2010 Lincoln Mkz Problems

Typical for Model

Real NHTSA owner complaints for the 2010 Lincoln Mkz.

20092011
Complaints
197
Crashes
22
Fires
0
Injuries
16
Fatalities
Recalls
7

Worst 2010 Lincoln Mkz Problems

Top 3 most-reported issues with average mileage at failure.

#195 complaints

Airbags

Avg mileage:76,469 mi
Crash-related:5
#226 complaints

Brakes

Avg mileage:99,212 mi
Crash-related:3
#311 complaints

Headlight/Taillight Failures

Avg mileage:58,054 mi
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All Problems by Category

Every NHTSA complaint category for the 2010 Lincoln Mkz.

Airbags
95
complaints
Crashes
5
Fires
Avg Miles
76,469
Brakes
26
complaints
Crashes
3
Fires
Avg Miles
99,212
Headlight/Taillight Failures
11
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
58,054
Electrical Faults
10
complaints
Crashes
1
Fires
Avg Miles
49,074
Unintended Acceleration
9
complaints
Crashes
8
Fires
Avg Miles
57,633
Hydraulic Brakes
8
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
117,200
Engine Problems
5
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
100,765
Transmission / Drivetrain
4
complaints
Crashes
1
Fires
Avg Miles
Seat-Related Issues
3
complaints
Crashes
1
Fires
Avg Miles
Body Structure
3
complaints
Crashes
1
Fires
Avg Miles
Latches/Locks/Linkages:Doors:Latch
2
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
Brake Master Cylinder
2
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
Air Bags:Side/Window
1
complaints
Crashes
1
Fires
Avg Miles
Electronic Stability Control
1
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
Gasoline Fuel System
1
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
Fuel System
1
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
Parking-Brake Issues
1
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
Seat Belt Issues
1
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
Service Brakes, Air:Antilock:Abs Warning Light
1
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
Service Brakes, Air:Disc:Caliper
1
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
Service Brakes, Electric
1
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip:Abs Warning Light
1
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
Steering Defects
1
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
Structure:Body:Door
1
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
Suspension Failures
1
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
Tire Defects
1
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
Vehicle Speed Control:Accelerator Pedal
1
complaints
Crashes
1
Fires
Avg Miles
Wipers & Visibility
1
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles

Search Owner Complaints

Read what owners actually reported to NHTSA for the 2010 Lincoln Mkz. Type a keyword (e.g. “transmission”, “stalling”, “brakes”) to filter.

Recalls for 2010 Lincoln Mkz

7 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting ~6,206,639 vehicles.

21V158000Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module
~2,602,668 affected

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 long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.

21V081000Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module · Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module · Air Bags:frontal
~1,067 affected

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2005-2014 Mustang, 2004-2011 Ranger, 2009-2011 Mercury Milan, 2006 Ford GT, 2008-2012 Fusion, 2007-2010 Edge and Lincoln MKX, and 2009-2010 Lincoln MKZ vehicles. These vehicles may be equipped with a driver or passenger frontal air bag inflator used as a replacement service part, that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.

19V904000Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip:control Unit/module
~600,166 affected

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2006-2010 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan, Lincoln Zephyr and MKZ vehicles. The valves within the ABS Hydraulic Control Units (HCU) may react with brake fluids containing specific corrosion preventative additives. This reaction may cause the valves to not close properly.

19V001000Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module
~782,384 affected

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 (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.

18V775000Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module
~215 affected

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 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.

18V046000Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module
~327,796 affected

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013 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 2010 Ford Edge, Fusion, Mustang and Ranger, Lincoln MKX and Zephyr/MKZ, and Mercury Milan vehicles 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 2009 Ford Edge, Fusion, Mustang and Ranger, Lincoln MKX and Zephyr/MKZ, and Mercury Milan vehicles 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 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.

16V384000Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module
~1,892,343 affected

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2007-2011 Ford Ranger vehicles, 2006-2011 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles, 2007-2010 Ford Edge, Lincoln MKX vehicles, 2005-2006 Ford GT vehicles, and 2005-2011 Ford Mustang 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 model year 2007-2008 Ford Ranger, Edge and Lincoln MKX vehicles, 2006-2008 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles, 2005-2006 Ford GT vehicles and 2005-2008 Ford Mustang 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." Any vehicle not included in "Zone A", or "Zone B" is not included in the safety recall. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

Other Lincoln Mkz Years

2010 Lincoln Mkz — FAQ

Answers based on real NHTSA complaint and recall data for this specific model year.

Is the 2010 Lincoln Mkz reliable?
Verdict: Typical for Model. The 2010 Lincoln Mkz has 197 NHTSA complaints, 22 crash-related, and 7 recall campaigns. The most common issue is Airbags with 95 complaints. Source: NHTSA via VinItel.
What are common problems with the 2010 Lincoln Mkz?
Top reported problems: Airbags (95 complaints, avg 76,469 mi); Brakes (26 complaints, avg 99,212 mi); Headlight/Taillight Failures (11 complaints, avg 58,054 mi). Every complaint is filed by an owner with NHTSA — this is raw reported data, not editorial opinion.
At what mileage do problems start on the 2010 Lincoln Mkz?
The weighted average mileage at time of complaint is about 78,863 miles. Some components fail earlier, some later — check the "All Problems by Category" table above for per-issue averages.
How safe is the 2010 Lincoln Mkz?
NHTSA complaints for the 2010 Lincoln Mkz include 22 crash-related reports, 0 fire reports, 16 injuries, and 0 fatalities. These are owner-reported incidents, not official crash-test ratings — a complaint being filed doesn't confirm a defect, but clusters around specific components are worth investigating.
Does the 2010 Lincoln Mkz have any recalls?
Yes — 7 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 6,206,639 vehicles. Recalls are free to fix at the dealer. Always verify by VIN whether the specific car you're looking at has had its recalls addressed.
Should I buy a 2010 Lincoln Mkz?
Complaint levels are in line with what's expected. Normal used-car due diligence applies — check the specific VIN for accident history, open recalls, and title brands.

Source: NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) complaint and recall databases, aggregated by VinItel.

Wider context: See the full Lincoln Mkz reliability report with year-by-year comparison and generation analysis.

Check Your Specific 2010 Lincoln Mkz

Real owner complaints tell you about the model. The VIN tells you about your specific car — accidents, title issues, odometer fraud.

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