Lincoln Mkx Reliability by Year

Based on 2M+ real complaints filed with the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

1,724 NHTSA complaints (2007–2018).Complaint rate: 53.4 per 10,000 vehicles sold in the US.

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Should I buy a Lincoln Mkx?

Quick answer from 1,724 NHTSA complaints · 2007–2018

Most Lincoln Mkx years show comparable, moderate complaint volumes. No specific year stands out as dramatically worse than its siblings. The most commonly reported issue is airbags. Any year within the data range should perform similarly — focus inspection on the individual VIN history rather than avoiding a specific year.

Best years to buy
Most common Lincoln Mkx problem: Airbags410 complaints (3.4% crash-involvement rate).

Keep scrolling for year-by-year complaint trends, recall campaigns, and component breakdowns — or click any year above for a full report.

Severity Score
82.0
Complaints
1,724
US Units Sold
322,742
Crash Rate
4.5%
Fire Rate
1.6%
Injuries
50
Fatalities
1

Which Years to Buy & Avoid

Years auto-clustered by complaint volume relative to this model's median.

Rankings based on complaints per 10,000 vehicles sold — normalized for production volume so low-sales years aren't falsely rated "good".

Bottom line: Avoid the 2007–2008 Lincoln Mkx. The 2014–2015 models had significantly fewer reported issues. Most common issue across all years: Airbags.

Avoid These Years

2007–2008
98.2 complaints per 10K sold · 27 crashes
67,029 total units sold
2013
84.0 complaints per 10K sold · 7 crashes
23,913 units sold

Average

2009–2012
52.7 complaints per 10K sold
95,035 total units sold
2016
63.3 complaints per 10K sold
30,967 units sold

Better Years

2014–2015
16.3 complaints per 10K sold
46,194 total units sold
2017–2018
16.5 complaints per 10K sold
59,604 total units sold
Looking at a specific Lincoln Mkx?

A model's reputation is just the start.

Even within the “good” years, individual cars can have hidden accidents, title issues, or odometer rollbacks. Check the actual VIN before you buy — full history report for $4.99 (vs. Carfax $44.99).

Complaint Rate per 10,000 Vehicles Sold

Normalized by US annual sales volume — higher = more complaints relative to sales

Show raw complaint counts

Common Lincoln Mkx Problems

Most reported component complaints to NHTSA. Bar length = volume; color = crash-involvement rate.

Show full table
ComponentComplaintsCrash %
Airbags4103.4%
Brakes2216.8%
Electrical Faults1691.8%
Engine Problems1380.0%
Transmission / Drivetrain1265.6%
Fuel System770.0%
Unintended Acceleration4818.8%
Hydraulic Brakes430.0%
Body Structure437.0%
Headlight/Taillight Failures260.0%

When Each Problem Spiked

Year × component heatmap. Darker cells = more complaints that year. Reveals which model years a specific defect concentrated in — useful for spotting redesign-cycle quality dips.

Data Sources & Methodology

Complaints: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation consumer complaint database (1,724 records for this model). Public domain data, updated monthly.

Sales data: US annual vehicle sales from goodcarbadcar. Coverage: 100% of model years have sales data. Total US sales: 322,742.

Rate calculation: Complaints per 10,000 vehicles sold = (complaint count / US annual sales) x 10,000. This normalizes for sales volume so high-volume models like Civic or Camry aren't unfairly penalized.

Year classifications: AVOID = 1.5x+ the model's median complaint rate. GOOD = 0.6x or below. Years less than 3 years old are marked TOO NEW (insufficient data).

See also: Lincoln Mkxaccident & safety statistics from our vehicle history database.

Buying a Lincoln Mkx?

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