Lincoln MKZ

347 complaints across 9 scored model years and 34 recall campaigns.

Which years to avoid

Ownership label · Lincoln MKZ Full report

Grade 2010–2018

2013 vs model median 1.5×

Model median3× median

Body & Interior 13

Drivetrain 11

Electrical 9

Avoid

2013 · 2015

Best

2017 · 2018

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.

Severity-weighted complaint volume and grade by model year for the Lincoln MKZ
Year	vs median	Reports	Grade
2010	0.84×	24	C
2011	1.25×	37	D
2012	0.89×	39	C
2013	1.52×	68	D
2014	1.01×	37	C
2015	1.25×	49	D
2016	0.69×	30	C
2017	1.00×	41	C
2018	0.31×	15	A

What it costs to run

EPA figures for the most recent model year on record.

EPA fuel economy and drivetrain
Combined MPG	23
City / Highway	20 / 28
Engine	2L, 4 cyl
Drive	Front-Wheel Drive
Annual fuel cost	$2,650

Recalls

34 campaigns on record, 4 carrying a Park It or Park Outside warning.

Recall campaigns, largest first
Campaign	Component	Model years	Units affected
21V158000	AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE	2010–2012	2,602,668
20V331000	LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH	2013, 2014	2,147,323
16V384000 Park it	AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE	2010, 2011	1,892,343
25V695000	BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA	2015	1,448,655
18V167000	STEERING: STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR	2014–2018	1,301,986
23V162000	SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS	2013–2018	1,280,726
19V001000 Park it	AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE	2010–2012	782,384
14V597000	AIR BAGS	2013, 2014	746,842

+ 26 further campaigns

Others in Midsize Cars

Same body and size class. Each grade describes that model against its own history — these are not ranked against each other.

Other models in the same segment
Model	Years to avoid	Grade
Acura TL	2012	C
Acura TLX	20152020	C
Acura TSX	2010	C
Alfa Romeo Giulia	2017	C
Audi A4	none flagged	B
Audi A4 Allroad	2013	C
Audi A5	none flagged	C
Audi S4	none flagged	B

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 2013 MKZ

Complaints in window: 68
Severity-weighted: 105.5
Model median (weighted): 69
vs model median: 1.52×
Recall campaigns (weighted): 13
Open investigations: 1

Score 43.7 D