2019 Lincoln Mkz: what breaks, and at what mileage
What breaks on the 2019 Lincoln Mkz
On the 2019 Lincoln Mkz, the failure owners report most often is other engine problem, with 3 reports on file. Across every failure mode on this year, half the dated reports were filed before 40,000 miles. Overall it scores 73 out of 100, high risk for a 2019.
High risk for a 2019 — 178th riskiest of the 245 2019 vehicles we can rate. 22 owner reports; fleet size estimated from this year's own recall paperwork.
What owners report breaking
Owners have reported 15 named failure modes on the 2019 Lincoln Mkz, and the three most-reported carry 41% of everything filed.
Other engine problem leads with 3 reports and about 1.0 per 1,000 vehicles.
Other electrical problem follows with 3 reports.
Other driver assistance problem follows with 3 reports.
By system, the reports fall mostly into engine (5), adas (4) and electrical (3).
The mileage the reports cluster at
Too few of the reports on this year carry an odometer reading to describe the timing: 2 of them do. The mileages quoted elsewhere on this page come from the modes that have enough of them.
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
Showing the 12 most-reported failure modes of 15. The full list is in the table below.
How reports accumulate
Every report with an odometer reading, cumulative, from 0 to 200,000 miles. A curve that climbs early is a car with early problems, whatever its total.
- Line share of reports filed by that mileage
What happens when these parts fail
Across the named modes, 3 mention a crash and 1 an injury. Those are the words owners used in their own complaints, and NHTSA does not verify them, but they are the closest thing in this data to a measure of what a failure actually did.
The average severity weight across every report on this year is 4.95, where a stalled engine or a failed airbag weighs many times more than a rattling trim panel, and a figure this high means the reports are dominated by failures with safety consequences rather than annoyances. The weighting is set out in full on the methodology page.
What the top failures cost to put right, as editorial estimates for an independent US shop rather than figures from NHTSA: other engine problem at $300–$4,000, other electrical problem at $250–$2,000, other driver assistance problem at $250–$1,800 and misfire or rough idle at $250–$1,600. Dealer labour, a seized bolt or a part that is no longer made can push any of these past the top of its range.
27% of the reports on this year sit in the engine, transmission, drivetrain or cooling systems — the four where a repair bill is usually four figures.
Every reported failure mode
| Failure mode | System | Reports | With reading | 25th | Median | 75th | Per 1,000 | Typical repair | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other engine problem | engine | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 1.0 | $300–$4,000 | High |
| Other electrical problem | electrical | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 1.0 | $250–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Other driver assistance problem | adas | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 1.0 | $250–$1,800 | High |
| Misfire or rough idle | engine | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.3 | $250–$1,600 | Moderate |
| Engine knock or bearing noise | engine | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.3 | $2,500–$9,000 | High |
| Fuel pump failure | fuel | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.3 | $600–$2,600 | High |
| Instrument cluster or gauge failure | infotainment | 1 | 1 | — | 176 | — | 0.3 | $350–$1,400 | Moderate |
| Loss of braking | brakes | 1 | 1 | — | 84k | — | 0.3 | $400–$3,000 | Critical |
| Steering column or shaft failure | steering | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.3 | $600–$2,500 | Critical |
| Sunroof failure or glass breakage | body | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.3 | $700–$4,500 | High |
| Wiper or washer failure | glass | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.3 | $120–$800 | Moderate |
| Other powertrain problem | transmission | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.3 | $400–$4,500 | High |
| Other brake problem | brakes | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.3 | $300–$1,800 | High |
| Other lighting problem | lighting | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.3 | $120–$1,200 | Moderate |
| Other speed control problem | adas | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.3 | $250–$2,000 | Critical |
| Unclassified problem | other | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.3 | — | Moderate |
Rate per 1,000 uses a fleet-size estimate derived from recall paperwork for this exact model year. It is a lower bound. Repair costs are typical independent-shop ranges for the failure, not figures from these reports.
How often, against how many were built
Scaled by an estimate of how many of these cars exist, the 2019 Lincoln Mkz draws about 7.0 per 1,000 vehicles, which puts it in the 87th percentile of complaint rates among 2019 vehicles we can rate.
That denominator is the weakest number on the page and it is fair to say so plainly. Rate per 1,000 uses a fleet-size estimate derived from recall paperwork for this exact model year. It is a lower bound.
The working figure is 3,128 vehicles. If the true number is twice that, every rate on this page is half what it says; the ranking against other 2019 vehicles, which is what the risk score uses, is far more robust than the rate itself.
Recalls on the 2019 model year
NHTSA has issued 1 recall campaign covering the 2019 Lincoln Mkz, affecting an estimated 3,128 vehicles. A recall is a different kind of evidence from a complaint: it is the regulator and the manufacturer agreeing that something has to be fixed, and the fix is free for as long as the car exists.
The campaigns cover back over prevention:software. Whether the work was actually done on the car in front of you is a question only the VIN can answer, and the manufacturer or NHTSA will answer it free.
One caution about reading these together: a recall usually raises the complaint count for the same part, because owners who read about it go and file. The mileages stay informative; the counts get noisy.
BACK OVER PREVENTION:SOFTWARE
200,237 vehicles 2025-06-27- Defect
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2022 Transit Connect, 2019-2020 MKZ, MKX, Edge, Continental, F-150, Nautilus, Fusion, 2019-2023 Ranger, Mustang, 2020-2021 EcoSport, Expedition, Navigator, 2020-2022 Escape, F-250 SD, Corsair, 2020-2023 Aviator, Transit, 2020-2024 Explorer, 2021-2024 Bronco Sport, and 2022-2024 Maverick vehicles. A software error may cause the rearview camera to display a blank image, or the image may remain on the display after the backing event has ended.
- Consequence
- A rearview camera that displays a blank image can reduce the driver's view behind the vehicle. A rearview image that continues to be displayed after the vehicle is shifted out of reverse may distract the driver. Both of these situations can increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will update the rearview camera software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 4, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S72.
Recall work is free at a franchised dealer regardless of the car's age. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before assuming it was done.
How it ranks in the 2019 field
The score at the top of the page, placed among its peers. The zones are the same thresholds the scorer applies, read out of the scorer itself, so the picture and the band word cannot disagree.
Scores are ranked within the model year, never across years, because an older car has had longer to accumulate reports.
- Left fewer and less serious reports
- Right more, or worse
- Marker this vehicle
Where 2019 sits in the model line
High risk for a 2019 — 178th riskiest of the 245 2019 vehicles we can rate. Every score on this site is a rank inside its own model year, which is what makes a 2004 and a 2019 comparable at all.
Across the 13 model years of this car that carry enough reports to score, 2018 comes out best at 64 and 2019 worst at 73, with 2019 itself at 73.
If the model year is negotiable, 2018, 2007, 2008, 2014, 2015, 2012 and 2013 score lower than 2019 by a margin worth acting on. Same body, same engines, different luck — usually a supplier change or a mid-cycle fix, which the complaint data can show but never explain.
Within the 2017–2020 generation specifically, 2018 is the strongest year at 64 and 2019 the weakest at 73.
Scores compare each year against other cars of the same model year, so a low number on an older car is a real result and not an artefact of age.
Shorter is better. Years with too few reports to score are shown without a bar rather than as a zero, because no data is not good news.
Within the 2017-2020 generation, 2018 Lincoln Mkz scores best at 64 and 2019 Lincoln Mkz worst at 73.
The limits of complaint data
22 owner reports; fleet size estimated from this year's own recall paperwork. Every count on this page is therefore a floor: it is the number of owners who went to the trouble of filing with a federal agency, which is a small and self-selected fraction of the owners who had the fault.
Of those 22 reports, 2 carried an odometer reading, so the mileages here describe 9% of the sample rather than all of it. Owners also round: readings pile up on multiples of ten thousand, which is why this site publishes "about 90,000 miles" and not "91,438".
The failure modes are assigned by software reading the owner's own words, which is accurate in bulk and wrong in individual cases. A mode with a handful of reports may contain a misfiled one.
And nothing here predicts what one car will do. These are other people's complaints, filed years apart, on cars maintained by strangers. Read the page as a map of where this model year has previously gone wrong, then have the specific car in front of you inspected.
Questions this page answers
What are the most common problems with the 2019 Lincoln Mkz?
The most-reported failures are other engine problem (3 reports), other electrical problem (3 reports) and other driver assistance problem (3 reports). Counts come from owner complaints filed with NHTSA, which are voluntary, so they show what owners bothered to report rather than every fault that occurred.
Is the 2019 Lincoln Mkz reliable?
It scores 73 out of 100 on our risk index, which is high — 178th riskiest of the 245 2019 vehicles we can rate. The score is a comparison against other 2019 vehicles, not a prediction about any individual car, and it is built from complaint rates, severity and how early failures appear.
Which year of the Lincoln Mkz is best?
Within the 2017–2020 generation, 2018 scores best at 64 out of 100 and 2019 worst at 73. Same body, same engines, different luck.
Where this comes from. Every figure above is computed from NHTSA owner complaints and recall records for this exact make, model and year. Complaints are voluntary and self-selected, so treat counts as a floor. The methodology page writes out each formula, and the same numbers are available as JSON.
What breaks at my mileage Compare with another car
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed