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2010 Lincoln MKZ recalls, complaints and safety ratings

There are 7 US recalls for the 2010 Lincoln MKZ, including 3 urgent (do not drive or park outside), and 6 in Canada. Owners filed 170 complaints with NHTSA, most often about air bags.

7US recalls
3urgent recalls
170owner complaints
–overall crash rating

Is your car affected?

Check by VIN to confirm the exact model and see every recall for it.

Recalls are issued for a make, model and model year. Whether the repair has already been done on one specific car is known only to its manufacturer and dealers. Check your vehicle's official status at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a dealer.

US recalls (7)

Do not drive

Air bags: frontal, passenger side

2019-01-07 · campaign 19V001000 · 782,384 vehicles

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2014 Ford Mustang vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Additionally, Ford is recalling certain 2011 Ford Ranger and Mercury Milan vehicles, 2011-2012 Ford Fusion and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles and 2011-2014 Ford Mustang vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." Ford is also recalling certain 2010 Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX vehicles, 2010-2011 Ford Ranger and Mercury Milan vehicles, 2010-2012 Ford Fusion and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles, and 2010-2014 Ford Mustang vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of AK, CO, CT, ID, IA, ME, MA, MI, MN, MT, NH, NY, ND, OR, RI, SD, UT, VT, WA, WI, and WY or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, used as original equipment or replacement equipment (such as after a vehicle crash necessitating replacement of the original air bags), that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.

Risk and remedy

Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began February 13, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall 19S01.

Do not drive

Air bags: frontal, passenger side

2018-01-11 · campaign 18V046000 · 327,796 vehicles

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013 Ford Mustang vehicles sold, or ever registered in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Additionally, Ford is recalling certain 2010 Ford Edge, Fusion, Mustang and Ranger, Lincoln MKX and Zephyr/MKZ, and Mercury Milan vehicles ever registered in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." Ford is also recalling certain 2009 Ford Edge, Fusion, Mustang and Ranger, Lincoln MKX and Zephyr/MKZ, and Mercury Milan vehicles ever registered in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, used as original equipment or replacement equipment (such as after a vehicle crash necessitating replacement of the original air bags), that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.

Risk and remedy

Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S01.

Do not drive

Air bags: frontal, passenger side

2016-05-31 · campaign 16V384000 · 1,892,343 vehicles

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2007-2011 Ford Ranger vehicles, 2006-2011 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles, 2007-2010 Ford Edge, Lincoln MKX vehicles, 2005-2006 Ford GT vehicles, and 2005-2011 Ford Mustang vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Ford is recalling certain model year 2007-2008 Ford Ranger, Edge and Lincoln MKX vehicles, 2006-2008 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles, 2005-2006 Ford GT vehicles and 2005-2008 Ford Mustang vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Any vehicle not included in "Zone A", or "Zone B" is not included in the safety recall. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

Risk and remedy

Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. Ford mailed interim letters informing owners that parts are not yet available on July 15, 2016. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S01.

Air bags: frontal, driver side

2021-03-10 · campaign 21V158000 · 2,602,668 vehicles

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2007-2011 Ranger, 2006-2012 Fusion, Lincoln Zephyr, Lincoln MKZ, 2006-2011 Mercury Milan, 2007-2010 Ford Edge, and Lincoln MKX vehicles. The driver's side air bag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.

Risk and remedy

Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver-side airbag inflator or module with an alternate one, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on April 9, 2021 for the passenger side, and November 14, 2022 for the driver side. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S12.

Air bags: frontal, passenger side

2021-02-16 · campaign 21V081000 · 1,067 vehicles

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2005-2014 Mustang, 2004-2011 Ranger, 2009-2011 Mercury Milan, 2006 Ford GT, 2008-2012 Fusion, 2007-2010 Edge and Lincoln MKX, and 2009-2010 Lincoln MKZ vehicles. These vehicles may be equipped with a driver or passenger frontal air bag inflator used as a replacement service part, that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.

Risk and remedy

Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the frontal air bag, an inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the driver and passenger air bag module, and replace either the module or the inflator, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 17, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S05.

Service brakes, hydraulic: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip, control unit/module

2019-12-18 · campaign 19V904000 · 600,166 vehicles

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2006-2010 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan, Lincoln Zephyr and MKZ vehicles. The valves within the ABS Hydraulic Control Units (HCU) may react with brake fluids containing specific corrosion preventative additives. This reaction may cause the valves to not close properly.

Risk and remedy

Risk: If the valves do not properly close, additional brake pedal travel may be required to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will flush the brake system with DOT 4 fluid and install a new brake fluid reservoir cap. In addition, the HCU will be tested to detect a possible stuck valve condition, replacing the HCU as necessary. All services will be performed free of charge. The recall began April 1, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S54.

Air bags: frontal, passenger side

2018-11-01 · campaign 18V775000 · 215 vehicles

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2010 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and 2010-2012 Lincoln MKZ vehicles that previously received a replacement passenger air bag under recall 16V-384, 17V-024 or 18V-046. In the event of a crash requiring deployment of the passenger air bag, the bracket that secures the air bag inflator to the module housing may deform, allowing the gas that inflates the air bag to leak out.

Risk and remedy

Risk: If the air bag does not inflate as intended, there is an increased risk of injury in the event of a crash.

Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger air bag module, free of charge. The recall began November 21, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S34.

Canadian recalls (6)

Show 6 Canadian recalls

Airbag

2021-02-19 · campaign 2021-077

Issue: This recall is for certain vehicles that had the driver-front and/or passenger-front airbag inflator replaced after a collision or theft. An obsolete airbag may have been installed. On certain vehicles, long-term exposure to high absolute humidity and temperature, combined with high temperature cycling, may eventually degrade the propellant contained in the driver-front airbag. This could cause the airbag to deploy with more force than normal. If the airbag inflator ruptures, fragments could be propelled toward vehicle occupants or cause damage to the airbag assembly, preventing its proper function. Safety Risk: If the vehicle is involved in a crash requiring an airbag deployment, the airbag inflator could rupture and create a risk of injury. Corrective Action: The company will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a Ford dealer to inspect the driver and/or passenger airbag inflator or module and replace it, if necessary. Note: The Canadian climate results in the propellant degrading slowly. This recall is being conducted as a precaution to address future risk. It is expected that all airbag inflators will be replaced before their function would be affected.

Airbag

2021-01-27 · campaign 2021-029

Issue: On certain vehicles, long-term exposure to high absolute humidity and temperature, combined with high temperature cycling, may eventually degrade the propellant contained in the driver-front airbag. This could cause the airbag to deploy with more force than normal. If the airbag inflator ruptures, fragments could be propelled toward vehicle occupants or cause damage to the airbag assembly, preventing its proper function. Safety Risk: If the vehicle is involved in a crash requiring an airbag deployment, the airbag inflator could rupture and create a risk of injury. Corrective Action: Ford will notify owners by mail. The corrective actions for this recall are under development. Note: The Canadian climate results in the propellant degrading slowly. This recall is being conducted as a precaution to address future risk. It is expected that all airbag inflators will be replaced before their function would be affected.

Brakes

2019-12-20 · campaign 2019-665

Issue: On certain cars, a problem with the hydraulic control unit for the anti-lock brake system (ABS) could cause increased brake pedal travel. Safety Risk: Increased brake pedal travel could increase the risk of a crash. Corrective Actions: The company will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a Ford or Lincoln dealer to inspect the ABS module assembly. The system will be flushed with DOT 4 brake fluid, and if necessary, the hydraulic control unit will be replaced. Dealers will also replace the DOT 3 reservoir cap with a new DOT 4 cap.

Airbag

2019-01-08 · campaign 2019-005

Issue: On certain vehicles, long-term exposure to high absolute humidity and temperature, combined with high temperature cycling, may eventually degrade the propellant contained in the passenger-front airbag. This could cause the airbag to deploy with more force than normal. If the airbag inflator ruptures, fragments could be propelled toward vehicle occupants or cause damage to the airbag assembly, preventing its proper function. Safety Risk: If the vehicle is involved in a crash requiring an airbag deployment, the airbag inflator could rupture and create a risk of injury. Corrective Actions: Owners will be notified by mail and instructed to take their vehicle to a dealer to have the passenger-front airbag inflator replaced. Note: The Canadian climate results in the propellant degrading slowly. This recall is being conducted as a precaution to address future risk. It is expected that all airbag inflators will be replaced before their function would be affected. Additional note: This recall supersedes recalls 2016-347 (Ford Safety Improvement Program 16S26), 2017-024 (Ford Recall 17S01) and 2018-035 (Ford Recall 18S01). Vehicles repaired under the previous recalls do not require repair under this recall.

Airbag

2016-07-06 · campaign 2016-347

Ford Canada is conducting a voluntary Safety Improvement Program involving passenger airbag inflators in certain vehicles that were originally sold or ever registered in certain high humidity areas of the United States equipped with Takata airbags. Ford will replace the driver or passenger inflator on affected vehicles, depending on the vehicle involved. Owners who believe their vehicles may have been originally purchased or registered in the states of New Jersey, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, North Carolina, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, California, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Florida, Hawaii, Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands should contact a Ford dealer. This action is not being conducted under the requirements of the Motor Vehicle Safety Act. Note: This Safety Improvement Program is superseded by recall 2019005 (Ford Recall 19S01). Please see <a href="http://wwwapps.tc.gc.ca/Saf-Sec-Sur/7/VRDB-BDRV/search-recherche/detail.aspx?lang=eng&&rn=2019005">recall 2019005</a> for more information.

Accessories

2014-05-28 · campaign 2014-195

A safety defect may exist in Ford aftermarket all-weather floor mats sold as accessories or service replacement parts for 2006-2011 Ford Fusion, Lincoln Zephyr, and Lincoln MKZ vehicles. The floor mats are secured by a single retention device, which could allow the driver's floor mat to move out of position and interfere with the accelerator pedal.  If this occurs, the accelerator pedal could fail to return to idle.  This could result in a crash causing injury and/or property damage.  Correction: Dealers will replace Ford aftermarket all-weather floor mats with an updated design having two retention devices.

Owner complaints (170)

Owners filed 170 complaints with NHTSA about the 2010 Lincoln MKZ (14 crashes, 10 injuries reported). Among 14 model years of this model, it ranks #3 for the most complaints (median 114).

Most-reported problemComplaints
Air bags96
Service brakes26
Service brakes, hydraulic12
Exterior lighting11
Vehicle speed control10
Electrical system10
Engine5
Power train4

Crash test ratings

NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings for the 2010 Lincoln MKZ.

VersionOverallFrontalSideRollover
2010 Lincoln MKZ 4-DR. w/SAB–––5★

Fuel economy

EPA ratings for each 2010 Lincoln MKZ version.

VersionCity MPGHighway MPGCombinedYearly fuel cost
MKZ AWD 3.5 L Automatic (S6)172419$3,550
MKZ FWD 3.5 L Automatic (S6)182721$3,200
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Sources: NHTSA recalls, complaints and 5-Star Safety Ratings, US EPA fuel economy and Transport Canada's Vehicle Recalls Database (contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada). Recalls updated 2026-10-30.