Engine And Engine Cooling Problems of Lincoln MKZ - part 2

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.

See all problems of the 2017 Lincoln MKZ 🔎.

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.

See all problems of the 2018 Lincoln MKZ 🔎.

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.

Technical service bulletin 19-2387 my vehicle has this defect which is an ongoing problem and at the time of this correspondence my vehicle has under 13,000 miles. Seepage around the perimeter of the oil pan which in time will result in a steady leak and in turn loosing enough oil will cause engine damage. Technicians refer to this as the oil pan sweating. As per the technical service bulletin this problem exists on 2017 to 2019 Lincoln Mkz 3. 0 which Ford installed a plastic oil pan on all new vehicles to reduce the weight of the vehicle. The 2017 to 2019 Lincoln Mkz 2. 0 were fitted with metal oil pans and there is no issue. I notified Lincoln customer service and they are aware of this problem yet a recall has not been issued. This is a manufacturer defect and Ford should take responsibility to correct this problem. A recall should be issued. Thank you for your attention on this matter. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See all problems of the 2019 Lincoln MKZ 🔎.

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.

See all problems of the 2016 Lincoln MKZ 🔎.

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.

See all problems of the 2011 Lincoln MKZ 🔎.

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.

I have been told by a Ford mechanic on 7. 11. 2024, 6 weeks before buying the car that there is coolant intrusion in cylinder 2 and the only fix to this would be to replace the long block that cost a little over 8k, some how some way this vehicle dont have any recalls about this well known issue. This in no way should be on the customer due to a defect by Ford engine in there vehicles.

While traveling on interstate at70 mph a red triangle appears on dash engine turns off warning on dash to stop ASAP. All you have is electrical power which is not much. Car needs to be turned off and restarted. This may occur again in a few minutes or not. Took to dealer they said they replaced an O2 sensor. It still turns off. Back to dealer. They can’t reproduce. Has happened to me at least 8 times on surface streets and highways. Extremely dangerous to loose power on highways. This started about 6 months ago. Still happening. Last incident was today.

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.

The contact owns a 2011 Lincoln Mkz. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a knocking sound coming from the front of the vehicle. The contact stated on another occasion while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine overheated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed; however, the cause of the failure was not yet determined. The contact was informed that it might have been an axle leak. The contact then took the vehicle to an independent mechanic who in turn advised her to take the vehicle to a dealer. The contact had the vehicle towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with water pump failure. The contact was informed that the water pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was being repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

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.