Wrench.Pro

2012 Lincoln MKZ: raw data

Every record we hold for this vehicle, as plain tables, with nothing added. The consumer page shows the same records with the maintenance schedule, price ranges and nearby shops around them.

vehicle2012 / lincoln / mkz
known issues5 clusters (reviewed 2026-09-09)
complaints146 on file (2012-08-27 → 2025-11-06)
recalls6
investigations2
fars47 occupant deaths, crash years 2010-2024 (legacy-code)
indexedyes
licenseCC BY 4.0 (derived)

Known Issues clusters all years →

Power steering assist loss or faultSTEERING14 complaints2012-08 → 2025-11mkz-2012-power-steering-assist-loss
  • 11568886 While driving I noticed that at times my steering wheel would be difficult to turn. At first, the problem seemed small until I was trying to make a left turn on a very busy 4-lane road, and without warning the steering wheel became very difficult to turn
  • 11436641 The contact owns a 2012 Lincoln MKZ. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the power steering assist fault message intermittently appeared on the instrument panel
  • 10730157 TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 LINCOLN MKZ. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED WITHOUT WARNING AND EXCESSIVE FORCE WAS REQUIRED
Brake pedal sinks to floor or brakes stop workingSERVICE BRAKES10 complaints2018-11 → 2023-09mkz-2012-brake-loss-soft-pedal
  • 11533180 There have been several occasions now where I go to brake and there is no brake! My foot goes all the way down to the floor. This can happen at a steady speak of 50 or at 10 miles an hour
  • 11403440 MY WIFE AND SON LEFT THE HOUSE IN OUR MKZ AND 1/2 MILE DOWN THE ROAD THE MKZ SUDDENLY LOST BRAKING CAPABILITY. MY WIFE HAD TO STEER UPHILL IN ORDER TO COME TO A COMPLETE STOP
  • 11150159 WHILE DRIVING ON CITY STREETS, BRAKE PEDAL SINKS TO THE FLOOR WHEN ATTEMPTING TO STOP FOR LIGHTS, TRAFFIC, STOP SIGNS. STOPPING DISTANCE IS LONGER THAN EXPECTED UNTIL BRAKES FINALLY ENGAGE
Door latch fails to hold door closed or lockedSTRUCTURE5 complaints2016-07 → 2021-08mkz-2012-door-latch-failure
  • 11014614 DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR LATCH IS FAILED, IDENTICAL TO THE ACTIVE 2013-2014 MODEL YEARS FAILURE. DOOR WILL NOT SHUT PROPERLY, CANNOT BE LOCKED, AND OCCASIONALLY REQUIRES OUTSIDE ASSISTANCE TO OPEN THE DOOR
  • 11206753 DOOR LATCH WILL NOT KEEP DOOR LOCKED. DOOR SOMETIMES WILL NOT CLOSE UNLESS A PERSON PLAYS WITH THE LATCH TO MANIPULATE THE HOOKS TO GET DOOR TO CLOSE
  • 10891512 DRIVER SIDE DOOR WOULD NOT LATCH, UNTIL I PULLED UP ON THE DOOR HANDLE AND STUCK A SCREWDRIVER IN LATCH AREA TO PULL LATCH TO OPEN POSITION
Takata airbag recall parts unavailable or repair delayedAIR BAGS61 complaints2017-03 → 2022-08mkz-2012-takata-airbag-recall-delay
  • 11444492 Takata recall. The contact owns a 2012 Lincoln MKZ. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V158000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time
  • 11182537 I RECEIVED A LETTER IN MARCH OF 2017 STATING THAT THERE WAS AN IMPORTANT SAFETY RECALL REGARDING THE PASSENGER AIRBAG IN MY CAR. THE LETTER STATED THAT A RUPTURED INFLATOR MAY RESULT IN METAL FRAGMENTS STRIKING VEHICLE OCCUPANTS
  • 11050908 I WAS NOTIFIED IN JANUARY OF 2017 OF A DEFECTIVE AIRBAG. SPECIFICALLY THE PASSENGER FRONTAL AIRBAG INFLATOR COULD RUPTURE IF THE VEHICLE IS INVOLVED IN A CRASH WERE THE SUPPLEMENTAL FRONTAL AIRBAGS ARE DESIGNED TO DEPLOY
Air bags did not deploy in a crashAIR BAGS3 complaints2018-03 → 2020-02mkz-2012-airbags-did-not-deploy-crash
  • 11309872 TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 LINCOLN MKZ. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35- 40 MPH, LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND CRASHED INTO A WOODED ELECTRIC POLE, HOWEVER THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY
  • 11243345 TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2012 LINCOLN MKZ. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE ON THE INTERSTATE DRIVING 50 MPH, THERE WAS A TWO VEHICLE COLLISION AND ALL THE VEHICLE ATTEMPTED TO STOP BUT IT CAUSED MULTIPLE COLLISIONS. THE CONTACT DEPRESSED HER BRAKE PEDAL HOWEVER SHE CRASHED INTO THE
  • 11075962 TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2012 LINCOLN MKZ. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO THE REAR OF ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY

NHTSA complaints (summary) all years →

countearliest_datelatest_datecrash_flaggedfire_flaggedtop_components
1462012-08-272025-11-06102AIR BAGS:68; UNKNOWN OR OTHER:22; STEERING:20; SERVICE BRAKES:20; STRUCTURE:10

Recalls all years →

campaign_numberreport_received_datecomponentsummaryconsequenceremedy
19V00100007/01/2019AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULEFord 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 (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Additionally, Ford is recalling certain 2011 Ford Ranger and Mercury Milan vehicles, 2011-2012 Ford Fusion and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles and 2011-2014 Ford Mustang vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of 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." Ford is also recalling certain 2010 Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX vehicles, 2010-2011 Ford Ranger and Mercury Milan vehicles, 2010-2012 Ford Fusion and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles, and 2010-2014 Ford Mustang vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of AK, CO, CT, ID, IA, ME, MA, MI, MN, MT, NH, NY, ND, OR, RI, SD, UT, VT, WA, WI, and WY or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, used as original equipment or replacement equipment (such as after a vehicle crash necessitating replacement of the original air bags), that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.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. The recall began February 13, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall 19S01.
18V77500001/11/2018AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULEFord 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 bag, the bracket that secures the air bag inflator to the module housing may deform, allowing the gas that inflates the air bag to leak out.If the air bag does not inflate as intended, there is an increased risk of injury in the event of a crash.Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger air bag module, free of charge. The recall began November 21, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S34.
17V02400010/01/2017AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULEFord 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.An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.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.
15V34000002/06/2015STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEMFord 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 engine and 2013 Ford Taurus, Ford Flex, Lincoln MKS, and Lincoln MKT vehicles equipped with any available engine. The affected vehicles have electric power steering assist systems that may shut down as a result of a steering motor sensor fault.If the vehicle experiences a loss of power steering assist, extra steering effort will be required at lower speeds, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.Ford will notify owners, and dealers will check the Power Steering Control Module (PSCM) for Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTC). If dealers find any loss of steering assist DTCs, the steering gear will be replaced, free of charge. If, no codes are found during the PSCM inspection, the PSCM software will be updated, free of charge. The recall began on July 21, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15S18.
21V15800010/03/2021AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULEFord 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.An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.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.
21E01300016/02/2021AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULEFord 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 Mustang GT500. It also includes certain passenger-side air bag inflators and/or modules designed to fit 2005-2014 Ford Mustang, 2010-2012 Lincoln MKZ, 2010-2012 Ford Fusion, 2010-2011 Mercury Milan, 2007-2011 Ford Ranger, and 2007-2010 Lincoln MKX vehicles. Please see Ford's recall report for the specific part numbers. These parts may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the frontal air bag, an inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.Ford will notify dealers that purchased the affected parts, and dealers will provide replacement parts to purchasers, free of charge. The recall began March 18, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S05.

Investigations all years →

action_numberstatussubjectcomponentsopenedclosedrecall_campaignsummary
EA21002openDesiccated Air Bag Inflator RuptureAIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE2021-09-17··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.
PE14030closedElectric power steering failureSTEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM2014-10-022015-09-1015V340000The 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

FARS occupant deaths all years →

crash_yearsoccupant_deathsmatch_typevpic_recovered
2010-202447legacy-code0

FARS counts every occupant death in a fatal crash, whatever the cause — it does not mean the vehicle was at fault or defective. Counts are not adjusted for how many of each vehicle are on the road.

Cite this

Derived data is CC BY 4.0. Link back to the page you used. Text and BibTeX below.

Wrench.Pro (2026). 2012 Lincoln MKZ vehicle data [dataset]. https://www.wrench.pro/data/vehicles/2012/lincoln/mkz
@misc{wrenchpro_2012_lincoln_mkz_2026,
  author = {Wrench.Pro},
  title = {Wrench.Pro vehicle data: 2012 Lincoln MKZ},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {\url{https://www.wrench.pro/data/vehicles/2012/lincoln/mkz}},
  note = {Derived from NHTSA public records. CC BY 4.0.}
}

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