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Transmission and drivetrainPart report

2018 Lincoln MKZ Transmission and drivetrain Problems

Complaints
9about this part
Share
25%of 36 total for the year
Median mileage
69,000miles
Trend
Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.

NHTSA recorded 9 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2018 Lincoln MKZ, 25% of the 36 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 69,000 miles.

Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.

Example complaints

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

“Upon driving the vehicle, it has stalled seven times. Two of those incidents involved vehicle going into park without touching the park button. As it was shifting into park, there was a loud clicking sound as though the vehicle was 'fighting' going into park. Then the vehicle died. On at least five other occasions, it just died. Nothing indicating on my way app, or at service department for local Lincoln dealership. This began one week ago yesterday and without pattern, has continued. …”

NHTSA complaint #11206840, filed 2019-05, 135,000 miles

“Initially when buying the vehicle in 2021, it had 30k miles. Car continued to give me a cylinder 2 misfire code after numerous trips to different garages and then the car beginning to start up rough and anti freeze missing i came across a service bulletin regarding it being a faulty ring in the engine. I took the vehicle to Ford and they replaced the engine. My car just hit 100k miles All of the sudden one day when trying to stop at a red light the car was shaking . …”

NHTSA complaint #11634568, filed 2025-01

“I own a 2018 Lincoln MKZ. The vehicle Engine overheating warnings came up, and I took the car to the dealership. They informed that the Lincoln MKZ vehicle had a frequent problem with coolant leaking into the engine due to faulty power train assembly. The dealer has seen and repaired hundreds of vehicles with this problem. Lincoln company denies responsibility for this manufacturing defect. The vehicle is only 7 years 3 months and 30 days old with 67914 miles used by single owner. …”

NHTSA complaint #11640579, filed 2025-02

“My 2018 Lincoln MKZ with the 2.0 Ecoboost Engine incurred premature engine failure at ONLY 40k miles. My safety as well as other drivers' safety at risk due to EcoBoost Engine in certain model year 2013-2019 Ford and Lincoln vehicles have an inherent design defect which makes them predisposed to leak coolant, including allowing the coolant to seep into the engine cylinder, which causes overheating and cylinder head cracking, and can cause the engine to misfire, suddenly stall, or even catch fire while driving. In April the car began to shake at start up. The shaking was intermittent. …”

NHTSA complaint #11663894, filed 2025-05

“Scanned codes P0741, P1450, P1744, & P2196. Check the transmission fluid level and condition. No fluid drained from hole, added a little fluid, and retrieved a sample of the fluid. The fluid is very dark. Identifix states, if the fluid smells or has the appearance of being black due to internal clutch slippage, the transmission should be replaced or overhauled. …”

NHTSA complaint #11747716, filed 2026-07

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 2018 Lincoln MKZ

Engine
13 complaintsOther or unknown
5 complaintsEngine cooling
3 complaintsElectrical system
2 complaintsExterior lighting
2 complaintsFuel system
2 complaintsLane departure
2 complaintsAir bags
1 complaintsBack-over prevention (rear camera)
1 complaintsBrakes
1 complaintsBody and structure
1 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
1 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2018 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