Model year

2011 Lincoln MKZ

NHTSA lists 5 recalls and 145 complaints for the 2011 Lincoln MKZ (recall file dated Oct 23, 2026; complaint file dated Oct 23, 2026). NHTSA also lists 0 recalls and 40 complaints under MKZ HYBRID. Those counts are separate from the numbers above. 2 recalls marked do not drive. The components listed on the most complaints are AIR BAGS (66), SERVICE BRAKES (20), STEERING (18). NHTSA lists 2 investigations. NHTSA rated 3 variants 4 stars overall. EPA rates it 19–38 mpg combined depending on configuration (fuel economy file dated Sep 29, 2026). EPA's annual fuel-cost figures for these configurations are $1,750–$3,550, based on 15,000 miles and 55% city driving.

ABOUT THIS DATA

Recalls

21V158000 · Mar 10, 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…

19V001000 · Jan 7, 2019

Do not drive

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…

18V775000 · Nov 1, 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…

16V384000 · May 31, 2016

Do not drive

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

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…

15V340000 · Jun 2, 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…

Complaints

145 distinct complaints. Crash flag on 11, fire flag on 3, injury field 6, deaths field 0. A complaint can be counted under more than one component. The injury and death figures are the file's numbers (the highest value on each complaint, then added), not a separate verified count of people.

  1. AIR BAGS66
  2. SERVICE BRAKES20
  3. STEERING18
  4. ENGINE10
  5. STRUCTURE:BODY9
  6. UNKNOWN OR OTHER8
  7. ELECTRICAL SYSTEM7
  8. VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL7
  9. POWER TRAIN4
  10. ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)3

Other NHTSA names

These names matched the same EPA model but are not included in the headline counts above.

Other matched NHTSA names
Name Recalls Complaints
MKZ HYBRID 0 40

Investigations

Investigations in the NHTSA file (2). "No close date" means the file has no close date. It is not a statement that the investigation is still active.
ActionSubjectOpenedClosed
EA12009Floor mat interference with accelerator · VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL; VEHICLE SPEED CONTROLDec 12, 2012Jun 12, 2014
PE14030Electric power steering failure · STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEMOct 2, 2014Sep 10, 2015

Safety ratings

NHTSA 5-star variants matched to this model year (3). Rollover possibility is the API's published figure, shown as recorded.
VariantOverallFrontSidePoleRolloverPhoto
4 DR AWD 4 3445 · possibility 0.092—
4 DR FWD 4 3444 · possibility 0.105—
Hev 4 DR FWD 4 3444 · possibility 0.105—

Fuel economy

EPA configurations. Electric rows show MPGe in the combined column and kWh/100 mi separately. Annual fuel cost is EPA's published fuelCost08 figure.
ConfigurationFuelCityHwyCombkWh/100 miRangeAnnual fuel cost
MKZ AWD · 3.5L · Automatic (S6) · 4-Wheel DriveRegular Gasoline172419——$3,550
MKZ FWD · 3.5L · Automatic (S6) · Front-Wheel DriveRegular Gasoline182621——$3,200
MKZ Hybrid FWD · 2.5L · Automatic (variable gear ratios) · Front-Wheel DriveRegular Gasoline · Hybrid413538——$1,750

Open this model year in the fuel-cost calculator. The calculator starts with no fuel price filled in.

Check a vehicle

This page is not a VIN lookup. NHTSA's recall tool checks a specific vehicle: nhtsa.gov/recalls. NHTSA's page for this model year is 2011 Lincoln MKZ at NHTSA. Complaint narratives stay on NHTSA's site and are not copied here.

All Lincoln MKZ model years