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Transmission and drivetrainPart report

2017 Lincoln MKZ Transmission and drivetrain Problems

Complaints
24about this part
Share
17%of 141 total for the year
Median mileage
107,000miles
Trend
RisingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% higher than in the 3 years before.

NHTSA recorded 24 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2017 Lincoln MKZ, 17% of the 141 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 107,000 miles. 3 of these say a crash was involved and 3 a fire, according to the filers. 2 recall campaigns on record are filed under a similar system.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“Vehicle jerks aggressively from park to reverse then reverse to drive at cold start. And from park to drive. Then there is a delay in engagement where there is no movement at all as you sit in the roadway with traffic. No codes displaying after an appointment with dealership and although I provided videos of issue occurring they say they can't duplicate issue and I must come back, weeks later. As soon as I leave issue occurs again.....”

NHTSA complaint #11099382, filed 2018-06, 18,000 miles

“I purchased this vehicle on November 11, 2024. About one month later, I began experiencing severe problems. The engine started overheating, which marked the beginning of a downward spiral of issues. To address the overheating, a new engine was installed by Murgado Lincoln dealership, which took approximately 48 days to complete. While the new engine resolved the overheating, a serious transmission problem has persisted and worsened. …”

NHTSA complaint #11671399, filed 2025-07

“I am submitting this complaint to report a serious vehicle safety incident involving my 2017 Lincoln MKZ Select that resulted in a catastrophic engine fire while the vehicle was in operation. Prior to the incident, the vehicle underwent a long block engine replacement performed by Murgado Ford Lincoln of Chicago pursuant to Ford Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) 22-2229. The repair involved removal and replacement of the engine assembly and related components. …”

NHTSA complaint #11723491, filed 2026-03

“Torque converter is going oitvluckly caught it in time before it locked up and caused a crash. There are numerous other vins recalled for the same year and same issue because the torque coverter welds were not done correctly. My vehicle does not show any recalls but should have also been included. I have seen on forums about this where numerous people had the same issue and all lincoln reps just give you a runaround because rhey know its an issue but dont want to acknowledge it. I was told this by a dealership mechanic.”

NHTSA complaint #11691274, filed 2025-10

“Incident Summary – Vehicle Fire Date of Incident: Thursday, September 4, 2025 Context: I was driving to a scheduled service appointment for my car at Murgado Lincoln Dealership of Chicago Events Leading Up to the Fire While driving, I heard loud metal noises coming from under the hood. The sound was either metal pieces falling off or grinding/chomping metal against metal. Concerned by the noises, I pulled over to the side of the road. Smoke and Fire Once stopped, the car began emitting gray smoke, which quickly turned into black smoke. …”

NHTSA complaint #11686775, filed 2025-09

Related recalls

Related service bulletins

Transmission and drivetrain: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2019210%
2018925%
20172417%
201612%
201545%
201499%
20131514%
201243%
201143%
201042%
200954%
200862%
200773%

Other parts of the 2017 Lincoln MKZ

Engine
76 complaintsBrakes
16 complaintsOther or unknown
12 complaintsEngine cooling
11 complaintsElectrical system
10 complaintsFuel system
9 complaintsSteering
6 complaintsVehicle speed control
5 complaintsAir bags
4 complaintsExterior lighting
4 complaintsWheels
4 complaintsBody and structure
2 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2017 Lincoln MKZ

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology