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2016 Lincoln MKZ recalls, complaints and safety ratings

There are 6 US recalls for the 2016 Lincoln MKZ, and 4 in Canada. Owners filed 64 complaints with NHTSA, most often about steering. Its best NHTSA overall crash rating is 5 stars.

6US recalls
0urgent recalls
64owner complaints
5★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 (6)

Latches/locks/linkages: doors, latch

2023-11-17 · campaign 23V775000 · 45,173 vehicles

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.

Risk and remedy

Risk: 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.

Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components, hoses, lines/piping, and fittings

2023-03-10 · campaign 23V162000 · 1,280,726 vehicles

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

Risk and remedy

Risk: 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.

Latches/locks/linkages: doors, latch

2020-03-23 · campaign 20V177000 · 288,110 vehicles

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.

Risk and remedy

Risk: 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.

Steering: electric power assist system

2019-08-29 · campaign 19V632000 · 116,160 vehicles

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.

Risk and remedy

Risk: 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.

Steering: steering wheel/handle bar

2018-03-12 · campaign 18V167000 · 1,301,986 vehicles

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.

Risk and remedy

Risk: 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.

Fuel system, gasoline: storage

2015-10-01 · campaign 15V618000 · 658 vehicles

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."

Risk and remedy

Risk: 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.

Canadian recalls (4)

Show 4 Canadian recalls

Brakes

2023-03-14 · campaign 2023-132

Issue: On certain vehicles, the front brake hoses could fail and cause a progressive brake fluid leak. If this happens, the driver may experience a change in brake pedal feel and travel. This can cause reduced braking. Note: A brake fluid leak would cause the brake warning light to turn on. This recall doesn't affect models with a Hybrid engine. Vehicles repaired under Ford warranty extension program 22N02 already have updated brake hoses, and don't require this repair. Safety Risk: Reduced braking can cause an extended stopping distance and increase the risk of a crash. Corrective Actions: Ford will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealership to replace the front brake hoses.

Steering

2019-08-27 · campaign 2019-431

Issue: On certain vehicles, the bolts that attach the electric power steering assist motor to the steering gear may corrode and break. This could cause a loss of power steering assist. This recall applies to vehicles originally sold or currently registered in areas of heavy road salt usage (Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland & Labrador). Safety Risk: A loss of power steering assist may result in a sudden increase in steering effort, especially at low vehicle speeds. This 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 replace the bolts and apply a wax sealer. If one or more of the bolts are broken or missing, a new steering gear will be installed.

Steering

2018-03-14 · campaign 2018-130

On certain vehicles, the steering wheel bolt torque retention feature may not fully engage into the steering shaft. If the bolt loosens, the steering wheel may appear to be loose, which could affect vehicle control. If a loose bolt is left unrepaired, the steering wheel may detach from the steering column, which could result in a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash causing injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Dealers will replace the steering wheel bolt with a longer bolt.

Fuel system

2015-09-30 · campaign 2015-441 · 28 vehicles

Certain vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 301 – Fuel System Integrity. The affected vehicles may have a fuel tank that was not manufactured to specification and may cause the vehicle to fail to meet the requirements of the standard. Improperly manufactured fuel tanks have thin walls that may crack if the vehicle is involved in a crash, which could result in a fuel leak. Fuel leakage, in the presence of an ignition source, could result in a fire causing injury and/or property damage. Correction: Dealers will replace the fuel tank.

Owner complaints (64)

Owners filed 64 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 Lincoln MKZ (8 crashes, 6 injuries reported). Among 14 model years of this model, it ranks #11 for the most complaints (median 114).

Most-reported problemComplaints
Steering12
Electrical system11
Service brakes10
Air bags9
Engine6
Unknown or other6
Back over prevention5
Service brakes, hydraulic4

Crash test ratings

NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings for the 2016 Lincoln MKZ.

VersionOverallFrontalSideRollover
2016 Lincoln MKZ 4 DR AWD5★5★4★4★
2016 Lincoln MKZ 4 DR FWD5★5★4★4★

Fuel economy

EPA ratings for each 2016 Lincoln MKZ version.

VersionCity MPGHighway MPGCombinedYearly fuel cost
MKZ AWD 2.0 L Automatic (S6)223125$2,700
MKZ AWD 3.7 L Automatic (S6)172420$3,350
MKZ FWD 2.0 L Automatic (S6)223326$2,600
MKZ FWD 3.7 L Automatic (S6)182721$3,200
MKZ Hybrid FWD 2.0 L Automatic (variable gear ratios)413940$1,700
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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.