2006 Lincoln Navigator: what breaks, and at what mileage
What breaks on the 2006 Lincoln Navigator
On the 2006 Lincoln Navigator, the failure owners report most often is other engine problem, and the reports cluster around 60,000 miles. Across every failure mode on this year, half the dated reports were filed before 67,500 miles. Overall it scores 70 out of 100, high risk for a 2006.
High risk for a 2006 — 123rd riskiest of the 343 2006 vehicles we can rate. 90 owner reports; fleet size estimated from this year's own recall paperwork.
What breaks on the 2006 Lincoln Navigator
Owners have reported 28 named failure modes on the 2006 Lincoln Navigator, and the three most-reported carry 31% of everything filed, which is an unusually even spread for one model year.
Other engine problem leads with 13 reports, about 0.9 per 1,000 vehicles and with the middle half of reports between 48k to 75,000 miles.
Other suspension problem follows with 10 reports, usually reported between 45k to 100,000 miles.
Misfire or rough idle follows with 5 reports, median 95,000 miles.
By system, the reports fall mostly into engine (18), suspension (14) and electrical (8).
When these failures get reported
82 of the reports on the 2006 Lincoln Navigator came with an odometer reading, and half of those were filed before 67,500 miles.
Cumulatively, 39% by 50,000 miles, 72% by 100,000 miles and 95% by 150,000 miles of the dated reports had been filed.
The busiest stretch is between 0 and 10,000 miles, which alone holds 13% of the dated reports.
30% of the dated reports were filed below 36,000 miles.
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 28. 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
- Dashed the median reported mileage
Severity, and what it costs
Across the named modes, 6 mention a crash, 5 a fire and 6 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 5.00, 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 suspension problem at $350–$2,000, misfire or rough idle at $250–$1,600 and overheating at $400–$3,500. Dealer labour, a seized bolt or a part that is no longer made can push any of these past the top of its range.
31% 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 | 13 | 11 | 48k | 60k | 77k | 0.9 | $300–$4,000 | High |
| Other suspension problem | suspension | 10 | 9 | 45k | 90k | 100k | 0.7 | $350–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Misfire or rough idle | engine | 5 | 5 | — | 96k | — | 0.4 | $250–$1,600 | Moderate |
| Overheating | cooling | 5 | 5 | — | 123 | — | 0.4 | $400–$3,500 | High |
| Loss of braking | brakes | 5 | 5 | — | 68k | — | 0.4 | $400–$3,000 | Critical |
| Other wheel or tire problem | wheels | 5 | 5 | — | 14k | — | 0.4 | $200–$1,500 | High |
| Air suspension failure | suspension | 4 | 4 | — | 10k | — | 0.3 | $900–$4,500 | High |
| Other powertrain problem | transmission | 4 | 4 | — | 6k | — | 0.3 | $400–$4,500 | High |
| Other electrical problem | electrical | 4 | 4 | — | 96k | — | 0.3 | $250–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Fuel gauge or level sensor failure | fuel | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.2 | $300–$1,200 | Moderate |
| Other speed control problem | adas | 3 | 3 | — | 57k | — | 0.2 | $250–$2,000 | Critical |
| Alternator or charging system failure | electrical | 2 | 2 | — | 48k | — | 0.1 | $450–$1,600 | High |
| Steering column or shaft failure | steering | 2 | 2 | — | 124k | — | 0.1 | $600–$2,500 | Critical |
| Other fuel system problem | fuel | 2 | 2 | — | 96k | — | 0.1 | $300–$2,200 | High |
| Other steering problem | steering | 2 | 2 | — | 46k | — | 0.1 | $350–$2,400 | High |
| Other driver assistance problem | adas | 2 | 2 | — | 67k | — | 0.1 | $250–$1,800 | High |
| Other body or interior problem | body | 2 | 2 | — | 123k | — | 0.1 | $200–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Radiator or coolant leak | cooling | 1 | 1 | — | 177k | — | 0.1 | $350–$1,900 | High |
| Fuel pump failure | fuel | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $600–$2,600 | High |
| Fuel leak or fuel odor | fuel | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $300–$2,500 | Critical |
| Wiring harness or short circuit | electrical | 1 | 1 | — | 95k | — | 0.1 | $400–$3,500 | High |
| Control module (ECM/PCM/BCM) failure | electrical | 1 | 1 | — | 133k | — | 0.1 | $700–$3,000 | High |
| ABS module or sensor failure | brakes | 1 | 1 | — | 150 | — | 0.1 | $500–$2,400 | High |
| Airbag inflator rupture | airbag | 1 | 1 | — | 50 | — | 0.1 | $0–$0 | Critical |
| Loss of power steering | steering | 1 | 1 | — | 79k | — | 0.1 | $600–$2,800 | Critical |
| Tire pressure monitor failure | wheels | 1 | 1 | — | 13k | — | 0.1 | $80–$600 | Low |
| Rust or structural corrosion | body | 1 | 1 | — | 95k | — | 0.1 | $500–$6,000 | High |
| Catalytic converter failure | emissions | 1 | 1 | — | 120k | — | 0.1 | $900–$3,500 | Moderate |
| Unclassified problem | other | 6 | 6 | — | 96k | — | 0.4 | — | 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 2006 Lincoln Navigator draws about 6.3 per 1,000 vehicles, which puts it in the 84th percentile of complaint rates among 2006 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 14,281 vehicles. If the true number is twice that, every rate on this page is half what it says; the ranking against other 2006 vehicles, which is what the risk score uses, is far more robust than the rate itself.
What owners wrote
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The odometer reading is the one the owner gave.
Other engine problem
Tl*the contact owns a 2006 lincoln navigator. While driving 50 MPH, the vehicle crashed into the rear of another vehicle. The air bags deployed and flames were noticed under the hood. The vehicle exploded five times. The fire department extinguished the fire and the vehicle was towed. A police report was filed. The cause of the fire was undetermined. The driver of the other vehicle sustained injuries to her face. The current and failure mileages were 32,000.
1: 10/19/08 I was driving 70+MPH and all of sudden car gives an engine failure/safe mode signal which locked wheel, not allowing acceleration. Once able to get to side of the road, I had to try at least 2 times until finally car turned on. It was towed and dealership could not find any problems. 2: 11/16/07 started car drove about 2-3 miles and then when I had to restart the car, it did not come on. It was towed and battery was replaced 3: 7/16/08 turned on car, drove for almost 2miles, stopped at a light and when I had to accelerate, the car gave me a engine failure/safe mode signal. Dealership could not find anything wrong with it. *tr
Other suspension problem
I am having continuous problems with my 2006 lincoln navigator. For a vehicle of this quality, I never dream of so many problem. I had my suspension system fix last year at the dealer. 1 year has pass now it is gone out again. I had my catalyst converter fix at the dealer about 2 years ago. 1 year later they are gone out again. Now I am riding around with a bouncing navigator and a sluggist running navigator with plenty of fumes. I just don't have the funds for continuous repairs for the same service. Do the mechanics know what they are doing? I am really frustrated with this vehicle and the service I have received. Bouncing around in a 40,000 + vehicle is embarrassing. Please help. I have to bum a ride at time. I have to travel , a lot and rent a car. This is getting old and expensive. The dealer want fix it because they say it is out of warranty, eventhough I have paid to have it fixed before. This is not costumer service. Help! *tr
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 lincoln navigator. While driving approximately 10 MPH, the contact applied pressure to the accelerator pedal and the vehicle exhibited an abnormal cranking noise from the front end. The contact stated that the failure would also occur when applying the brakes and when driving at low speeds. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the technician was unable to diagnose the failure. The manufacturer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 36,000.
Misfire or rough idle
Tl*the contact owns a 2006 lincoln navigator. During routine maintenance and a tune-up, he received a call from the mechanic stating that they broke part of the spark plug into the engine cylinder while trying to change them. The dealer would not assume liability for the repair. The necessary repairs were performed on the vehicle at the owner's expense. On a separate occasion, while driving at speeds of less than 35 MPH the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where they found the fuel pump computer module failed. The vehicle was repaired at the owner's expense. The failure mileage was 96,000 and the current mileage was 100,000. Updated 11/22/10 *bf updated 11/23/10
Tl*the contact owns a 2006 lincoln navigator. During routine maintenance and a tune-up, he received a call from the mechanic stating that they broke part of the spark plug into the engine cylinder while trying to change them. The dealer would not assume liability for the repair. The necessary repairs were performed on the vehicle at the owner's expense. On a separate occasion, while driving at speeds of less than 35 MPH the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where they found the fuel pump computer module failed. The vehicle was repaired at the owner's expense. The failure mileage was 96,000 and the current mileage was 100,000. Updated 11/22/10 *bf updated 11/23/10
Recalls on the 2006 model year
NHTSA has issued 3 recall campaigns covering the 2006 Lincoln Navigator, affecting an estimated 19,600 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 visibility:windshield wiper/washer:motor, power train:automatic transmission and tires:tread/belt. 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.
VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:MOTOR
199,942 vehicles 2005-11-09- Defect
- On certain trucks, passenger cars and sport utility vehicles, the windshield wiper motor may have been produced without grease being applied to the output shaft gear.
- Consequence
- After a period of continuous use on the high speed setting, lack of grease on the output shaft gear may cause the gear to distort or fracture during operation resulting in a loss of wiper function. Inoperative wipers under inclement weather conditions could cause a crash due to impaired visibility.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the wiper motor for the presence of grease and grease the wiper motor gears if necessary. The recall began on november 22, 2005. Owners may contact ford at 1-800-392-3673 or lincoln/mercury at 1-800-521-4140.
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
289 vehicles 2005-11-09- Defect
- Certain passenger vehicles may have been built with an incorrectly manufactured automatic transmission parking pawl guide plate.
- Consequence
- This could cause the parking lock system not to engage, after the transmission is placed in the park ("p") position. If the vehicle was parked on an incline, and the parking brake was not engaged, this could result in a vehicle rollaway condition.
- Remedy
- Dealers will repair and replace the automatic transmission guide plate. The recall began on november 18, 2005. Owners may contact lincoln at 1-800-248-0186.
TIRES:TREAD/BELT
10,061 vehicles 2005-07-06- Defect
- On certain sport utility vehicles, the front and rear tires on the driver's side of affected vehicles may have been damaged at the center tread during production.
- Consequence
- Over time, the damage may be sufficient to allow belt corrosion ultimately leading to a tread separation, which could result in a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect all four tires (to ensure inspection of the left hand side tires that may have been rotated to the other side of the vehicle) for tire tread damage and, if necessary, replace the damaged tire. The recall began on july 13, 2005. Owners may contact ford at 1-800-392-3673.
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 2006 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
Better and worse years of the same car
High risk for a 2006 — 123rd riskiest of the 343 2006 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 25 model years of this car that carry enough reports to score, 2008 comes out best at 59 and 2019 worst at 74, with 2006 itself at 70.
If the model year is negotiable, 2008, 2002, 2025, 2014, 2004, 2000, 1999, 2016, 2022, 2005, 2010, 1998, 2024, 2015, 2001, 2007, 2017 and 2013 score lower than 2006 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 2006–2009 generation specifically, 2008 is the strongest year at 59 and 2006 the weakest at 70.
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 2006-2009 generation, 2008 Lincoln Navigator scores best at 59 and 2006 Lincoln Navigator worst at 70.
Where to spend the inspection money
The mileages below are where the first quarter of reports for each mode had already been filed, which makes them the point at which a fault is worth looking for rather than the point at which it happens: other suspension problem from about 45k and other engine problem from about 48k.
On a 2006 Lincoln Navigator with more miles than that on it, the useful question to put to a seller or a mechanic is whether other suspension problem has been dealt with, and if so with what parts and at whose expense. A car that has already had the repair is in a different position from one that has not.
Treat it as where to point the inspection, not as a prediction. A well-maintained example can sail past every mileage on this page, and a neglected one can fail well before the first of them.
Where these figures stop being useful
90 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 90 reports, 82 carried an odometer reading, so the mileages here describe 91% 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 2006 Lincoln Navigator?
The most-reported failures are other engine problem (13 reports, median 60,000 miles), other suspension problem (10 reports, median 90,000 miles) and misfire or rough idle (5 reports, median 95,000 miles). 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.
At what mileage do 2006 Lincoln Navigator problems start?
Other engine problem is the earliest failure mode to show up, with a median reported mileage of 60,000 miles and a quarter of reports before 50,000 miles. Across all failure modes on this year, the median report sits at 67,500 miles.
Is the 2006 Lincoln Navigator reliable?
It scores 70 out of 100 on our risk index, which is high — 123rd riskiest of the 343 2006 vehicles we can rate. The score is a comparison against other 2006 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 Navigator is best?
Within the 2006–2009 generation, 2008 scores best at 59 out of 100 and 2006 worst at 70. 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