Lincoln MKZ reliability by year
35 recall campaigns and 1,694 owner complaints across 14 model years. Best year to buy: 2019. Year to avoid: 2010.
Worst model years to avoid → — the single year to avoid for every model line we track, ranked side by side.
Years to avoid — and why 4 flagged on the NHTSA record
Cleaner on the data: 2007, 2008, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 . Still verify the specific vehicle.
At-a-glance: every year color-coded
Each cell shows the last two digits of the model year and its 0–10 reliability score from NHTSA data. Click any year to see the full record. ★ best year · ✕ year to avoid.
Year-by-year reliability 14 model years · newest first
Per-year recall counts add up to 92, more than the 35 campaigns above, because a single NHTSA campaign often covers several model years and is counted once in each.
Common trouble spots across the MKZ aggregated across 14 model years
Common questions
What's the best year to buy a Lincoln MKZ?
Based on NHTSA complaint volume and severity weighting, the 2019 Lincoln MKZ scores 8.4/10 — the strongest in the 2007–2020 range. 20 complaints on file, 1 active recall. Reliability scores reflect the federal complaint record, not subjective owner reviews.
Which Lincoln MKZ year should I avoid?
The 2010 Lincoln MKZ scores 3.4/10 — the weakest in the lineup. 169 owner complaints with NHTSA, 9 active recalls. That doesn't mean every 2010 is a problem — it means failure rates run higher than peer model years on the same platform.
Which years of the Lincoln MKZ should I avoid?
On the NHTSA complaint and recall record, the model years to be most careful with are 2012 (high-risk ownership — reliability score 4.8/10 — below the segment average); 2011 (high-risk ownership — steering: 32 complaints, classified severe); 2010 (high-risk ownership — reliability score 3.4/10 — below the segment average); 2009 (high-risk ownership — reliability score 4.4/10 — below the segment average). The cleaner years on the data are 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014. This is our read of the federal data, not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection of the specific vehicle.
How many years of the Lincoln MKZ are tracked?
14 model years (2007 through 2020) with NHTSA records on file. Total across the lineup: 35 distinct recall campaigns and 1,694 owner complaints. Those campaigns land on 92 model-year entries in total, because one campaign often covers several years at once — which is why per-year recall counts add up to more than the campaign count.
What's the most-reported problem on the Lincoln MKZ?
airbags is the most-reported category — 652 complaints across 8 model years. Average shop repair runs about $1,100.