- Safety
- 5
- of 5 stars
- Recalls
- 5
- on record
- MPG
- —
- combined
Open recalls on record
5 safety recalls. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer — check the VIN before you buy.
Vehicle Summary
2018 Lincoln MKX
Before You Buy
Safety record at a glance
- Recall campaigns
- 5
- Owner complaints
- 29
- Complaints citing a crash
- 2
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 We do not publish a composite safety or reliability score.
5 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
5 NHTSA campaigns affecting this model year.
- 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.
- 18V612000high
Latches/locks/linkages · doors · latch
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018 Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX vehicles. These vehicles may have door striker bolts that are shorter than intended. Vehicles with shorter door striker bolts fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 206, "Door Locks and Door Retention Components" potentially resulting in the doors opening in the event of a crash.
Consequence
If the doors open in the event of a crash, there is an increased risk of injury.
Full campaign recordRemedy
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the door striker bolts, free of charge. The recall began October 18, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18C06.
- 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.
- 18V548000high
Electrical issue
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018 Ford Edge, Lincoln MKX, 2019 Ford Flex, and Lincoln MKT vehicles. The power supply cables at the starter and the alternator may not have been properly secured, possibly resulting in an electrical arc.
Consequence
An electrical arc can increase the risk of a fire.
Full campaign recordRemedy
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the alternator and starter motor power supply cables to verify that they are properly secured, correcting them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began September 26, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S25.
- 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 2018 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
- 15.5%
- Dynamic tip
- No Tip
Driver-assistance technologies
- Electronic stability control
- Standard
- Forward collision warning
- Optional
- Lane departure warning
- Optional
What the ratings mean
NHTSA gives the 2018 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 15.5% 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
29 owner reports filed with NHTSA.
- 29
- Total
- 2
- Crashes
- 0
- Fires
- 1
- Injuries
Most reported components
- BRAKES7
- ENGINE6
- OTHER5
- ELECTRICAL3
- AIR BAGS2
Notable Issues
29 consumer complaints filed with NHTSA. 1 report involves injuries. 2 reports involve a crash.
Most reported problems
Safety timeline
Every dated recall and NHTSA investigation for the 2018 Lincoln MKX, newest first.
- Recall
A brake fluid leak can extend the distance required to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
- 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
If the doors open in the event of a crash, there is an increased risk of injury.
- Recall
An electrical arc can increase the risk of a fire.
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.
- 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
If the doors open in the event of a crash, there is an increased risk of injury.
- Recall
An electrical arc can increase the risk of a fire.