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Vehicle safety record

2012 Lincoln MKX Problems, complaints & recalls

Owners have filed 84 complaints about the 2012 Lincoln MKX with NHTSA, most often about the brakes (33) and the electrical system (17). Those complaints describe 2 crashes and 3 injuries. It is covered by 1 recall, the latest in July 2014 for the axle shaft. For comparison, the 2011 has 149 and the 2013 has 164.

NHTSA data checked

CAbout as many problems as a typical MKX year, for its age

#101 most complained-about 2012 vehicle

Complaints
84
Recalls
1
Crashes
2
Fires
0
Injuries
3
Deaths
0

Most common 2012 Lincoln MKX problems

Share of all 84 complaints. One complaint can name more than one area. Tap an area for its complaints and recalls.

2012 Lincoln MKX recalls 1

Recall repairs are free. Your dealer fixes them whether or not you bought the car there - check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see if yours is done. What to do

Power train: axle shaft

14V39300083,250 vehicles affected

The problem
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.
The risk
If the halfshaft and linkshaft become disengaged while driving, power will no longer be transmitted to the wheels, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash. Additionally, if the parking brake is not applied before exiting the vehicle, the vehicle may roll away despite the transmission being placed in 'Park', increasing the risk of injury to exiting occupants and bystanders.
The fix
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.

What owners say

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84 complaints about the 2012 Lincoln MKX

Newest first, as filed with NHTSA by owners. Page 1 of 4.

Brakes

Recalled master cylinder brake booster was repaired at the dealership under the recall approx 4 or 5 years ago. The same issue has began again. Out of nowhere while braking, the pedal will become soft and press to the floor. During this time, the car will not slow down. This is resembling a defective part.

Filed Incident Service brakesNHTSA 11684240
Electrical system

The camera change from vertical to horizontal, the camera shutdown while in motion.

Filed Incident Electrical systemNHTSA 11683970
Driver assistance

The contact owns a 2012 Lincoln MKX. The contact stated that the back over prevention camera was reversed. The contact stated that the image was upside down and the camera was flickering. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The contact believed that the failure was weather-related. The contact called an unknown local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 185,000.

Filed Incident Back over preventionNHTSA 11668525
Electrical system

Backup camera faulty won't connect just black screen

Filed Incident Electrical systemNHTSA 11635348
Brakes

brake booster

Filed Incident Service brakes, hydraulicNHTSA 11630580
Brakes

What system Failed: Hydraulic Control Unit within the braking system. Brake Pedal and Master cylinder in good working order. Safety Concern: Vehicle failed to stop. Peddle completely to the floor. Accident avoided. Problem Reproduced or confirmed by Service Center: Yes, at a cost of $1,699.00 Inspected: Yes. Vehicle has low miles. Odometer: 114,591 Warnings: No lights or warnings, attempted to stop and brake pedal to the floor. Stopped driving until repairs made. Unsafe! Vehicle failed to stop in normal...

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traffic without warning, speed was approximately 45 mph. Personal Information: Site stated do not list personal information. Therefore, repair invoice available upon request. No upload given at this time.

Filed Incident Service brakesNHTSA 11591518
Electrical systemAirbagsBody, doors & structure

Driver side front door sensor says car door is open even when door is firmly shut. Causes doors not to lock, interior and puddle lights remain on, drains battery, doors won't lock even with car in motion. Severe rust problems under carriage air bag light remains on

Filed Incident Electrical system · Air bags · StructureNHTSA 11554554
Engine & coolingFuel system

Entering I-294 express ramp, vehicle was not accelerating beyond 40mph. then as I entered highway it shut down completely. I coasted to the right shoulder. The dash displayed a "low oil pressure" alert. So I did not attempt to restart the car. When I had it towed home, I checked the oil level and it was full. Nothing like this happened before. The vehicle is almost 12 years old with 167,000 miles. Had this happened in traffic on the expy, I could have been creamed by other cars or a truck. I am going to the dealer today to investigate but this seems like an anomaly where the engine shuts down because the computer thinks there is a catastrophic failure that is not really happening.

Filed Incident Engine · Fuel / propulsion systemNHTSA 11528289
Electrical systemDriver assistance

I am having issues with my touch screen. My screen will go black every other week, for about a day and the the SNYC will update. This time, it's been over a week, and the screen is still black. I have tried changing fuses to no avail. Also, the rear camera does not work. Along with the blind spot warning or the rear cross traffic warning. How should I proceed? I believe it may be a faulty chip in the computer board.

Filed Incident Electrical system · Lane departure · Back over preventionNHTSA 11526703
Brakes

While leaving out my driveway my brakes went straight to the floor before stopping. After I put the car in park and put my foot on the break again it was hard to push the brake pedal. I also hear air coming from the break pedal area. I had no warning and still do not have any warnings. I've noticed after reading a lot of reviews this seem to be a common problem and it's not safe. Mileage 104,000

Filed Incident Service brakesNHTSA 11502644
Brakes

The contact owns a 2012 Lincoln MKX. The contact stated that the brake pedal would depress to the floorboard without warning. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and the brake master cylinder was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was then diagnosed with a defective ABS system; however, the part for the repair was on backorder. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure and provided the same information as the dealer. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

Filed Incident Service brakes, hydraulicNHTSA 11500171
Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2012 Lincoln MKX. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to respond. The All-Wheel Drive (AWD) warning light and the power train warning light were illuminated. The contact stated that he veered to the side of the road and turned off the vehicle and waited for 15-20 seconds. The contact then continued driving; however, the failure recurred increasingly. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who test drove the...

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vehicle and informed the contact that they could not duplicate the failure. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired under an unknown NHTSA Campaign because the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 97,400.

Filed Incident Power trainNHTSA 11481754
Brakes

The contact owns a 2012 Lincoln MKX. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, there was a brake booster fault and the contact depressed the brake pedal to the floor. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer who diagnosed the failure with the brake booster. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 138,300.

Filed Incident Service brakes, hydraulicNHTSA 11466118
Brakes

The contact owns a 2012 Lincoln MKX. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the brake pedal became firm and difficult to depress. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who diagnosed the failure to be brake booster and brake master cylinder failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 67,000. The contact stated the brake booster was replaced.

Filed Incident Service brakes, hydraulicNHTSA 11460937
Brakes

The braking system failed to adequately stop the car. In contacting the Lincoln Customer Service, this failure mode is associated with a Lincoln Customer program # 13N02. This program has a 10 years or 150000 miles limit for repair. The vehicle (MKX - 2012) has 65000 miles and was purchased 12/20/2011. It is 1 month out of the defined period. The car has only been driven a few hundred miles since 2020 due to illness and death of the owners. The brake system is a safety device and should not be...

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considered a "Customer Care" program with limits as noted above. The failure of a breaking system will cause potential personal injury including death and should be reconsidered as a safety recall or the program should be extended. The incident of a major traffic accident on the highway was avoided that would have involved multiple cars if not taking evasive action in the median. The problem was confirmed by a dealer, verbally given the operation of the brake system. There were no warning lamps or any other indication prior to the incident. The VIN: [[redacted]] Thank you for your follow-up of this situation. [[redacted]], [[redacted]] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

Filed Incident Service brakesNHTSA 11449752
Transmission & drivetrain

I have a 2012 Lincoln MKX and a piece of the transmission broke off while I was driving on the highway at night. I was able to get the vehicle to the shoulder but this could have caused a serious accident even resulting in fatalities. I have contacted the dealership but he is not cooperating and says that he is going to do nothing about it. I have an estimate from the repair where I had to have the vehicle towed. There were no type of warning lights at all on the dash board.

Filed Incident Power trainNHTSA 11443238
Brakes

Brake pressure loss without warning

Filed Incident Service brakesNHTSA 11436105
Driver assistance

The contact owns a 2012 Lincoln MKX. The contact stated that while reversing the vehicle, the backup camera was inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who replaced the backup camera assembly and the failure was remedied. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 109,000.

Filed Incident Back over preventionNHTSA 11435729
Brakes

I had to slam on the brakes due to a driver pulling out in front of me without looking. The brakes went to the floor and I had difficulty getting the car stopped. I took it in to my mechanic and they diagnosed as a master cylinder, which I had replaced 7 months prior for a similar incident. But, replacing the master cylinder didn't solve the problem. After more work, they replaced the entire ABS system for the rear brakes ($1900). I drove it 3 times and the brakes locked up on their own while I was driving at 60...

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miles an hour. When we got to the side of the road, smoke was billowing out of the brakes and the car would not move even though we were pushing the gas. We had the car towed ($300) back to the mechanic. They said the brake fuel line had gotten clogged and the front master cylinder needed to be replaced ($900). Drove twice and same issue, this time smoke billowing out of rear brakes. All brake fluid has completely drained and car needs to be repaired again. It is not drivable, so we will have to have it towed again. I'm so frustrated because this is extremely dangerous and I am stuck with a vehicle that seems to be irreparable and not drivable. Shame on Ford for not recalling this when it is obviously such an issue.

Filed Incident Service brakesNHTSA 11435249
Brakes

I was driving and when I pressed on the brake, the pedal went far down and had no indication of the care stopping. It did, but it took a long time to brake. I took it for repair at Firestone, because my dealer warranty was expired. However, the Firestone let me know there is a booster brake replacement letter; the number of the recall is: 13N02. My car still qualifies as it is under 150,000 miles. The dealership repair denies my car is eligible; the main Lincoln office customer service representative also denied my car based on the vin. Is this correct? The letter of Customer Satisfaction Warranty shoes no exception based on vin?

Filed Incident Service brakesNHTSA 11432991
Brakes

Driving late at night from dinner, brakes failed. Took MKX to servicing dealer, replaced m/cyl problem still there, order brake controller two weeks ago, part on shortage no due date. Part fit alot of models and years. FMC should pay for parts, very safety failure, we live in rural area and have the car serviced at Ford/Lincoln. no warning lights

Filed Incident Service brakes, hydraulicNHTSA 11429022
Brakes

I was driving on the highway when the vehicle in front of me suddenly slowed down cause the traffic was stopped ,as I hit the brake it went to the floor and the vehicle could not stop I had to pull off to the shoulder to avoid hitting the car, I also had to pump the brakes a number of times before the vehicle came to a stop this was n the 3rd or 4th time this happened to me and 2 times with my wife driving the suv this is car was repaired by the dealer in 2018 for the extended warranty.

Filed Incident Service brakesNHTSA 11395212
Electrical system

Driver side front door sensor says car door is open even when door is firmly shut. Causes doors not to lock, interior and puddle lights remain on, drains battery, doors won't lock even with car in motion.

Filed Incident Electrical systemNHTSA 11387541
Body, doors & structureBrakes

My 2012 lincoln mkx is experiencing an issue with the brakes making it almost impossible to stop. The brake pedal is requiring extreme force to stop and goes all the way to the floor, followed by a hissing airy sound. The vehicle was taken to the lincoln dealer who diagnosed the issue as a brakes and charged me $900. After picking up the vehicle and test driving it, the problem persisted. After re-diagnosing they pointed the finger to a hydraulic control unit. This issue poses great danger and the inability...

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to stop without literally standing and applying force to the brakes. I have had to stop driving the car because when coming to a stop at any speed, the force needed to stop and a couple close calls with ramming in the back of someone, the car is just too dangerous. Additionally, I've had other issues with this car where the trunk will not stay open. It does not detect a person putting things in the trunk and I've had to run and push it up to save a kid who was loading sports equipment.

Filed Incident Structure · Service brakesNHTSA 11385756
Electrical system

While driving on the highway, brake pedal goes to the floor board. Replaced rotors brake pads and calipers. A couple of weeks later, pedal goes to floorboard again. Replaced master cylinder, but was told it was probably the abs booster. Needs to be a recall. This is the 60 th complaint. Also back up camera is upside down.

Filed Incident Electrical system · Unknown or otherNHTSA 11376636

Lincoln MKX: every year compared

YearComplaintsRecallsCrashesFiresTop problemGrade
2016157763BrakesF
201519010Engine & coolingA
201435120BrakesA
2013164172BrakesF
201284120BrakesC
2011149364Electrical systemD
2010111791AirbagsD
200966700AirbagsC
2008253732AirbagsF
All MKX years

2012 Lincoln MKX vs rivals

VehicleComplaintsRecallsCrashesGrade
2012 Lincoln MKX8412C
2012 Lincoln MKZ Hev204011FCompare
2012 Lincoln MKZ146610CCompare
2012 Lincoln MKT2810CCompare
2012 Lincoln MKS1731ACompare
2012 Lincoln Navigator1230ACompare

More sales usually means more complaints, so compare similar vehicles of the same year. The grade compares each vehicle with its own model's other years.

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Questions about the 2012 Lincoln MKX

Does the 2012 Lincoln MKX have any recalls?

Yes - NHTSA lists 1 recall for the 2012 Lincoln MKX: axle shaft (July 2014). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether yours has been fixed.

What are the most common problems with the 2012 Lincoln MKX?

By the complaints owners filed with NHTSA, the most common problem areas are the brakes (33), electrical system (17), transmission & drivetrain (11).

How many complaints has the 2012 Lincoln MKX had?

84 complaints have been filed with NHTSA, the first on November 14, 2011 and the latest on September 1, 2025. Of these, 2 describe a crash and 0 a fire, and together they report 3 injuries and 0 deaths.

Is the 2012 Lincoln MKX a reliable vehicle?

Its Safety Index is 48 out of 100 (grade C: about as many problems as a typical Lincoln MKX year, for its age). The index weighs complaints, crashes, fires, injuries, deaths and recalls against how long the vehicle has been on the road, compared with the same model's other years. It is not a measure of every repair - read the complaints and owner experiences, and have any used vehicle inspected before you buy.

Which Lincoln MKX years have the most complaints?

2007 (298), 2008 (253), 2013 (164). See every Lincoln MKX year compared.

What should I do if my 2012 Lincoln MKX has a problem?

If it is a safety problem, stop driving it if it is unsafe and contact your dealer. Report it to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/report-a-safety-problem - enough reports start investigations and recalls - and share your experience here so other owners know what to look for.

Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked . Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data

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