Lincoln · MKX · 2013
1
Recall
160
Complaints
4/5
Safety Rating
The 2013 Lincoln MKX has 1 recall and 160 owner-reported complaints on file with NHTSA. Overall safety rating: 4 out of 5 stars. Most reported issue: service brakes (48 reports).
Source: NHTSA Public Records · Updated Apr 22, 2026
This page combines three types of NHTSA data: recall campaigns (official manufacturer or government actions), owner complaints (unverified consumer reports), and crash test ratings (where available). A vehicle with many complaints is not necessarily less reliable — complaint volume correlates with sales volume and vehicle age. Recalls indicate identified defects, not overall quality. To compare this model year with others, use the year navigation in the sidebar or return to the model overview page.
Overall Frontal Rating
Driver and Passenger Assessment
Driver Side
Passenger Side
Overall Side Rating
Side Barrier and Side Pole Tests
Driver Side
Passenger Side
Rollover Resistance
15.9% rollover risk in single-vehicle crash
Safety Features
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2012-2014 Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX vehicles manufactured September 2, 2010, to November 30, 2013; 2013-2014 Ford Taurus and Lincoln MKS vehicles manufactured August 25, 2011, to November 30, 2013; and 2013-2014 Ford Flex and Lincoln MKT vehicles manufactured September 12, 2011, to November 30, 2013. In the affected vehicles, the halfshaft retention circlip may not have been properly installed, and as a result, the halfshaft may move outward and disengage from the linkshaft while driving and without prior warning.
Remedy Status
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicles to make sure that the halfshaft is properly retained. If it is not, dealers will replace the linkshaft and also replace the halfshaft if it shows evidence of spline damage, free of charge. The recall began on August 4, 2014. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-800-392-3673. Ford's number for this recall is 14S10.
1. Rear diff is making grinding noise, front ptu is making a grinding noise and pinion seal is leaking, front axle throwing grease out inner boot. 2. Car stopping in middle of travel. Had a hard time getting it off the road. 3. The problem was confirmed by the dealership car was purchased from. 4. Only inspected by dealership mechanic. 5. Only by dealership mechanic. 6. There were no warning lamps prior to failure. The grinding was happening at time of purchase.
Brake failure. Pedal drops, especially when ABS is activated. Dealer diagnosed ABS control module and HCU hydraulic leak. Parts for this are on back order per dealer leaving me with a dangerous driving situation or inability to use my vehicle. No warning lamp or message displays. The fact that the parts to fix a major safety item are not available is unacceptable.
The contact owns a 2013 Lincoln MKX. The contact stated that while driving at 45 MPH and while attempting to make a right turn, the contact heard a grinding noise coming from the front of the vehicle on the front passenger’s side. An independent mechanic was contacted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the driveshaft needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V393000 (POWER TRAIN); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
The contact owns a 2013 Lincoln MKX. The contact stated that while reversing, the back-over prevention camera failed to display an image. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the backup prevention camera. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. The VIN was not available.
When shifted into reverse the screen for my Lincoln MKX is upside down and occasionally lines blur seeing anything
Moonroof glass component off track described by third party Lincoln/Ford mechanic, and will not go back on track when using buttons to open and close.
My brakes have failed on this car three times. I had new front and back brakes installed on [XXX] mileage 44882. Again my brakes failed on [XXX] mileage 47626. A new brake booster was installed along with front brakes. Again on [XXX] brakes failed again and a brake booster and front brakes were installed. Mileage 54924. Today I was driving to my daughters house in Zanesville, Ohio and my brakes failed again. My car is still down in Zanesville because I could not drive it home. The mileage is 57000. Every time this happens I risk an accident. Even though the brake booster is covered by extended warranty, because Lincoln knows about this problem, I still have to pay for brakes and other cost. Isn't there anything that can be done about this? INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
On two occasions i was on my way to church when the brake pedal went completely to the floor with no braking effect. i pumped the brake peddle several times and then in both instances braking was reestablished. These instances happened about a month and a half apart.
In June 2024, i received a letter dated March of 2024 for a Customer Satisfaction Program 13N02 that ended before i had a chance to take my vehicle into the repair shop to have this item fixed. Actually, i received the letter past the date that it could qualify for the repair as it was 10 years from the original warranty or 150,000 miles. My original warranty start date was December 2013. So they sent the "Customer Satisfaction Program notice 13N02" After the date it could be repaired. I called the dealership anyway, despite their error, to see if they may want to fix this Spongy Break Pedal anyway since they had messed up their mailing date. (Shultz Lincoln in Wexford, PA) They declined and told me they would be happy to look at it for a low fee of $180.00. I told them they should do it for free. I then called Lincoln directly where i spoke with a very nice gentleman. He looked through every possible scenario and decided that i was not able to get it fixed under the program. There really should be some type of law disallowing them to send out post dated letters knowing very well that they were not going to fix it because it was past the date of repair. My brake pedal hits the floor when i try to stop and if i do not push on the pedal hard enough to brake without the booster kicking in, i bump into things. Solution, i have attached a 2 channel dash cam to the vehicle with a live feed posted to a server in order to document my death caused by Lincoln. I have instructed my attorneys to release the feed upon my death and have authorized a law suit in my name. if won, they have been told to distribute the money to all of the homeless people that the Lincoln Executives drive past with their pocket tight and windows up every day on their way to work. This should be a crime. They should fix their safety issues, they should not be allowed to send out notices offering to pay for repairs that they do not plan on repairing. Also, they could spare a dollar for the Homeless
The contact owns a 2013 Lincoln MKX. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the brake pedal was depressed, and the brake pedal felt soft. The contact depressed the brake pedal to the floorboard while slowing the vehicle. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic, who referred the contact to a local dealer. The vehicle was diagnosed, and it was determined that the HECU was leaking, causing the brake booster and other braking systems to fail. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The contact was advised by an independent mechanic that the brake failure for the year, make, and model was known by the manufacturer. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Lincoln MKX. The contact stated when the vehicle was started the "Service Brakes" warning light illuminated. The contact stated that several other unknown warning lights were illuminated when the vehicle was started several days later. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer to be diagnosed who retrieved DTC code: U3000; 49-68. The dealer determined that the ABS module needed to be replaced; however, the parts to repair the vehicle were on a national backorder. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 92,109.
Vehicle randomly dies while driving. Can happen at anytime and at any speed. No warning at all. Does not leave a check engine light so no code is recorded. Very dangerous. Otherwise vehicle runs well but is too dangerous to drive. All steering, acceleration, brakes, etc. are lost when it dies. Will immediately start back up if in park or neutral and foot on the brake. Again - DANGEROUS! This has been going on for over 6 months now. Some days all ok and other days can be multiple events.
Brake booster is a known issue with these cars. It failed today and my car has 100,000 miles. Ford has issued a customer satisfaction notice, but they refuse to fix my car because it was built 3 months too early.
Our car has been having issues with the breaks. At random times the break peddle gets very spongy and has to be pushed to the floor before the brakes will activate. The reduced break pressure has caused near crashes as the vehicle does not slow down when the breaks are pushed until the pedal is pushed to the floor. We took the car into a Lincoln dealership and they spent a day looking at the vehicle. The mechanic informed us that the vehicle has a faulty ABS pump and that the part needs to be replaced to remedy the brake issue. We were told by the Lincoln dealer that the part is on back order and that this part is known to fail on our year and model of car.
Brakes loose pressure and break pedal has to be pushed to the floor before speed is reduced. Likely an issue with the break booster.
The contact owns a 2013 Lincoln MKX. The contact stated that after her daughter started the vehicle, the parking brake failed and the vehicle began to roll. As a result, the vehicle rolled 300 yards downhill, running over the driver, who had attempted to physically stop the vehicle and came to a complete stop after colliding with a building. The air bags did not deploy. No warning lights were illuminated. A police report was filed, and injuries were reported. The driver was taken to an area hospital and treated for a sprained hip, a sprained ankle, and various contusions. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that the vehicle was functioning as intended. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 243,000.
Noticed for the last year or two that the buttons on my air and best turn on without to touch any button and will not power off also the windows will fog while driving. If heat is on the buttons will dial to air conditioning which causes foggy windows while on busy interstate. Also noticed there are several complaints on the internet from others who experience similarities of what is call ghost buttons. This also send sensor into a frenzy and can cause the car to over heat without warning happen to me twice.
The contact owns a 2013 Lincoln MKX. The contact stated that while reversing, the back-over prevention camera displayed a distorted image and an upside-down image. In addition, the contact stated that an error message was displayed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The dealer was made aware of the failure. In addition, the contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
When driving the vehicle, the brakes got stiff and mushy and hard to stop the car. There was not indicator on the dash there was an issue with the brakes. Had it checked by a mechanic and he stated it needed to go to the dealership since it was the brake booster which needed attention. I looked for recalls on this model and they had one in 2015 time frame, but I did not purchase it used until 8/17 after the recall. I set an appointment with the Stumpf Ford where they confirmed it was the brake booster. I also found numerous (43) complaints about the same issue with the 2013 Lincoln MKX. I fortunately did not have an accident when this happened, but feel there are issues around the brake booster and it is a hazard for my self and other drivers if there had been an accident. The dealership had stated there was a recall which ended in 2015 for that model, but that there is one on going from 2018 until 2025 for the MKZ. As stated this is a safety issue for the driver of the car and other drivers.
The contact owns a 2013 Lincoln MKX. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH with the radio playing, the contact stated that only the rear speaker was playing. The contact increased the volume to hear the sound in the front speakers; however, while merging onto the highway, the speakers in the front of the vehicle started working and the volume increased. The increased volume of the speakers startled the contact who jumped and jerked the steering wheel. The contact stated that the passenger in the vehicle suffered a panic attack and passed out with his eyes rolling back in his head. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 145,000.
Showing 1–20 of 25 complaints
The 2013 Lincoln MKX has 1 recall recorded by NHTSA.
NHTSA has received 160 owner-reported complaints for the 2013 Lincoln MKX.
The 2013 Lincoln MKX received an overall safety rating of 4 out of 5 stars from NHTSA.
The most commonly reported complaint categories for the 2013 Lincoln MKX are service brakes (48 reports), electrical system (19 reports), power train (13 reports).
Yes. NHTSA has 1 recall on record for the 2013 Lincoln MKX. Scroll up to review the published recall summaries, consequences, and remedies. To check for unrepaired recalls on your specific vehicle, use your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Look up recalls and complaints for any year, make, and model.
This page summarizes publicly available data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA by vehicle owners and do not by themselves prove defect severity or vehicle safety. Safety ratings may not be available for all vehicle-years. This site is not affiliated with NHTSA or any vehicle manufacturer. For official information, visit the official NHTSA page for this vehicle.