general problems of the 2017 Lincoln MKZ - part 2

The contact owns a 2017 Lincoln Mkz. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine seized, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that a tune-up was needed. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who performed the tune-up. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and was diagnosed with coolant intrusion and engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 107,500.

I have a 2017 Lincoln Mkz; coolant is leaking into the engine block; have to replace the entire engine. Car has 82k miles on it. Bad thing is that my daughter's Ford fusion (2017) had the same problem just two months. I had to replace the engine in her car. It is clear that Ford/Lincoln has this problem, stories on the internet. Ford did issue a recall but just for the 1. 5 liter car; both of mine were 2. 0 liter. These engines should be recalled - should not be happening. Daughters car just has 45k miles on it.

The contact owns a 2017 Lincoln Mkz. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the temperature gauge would indicate that the vehicle was hot(h). In addition, the vehicle would lose power upon depression of the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where they replaced the engine under warranty. After the engine was replaced, the contact experienced an engine oil leak which was also repaired under warranty. Almost a year later, the check engine light appeared on the instrument panel; this time, the vehicle was taken to another dealer(planet Ford dallas-3333 inwood rd, dallas, TX 75235). The contact was later informed by the dealer that coolant had leaked into the engine which resulted in engine failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 103,000.

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. Since I purchased the car, the transmission has been slipping constantly, shifting gears on its own unpredictably, making loud noises under the hood and throughout the entire vehicle. These issues create a major safety hazard, putting me and others at significant risk. On June 25, 2025, I was involved in a hit-and-run incident that likely worsened the vehicle’s condition. During this incident, the side airbags on both sides of my vehicle deployed, but the front airbag did not deploy at all, which is highly concerning and increased the danger during the impact. Additionally, the car has a cracked shock absorber head, likely from the accident, which has led to instability and potential fishtailing. I am now afraid to drive the vehicle due to unpredictable handling and further mechanical failure. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. These problems have been confirmed and partially addressed by the dealer when the engine was replaced, but the transmission issues have never been fully resolved. There were no specific warning lamps for the transmission before the failure, but the slipping and erratic gear changes started about one month after purchase and have become progressively worse.

While driving the car in commuter traffic on route 22 highway the car transmission stopped working and car bucked and then stopped. Upon getting out of the lane of traffic there was a large amount of transmission fluid on the ground. Car had to be towed as it would not move. Danger was the car stopping on the highway in busy traffic. Upon inspection by car dealer they found it had a broken transmission cooler line . The Lincoln dealer put in a tube assembly repair kit and replaced all trans cooler lines at a cost of $ 1,029. 72 to me. No warning lamps or messages came on before the lines broke.

Coil head caked in oil causing misfire due to valve guideseals in left side cylinder head leaking see attached documentation.

Internal engine failure causing coolant to leak into the cylinders. Have been advised that a new engine is necessary. Car warranty has expired due to age. Mileage is 53,042.

The contact owns a 2017 Lincoln Mkz the contact stated while driving 35mph, the check engine light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that coolant was in the number two cylinder and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was relating the failure to technical service bulletin 19-2172 (coolant in cylinders, white exhaust smoke, and/or illuminated mil)  however the VIN was not included in the service bulletin. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and offered no assistance informing the contact that the VIN was not included in the service bulletin. The failure mileage was 7,500.

The contact owns a 2017 Lincoln Mkz. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, while the vehicle was idling, the vehicle was shaking and vibrating abnormally. Additionally, after shifting to drive, the vehicle erroneously lunged forward, and while shifting into reverse the vehicle jerked backwards. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the torque converter and engine were faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 18v390000 (power train). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 100,000.

The contact owns a 2017 Lincoln Mkz. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment with excessive smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that coolant intrusion had damaged the engine, resulting in a misfire in cylinder #2, and the long block was cracked. The contact was informed the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was unknown.

Coolant leak into the engine, causing white smoke, decreased coolant level and a rough start.

I took my 2017 Lincoln Mkz vehicle into my local Lincoln dealership on the morning of 8/13 due to check engine light which came on the previous week. The results of the diagnostic test that was performed which showed p0303 coolant leaking in cylinder #2 needs motor per TSB 22-2229 at a cost $7103. 60 plus tax. My 2017 Mkz with 53k miles needs a new motor…how is this??? this issue is a result of a “known” defect in the motors of certain Lincoln and Ford vehicles where coolant seeping into the engine. I call the Lincoln care/customer relations center department to advise of my situation and the representative I spoke took my information VIN #, address, phone number and said she would call me back once she has looked in what resources or programs available that could possibly assist me with this very expensive repair. She calls me back and advises that because my vehicle is out of the warranty period there is no assistance or resources available to assist me. Now, if my vehicle was still under warranty I would be covered and I wouldn’t need assistance because it would be a covered repair. So, if this is the Lincoln care /customer relations center that “supposedly” have resources to assist customers in situations such as this, who are you assisting??? not the customer under warranty because they don’t need the assistance and obviously not the customer (myself) that need the assistance but can't get any. I have a long history with this company and I have invested a lot of money with this company to be told there is no assistance for a “known” defect issue which has now become my issue. Unbelievable that you all are treating customers in this manner. I will never support this company ever again after being a repeat customer and getting treated this way. I can only hope all of the other vehicle owners with this “known” defect that are having to pay for the repair does the same. I want my money back that I now have to pay out to get my vehicle repaired.

2017 Lincoln Mkz with 53k miles check engine light comes on and dealership diagnostic shows leaking coolant in cyl #2/needs motor. Car out of warranty so cost of repair is out of my pocket. Lincoln has known about this since 2016. . . They leased the car out in 2017 and then sold it to me in 2019 knowing there was a defective engine in the vehicle but didn't do or say anything about it. . . Never any recall. How is it that there are 100k 2021-2022 trucks and SUV's being recalled due to engine issue that could "lead to catastrophic engine damage resulting in a loss of power". I could of suffered a loss of power as well with the defective engine that was in my car. How is this sudden recall on these trucks and SUV's any more important or severe than all of the Ford/Lincoln vehicles that had engine issues? this could have been easily rectified early on seeing they knew about this issue from the beginning. I want my money back I paid to get my engine repaired.

Vehicle just started running rough and then the check engine light came on and almost immediately temperature indicated excessive heat. I looked in the rear view mirror and noticed excessive white smoke coming out of the tail pipes. I stopped the vehicle and opened the hood and notice there was no coolant in the reservoir. I had the vehicle towed to the Ford dealer in spring hill, florida ($125. 00). While the vehicle was at the dealership I rented a vehicle for 1 and a half months ($ 2476. 72). New engine long block installed and completed on July 26, 2024 and I picked up my vehicle after I paid. ($7786. 12). During the time the vehicle was at the dealership I called Ford motor and Lincoln motor company but was told vehicle has not been recalled and was out of warranty. See Ford TSB 22-2229.

The contact owns a 2017 Lincoln Mkz. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the vehicle was started and there was an abnormal antifreeze odor coming from the exhaust pipe. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was driven back to the residence. The contact self-diagnosed the vehicle with a coolant leak into the cylinder. The contact had spoken to an independent mechanic, but the vehicle was not diagnosed. The contact was informed that the head gasket on the cylinder or the engine might need to be replaced. The contact was occasionally adding coolant to the vehicle to drive the vehicle. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 134,000.

The contact owns a 2017 Lincoln Mkz. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a coolant leak and a failed engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA hotline and report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

I own a 2017 Lincoln Mkz and was just informed by the dealership that my vehicle is part of TSB 22-2229 which relates to a known defect in the manufacture of the 2. 0 ecoboost engine. Coolant is now leaking into the cylinder and progressively making the car worse. With only 85k miles the only fix is to install a new engine, out-of-pocket, for close to $15,000. I have filed my complaint with Lincoln, no response. This defective engine needs to be recalled!.

In February of 2024, my check engine light came on. I took it to a dealership who informed that it was a spark plug issue and that they had replaced it. The check engine light came on again fairly soon after, and before I could get it back to the dealership the car died. I had it towed there and was told that the battery needed to be replaced. The day after I got my car back, the light came back on again. After taking it back to the dealership, it was determined to be an engine issue, with coolant leaking everywhere (which is what ruined the spark plug and battery. ) the estimate to fix this issue is $6,550. 00. My Lincoln Mkz has approximately 60,000 miles and one owner who took care of the maintenance religiously - this should not be happening.

See attached document for complaint.

I have purchased a used 2017 Lincoln Mkz reserve 2. 0l in August of 2023 that started losing coolant and smoking from exhaust. Upon further investigation the coolant was noticed in the cylinder 2 through the spark plug opening. I had changed the head gasket and noticed the slotted coolant journals between the cylinders which was clear this was where the coolant was leaking from. After replacing the cylinder head gasket it run fine for about another month before starting to have same issues of losing coolant and smoking from exhaust, coolant was observed in cylinders 2 and 3. Ford recommended replacing the engine to the new design engine that eliminated the slots, this would be at customer cost. Engine cost was $2,618. 67 in March of 2024 just to purchase the engine, I replaced the engine myself. Vehicle was at 58,735 miles but warranty was out of date.  .

While out of town, the check engine light came on and the car began sputtering. There was a Lincoln dealer a couple miles away so I went there. The scan found code p303 and coolant had intruded in cylinder 3 and the engine needed to be replaced. The Lincoln dealer stated that there was a service bulletin issued about this problem with eco boost 2017 Lincolns.

The 2017 Mkz has an oil leak. I was informed during a recent state inspection and oil changed. When I left to take the car in, I noticed about a fist size spot of oil on the garage floor. When I received the call from the dealership, my Mkz was serviced. The oil leak was from the oil pan. I was also, informed it required TSB. Explained by the Ford team leader, it did not only need a new gasket. The service for the oil leak required the following; new oil pan, new valve covers, new gaskets, etc. Lincoln has designed a new pan, valve cover, gaskets which should eliminate the oil pan leak. The total repair cost went into approximately 4 times the cost for a normal oil pan gasket replacement. In researching, it appears Lincoln has known of the potential problem since 2015 and I purchase this as a new used. When I purchased the car, it was a bought back and I was told all issues were repaired, but it appears if this was an issue in 2015 and Lincoln has designed new parts, why was the oil pan and covers not replaced, if this engine has a known history of oil leaking. There not a recall or some type of resolution for the repair after any warranty issues. This is a design and manufacturing fault and negligence on Lincoln. Now this extreme high-cost repair is placed on the consumer to fix Lincoln's known engine design issue to eliminate the oil leak. Either a recall should have been called or the repair should not be fully on the owner. Now I am beginning to smell oil after just short drives around town.

Coolant leaked into cylinders causing my engine to regularly overheat, forcing me to replace the engine at about 78,000 miles. Although I didn't realize it at the time, the first indication of a problem was at 72,737 miles (just 2,737 miles out of warranty), which is when I had the first overheating incident. According to my research, Ford has known about this problem for many years, and it affects many models over many model years, but they have yet to address the problem with the public. I was fortunate in that I didn't have a fire or an accident due to this known problem. Ford has issued several technical service bulletins about it, the most recently being 22-2229, which is attached. Lincoln assisted me with covering the engine replacement, but in total, I am out $3,864. 80 due to this problem.

September 2023, 2017 Mkz showed misfire cylinder 3. Had a rough idle started back up and got a puff of white smoke from tailpipe. Towed to dealer who told me I needed new engine. 10k. Car has 64k miles. Dealer says I missed power train warranty by 1 month and 8 days. Contacted headquarters who initially said I had 11 months left. Headquarters recommended a local Ford dealer who told me it wasn't covered. I'm stuck with 20k debt and Ford knows about this coolant engine flaw.

There are numerous reports of engines needing to be replaced due to coolant intrusion on the engine which causes overheating due to coolant loss. It eventually causes engine misfire a=in cylinder #2 or 3. Ford/lincol does not want to cover engine replacements cut issued a TSB stating that engined need to be replaced.

2017 Lincoln Mkz 2. 0l ecoboost engine coolant intrusion into cylinder due to cracked engine block from factory defects in water jacket design. This will cause engine to fail, over heat, potential fire risk. Issue identified by certified dealer and Lincoln refuses to fix due to out of warranty. Issue is known by Lincoln and is same as 1. 6l ecoboost recall. Check engine light indicated misfire in cylinder, however light is intermittently illuminated and does not identify the actual issue.

In September 2022, I began noticing issues with my 2017 Lincoln Mkz. Despite notifying Lincoln and the dealer, they delayed inspection due to their policy that a check engine light was not a sufficient reason for an early inspection without an appointment. It was only inspected in November. I also was told both by the dealer and Lincoln corporate customer service that I couldn't take my car to other dealers to get it inspected. In November 2022, it was finally inspected, but they were unable to diagnose the issue. By July 2023, the issues escalated - my car was now diagnosed as requiring a new engine due to coolant leakage into the engine. I was shocked and horrified at this outcome, given that I had only driven the car for 25k miles since its purchase in 2020. Over a third of submitted complaints to NHTSA regarding this vehicle model are related to engine failure due to coolant leakage. TSB reports and existing class action lawsuits indicate that the issue is a known design flaw in the engine affecting both Lincoln Mkz and certain Ford fusion models. Technical service bulletin (TSB) 22-2134, indicates that the problem may present "with or without an illuminated malfunction indicator lamp (mil)". A complete engine replacement is their proposed solution. Despite the urgent need for corrective action, Lincoln's response has been neither prompt nor transparent. They seem to be avoiding responsibility rather than addressing this critical defect, as evident in their decision to discontinue the Mkz and the Ford fusion in 2020 a year after acknowledging these issues. This is a case of warranty and insurance fraud, not to mention a critical failure in maintaining public safety. I urge NHTSA to thoroughly investigate this defect affecting numerous vehicles and compel Lincoln to rectify it. For the past two weeks, I've requested multiple times my vehicle records from Lincoln but received none, leaving my car hostage in the shop. Please consider this plea for action.

Engine light would come on & off. Took my care in to be inspected - they determine I need a new motor -due to defect in motor design leaking antifreeze into cylinders. Not cover by warranty because I was 2 months out of the 6yr. Period with only 47,000 miles on it. They will do nothing for me except charge for a new motor. My understanding is this 4 cylinder w/turbo motor in Ford/Lincoln has a known design flaw that they hope no one finds out about.

This vehicle already has a TSB reported, TSB 22-2229. There is a known defect in the manufacturing of the engine design. The design is failing and allowing coolant to run into the engine cylinders. This puts drivers at risk, not knowing when the engine may completely fail while driving it. The engine heats up quickly when the coolant is drained into the engine (default design), instead of around the turbo engine. There is no coolant left in the reservoir, thus possibly causing an engine fire. I've had a diagnostic check on the vehicle at blue springs, mo Ford. They report that the engine will need to be replaced. The service engine light comes on, but the code read doesn't come up as the engine. It is a spark plug/coil pack needed for replacement. This has been done. I've had the engine overheating warning come up. I've had to add antifreeze to the reservoir several times. These warning lamps and messages have been coming up for the past 2 weeks. The car starts off rough, with some misfires in the idle. I have had it not start at first and I will have to try again several times.

I have a 2017 Lincoln Mkz with the 2. 0t ecoboost engine and have approximately 74,000 miles on the car. I have been receiving a check engine light which indicates a missfire on cylinder 2 when scanned. Additionally I have noticed low coolant levels in the reservoir. I have had a loss of heat in the winter which lead to the initial discovery of low coolant. No indicator light came on when the coolant was low. I replaced the spark plugs in all 4 cylinders which has not solved the issue. Additionally, I still experience coolant loss. I took the car to the Ford dealership which informed me I have coolant leaking into cylinder 2 which will require a new engine. Had the coolant not dropped as low as it did in the winter, I would not have noticed the loss of heat and therefore checked the coolant level as there were no other indicators of low coolant level. This could have caused significant overheating issues and even complete engine failure.

The contact owns a 2018 Lincoln navigator. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at 70–75 mph, there was white and black smoke coming from underneath the hood. The vehicle stalled and made an abnormal sound. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who informed the contact that the timing jump came into contact with the engine, which caused the spark plugs to completely melt, and there were several unknown misfire codes; additionally, the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was towed to a dealer, who informed the contact that the catalytic converter had failed, which caused the engine to overheat. Additionally, the piston stick had a hole melted through the center, and the exhaust mounts were melted along with several other unknown parts. The engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.

Vehicle starting and running rough upon start up. Coil #2 now showing bad 4th time within the past 6-8 months, the #2 plug twice on the last month. Now coil #3 and plug for the 2nd time. Feels like an oxygen sensors going bad, although no codes showing up for that, causes the check engine light to come on and continually run rough like a misfire.

I purchased this 2017 Lincoln Mkz 2. 0l used on 11/26/22 with 72,400 miles. 2/4/23 I started having a misfire on cylinder 2. Past experience with another ecoboost vehicle I thought was most likely a failing coil pack. I purchased an oem coil pack and replaced coil pack 2. The car ran fine for several weeks and I thought my issue was fixed. 3/18/23 I left the house and typically before I get to town I’d have heat in the cabin, that wasn’t the case. I looked at all gauges and everything is normal no lights & engine temp is fine. Pull over and looked at the coolant reservoir… bone dry! I look for external leaks, but there are none. Filled the reservoir and I now have heat again. I got it home and looked all over for a leak again, but nothing. Figured well since I had a misfire and I’m approaching 80,000 miles maybe I should do the spark plugs. Cylinder 1 came out fine, and cylinder's 2,3,4 all seemed to be seized to the point I didn’t feel comfortable using more force and risking them breaking. Checked the oil and the oil looks fine. The engine runs rough upon the first start of the day, and white smoke is released from the exhaust while this is happening. Decided to take it to a local Ford garage and have them do the 3 remaining plugs as well as an oil change as I thought maybe it was a spark plug issue. I explained my experience with the vehicle and the service tech stated they won't touch them because this is a known issue. Most likely I would need a new engine. Apparently, with this gen of the ecoboost 2. 0, there is coolant leaking into the cylinders due to a manufacturer design flaw that Ford knows about. This coolant will cause the cylinder head to crack and fill with coolant. Ultimately the engine will self-destruct. My local Ford garage told me to reference TSB 22-2229. If you research this online you will find many complaints as well as fears of continuing to drive the vehicle as this could cause an accident when the engine completely dies.

While driving my 2017 Lincoln Mkz 3. 0l in March 2023, I experienced a loss of power and then engine stalled, fortunately I was at a stop and was able to re-start the vehicle and limp home, (which was nearby). If this loss of power and then stall would have happened while I was moving in traffic the failure could have lead to a catastrophic outcome including loss of life. It was determined via obdii analysis conducted by the Lincoln service department that dtc p0302 was triggered. Upon further inspection by the service department it was revealed that the issue was related to TSB 19-2243, which reads "2. 7l/3. 0l - oil consumption with dtc p0524 and/or p06dd, rough idle, misfire and/or white or blue exhaust smoke - built on 1-Apr-2016 and through 1-Jan-2017". Unfortunately, my vehicle was built during this known defect time frame. And the remedy required new cylinder head. The new cylinder head and subsequent parts and labor cost me $3,126. 58. This was extremely unfair as my only because my vehicle did not fall within the warranty period or mileage. The vehicle was over 6 years old with 36,934 miles. This very serious failure mode could have resulted in a loss of life if experienced while driving on a highway or any other situation in which the vehicle was mobile and experienced a sudden loss of power in traffic. Further disappointing is that I would estimate that there were many vehicles that experienced the defect noted in the TSB but these were not reported publicly because they were "lucky enough" to fail during the warranty period. My costs should be reimbursed by Lincoln given this was a known defect during the build time frame. And at minimum there should be a safety recall for the vehicles built during the time period noted in the TSB. I will personally never purchase another Lincoln not to mention a Ford, of which I currently have 3 Ford/Lincoln.

The contact owns a 2017 Lincoln Mkz. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 mph, and at other various speeds, the check engine warning light remained constantly illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the vehicle had been leaking coolant into the engine block. The mechanic determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.