2012 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
Vehicles › Lincoln › MKZ Hybrid › 2012
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
These records cover every 2012 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
I have a Lincoln MKZ Hybrid 2012 with 88k miles on it. While I was slowing to a stop as I approached a stoplight at a busy intersection, the 'Check Brake' warning on the dashboard lit up without warning and no prior issues, and my ability to brake became near impossible as the pedal softened. I needed to push it all the way to the floor to get the vehicle to stop. I shifted into park and turned off the vehicle - following turning it back on, the dashboard warning disappeared, I was able to brake again, and the warning has not come back since. My vehicle just passed inspection earlier in the month, and nothing with the brakes came up. This is a critical safety issue! It could have been potentially fatal to myself, my passenger, or other drivers if I could not stop before the intersection, or if this had happened while I was on a main road or highway. I took it into the Ford Lincoln dealership. They cited a faulty HCU/ABS module and recommended replacement, but all parts are after-market at this point and would not come with a warranty. OEM replacements are also extremely difficult to come by. The repairs would take around $3.8k to complete, which is close to the current value of the vehicle. Ford issued Safety Recall 19S54 in December 2019, covering 600,166 model year 2006–2010 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan, Lincoln Zephyr, and Lincoln MKZ vehicles for the exact same defect. No recall exists for anything in 2012 despite at least 17 NHTSA complaints have been filed for the 2012 Lincoln MKZ alone for this specific brake failure. The 2012 MKZ and Fusion use the same braking system architecture as the recalled vehicles. The failure mechanism is identical. The safety risk is identical.
The contact owns a 2012 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to stop the vehicle, the brake pedal was depressed and went all the way to the floorboard however, the vehicle failed to immediately stop. The contact stated that after pumping the brake pedal repeatedly the vehicle came to a stop. The ABS warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was diagnosed with the ABS control module failure. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V904000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 119,000.
The contact owns a 2012 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid. The contact stated that the front driver's side door failed to open while pulling the interior door handle, requiring the contact to open the door using the exterior door handle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the front driver's side interior door handle was replaced three times, and the door lock was replaced once; however, the failure persisted. Additionally, the contact stated that the front passenger' side door failed to open completely. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the front passenger' side door lock was replaced once; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 55,567.
The contact owns a 2012 Lincoln MKZ. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the power steering assist and driving track warning lights illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle to his place of employment. The contact stated that after work he started the vehicle and, while driving, the steering seized. The contact used both hands to turn and steer the vehicle. The contact phoned the local dealer and made the dealer aware of the failure. The dealer informed the contact that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to report to failure to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 125,000.
The contact owns a 2012 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid. The contact stated that while her husband was attempting to reverse, he became aware that the electronic power steering was not functioning properly, and the vehicle displayed a message stating "Electric Power Steering Assist Fault". The EPS warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the power steering control module. The vehicle was repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering) however, the VIN was included but the vehicle was already repaired under the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but did not assist. The failure mileage was 66,000.
The contact owns a 2012 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid. The contact stated that while his grandson was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the power steering control module was reprogrammed; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where it was determined that the steering gear assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 122,000.
The contact owns a 2012 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid. The contact stated while starting the vehicle the steering wheel was firm. The "power steering assist fault" and "service advance trac" messages were displayed. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle and the steering operated normally. The dealer was contacted and stated that the vehicle needed to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the recall for the failure had expired and provided no additional assistance. The failure mileage was 100,288.
The contact owns a 2012 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid. The contact stated while driving approximately 20 MPH, there was a beeping sound heard and the "Steering Assist" and "Service Track" warning lights illuminated. The contact stated slightly corrected the steering wheel and became aware that the vehicle had lost power steering functionality. The contact was able to pull off the roadway and shifted the vehicle into park(P) and turned off the vehicle. The vehicle was restarted however, the power steering functionality was still inoperable. The contact drove the vehicle to the residence. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering). The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
The contact owns a 2012 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the brake was inoperable. The Service ABS warning light was illuminated; however, the contact stated that the vehicle was driven to her residence with caution. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact researched and discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V162000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) in which her vehicle experienced the same failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 190,000.
Takata recall. The contact owns a 2012 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V158000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available. The consumer stated that Ford completed the work necessary to repair the vehicle.
TL* the contact owns a 2012 lincoln MKZ hybrid. The contact stated that while driving 42 mph, the power steering failed to operate as the service advanced track and service power steering messages appeared on his instrument panel. The contact called an independent mechanic and was informed that there was a recall on similar model vehicles for a power steering failure however, the vin was not included. Upon investigation, the contact linked the failure to nhtsa campaign number: 15v340000 (steering). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and provided the contact with a case number. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000.
TL* the contact owns a 2012 lincoln MKZ hybrid. The contact stated that while driving 55 mph, the power steering warning light illuminated with the service power steering now message displayed. The vehicle then loss power steering functionality. The contact stated that the traction control was disabled. The steering wheel became very difficult to turn. The contact stated the vehicle was driven manual steering mode. The contact coasted to the side of the roadway, turned off and restarted the vehicle however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to purchase ford lincoln (1352 US-45, mayfield, ky 42066) but was not repaired. The vin was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 15v340000 (steering). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 68,000.
TL* the contact owns a 2012 lincoln MKZ hybrid. The contact stated that the power steering assist malfunctioned and caused the steering wheel to become very difficult to turn in either direction. Also, 'service advancetrac' and 'service steering assist' were displayed. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and did not assist. The local dealer was not notified. The failure mileage was 60,000.
Started vehicle in parking lot. Brake light, ABS, traction control lights all on. backed out of parking spot. thought I could get it home. pulled out onto city street. total brake failure; pedal went all the way down. did not remember to use emergency brake to stop, but put into park to get vehicle to stop. managed to pull into another parking lot, continuing to put into park to stop. called aaa and had towed. dealer invoice states, "verified cust concern. Experienced no power brake assist on vehicle. R&i the ABS control module for internal fault...."
Seat heating and cooling control shuts off after after button IS depressed. upon trouble shooting it was found that something shorted a pin on the control module located under the passengers seat to the extent that the female pin connector was completely melted.
TL* the contact owns a 2012 lincoln MKZ hybrid. While driving 25 mph, the steering failed and the power assist warning indicator illuminated. The dealer and manufacturer were not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 86,000.
Shortly after I had the takata recall fixed, I had the following things happen to the vehicle: interior driver's door handle will not operate. Prior to that the driver's window would not operate. Mysteriously, the window began operating, then the interior door handle failed. The vehicle was stationary when each incident occurred.
The tail light assembly keeps going out
Power steering went without any warning has recall on other MKZ of that year but not mine. I put it reverse and had no power steering lucky I was not driving when it went out.
Stationary, started,no power steering.stated poer steering assist fault.
Failure of driver's inside door handle: when attempting to exit my car, the door handle's mechanism suddenly failed and I was unable to egress the vehicle and I came close to panicking. so I was forced to exit via the passenger door which was very difficult climbing over the center console. after talking to the lincoln assistant service manager and researching the internet, I quickly learned that fords, including lincolns, have an extremely high failure rate of this part. he said that the alternative to climbing out the passenger's door was to lower the driver's window and open the door by pulling on the outside handle which can also be a difficult maneuver. but whether an emergency or not, that IS certainly not the first thing that comes to mind. had I been in an accident or the car caught fire requiring immediate exit, in all likelihood, I would have likely died. because of this frequent part failure and the likelihood of injury or death, I find it very difficult to fathom that your agency hasn't issued an urgent recall on this part.
TL* the contact owns a 2012 lincoln MKZ hybrid. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 17v024000 (air bags); however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. Joe machens capital city ford (807 southwest blvd, jefferson city, missouri 65109, (855) 929-5900) was made aware of the recall in march of 2017 and stated that the part was unavailable. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
TL* takata recall. The contact owns a 2012 lincoln MKZ hybrid. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 17v024000 (air bags). The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. Evergreen ford lincoln (1500 18TH avenue nw, issaquah, washington 98027, (425) 392-6900) was made aware of the recall and stated that the parts were unavailable. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
I am currently in a rental and have been for months. california code requires that, if a manufacturer or its representative IS unable to repair the motor vehicle to conform to the vehicles applicable express warranty after a reasonable number of attempts. its been two years, maybe longer. the vehicle IS now in nonconformity for over 60 days.
Takata recall: I received notice the recall a year ago. I immediately called a ford dealer about the recall who told me they would call when ready to replace my air bag. I have not been contacted nor gotten my air bag replaced.
NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened these reviews into vehicles including this one.
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 rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matter described in the petition. On June 24, 2023 and as supplemented on June 25, 2023, the petitioner notified NHTSA he was withdrawing his petition. The petitioner indicated that, based on his review of data, there is no justification for asserting potential benefits that could be derived from actions sought by my petition. Based on the petitioner's withdrawal, DP22-005 is closed. Closure of this DP does not represent a determination by NHTSA regarding the subject matter of the petition.
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 or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. See 2016 Blomquist Report at www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/documents/expert_report-hrblomquist.pdf.Consequently, all frontal inflators using propellant 2004 that do not contain a "desiccant" (a substance that traps and holds moisture) in US vehicles are under recall. These "non-desiccated" inflators either have been or are required to be replaced.In some cases, the remedy part for these recalled inflators was, or will be, an inflator using either propellant 2004 or 2004L that does contain a desiccant. None of these "desiccated" remedy parts (which were installed in older model year vehicles) are currently under recall for a degradation concern. Certain subsets of desiccated PSAN inflators using propellant 2004 for use as original equipment, however, have been recalled for a degradation concern. All Takata inflators produced with propellant 2004L contain desiccant, and none of these desiccated inflators using propellant 2004L are under recall for a degradation concern. There have been no reported field ruptures in any non-recalled desiccated PSAN inflators.It is understood that desiccants fully saturate at some threshold, at which point any additional moisture will not be captured. This means the degradation process observed in non-desiccated inflators using propellant 2004 may also occur in non-recalled desiccated inflators using propellant 2004, assuming additional moisture enters the inflator and high temperature cycling occurs. Based on available information, desiccant saturation can occur within the first five years in the worst environments, and the time required for full saturation is affected by multiple factors. While no present safety risk has been identified, further work is needed to evaluate the future risk of non-recalled desiccated inflators using propellant 2004.Three entities -- Takata (now known as TK Global), the Independent Testing Coalition, and Exponent -- have been studying the long-term behavior of Takata desiccated PSAN inflators using propellant 2004L (as well as 2004) in the presence of moisture and temperature cycling. The research efforts, which include development of predictive modeling techniques and field sample analysis, are ongoing. To date, none of the researchers have identified field evidence showing that propellant 2004L is undergoing a degradation process that leads to aggressive deployment and potential rupture. However, the time in service of such inflators remains short compared to that of the inflators using propellant 2004. Further study is needed to assess the long-term safety of desiccated inflators using propellant 2004L.The Office of Defects Investigation is opening this investigation to examine whether a safety defect related to propellant degradation exists in non-recalled desiccated PSAN frontal inflators manufactured by Takata. This investigation will require extensive information on Takata production processes and surveys of inflators in the field. Lists of recall actions that may have used desiccated PSAN inflators as remedy parts, as well as the makes and models originally manufactured with them, is available with the downloadable version of this document (see nhtsa.gov/recalls?nhtsaId=EA21002 -- note this information is subject to change/revision as the investigation proceeds). This investigation does not supersede EA15-001, which remains open.
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a preliminary evaluation to investigate complaints of the loss of power steering while driving. The subject vehicles are equipped with a rack mounted Electric Power Assisted Steering (EPAS) unit.Some of the complaints alleged that the steering assist failed and resulted in increased steering efforts that contributed to a loss of control and in some cases a crash.The EPAS system was manufactured by TRW Automotive for Ford and was designated as Generation I.These units were first produced and put into vehicle production in July 2008 beginning with the model year (MY) 2010 Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan.The system is comprised of a mechanical steering rack-and-pinion gear with torque sensor, electric assist motor, motor position sensor and a power steering control module (PSCM). The PSCM is self-monitoring and designed to detect faults within the system and can store diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) if a problem is detected.There are 29 potential DTCs the system can detect.Many of these allow the system to go into reduced-assist steering mode by using the default vehicle speed signal should the live speed signal be lost, if voltage to EPAS system falls below 10.7 or goes above 17 volts, the temperature at the PSCM goes above 105C (221F), or if high friction is detected.Some DTCs will cause the system to go into manual steering mode (no assist). On July 1, 2015, Ford filed a Defect Information Report (DIR) identifying a safety related defect in TRW GEN I EPAS systems installed in some of the subject vehicles (NHTSA Recall 15V-340, Ford No. 15S18).The DIR indicated that intermittent electrical connections caused by quality issues associated with conformal coat contamination and ribbon cable pin misalignment within the steering gear motor may lead to a loss of the motor position sensor signal, resulting in a sudden loss of power assist while driving.The recall covers approximately 393,623 vehicles built from September 2010 through February 2012:2011-12 Fusion built SEP 2010 - FEB 2012; 2011-12 Lincoln MKZ built SEP 2010 - FEB 2012; 2011 Milan built SEP 2010 - DEC 2010; 2011-13 Taurus built SEP 2010 - FEB 2012; 2011-13 Flex with 3.5L GTDI engine built SEP 2010 - FEB 2012; and 2011-13 MKS, MKT with 3.5L GTDI engine built SEP 2010 - FEB 2012.The repair consists of updating the PSCM software to prevent a loss of steering assist while driving. The revised software will provide audible and visual warnings to the driver. If one or more of the following DTCs are stored, C1B00-62, C200B-2F, C200B-61, C200B-62, C200C-2F, C200D-49, U0300-00, U2011-49, U2011-61, U3000-46, U3000-49, U3000-61, U3000-72, U3000-96, P07AE-09, the dealer will replace the EPAS system at no charge to the owner.ODI's analysis of failure data for this PE identified a total of 2,584 complaints to ODI and Ford and 9,967 Ford warranty claims related to the alleged defect.The recalled vehicles account for 1,634 of the complaints and 7,311 of the warranty claims.ODI's analysis identified 40 complaints alleging crashes that may be related to loss of steering assist while driving, 20 of which involved vehicles included in Ford's recall.The information available for the alleged crashes were not sufficient to assess specific causes of the incidents or to verify EPAS malfunctions in each case.Most of the crashes were low-speed impacts with curbs or roadside objects resulting in wheel or minor body damage.None of the injury claims indicated medical attention was required.In addition, statistical modeling of the failure data by NHTSA's National Center for Statistics and Analysis projected 10-year failur
Technical service bulletins and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about this vehicle. Ask a dealer for the full document by its number.
Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.