AutoUtility currently tracks 63 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2016 Lincoln MKZ. Brakes & Traction Control issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 14 complaints (22.2% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 8 filings cite a crash, 4 report one or more injuries.
- • Total NHTSA Complaints: 63 reports
- • #1 Reported Problem Area: Brakes & Traction Control (14 reports • 22.2% of submitted complaints)
- • Secondary Problem Areas: Steering System (12), Electrical System (11)
- • Crash-Citing Complaints: 8 filings
- • Fire-Citing Complaints: 0 filings
- • Complaints Reporting Injuries / Fatalities: 4 injury filings • 0 fatality filings
Most Reported Problems for 2016 Lincoln MKZ
Top automotive subsystem defect categories ranked by unique owner complaint volume in federal records
Brakes & Traction Control
NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:
- Campaign #23V162000 SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS
Steering System
NHTSA records list 2 official safety recall campaigns for this model year involving the same broad component area:
- Campaign #19V632000 STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM
- Campaign #18V167000 STEERING: STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR
Electrical System
Air Bags & Restraints
Engine & Cooling
Symptoms Mentioned in NHTSA Owner Reports for 2016 Lincoln MKZ
Specific mechanical, electrical, and driver-assist defect symptoms identified via deterministic narrative analysis
AutoUtility uses deterministic phrase matching to identify recurring symptom descriptions within consumer-submitted NHTSA complaint narratives.
Loss of Motive Power While Driving
Recent NHTSA Owner Reports for 2016 Lincoln MKZ
Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
"The contact owns a 2016 Lincoln MKZ. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact became aware that the brake light had remained illuminated. The contact stated that the failure occurred while the vehicle was unoccupied. In addition, the contact stated that while the vehicle..."
"The contact owns a 2016 Lincoln MKZ. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the rear passenger's side door independently unlatched and opened. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that while attempting to close the door, the door failed to close or latch as..."
"-The front bumper of the car is nearly coming off. This is attached by a "bra" covering the front bumper and if not on the whole front bumper would fall off. The tires/rims are also nearly run down and need to be replaced. -This is caused me great concern when transporting my children as a divorced..."
"The contact owns a 2016 Lincoln MKZ. The contact stated that the back over prevention camera would display a black screen whenever in reverse. The camera would fail the majority of the time when in reverse. The failure related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V572000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the..."
"The contact owns a 2016 Lincoln MKZ. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel became loose, and the vehicle became difficult to steer. The contact stated that the front end made an abnormal humming sound. The vehicle experienced a loss of power steering..."
Complaint History for Lincoln MKZ
Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2015–2020)
| Model Year | NHTSA Complaints | Crash Reports | Safety Recalls | Detailed Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 Lincoln MKZ | 80 | 4 | 11 | View 2015 Problems → |
| 2016 Lincoln MKZ Current Page | 63 | 8 | 7 | Current |
| 2017 Lincoln MKZ | 135 | 6 | 4 | View 2017 Problems → |
| 2018 Lincoln MKZ | 32 | 1 | 2 | View 2018 Problems → |
| 2019 Lincoln MKZ | 19 | 2 | 1 | View 2019 Problems → |
| 2020 Lincoln MKZ | 3 | 0 | 1 | View 2020 Problems → |
Detailed NHTSA Component Breakdown for 2016 Lincoln MKZ
Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 24 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications
| Vehicle Component / System | Total Complaints | Crash Reports | Fire Reports | Reported Injury Entries | Reported Fatality Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steering NHTSA category: STEERING | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Back Over Prevention / Camera NHTSA category: BACK OVER PREVENTION | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat Belts NHTSA category: SEAT BELTS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels & Hubs NHTSA category: WHEELS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,BACK OVER PREVENTION | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine & Cooling NHTSA category: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Doors, Latches & Locks NHTSA category: LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC,LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,AIR BAGS,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| WHEELS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Official NHTSA Defect Investigations (4)
Formal safety defect inquiries and engineering analyses opened by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI)
Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious...
Pedestrian alert sounds
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight ra...
Front Brake Jounce Hose Failures
On August 8, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this investigation based on 50 Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQs) alleging front brake jounce hose ruptures on model year (MY) 2013-2018 Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ vehicles. A ruptured front brake hose results in a brake fluid leak. As a result, the driver may experience an increase in pedal travel and a reduction in the rate of deceleration, increasing the risk of a crash. It...
Door Latch Failures
In December 2019, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this investigation based on 235 Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQs) alleging doors failed to latch when closed, and/or inadvertently opened while driving, on model year (MY) 2012-2014 Ford Fiesta, and 2013-2014 Fusion and Lincoln MKZ. Some VOQs reported the failure occurred after the latch had been remedied under a prior recall which involved fracture of the latch pawl spring tab...
The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database.
Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.