2013 Lincoln MKZ Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other MKZ years
- About as many complaints as other years 8th of 15 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 12 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- 5 out of 5 stars
Owners have filed 109 complaints with NHTSA about the 2013 Lincoln MKZ. That ranks 8th out of 15 MKZ model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is electrical system (17 complaints, 16%), typically at around 6,683 miles. Complaints mention 4 crashes, 2 fires, 3 injuries. There are 12 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 4 defect investigations involving it.
- 109owner complaints
- 12safety recalls
- 4NHTSA investigations
- 4complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2013 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical System | 17 | 16% | 6,683 | — | — |
| Steering | 16 | 15% | 67,000 | — | — |
| Power Train | 15 | 14% | 30,000 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 12 | 11% | 40,000 | — | — |
| Structure | 12 | 11% | 46,000 | — | — |
| Engine | 10 | 9% | 44,400 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 8 | 7% | 35,000 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 8 | 7% | 40,500 | — | — |
| Wheels | 7 | 6% | 16,158 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 6 | 6% | 50,800 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 4 | 4% | 40,000 | — | — |
| Seats | 4 | 4% | 35,977 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 4 | 4% | 134,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 4 | 4% | 43,000 | — | — |
| Back Over Prevention | 2 | 2% | 76,000 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 2 | 2% | 142,313 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 2 | 2% | 136,000 | — | — |
| Lane Departure | 2 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 2 | 2% | 35,000 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 1 | 1% | 58,000 | — | — |
| Equipment | 1 | 1% | 7,700 | — | — |
| Equipment Adaptive/mobility | 1 | 1% | 1,994 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 1 | 1% | 29,196 | — | — |
| Firerelated | 1 | 1% | 136,000 | — | — |
| Parking Brake | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Suspension | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Visibility | 1 | 1% | 24,500 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2013 Lincoln MKZ recalls (12)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components:hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2018 Fusion and Lincoln MKZ vehicles. The front brake hoses may rupture and leak brake fluid.
Risk: A brake fluid leak will increase brake pedal travel and extend the distance needed to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the front brake hoses, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 27, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23S12.
Latches/locks/linkages:doors:latch
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2011-2014 Fiesta, 2013-2014 Fusion, 2015 Mustang, 2013-2015 Escape and C-Max, 2012-2015 Focus, 2014-2016 Transit Connect, 2013-2014 Lincoln MKZ, and 2015 MKC vehicles. These vehicles were previously recalled and repaired under recalls 15V-246, 16V-643 or 17V-210, however the repair may not have been completed properly. A component within the door latches may break making the doors difficult to latch and/or leading the driver or a passenger to believe a door is securely closed when, in fact, it is not.
Risk: A door that is not securely latched could open while the vehicle is in motion, increasing the risk of injury to a vehicle occupant.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the latch date codes to confirm if the repair was done correctly, and replace the side door latches if necessary, free of charge. Owners will also have the option to inspect their own vehicle's door latches and enter the date codes into a website to determine if the latches are correct. Owner notification letters were mailed on July 27, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S30.
Steering:electric power assist system
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2016 Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ, 2015-2016 Ford Edge, and 2016 Lincoln MKX vehicles originally sold, or currently registered in Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. Road salt or other contaminants may corrode the electric power steering gear motor attachment bolts.
Risk: If the bolts corrode, the steering gear motor may detach from the gear housing resulting in a loss of power steering assist, requiring a greater steering effort, especially at lower speeds, and increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering gear motor bolts and apply a wax sealer. If any of the steering gear motor attachment bolts are broken or missing, a new steering gear will be installed in the vehicle. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began October 18, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S26.
Latches/locks/linkages:doors:latch
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2014 Ford Fiesta, 2013-2014 Ford Fusion and 2013-2014 Lincoln MKZ vehicles. A component within the door latches may break making the doors difficult to latch and/or leading the driver or a passenger to believe a door is securely closed when, in fact, it is not.
Risk: A door that is not securely latched could open while the vehicle is in motion, increasing the risk of injury to a vehicle occupant.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace all four door latches, free of charge. The recall began May 1, 2017. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15S16.
Seat belts:front
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013-2016 Ford Fusion vehicles manufactured November 2, 2012, to July 31, 2014, and 2013-2015 Lincoln MKZ vehicles manufactured November 14, 2012, to July 31, 2014. In the event of a crash, heat from the deployment of a seat belt pretensioner may cause a front seat belt anchor cable to fail.
Risk: If the driver or front passenger seatbelt cables cannot properly restrain the front seat occupants, they would be at an increased risk of injury.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will apply a protective coating to the seat belt cable, free of charge. The recall began May 16, 2017. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16S42.
Steering:electric power assist system
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ vehicles manufactured February 3, 2012, to March 20, 2015, and 2015 Ford Edge vehicles manufactured February 26, 2015, to February 28, 2015, and originally sold, or currently registered in, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. In the affected vehicles, snow or water containing road salt or other contaminants may corrode the electric power steering gear motor attachment bolts.
Risk: If the bolts corrode, the steering gear motor may detach from the gear housing resulting in a loss of power steering assist. Loss of power steering assist would require a higher steering effort, especially at lower speeds, which may increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will apply sealer and replace the steering gear motor bolts as required. If one or more of the steering gear motor attachment bolts are broken or missing, a new steering gear will be installed in the vehicle. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on June 24, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15S14.
Latches/locks/linkages:doors:latch
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) notified the agency on April 23, 2015, that they are recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ vehicles manufactured July 1, 2012, to May 31, 2013, and 2012-2014 Fiesta vehicles manufactured February 1, 2012, to May 31, 2013. On April 30, 2015, Ford expanded the recall to cover an additional 119,567 vehicles, including certain model year 2011 Ford Fiestas manufactured from November 11, 2009, to May 31, 2013 and certain model year 2013 Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ vehicles manufactured from February 1, 2012, to June 30, 2012. A component within the door latches may break making the doors difficult to latch and/or leading the driver or a passenger to believe a door is securely closed when, in fact, it is not.
Risk: A door that is not securely latched could open while the vehicle is in motion, increasing the risk of injury to a vehicle occupant.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace all four door latches with an improved part, free of charge. Interim notifications were mailed to owners on June 5, 2015. The recall began on December 18, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15S16.
Seat belts; air bags:side/window
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Ford C-Max vehicles manufactured January 19, 2012, to November 21, 2013; Ford Fusion vehicles manufactured February 3, 2012, to August 24, 2013; Ford Escape vehicles manufactured October 5, 2011, to November 1, 2013; and Lincoln MKZ vehicles manufactured April 25, 2012, to September 30, 2013. The coating on portions of the Restraint Control Module (RCM) may crack, and when exposed to humidity, circuits on the printed circuit board may short.
Risk: The short circuits could cause the frontal air bags, side curtain air bags and the seat belt pretensioners to not function as intended when needed, increasing the risk of occupant injury in the event of a crash.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the RCM, free of charge. Parts are not currently available. The recall began on May 26,2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 14S21.
Seats:front assembly:recliner
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ vehicles manufactured August 15, 2012, through September 10, 2013, 2013-2014 Ford Escape vehicles manufactured June 5, 2012, through August 12, 2013, and 2013-2014 Ford C-Max vehicles manufactured from July 23, 2012, through May 28, 2013. The driver and passenger seatback assemblies may have been produced with sub-standard weld joints used to attach the seat back recliner mechanism to the seat frame. The affected seat backs may have insufficient strength to meet the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 207, "Seating Systems."
Risk: The back of the subject seats may become loose or lean while driving and potentially increase the risk of injury in certain crashes.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the seatback, free of charge. The recall began on May 30, 2014. Owners may contact Ford at 1-800-392-3673. Ford's number for this recall is 14C03.
Power train:automatic transmission
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid vehicles manufactured April 26, 2012, through September 24, 2013. Due to a manufacturing error, the transmission range sensor may not function properly allowing the affected vehicles to be shifted out of the Park position without first applying the brake pedal. Thus, these vehicles fail to conform with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 114, "Theft Protection."
Risk: Without requiring the brake to be pressed, the vehicle may be unintentionally shifted out of Park, allowing it to roll which may result in a crash.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will update the Powertrain Control Module (PCM) with new software, free of charge. The recall began on January 2014. Customers may contact Ford at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 13C09.
Fuel system, gasoline
Problem: Ford is recalling certain model year 2013 Explorer, Taurus, Flex, Fusion, Police Interceptor Sedan and Police Interceptor Utility vehicles; and certain model year 2013 Lincoln MKS, MKT, and MKZ vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the fuel delivery module may develop a crack, allowing fuel to leak.
Risk: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source may result in a fire.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel delivery module, free of charge. The recall began on July 20, 2013. Owners may contact Ford Motor Company Customer Relationship Center at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's recall campaign number is 13S04.
Electrical system
Problem: Ford is recalling certain model year 2013 Lincoln MKZ vehicles manufactured April 25, 2012, through March 15, 2013 and equipped with an engine block heater. During use, the engine block heater cords may be bent and in certain temperatures, the wire insulation may crack, exposing the electrical wires.
Risk: Exposed electrical wires increase the risk of electric shock.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the block heater cord, free of charge. The recall began on June 28, 2013. Ford's recall number is 13S05. Owners may contact the Ford customer relationship center at 1-866-436-7332.
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
- Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture (EA21002) — opened Sep 17, 2021, still open.
- Front Brake Jounce Hose Failures (RQ22004) — opened Aug 8, 2022, closed Mar 24, 2023, led to recall 23V162000.
- Door Latch Failures (RQ19005) — opened Dec 19, 2019, closed Feb 7, 2022, led to recall 20V177000.
- Door Latch Failure (EA15002) — opened Feb 27, 2015, closed Nov 13, 2015, led to recall 15V246000.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
Component Failure & Inspection: Restraints Control Module (RCM) / physical airbags failed on a 2013 Lincoln MKZ. The 44-page Bosch CDR report proves a hardware failure: Page 8 logs a "YES" command for Frontal and Rollover Discriminating Deployment. System voltage was stable (14.02V at T0), and…
Vehicle: Lincoln MKZ 2013 Dealer: Auto Quest Inc. Description of the Safety Issue: I am submitting this report regarding a vehicle safety concern involving a 2013 Lincoln MKZ that I purchased from Auto Quest Inc. in Renton, Washington. Shortly after purchasing the vehicle, within the first few days…
I was slowing down to take a turn and I see an error message saying âpower steering assist failureâ. And steering went stiff..
Video camera in the back is almost unusable at times, get loss of vision completely or it's flipped image and distorted. Don't know if this counts but I had a issue where key batteries where fine and the car did not want to unlock or start. Also last winter the door would not unlock and if forced…
the driver side mirror blind spot stopped working and all most hit a vehicle coming up alongside of me. Yes it is available No in October
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 | 109 | 12 |
| 2012 MKZ | 146 | 5 |
| 2011 MKZ | 145 | 5 |
| 2010 MKZ | 169 | 7 |
| 2009 MKZ | 114 | 6 |
| 2008 MKZ | 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 2013 Lincoln MKZ?
Owners most often report electrical system, steering, power train problems. The top one, electrical system, accounts for 17 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2013 Lincoln MKZ?
Yes, 12 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2013 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 2013 has about as many complaints as a typical year, and NHTSA rates it 5 out of 5 stars overall in crash tests. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.