2014 Lincoln MKZ Problems

What owners report

Complaints on this model year most often involve the electric power steering, followed by electrical faults, door latches and brake hydraulics. Power-steering complaints typically describe the assist cutting out with a "Steering Assist Fault" or "Service AdvanceTrac" message, often after restarting the car, while electrical complaints cover batteries that will not hold a charge, stalling and an infotainment screen that goes blank. Reports are spread from very low mileage up past 100,000 miles, with many in the 40,000-80,000 mile range.

1. 1
   Steering

   Power steering assist cuts out

   • 18 complaints (19%)
   • median 68,000 mi at 5.1 yrs old (11 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2015–2025

   Owners describe the steering suddenly becoming very heavy, sometimes while turning a corner or after starting the car, with messages such as "Steering Assist Fault" or "Service AdvanceTrac" on the cluster. Some say the car had to be restarted before the wheel could be turned again; others report complete loss of assist and a low-speed collision. Dealers, according to the complaints, sometimes could not reproduce the fault, and some owners were told their vehicle identification number was not covered by the steering recalls. Reported from roughly 16,000 to 121,000 miles, with many between 50,000 and 80,000 miles and often at low speed or right after a restart.

   Recall 19V632000Recall 15V250000Recall 18V1670002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether recall 19V632000 and 15V250000 were completed, and test the steering from a cold start as well as after an engine restart, watching for assist-fault messages. A scan for stored steering and stability-control codes is worth doing.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I was at a grocery store. Turned on my car put it in reverse and I could not turn the wheel. A light came on the dash board saying steering alignment failure. I put the car in park turned it off and tried to back up a few more times and failed. So I just sat there for a while then tried one last time and the car finally backed up.”

   NHTSA complaint #11192644, filed 2019-03, 68,000 miles

   “I have constant issues with the power deck lid not working when it is cold, it wont even pop the trunk. This morning I experienced a dead battery and when I got the vehicle jumped and started, the power steering warning came on as well as a traction control, hill start warnings and the power steering isnt working at all. The vehicle was stationary. I am unable to turn the wheel.”

   NHTSA complaint #10935868, filed 2016-12, 53,000 miles
2. 2
   Electrical system

   Vehicle stalls or loses power while driving

   • 12 complaints (12%)
   • median 83,000 mi at 6.0 yrs old (9 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2018–2023

   Complaints describe the engine shutting off without warning at city and highway speeds, sometimes accompanied by loss of power steering and braking assist and by the powertrain warning light. Owners report repeated restarts, dealers unable to duplicate the fault or retrieve codes, and in some cases replacement of the fuel pump, fuel injector or control module without a lasting fix. A separate group describes batteries that drain completely overnight even after testing good. Spread across the range, from under 30,000 miles to over 120,000 miles, with several reports in the 50,000-90,000 mile range.

   3 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask if the battery and charging system were tested and whether any stalling codes were diagnosed; a long test drive that includes a stop-and-restart cycle can help. Note that a service bulletin covers a no-power or stall condition with certain fuel-related codes on turbocharged cars.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Upon starting the vehicle, when I put the car in reverse order drive in low speed or getting into gear the car sputters. It stalls and powers off, creating a hazard. It is beginning to happen more frequently. It will act as if it is not receiving fuel and it makes me restart it. Most occurs in parking lots or driveways.”

   NHTSA complaint #11162581, filed 2018-12, 69,121 miles

   “Vehicle suddenly dies when driving without warning. I purchased the vehicle one month ago. Brougt it to the dealer for the bolt recall and stalled while dealer was trying to pull it into the bay. After that point, the vehicle died while drivng on numerous occasions. Went to the mechanic one two occasions and no codes pulled. Called dealer and they said I needed to go to a ford dealer. Went to ford dealer one code pulled (fuel injector) was replaced recommended I change transmission fluid and replace battery which I agreed to. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11155839, filed 2018-12, 67,280 miles
3. 3
   Body and structure

   Door latches fail or doors will not latch

   • 10 complaints (10%)
   • median 65,000 mi at 5.8 yrs old (5 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2018–2026

   Owners report a door that closed fine earlier in the day suddenly would not latch, or a latch breaking so a door appears shut when it is not; some describe a rear door opening while driving. Complaints frequently reference the door-latch recalls, and several owners say a dealer declined to repair a failed latch as out of warranty or not covered by the campaign for their vehicle. Mostly reported between about 23,000 and 100,000 miles, often on rear doors and sometimes recurring on a second door after an earlier repair.

   Recall 20V331000Recall 20V177000Recall 17V210000Recall 15V2460001 related service bulletin

   What to check: Open and close every door several times, including from inside, and confirm whether the latch recalls were completed. Ask for the recall repair history, since some campaigns were re-run because earlier repairs were incomplete.

   An excerpt from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The door latch of the passenger door is broken. This is in conjunction with Lincoln recall # 17v210000 door latch recall. There was also a second recall # 15s16 the vehicle was parked. Ignition off. A door that functioned fine earlier in the day, suddenly would not close properly. On closer inspection, door latch was broken.”

   NHTSA complaint #11319281, filed 2020-03, 65,000 miles
4. 4
   Electrical system

   Infotainment / touchscreen goes blank or restarts

   • 13 complaints (13%)
   • median 73,000 mi at 6.5 yrs old (6 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2017–2026

   Owners report the center display that controls climate, audio, navigation and heated seats going completely black or restarting, sometimes showing a software error, which leaves many functions unusable. According to complaints, dealers described it as a software rather than hardware problem and in some cases would not cover the repair, even when an extended service plan was active. Others report the rearview camera and trunk release working only intermittently. Typically reported between about 60,000 and 100,000 miles, and often intermittent rather than a permanent failure.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Spend time with the screen on, try every menu, the rearview camera and the heated seats, and ask whether any software updates or module replacements were done. Check that the trunk opens and latches properly.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “12m02 -- I took the vehicle in for this extended service plan twice during while it was still active. Both times the dealership tried to play it off as not under the warranty and software issue not hardware . They even charged me for the service over $250 worth of updates . That did not even fix the issue with the display turing off while the vehicle is operating making most of the vehicles functions useless. The dealership is now denying to fix the problem and ford/Lincoln is claiming it is out of warranty. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11373064, filed 2020-11, 63,000 miles

   “When reversing, backup camera intermittently restarts, shuts off, or never shows. This is a danger as it is unpredictable and can cause damage if it turns off while in motion. Car display says camera unavailable. Please contact dealership . Code reader gives error c1001 general electric failure.”

   NHTSA complaint #11340811, filed 2020-07, 83,000 miles
5. 5
   Brakes

   Brake pedal goes to the floor / brake fluid loss

   • 10 complaints (10%)
   • median 44,000 mi at 8.6 yrs old (7 state mileage, few)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2014–2024

   Owners describe the brake pedal sinking to the floorboard with little or no stopping power, sometimes with a low-brake-fluid message, and fluid seen under the front driver side. Complaints describe diagnosis of a ruptured or leaking brake hose or line, and some reference the brake-hose and brake-pedal recalls for this vehicle. A few report the pedal needing to be pumped to stop. Mostly reported between about 25,000 and 44,000 miles, with a few at very low mileage.

   Recall 23V162000Recall 22V011000

   What to check: Check brake fluid level and look for fluid or dampness around the front hoses and lines, and confirm whether recalls 23V162000 and 22V011000 were performed. Ask whether the brake hoses have been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I was traveling in bumper to bumper traffic with family and friends traveling at about 10 MPH when I went to apply the brakes and the car would not react I then applied both feet standing on the pedal announcing I wasn't stopping and nudged into the back of the car in front of me. It left only minor damage to my vehicle and none to the one I hit. I shut the car off and turned it back on and the brakes seems to work again. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10671234, filed 2015-01, 7,074 miles

   “The contact owns a 2014 Lincoln MKZ. The contact stated that as she attempted to come to a complete stop at the top of a hill, the brakes failed to operate as needed and were depressed to the floorboard. The contact blew through the intersection with the brake fluid low warning message on the instrument panel. The contact also stated that a warning chime sounded during the failure. The contact was able to stop the vehicle and parked on the side of the road. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11467109, filed 2022-06, 25,000 miles

Buying note. This model year has several well-documented campaigns, so ask for the recall and service history first and confirm each repair was actually completed. A pre-purchase inspection should focus on the steering assist, brake hoses and fluid level, and every door latch, plus a scan for stored codes.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.