MODELYEARINDEX

Which Lincoln MKX years to avoid

Across 9 scored model years, the 2016 model year carries the highest severity-weighted complaint rates.

Ownership label · Lincoln MKX Full report
F
Grade 2010–2018
2016 vs model median 4.0×
Model median3× median
Engine 25
Electrical 13
Fuel System 10
Avoid

2016

Best

2010 · 2015

Year by year

Severity-weighted complaints filed in each model year’s first 60 months on the road, so every year is measured over an identical window.

Year Complaint volume vs median Reports Grade
2010
0.46× 15 B
2011
1.04× 29 C
2012
1.10× 27 B
2013
1.58× 40 C
2014
0.97× 22 B
2015
0.52× 16 B
2016
3.98× 93 F
2017
1.00× 32 C
2018
0.65× 15 B

What owners report

The component groups most often named, with one representative report. These are unverified — allegations, not findings.

2013 C 40 reports · median 11,215 mi

  1. Electrical 14

    While driving the highway to my home, the blind spot and cross traffic sensors faulted. The warning messages came on and I took the car in for service to the dealership. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Body & Interior 5

    When the door is closed, the door ajar light stays on and the doors never lock while driving. Also the door can be closed and the door ajar light will not be on but at any moment the door ajar light will come on causing… owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Engine 3

    The contact owns a 2013 lincoln mkx. The contact stated while attempting to decelerate for a traffic light, the engine stalled without warning. After restarting, the vehicle resumed normally. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

1 crash · 1 fire

2016 F 93 reports · median 7,201 mi

  1. Engine 25

    I was driving on city street when all of sudden I had no gas power the engine started reeving up on high. I was able to pull over to the side of the street. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Electrical 13

    Sync 3 navigation unit faulted out freezing some of the controls on the center stack. Phone functions (including 911 assist became inoperative. Has happened several times with varying degrees of severity. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Fuel System 10

    May 19 2016 I experienced the inability to accelerate. Turned off the car and retried. I went about a half mile when it happened again. The service said it was the throttle body. After 27 days I got my car back.. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

3 crash · 3 fire · 2 injuries

The best year for the MKX

Ranked by overall score among years with a full 60 months on the road.

2015 is the best-scoring MKX model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 83.7 out of 100 — a score that combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations. On complaint rate alone the lowest is 2010 at 0.46× this model’s median, against 0.52× for 2015.

Yearvs medianReportsGrade
2015 0.52× 16 B
2010 0.46× 15 B
2014 0.97× 22 B

Recalls

20 campaigns on record, 3 carrying a Park It or Park Outside warning.

Campaign Component Model years Units affected
21V158000 AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE 2010 2,602,668
16V384000 Park it AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE 2010 1,892,343
19V001000 Park it AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE 2010 782,384
25V544000 SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS 2016–2018 499,129
20V469000 SERVICE BRAKES 2016–2018 488,594
18V046000 Park it AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE 2010 327,796
19V632000 STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM 2016 116,160
15V712000 FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY 2010 110,636
14V393000 POWER TRAIN:AXLE ASSEMBLY:AXLE SHAFT 2012–2014 83,250
19V809000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY:CABLES 2016, 2017 54,411
17V123000 AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE 2016, 2017 27,531
20V414000 SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:POWER ADJUST 2016–2018 19,299

+ 8 further campaigns

How long do they last?

Complaint records show when problems get reported, not how long a car survives. Where owners gave an odometer reading, faults on the 2016 were reported at a median of 7,201 miles. Treat that as the point problems start being noticed, not a lifespan.

Common questions

Answered directly from this model’s record.

Which Lincoln MKX years should you avoid?
2016 carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates of any Lincoln MKX model year measured over an identical 60-month window.
What is the best year for the Lincoln MKX?
2015 is the best-scoring Lincoln MKX model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 83.7 out of 100. The score combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.
How many recalls does the Lincoln MKX have?
20 distinct recall campaigns are on record across all scored Lincoln MKX model years. A recall is a matter of record: the manufacturer filed a defect report with NHTSA.

How this was calculated

Every model year is scored over an identical window: complaints filed with NHTSA during the first 60 months after that model year went on sale. Without this, older cars look worse purely because they have had longer to accumulate reports.

Limitations. Complaints are unverified reports submitted voluntarily by owners; they are allegations, not findings, and reporting rates vary between models. Model years with fewer than 60 months on the road are marked provisional and excluded from verdicts. Cross-model comparison is withheld pending production-volume data.

Full methodology · Sources · Data vintage August 9, 2026

Working 2016 MKX
Complaints in window
93
Severity-weighted
157
Model median (weighted)
39
vs model median
3.98×
Recall campaigns (weighted)
7
Open investigations
1
Score 6.7 F