2012 Lincoln MKZ: owner complaints and recalls
47% of everything owners report about the 2012 Lincoln MKZ points at a single system: air bags. That is 68 of 146 complaints on file.
146
Complaints
6
Recalls
10
Crash reports
2
Fire reports
9
Injuries
84.9
Severity index
Severity index 84.9 - Medium. It weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints, so a vehicle attracting serious reports scores above one attracting many trivial ones (how this is calculated).
Among the 129 2012 vehicles we track with at least 40 complaints on file, the 2012 Lincoln MKZ ranks 42 of 129 by severity, where 1 is the worst. Its severity is higher than 67% of its model-year peers. See the full 2012 ranking.
What actually fails
| Component | Complaints | Share of complaints citing it |
|---|---|---|
| AIR BAGS | 68 | 46.6% |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 22 | 15.1% |
| STEERING | 20 | 13.7% |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 20 | 13.7% |
| STRUCTURE | 10 | 6.8% |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 9 | 6.2% |
| ENGINE | 5 | 3.4% |
| POWER TRAIN | 4 | 2.7% |
Complaints filed per year
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2012 | 1 |
| 2013 | 2 |
| 2014 | 1 |
| 2015 | 5 |
| 2016 | 8 |
| 2017 | 42 |
| 2018 | 28 |
| 2019 | 15 |
| 2020 | 13 |
| 2021 | 15 |
| 2022 | 4 |
| 2023 | 5 |
| 2024 | 5 |
| 2025 | 2 |
Complaint volume is declining, consistent with a defect that was addressed by recall or that affected early builds.
Recall campaigns
| Campaign | Reported | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19V001000 | 07/01/2019 | AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE | Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2014 Ford Mustang vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saip |
| 18V775000 | 01/11/2018 | AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE | Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2010 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and 2010-2012 Lincoln MKZ vehicles that previously received a replacement passenger air bag under recall 16V-384, 17V-024 or 18V-046. In the event of a crash requiring deployment of the passenger air |
| 17V024000 | 10/01/2017 | AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE | 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, |
| 15V340000 | 02/06/2015 | STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM | Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Ford Fusion vehicles without a 3.5L engine and Lincoln MKZ hybrid electric vehicles, 2011 Mercury Milan vehicles, 2011-2012 Ford Taurus, Ford Flex, Lincoln MKS, and Lincoln MKT vehicles equipped with a 3.5L GTDI |
| 21V158000 | 10/03/2021 | AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE | 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 lo |
| 21E013000 | 16/02/2021 | AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE | Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain air bag inflator and/or module replacement service parts that may have been used as part of a collision repair. The parts include certain driver-side air bag inflators and/or modules, designed to fit 2005-2014 Ford Mustang and Musta |
Source. US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-07-25. Complaints are unverified consumer reports; volume is influenced by how many units were sold and how long the vehicle has been on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.