Engine And Engine Cooling Problems of Lincoln MKZ - part 1

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. The black smoke entered through the dashboard, filling the interior cabin. I realized the vehicle had caught on fire. Immediate actions taken I quickly gathered personal belongings from inside the car. I was lucky to have evacuated the vehicle immediately to ensure my safety, despite inhalation of potentially hazardous chemicals due to the fire/ plastic of the car. I then called 911 to report the fire and request emergency assistance. The car continued to catch fire and then there was a minor explosion, as the chicago fire department battled the fire.

See all problems of the 2017 Lincoln MKZ 🔎.

Coolant intrusion into cylinders 2&3 causing misfire at 126,000 miles. Car lost coolant without warning and started overheating. Took to west herr Lincoln in buffalo NY and they said car needs new engine, Lincoln wont cover or help me with repair. I owe ally $16,000 on this car still.

My 2019 Lincoln Mkz check engine light came on. The repair shop said coolant was leaking into #3 cylinder from cracks in the engine block. Per alerts the shop receives from Ford, this is a known issue and there is no way to repair this issue. The engine will need to be replaced. My powertrain warranty ended 4 month earlier. My car has 45,500 miles on it. I talked to the dealership and they advised calling Lincoln directly. I call Lincoln and they confirmed this is a known issue. I was told that my car didn't meet the out of warranty criteria to receive any assistance to replace the defective engine. They wouldn't tell me what the parameters are and said I would need to pay the full cost to replace the engine. My understanding from the shop is they see many escapes and Mkz with this engine issue but never seen one with this low of mileage. Lincoln told me to keep my replacement receipts in case there is a recall. I.

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Coolant intrusion of cylinder 3, car has less than 50,000 miles total and has been very well taken care of. Has had over a gallon of coolant added within the month of Aug.

See all problems of the 2018 Lincoln MKZ 🔎.

Lemon was sold a car with a class action lawsuit in progress, still was leased to me stuck with payments with a blown engine. Now can't even open it.

Leasing a 2017 Mkz with total engine failure due to coolant leaking into the engine. Other issues are evolving, while unable to get it fixed.

My name is [xxx] , and I am leasing a 2017 Lincoln Mkz, with 60000 miles on it and experience total engine failure due to coolant leaking into it information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The contact owns a 2017 Lincoln Mkz. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the engine had failed due to coolant intrusion. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 74,000.

My Mkz started slowly losing coolant and running rough particularly upon starting the engine. Two days later the overheating warning came on and I pulled over and shut off the engine. Sioux falls Ford has diagnosed it as coolant intrusion in the engine requiring a new engine block.

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I am submitting this complaint to formally report that my 2017 Lincoln Mkz experienced engine block damage due to a failed torque converter weld, a known safety defect covered under NHTSA recall 17v-427 / 18v-390 (Ford campaign 17s16). This recall specifically affects vehicles like mine equipped with a 2. 0l gas engine and 6-speed automatic transmission, due to improperly welded torque converter studs. This failure causes loss of power and potential transmission or engine damage—precisely what occurred with my vehicle. When I brought my vehicle to an authorized Lincoln dealership in alexandria, virginia, the service department refused to cover the cost of repair, despite the vehicle falling within the recall parameters. Their refusal directly contradicts federal recall law (49 u. S. Code § 30120), which mandates that manufacturers and authorized dealers must remedy safety defects at no cost to the vehicle owner, regardless of ownership history or age. As a result of their denial, I am left with significant out-of-pocket costs for damage that should be addressed under a federally mandated safety recall. This poses both a financial burden and a public safety risk if other owners are similarly turned away. I am requesting that NHTSA: investigate this dealership’s noncompliance with federal recall obligations. Ensure that Ford motor company and its authorized dealers are held accountable for safety-related repairs. Assist in compelling the dealer to honor the recall and reimburse or cover the cost of required repairs.

The contact owns a 2016 Lincoln Mkz. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine overheated with smoke coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated the vehicle lost motive power but was able to be restarted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed, and it was determined that the engine had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000.

I purchased my 2017 Lincoln Mkz select on November 11, 2024. The vehicle was determined to need a new engine, per murgado Lincoln of chicago. They had my car for over 48 days while putting in a new engine. After this was completed the car had to be sent back due to a mistake the mechanics made by not attaching a gasket properly. After this, I began experiencing odd noises underneath the hood and throughout the vehicle; delayed timing belt in both acceleration and deceleration, and so forth. I was then involved in a hit-and-run car accident (not my fault). All side airbags deployed and my passenger side rear wheel is destroyed. I had this car assessed just a few days ago by a certified auto care company who said I needed a completely new transmission and that this car is not street legal at the moment. . . Insurance is not helping me at all.

I purchased a 2017 Lincoln Mkz select which has been a continuous source of mechanical problems. After recently having a new engine installed, the vehicle has now developed significant transmission issues, making it unsafe and difficult to drive. Despite being sold this car under the assumption it was reliable, I am struggling with costly repairs and reduced functionality, effectively driving a “lemon. ” I believe the vehicle’s condition and recurring failures qualify it for protection under consumer lemon laws or warranties, and I am seeking resolution or compensation due to these defects that have severely impacted the vehicle’s usability and my safety.

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. After a few days of this, the check engine light came on. I took it to the mechanic (t&h) to have it looked at. They said the "shaking" is the car misfiring at start up. They were not able to locate any leaks or identify the cause of the misfire. They code on the check engine light was code p0301-cylinder #1. During April and may the misfires have continued and got worse. I was going back and forth to t&h trying to diagnose the issue. On may 12th, while taking the kids to school, I went to pull out into traffic and the car would not accelerate. The dashboard lights said the engine was overheating. The car would not go above 10mph. Luckily my mechanic is down the street. They were concerned about excessive use of coolant and not seeing a leak anywhere. They filled the coolant, and I made a follow up appt in one week to do a borescope inspection. On may 19th, t&h did a borescope inspection and visually confirmed coolant in cylinder #1. They provided me a copy of a TSB 22-2229 that states the engine block needs to be replaced. The cost of the engine block replacement was estimated at $8k. Engine failure at 40k miles is unacceptable. An engine block replacement due to a manufacturing/design flaw should be covered by Lincoln motor CO as a goodwill repair regardless of warranty status.

Ford have a huge problem with the 2. 0 ecoboost. Where coolant pass through the cylinder and make engine mix oil and coolant. Ford have a thousand of claim about this and still doesn’t have any solution and they make customer pay everything.

Approximately 2 weeks ago, my 2017 Lincoln Mkz reserve began sputtering/hesitating during acceleration. On 03/31/2025, I took it to the heiser Ford-Lincoln in glendale, WI for service and the diagnosis was I needed to replace my “engine long block” because of engine coolant leaking into the engine cylinders. I was given at an estimated cost of $8,000. I researched and found technical service bulletin 22-2229 listing this issue as a not-so-uncommon problem with Ford’s 2. 0 liter engines. I am highly concerned that this could cause the engine to seize while driving with coolant compromising the viscosity of the engine oil. I firmly believe this should be elevated to a recall status as this engine is used in several 2017 through 2019 Ford and Lincoln car models - and the occurrence has been frequent enough to have a TSB created.

Dashboard showing check engine light. Car hesitating, running very rough. Not driveable. Dealership diagnosed problem as coolant leaking into cylinder requiring engine replacement to fix the issue. Cost for dealer to diagnose problem $254. 00. Cost to repair estimate . . . $7,700 + taxes & fees. Dealer states no assistance from Ford/Lincoln available as vehicle is out of warranty. TSB was issued June 26 2019 regarding this problem related to 2017-2019 model years Mkz with 2. 0 l ecoboost engine. Although there are many, many reports of this problem being a widespread issue, to date, nothing has been done to remediate the problem for owners experiencing this issue. Many other ecoboost engines have been recalled for issues relating to failure.

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 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. A reputed company like Lincoln should be held responsible for manufacturing and marketing vehicles where the power train and engine fails on a fairly new vehicle.

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.

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 . There was no codes and only happened while in drive and at a red light or stop sigh:( complete stop) I took the card to Ford, who diagnosed it and open up my tranny and found out there was no fluid ,was burnt and had metal in it. There is still no code on my dash board and I need to pay 7k to replace a transmission. The fluid is housed internally , there was no leaks, and no codes was thrown on the dash. How was I to know transmission fluid was leaking and wher was it going?.

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.

Eco boost 2. 0 coolant intrusion to cylinders needs new motor, very well known issue by Ford and they are not willing to pay for repairs.

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 2018 Lincoln Mkz. The contact stated while driving 50 mph, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that there was coolant intrusion into the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 46,000.

Engine failed due to coolant intrusion into cylinders. This is a known design flaw in this engine.

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 2018 Lincoln Mkz. The contact stated while driving 30 mph, the engine light illuminated. While the vehicle was idling, there was an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who referred the contact to the local dealer for assistance. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was coolant intrusion into the engine, and that the engine needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.

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.

As I was traveling home from work, I noticed the car jerk slightly and immediately decelerate. The engine temperature gauge light came on the dash and the temperature gauge immediately moved to the “h” position on the dash. Due to the fact that I was in rush hour traffic on the highway, I was worried I wouldn’t have enough speed to get to the median. I turned on my hazards and coasted safely to the side of the road but was nearly ran over by other vehicles not realizing the issue I was having. I was unable to accelerate out of the way and at the mercy of other drivers being courteous and give me space to move. I turned the car off and looked under the hood locating the coolant reservoir. It appeared empty. I was able to get a ride to the nearest auto parts store and buy coolant. When I returned to my car, I emptied coolant into the reservoir and cranked the vehicle. Within a minute the gauge returned to normal temp and carefully got back in flow of traffic but stayed close to the emergency lane. Within a couple hundred yards of driving again, the lights and gauges indicated another overheating issue. At the next stop, I pulled into a gas station. And parked the car to have it towed. My mechanic informed me that the coolant was leaking from the coolant pump into my oil pan. Now the engine is flooded with a mixture of oil and coolant and I will need a new engine. He said this issue has been reported before but wasn’t sure what Ford/Lincoln may be doing about it. I’m lucky I didn’t have an engine fire or some sort of collision while driving along a highway during rush hour traffic.

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