be installed in the vehicle. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began October 18, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S26.
- 20V469000high
Brake system issue
SERVICE BRAKES
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Ford Edge and 2016-2018 Lincoln MKX vehicles. The front brake hoses may rupture prematurely.
Consequence
A ruptured front brake hose will cause a brake fluid leak, lengthening the distance needed to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Full campaign recordRemedy
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front brake hoses with the new hoses that have a revised braid material, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on May 13, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S42.
- 19V809000high
Electrical issue
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY:CABLES
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2017 Lincoln MKX vehicles equipped with 3.7L engines. The battery positive cable harness may contact the transmission shifter cable bracket resulting in a short circuit.
Consequence
An electrical short increases the risk of a fire.
Full campaign recordRemedy
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will remove the battery harness clips and elbow guide, and install a wire channel shield and protective sleeve to the battery cable harness, free of charge. Interim notices informing owners of the safety risk were mailed on December 2, 2019. Owners will receive a second notice when the remedy becomes available, currently expected to be the end of April 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S41.
- 20V414000high
Safety restraint issue
SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:POWER ADJUST
Ford Motor Company, Inc. (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Lincoln MKX and 2019-2020 Nautilus vehicles equipped with 16-way electric tilt seats. The seat cushion frame edge may contact the wire harness when the seat occupant uses the tilt function of the seat, potentially damaging one or more wires within the harness, which can result in either inadvertent deployment of the air bag or nondeployment of the air bag in the event of a crash.
Consequence
An air bag that deploys inadvertently increases the risk of a crash. An air bag that does not deploy in the event of a crash increases the risk of injury.
Full campaign recordRemedy
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will install protective flocking tape onto the exposed edge of the 16-way seat cushion frames, and inspect the wire harness for damage, and repair or replace it as needed, free of charge. This recall began August 12, 2020. Owners may contact Ford/Lincoln customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S37.
- 17V123000high
Airbag system issue
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2017 Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX vehicles and 2017 Lincoln Continental vehicles. In the event of a crash, the driver's frontal air bag may not fully inflate or the air bag cushion may detach from the air bag module. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Consequence
During deployment, if the air bag does not fully inflate or the cushion detaches, there is an increased risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Full campaign recordRemedy
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall began June 16, 2017. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17C02.
- 16V343000high
Safety restraint issue
CHILD SEAT:TETHER: CONNECTOR/CLIP
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2016 Lincoln MKX vehicles manufactured September 24, 2015. An incorrect seat back trim cover was installed on the affected vehicles, blocking the child seat tether anchors in the second row center seating position. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 225, "Child restraint anchorage systems."
Consequence
An improperly anchored child seat can increase the risk of injury in a crash.
Full campaign recordRemedy
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the seat back trim cover and tether cover bezel on the second row, free of charge. The recall began on June 16, 2016. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16C09.
- 25V544000high
Brake system issue
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Lincoln MKX and 2015-2018 Edge vehicles. The rear brake jounce hose may rupture and leak brake fluid.
Consequence
A brake fluid leak can extend the distance required to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Full campaign recordRemedy
Dealers will inspect and replace the brake jounce hoses and adjust brake jounce hoses with no damage present, free of charge. Interim owner letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed September 8, 2025. Additional letters will be sent once the remedy is available, anticipated August 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S87.
NHTSA crash-test ratings
NCAP star ratings and the underlying test breakdown for the 2016 Lincoln MKX.
Frontal crash
- Driver
- 5 / 5
- Passenger
- 5 / 5
Side crash
- Driver
- 5 / 5
- Passenger
- 5 / 5
- Side pole
- 5 / 5
Rollover
- Rollover risk
- 15.4%
- Dynamic tip
- No Tip
Driver-assistance technologies
- Electronic stability control
- Standard
- Forward collision warning
- Optional
- Lane departure warning
- No
What the ratings mean
NHTSA gives the 2016 Lincoln MKX 5 out of 5 stars overall. NHTSA does not publish enough comparable results for this class and year to rank it against peers.
NHTSA published results for every NCAP test in this program, so the overall star rating rests on a complete set of crash and rollover results.
NHTSA's dynamic test put this vehicle's rollover probability at 15.4% in a single-vehicle crash — the figure behind the rollover star rating, published here because the star alone hides how wide each band is.
Fuel economy & emissions
The EPA holds no fuel-economy record for this model year.
The EPA does not publish a record for every model year.
Consumer complaints
145 owner reports filed with NHTSA.
- 145
- Total
- 6
- Crashes
- 3
- Fires
- 3
- Injuries
Most reported components
- BRAKES45
- ENGINE39
- OTHER16
- ELECTRICAL15
- WHEELS/TIRES7
Notable Issues
145 consumer complaints filed with NHTSA. 3 reports involve injuries. 6 reports involve a crash.
Most reported problems
Safety timeline
Every dated recall and NHTSA investigation for the 2016 Lincoln MKX, newest first.
- Recall
A brake fluid leak can extend the distance required to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Investigation opened
NHTSA opened investigation EA21002
Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
- Recall
A ruptured front brake hose will cause a brake fluid leak, lengthening the distance needed to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Recall
An air bag that deploys inadvertently increases the risk of a crash. An air bag that does not deploy in the event of a crash increases the risk of injury.
- Recall
An electrical short increases the risk of a fire.
- Recall
If the bolts corrode, the steering gear motor may detach from the gear housing resulting in a loss of power steering assist, requiring a greater steering effort, especially at lower speeds, and increasing the risk of a crash.
- Recall
During deployment, if the air bag does not fully inflate or the cushion detaches, there is an increased risk of injury in the event of a crash.
- Recall
An improperly anchored child seat can increase the risk of injury in a crash.
Dates are the NHTSA report-received date for recalls and the ODI open/close date for investigations. Crash-test ratings are not shown here because the source does not provide a reliable publication date for them.
Specifications & ratings
Specifications
- Body class
- Unknown
- Drive type
- Unknown
- Engine
- 0L 0-cyl
- Fuel type
- Unknown
- Transmission
- Unknown
- Seats
- 0
NHTSA crash ratings
- Overall
- Frontal
- Side
- Rollover
Explore related
Systems recalled
Safety timeline
Full timeline- Recall
A brake fluid leak can extend the distance required to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Investigation opened
NHTSA opened investigation EA21002
Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
- Recall
A ruptured front brake hose will cause a brake fluid leak, lengthening the distance needed to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Recall
An air bag that deploys inadvertently increases the risk of a crash. An air bag that does not deploy in the event of a crash increases the risk of injury.
- Recall
An electrical short increases the risk of a fire.