
2020 Lincoln AVIATOR
Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report
Quick Summary
The 2020 Lincoln AVIATOR has 159 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 2.0x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is electrical problems (23% of all complaints), specifically: i purchased the auto on aug 24, 2019. i have encountered 5 issues with the vehicle so far - 3 mechanical and 2, cosmetic. i'll focus on the mechanical. beside the pending recall, i am experiencing the following: 1) the passenger seat in front row lacks the motor for the massage function. lincoln ha.
159
Total Complaints
0
Recalls Issued
—/5
Safety Stars
2.0x
vs Segment Avg
Known Problems
ELECTRICAL
37 complaints- • I PURCHASED THE AUTO ON AUG 24, 2019. I HAVE ENCOUNTERED 5 ISSUES WITH THE VEHICLE SO FAR - 3 MECHANICAL AND 2, COSMETIC. I'LL FOCUS ON THE MECHANICAL. BESIDE THE PENDING RECALL, I AM EXPERIENCING THE FOLLOWING: 1) THE PASSENGER SEAT IN FRONT ROW LACKS THE MOTOR FOR THE MASSAGE FUNCTION. LINCOLN HA
- • I WAS DRIVING HOME AND THE ENGINE COOLANT DISPLAY ON THE PANEL ALL OF THE SUDDEN WAS AT THE MAXIMUM. IT THEN WOULD NOT LET ME THROTTLE ANY MORE, SO I HAD TO PULL OVER TO THE SIDE AND TURN THE VEHICLE OFF. I DID AND LET IT SIT 20 MINUTES AND THE ISSUE WAS STILL PRESENT. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO DEALER
- • WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE WHEN BACKING UP OR PULLING FORWARD THE BACK UP CAMERA, AND THE FORWARD CAMERA ARE NOT CONSTANT, AND JITTER RAPIDLY. THIS CAN LEAD TO AN ACCIDENT WHEN A PERSON IS BACKING UP AND THE CAMERA JITTERS TO THE POINT WHERE THE PERSON CAN NOT SEE CLEARLY USING THE BACK UP CAMERA OR
“I PURCHASED THE AUTO ON AUG 24, 2019. I HAVE ENCOUNTERED 5 ISSUES WITH THE VEHICLE SO FAR - 3 MECHANICAL AND 2, COSMETIC. I'LL FOCUS ON THE MECHANICAL. BESIDE THE PENDING RECALL, I AM EXPERIENCING THE FOLLOWING: 1) THE PASSENGER SEAT IN FRONT ROW LACKS THE MOTOR FOR THE MASSAGE FUNCTION. LINCOLN HA”
— NHTSA complaint filing
DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS
26 complaints- • Rear backup camera tuns to blue screen when the vehicle is put into reverse. Also rear brake assist works sometimes. Vehicle was turned into service for previous rear camera recall, but condition has returned.
- • Built at Chicago Plant October 2019 purchased Sept 30, 2020. Multiple and ongoing instances where back up camera when put into reverse goes to a blue screen and you cannot see what is behind you in the back up camera. it also cant assist in advising you there is oncoming traffic. APMI completely
- • The rear view camera does not always work. Sometimes it is just a blank green screen with the guide lines. This happen many times but not always. The software to update the image processing module software has been done.
“Rear backup camera tuns to blue screen when the vehicle is put into reverse. Also rear brake assist works sometimes. Vehicle was turned into service for previous rear camera recall, but condition has returned.”
— NHTSA complaint filing
OTHER
25 complaints- • I PURCHASED THE AUTO ON AUG 24, 2019. I HAVE ENCOUNTERED 5 ISSUES WITH THE VEHICLE SO FAR - 3 MECHANICAL AND 2, COSMETIC. I'LL FOCUS ON THE MECHANICAL. BESIDE THE PENDING RECALL, I AM EXPERIENCING THE FOLLOWING: 1) THE PASSENGER SEAT IN FRONT ROW LACKS THE MOTOR FOR THE MASSAGE FUNCTION. LINCOLN HA
- • WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE WHEN BACKING UP OR PULLING FORWARD THE BACK UP CAMERA, AND THE FORWARD CAMERA ARE NOT CONSTANT, AND JITTER RAPIDLY. THIS CAN LEAD TO AN ACCIDENT WHEN A PERSON IS BACKING UP AND THE CAMERA JITTERS TO THE POINT WHERE THE PERSON CAN NOT SEE CLEARLY USING THE BACK UP CAMERA OR
- • WITH MY CAR IN PARK, I HAVE SHIFTED TO DRIVE AND REVERSE, AND WHILE MAINTAINING MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE AFTER TRANSFERRING TO DRIVE OR REVERSE THE CAR HAS MOVED BY ITSELF BY APPROXIMATELY 3 FEET BEFORE COMING TO A STOP. EACH TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED I WAS ON A LEVEL SURFACE. THE DEALERSHIP INSPECTED MY C
“I PURCHASED THE AUTO ON AUG 24, 2019. I HAVE ENCOUNTERED 5 ISSUES WITH THE VEHICLE SO FAR - 3 MECHANICAL AND 2, COSMETIC. I'LL FOCUS ON THE MECHANICAL. BESIDE THE PENDING RECALL, I AM EXPERIENCING THE FOLLOWING: 1) THE PASSENGER SEAT IN FRONT ROW LACKS THE MOTOR FOR THE MASSAGE FUNCTION. LINCOLN HA”
— NHTSA complaint filing
TRANSMISSION
15 complaints- • MY VEHICLE HAS 4960 MILES AND THE TRANSMISSION STARTED TO SLOW DOWN AS IF I WAS DRIVING A STICK SHIFT CAR, THEN 2 OR 3 DAYS LATER BEGAN TO KICK AND LOSE POWER WHEN INCREASING SPEED AFTER A STOP SIGN. DEALER DIAGNOSED AN INTERNAL FAILURE ON THE TRANSMISSION AND IT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. A COUPLE OF
- • Vehicle shifted into neutral while driving. Had to stop the vehicle in the median to put it back in drive.
- • My warning light stating a AWD malfunction has occurred has gone off 4 times, along with warnings for malfunctions in precollision assist and hill climb assist and the light has come on 4 times for each of these. When driving these lights come on and when the AWD malfunction light comes on the car
“MY VEHICLE HAS 4960 MILES AND THE TRANSMISSION STARTED TO SLOW DOWN AS IF I WAS DRIVING A STICK SHIFT CAR, THEN 2 OR 3 DAYS LATER BEGAN TO KICK AND LOSE POWER WHEN INCREASING SPEED AFTER A STOP SIGN. DEALER DIAGNOSED AN INTERNAL FAILURE ON THE TRANSMISSION AND IT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. A COUPLE OF”
— NHTSA complaint filing
BRAKES
9 complaints- • WITH MY CAR IN PARK, I HAVE SHIFTED TO DRIVE AND REVERSE, AND WHILE MAINTAINING MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE AFTER TRANSFERRING TO DRIVE OR REVERSE THE CAR HAS MOVED BY ITSELF BY APPROXIMATELY 3 FEET BEFORE COMING TO A STOP. EACH TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED I WAS ON A LEVEL SURFACE. THE DEALERSHIP INSPECTED MY C
- • MY VEHICLE HAS 4960 MILES AND THE TRANSMISSION STARTED TO SLOW DOWN AS IF I WAS DRIVING A STICK SHIFT CAR, THEN 2 OR 3 DAYS LATER BEGAN TO KICK AND LOSE POWER WHEN INCREASING SPEED AFTER A STOP SIGN. DEALER DIAGNOSED AN INTERNAL FAILURE ON THE TRANSMISSION AND IT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. A COUPLE OF
- • WHEN PUTTING THE VEHICLE INTO GEAR (WITH THE BRAKE PEDAL PRESSED) IT SOME TIMES BEGINS MOVING AND THE BRAKE PEDAL DOES NOT ENGAGE THE BRAKES. THIS FORCES THE DRIVER TO QUICKLY PUT THE CAR BACK INTO PARK TO STOP THE VEHICLE.
“WITH MY CAR IN PARK, I HAVE SHIFTED TO DRIVE AND REVERSE, AND WHILE MAINTAINING MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE AFTER TRANSFERRING TO DRIVE OR REVERSE THE CAR HAS MOVED BY ITSELF BY APPROXIMATELY 3 FEET BEFORE COMING TO A STOP. EACH TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED I WAS ON A LEVEL SURFACE. THE DEALERSHIP INSPECTED MY C”
— NHTSA complaint filing
Estimated Repair Costs
Estimates based on average reported repair costs. Actual costs vary by location, shop, and severity.
🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist
Based on 159 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:
- ☐ELECTRICAL: I PURCHASED THE AUTO ON AUG 24, 2019. I HAVE ENCOUNTERED 5 ISSUES WITH THE VEHICLE SO FAR - 3 MECHANICAL AND 2, COSMETIC. I'LL FOCUS ON THE MECHANICAL. BESIDE THE PENDING RECALL, I AM EXPERIENCING THE FOLLOWING: 1) THE PASSENGER SEAT IN FRONT ROW LACKS THE MOTOR FOR THE MASSAGE FUNCTION. LINCOLN HA
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
- ☐DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS: Rear backup camera tuns to blue screen when the vehicle is put into reverse. Also rear brake assist works sometimes. Vehicle was turned into service for previous rear camera recall, but condition has returned.
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
- ☐OTHER: I PURCHASED THE AUTO ON AUG 24, 2019. I HAVE ENCOUNTERED 5 ISSUES WITH THE VEHICLE SO FAR - 3 MECHANICAL AND 2, COSMETIC. I'LL FOCUS ON THE MECHANICAL. BESIDE THE PENDING RECALL, I AM EXPERIENCING THE FOLLOWING: 1) THE PASSENGER SEAT IN FRONT ROW LACKS THE MOTOR FOR THE MASSAGE FUNCTION. LINCOLN HA
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
- ☐TRANSMISSION: MY VEHICLE HAS 4960 MILES AND THE TRANSMISSION STARTED TO SLOW DOWN AS IF I WAS DRIVING A STICK SHIFT CAR, THEN 2 OR 3 DAYS LATER BEGAN TO KICK AND LOSE POWER WHEN INCREASING SPEED AFTER A STOP SIGN. DEALER DIAGNOSED AN INTERNAL FAILURE ON THE TRANSMISSION AND IT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. A COUPLE OF
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
- ☐General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)
Lincoln AVIATOR — Year Comparison
How does 2020 compare to other years? Fewer complaints = more reliable.
NHTSA Safety Rating
No NHTSA safety rating available
At a Glance
- Complaints
- 159
- Recalls
- 0
- Fire reports
- 0
- Crash reports
- 2
- Injury reports
- 0
- Segment avg
- 80
Check a Specific VIN
See recalls for YOUR 2020 Lincoln AVIATOR