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2016 Lincoln MKZ

Verified August 31, 2026Sources: NHTSA · EPA · vPIC

Compare
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 MKZ

7 recalls
63 complaints
5/5 safety rating

Before You Buy

Confirm all 7 recalls were repaired — a dealer checks by VIN, free
Read the 8 complaints reporting a crash
Review the 63 owner complaints on record
Get a pre-purchase inspection
Check vehicle history report
Verify title is clean

Safety record at a glance

Recall campaigns
7
Owner complaints
63
Complaints citing a crash
8

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 We do not publish a composite safety or reliability score.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.

Enter your VIN to check if specific recalls apply to your vehicle.

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.

    Remedy

    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.

    Full campaign record
  • 18V167000high

    Steering issue

    STEERING: STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR

    Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2014-2018 Lincoln MKZ and Ford Fusion vehicles. The steering wheel retaining bolt may loosen allowing the steering wheel to detach while driving.

    Consequence

    A steering wheel detachment can cause a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Remedy

    Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering wheel bolt with a longer bolt, free of charge. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S08.

    Full campaign record
  • 15V618000high

    Fuel system issue

    FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE

    Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2016 Ford Fusion vehicles manufactured September 3, 2015, to September 13, 2015, and 2016 Lincoln MKZ vehicles manufactured September 3, 2015, to September 12, 2015. The affected vehicles have a fuel tank that may have insufficent wall thickness. As a result, the fuel tanks may crack in the event of a crash and thus the vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 301, "Fuel System Integrity."

    Consequence

    A fuel tank that cracks may leak fuel, increasing the risk of a fire.

    Remedy

    Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel tank, free of charge. The recall began on October 19, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15C11.

    Full campaign record
  • 20V177000high

    Latches/locks/linkages · doors · latch

    LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH

    Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2014-2015 Fiesta, 2014-2016 Fusion and Lincoln MKZ vehicles sold, or ever registered in Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Washington, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands. A component within the door latches may break making the doors difficult to latch and/or leading the driver or a passenger to believe a door is securely closed when, in fact, it is not.

    Consequence

    A door that is not securely latched could open while the vehicle is in motion, increasing the risk of injury to a vehicle occupant.

    Remedy

    Ford will notify owners, and Ford or Lincoln dealers will replace the side door latches, free of charge. The recall began September 21, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S15.

    Full campaign record
  • 20E025000high

    Lighting issue

    EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS

    Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain Replacement Headlamps, part number DP5Z-13008-T and DP5Z-13008-V, sold for use with 2013-2016 Lincoln MKZ vehicles. The headlamps may have an improper beam pattern and incorrect horizontal adjustment, the side markers may not illuminate and DOT markings may be missing. As such, these headlamps fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."

    Consequence

    The incorrect headlamps may reduce the driver's visibility or make the vehicle less visible, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Remedy

    Ford will notify vehicle manufacturers, and dealers will inspect the headlamps, and replace the headlamps, as necessary, free of charge. Additionally, Ford will instruct dealers to return all improper headlamps and not to install them on any vehicles. The recall began June 3, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20C10.

    Full campaign record
  • 23V162000high

    Brake system issue

    SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS

    Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2018 Fusion and Lincoln MKZ vehicles. The front brake hoses may rupture and leak brake fluid.

    Consequence

    A brake fluid leak will increase brake pedal travel and extend the distance needed to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Remedy

    Dealers will replace the front brake hoses, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 27, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23S12.

    Full campaign record
  • 23V775000high

    Latches/locks/linkages · doors · latch

    LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH

    Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015 Fiesta, 2016 Fusion, and 2016 Lincoln MKZ vehicles sold, or ever registered in Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Washington, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands. A component inside the door latches may break, which can make it difficult to latch or possibly allow the doors to open while driving.

    Consequence

    Vehicle doors opening unexpectedly while driving can increase the risk of a crash or injury.

    Remedy

    Dealers will inspect the door latch date codes and if necessary, replace all four side door latches, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 20, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S15. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall number 20V-177.

    Full campaign record

NHTSA crash-test ratings

NCAP star ratings and the underlying test breakdown for the 2016 Lincoln MKZ.

  • Frontal crash

    Driver
    5 / 5
    Passenger
    4 / 5
  • Side crash

    Driver
    3 / 5
    Passenger
    5 / 5
    Side pole
    5 / 5
  • Rollover

    Rollover risk
    10.9%
    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 2016 Lincoln MKZ 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 10.9% 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

63 owner reports filed with NHTSA.

63
Total
8
Crashes
0
Fires
6
Injuries

Most reported components

  • BRAKES13
  • OTHER10
  • STEERING10
  • AIR BAGS9
  • ENGINE7

Notable Issues

63 consumer complaints filed with NHTSA. 6 reports involve injuries. 8 reports involve a crash.

Most reported problems

brake problems (soft pedal, noise, failure)13
miscellaneous issues10
steering issues (play, noise, loss of assist)10

Safety timeline

Every dated recall and NHTSA investigation for the 2016 Lincoln MKZ, newest first.

  1. Recall

    Recall 23V775000

    Vehicle doors opening unexpectedly while driving can increase the risk of a crash or injury.

  2. Investigation closed

    NHTSA closed investigation RQ22004

    Front Brake Jounce Hose Failures

  3. Recall

    Recall 23V162000

    A brake fluid leak will increase brake pedal travel and extend the distance needed to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

  4. Investigation opened

    NHTSA opened investigation RQ22004

    Front Brake Jounce Hose Failures

  5. Investigation closed

    NHTSA closed investigation RQ19005

    Door Latch Failures

  6. Investigation opened

    NHTSA opened investigation EA21002

    Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture

  7. Recall

    Recall 20E025000

    The incorrect headlamps may reduce the driver's visibility or make the vehicle less visible, increasing the risk of a crash.

  8. Recall

    Recall 20V177000

    A door that is not securely latched could open while the vehicle is in motion, increasing the risk of injury to a vehicle occupant.

  9. Investigation opened

    NHTSA opened investigation RQ19005

    Door Latch Failures

  10. Recall

    Recall 19V632000

    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.

  11. Recall

    Recall 18V167000

    A steering wheel detachment can cause a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.

  12. Recall

    Recall 15V618000

    A fuel tank that cracks may leak fuel, increasing 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

Safety timeline

Full timeline
  1. Recall

    Recall 23V775000

    Vehicle doors opening unexpectedly while driving can increase the risk of a crash or injury.

  2. Investigation closed

    NHTSA closed investigation RQ22004

    Front Brake Jounce Hose Failures

  3. Recall

    Recall 23V162000

    A brake fluid leak will increase brake pedal travel and extend the distance needed to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

  4. Investigation opened

    NHTSA opened investigation RQ22004

    Front Brake Jounce Hose Failures

  5. Investigation closed

    NHTSA closed investigation RQ19005

    Door Latch Failures