2008 Lincoln MKZ Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other MKZ years
- Far more complaints than other years 1st of 15 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 4 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 281 complaints with NHTSA about the 2008 Lincoln MKZ. That is the most of any MKZ model year in the database (15 years). The most reported problem area is air bags (166 complaints, 59%), typically at around 70,000 miles. Complaints mention 12 crashes, 3 injuries. There are 4 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 4 defect investigations involving it.
- 281owner complaints
- 4safety recalls
- 4NHTSA investigations
- 12complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2008 Lincoln MKZ problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Bags problems | 166 | 59% | 70,000 | “takata air bags” (34%) | — |
| Service Brakes problems | 52 | 19% | 100,400 | “brake pedal depressed” (15%) | — |
| Wheels | 32 | 11% | 43,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 24 | 9% | 78,000 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 8 | 3% | 70,099 | — | — |
| Power Train | 6 | 2% | 100,623 | — | — |
| Structure | 6 | 2% | 78,000 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 6 | 2% | 47,000 | — | — |
| Engine | 5 | 2% | 138,000 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 5 | 2% | 100,000 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 3 | 1% | 132,000 | — | — |
| Tires | 3 | 1% | 43,000 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 1 | 0% | 122,416 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 1 | 0% | 175,299 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 1 | 0% | 78,000 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 1 | 0% | 144,000 | — | — |
| Seats | 1 | 0% | 189,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Air | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Steering | 1 | 0% | 100,700 | — | — |
| Suspension | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Traction Control System | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Visibility | 1 | 0% | 14,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2008 Lincoln MKZ recalls (4)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2007-2011 Ranger, 2006-2012 Fusion, Lincoln Zephyr, Lincoln MKZ, 2006-2011 Mercury Milan, 2007-2010 Ford Edge, and Lincoln MKX vehicles. The driver's side air bag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver-side airbag inflator or module with an alternate one, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on April 9, 2021 for the passenger side, and November 14, 2022 for the driver side. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S12.
Service brakes, hydraulic:antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip:control unit/module
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2006-2010 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan, Lincoln Zephyr and MKZ vehicles. The valves within the ABS Hydraulic Control Units (HCU) may react with brake fluids containing specific corrosion preventative additives. This reaction may cause the valves to not close properly.
Risk: If the valves do not properly close, additional brake pedal travel may be required to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will flush the brake system with DOT 4 fluid and install a new brake fluid reservoir cap. In addition, the HCU will be tested to detect a possible stuck valve condition, replacing the HCU as necessary. All services will be performed free of charge. The recall began April 1, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S54.
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator moduleDo not drive
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2012 Ford Fusion and Mustang and Lincoln Zephyr and MKZ vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Ford is recalling certain 2009 Ford Ranger, Edge, Fusion and Mustang, Lincoln MKX, MKZ and Zephyr and Mercury Milan vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" or "Zone B" above, Ford is recalling certain 2007-2008 Ford Ranger, Edge and Lincoln MKX, 2006-2008 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan, Lincoln Zephyr and MKZ, 2005-2008 Ford Mustang and 2005-2006 Ford GT vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. Interim letters informing owners of the recall and that parts are not yet available began mailing March 1, 2017. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S01.
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator moduleDo not drive
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2007-2011 Ford Ranger vehicles, 2006-2011 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles, 2007-2010 Ford Edge, Lincoln MKX vehicles, 2005-2006 Ford GT vehicles, and 2005-2011 Ford Mustang vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Ford is recalling certain model year 2007-2008 Ford Ranger, Edge and Lincoln MKX vehicles, 2006-2008 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles, 2005-2006 Ford GT vehicles and 2005-2008 Ford Mustang vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Any vehicle not included in "Zone A", or "Zone B" is not included in the safety recall. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. Ford mailed interim letters informing owners that parts are not yet available on July 15, 2016. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S01.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Extended Braking Distance (EA18002) — opened Apr 18, 2018, closed Jan 15, 2021, led to recall 19V904000.
- Floor mat interference with accelerator (EA12009) — opened Dec 12, 2012, closed Jun 12, 2014, led to recall 14E028000.
- Accel Pedal Interference - Acc Floormat (PE10019) — opened May 28, 2010, closed Jan 11, 2013.
- Tire valve cracking (PE08060) — opened Oct 14, 2008, closed Apr 9, 2009.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
Have tried to schedule an appointment with my local Lincoln dealer to have the recall on my car fixed but they told at this time they have no way to fix it.
2008 Lincoln MKZ AWD. Driver's door won't open from inside. Multiple Online mentions of this dangerous problem. Can't get out of vehicle in case of emergency.
Bought vehicle from owner 02/2023. Check brake system light came on a few months after, breaks started to skip and making a sound. Took it in to Ford dealership and they showed 2 recalls but never said it would be fixed.
Vehicle is AWD, part is Transfer Case/Power Transfer Unit. Many issues from customers online and what was marketed as a lifetime part was changed to maintenance at 30,000 miles since the amount of gear oil is minuscule and the heat this part has to contend with is extreme due to location. Car…
The contact owns a 2008 Lincoln MKZ. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle overheated, and smoke was coming inside the cabin through the A/C vents. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road to inspect the vehicle and noticed that coolant was leaking…
Other Lincoln MKZ years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 MKZ | 2 | 1 |
| 2019 MKZ | 21 | 1 |
| 2018 MKZ | 35 | 2 |
| 2017 MKZ | 141 | 4 |
| 2016 MKZ | 64 | 6 |
| 2015 MKZ | 84 | 10 |
| 2014 MKZ | 97 | 13 |
| 2013 MKZ | 109 | 12 |
| 2012 MKZ | 146 | 5 |
| 2011 MKZ | 145 | 5 |
| 2010 MKZ | 169 | 7 |
| 2009 MKZ | 114 | 6 |
| 2008 | 281 | 4 |
| 2007 MKZ | 259 | 4 |
| 2006 MKZ | 0 | 4 |
See all Lincoln MKZ problems by year, every Lincoln model, or the Lincoln VIN decoder.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2008 Lincoln MKZ?
Owners most often report air bags, service brakes, wheels problems. The top one, air bags, accounts for 166 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2008 Lincoln MKZ?
Yes, 4 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2008 Lincoln MKZ a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other MKZ model years, the 2008 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.