2013 Lincoln MKX

Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report

Avoid This Year

Quick Summary

The 2013 Lincoln MKX has 203 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 2.5x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is brakes problems (33% of all complaints), specifically: started car in driveway. car stalled and lost all power. tried to restart and car started again. 1 week later, while driving dashboard control panel (phone, navigation, climate,sirius blacked out. car stalled in middle of highway. no power. later the same day, the brake pedal went directly . ⚠️ 2 fire reports filed.

2 fire reports 6 crash reports 2 injuries

203

Total Complaints

Recalls Issued

—/5

Safety Stars

2.5x

vs Segment Avg

Known Problems

BRAKES

66 complaints

33%

• STARTED CAR IN DRIVEWAY. CAR STALLED AND LOST ALL POWER. TRIED TO RESTART AND CAR STARTED AGAIN. 1 WEEK LATER, WHILE DRIVING DASHBOARD CONTROL PANEL (PHONE, NAVIGATION, CLIMATE,SIRIUS BLACKED OUT. CAR STALLED IN MIDDLE OF HIGHWAY. NO POWER. LATER THE SAME DAY, THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT DIRECTLY
• STARTED CAR IN DRIVEWAY. CAR STALLED AND LOST ALL POWER. TRIED TO RESTART AND CAR DID RESTART. 1 WEEK LATER WHILE DRIVING THE DASHBOARD CONTROL PANEL (PHONE, NAVIGATION, SIRIUS, CLIMATE BLACKENED OUT. CAR STALLED IN MIDDLE OF HIGHWAY. NO POWER. LATER THE SAME DAY, BRAKE PEDAL WENT DIRECTLY TO T
• TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 LINCOLN MKX. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED BUT FAILED TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE F

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 3 crashes

“STARTED CAR IN DRIVEWAY. CAR STALLED AND LOST ALL POWER. TRIED TO RESTART AND CAR STARTED AGAIN. 1 WEEK LATER, WHILE DRIVING DASHBOARD CONTROL PANEL (PHONE, NAVIGATION, CLIMATE,SIRIUS BLACKED OUT. CAR STALLED IN MIDDLE OF HIGHWAY. NO POWER. LATER THE SAME DAY, THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT DIRECTLY ”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ELECTRICAL

29 complaints

14%

• WHILE DRIVING THE HIGHWAY TO MY HOME, THE BLIND SPOT AND CROSS TRAFFIC SENSORS FAULTED. THE WARNING MESSAGES CAME ON AND I TOOK THE CAR IN FOR SERVICE TO THE DEALERSHIP. THEY INFORMED ME IT WAS A FAULTY BLIB MODULE AND WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. FOR A TWO MONTH OLD CAR, THERE SEEM TO BE AN ABNORM
• WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT ABOUT 65MPH, THE SYNC SYSTEM SCREEN WENT BLACK, AFTER ABOUT 5 MINUTES, THE SYSTEM CAME BACK UP. I WAS UTILIZING THE NAVIGATION SYSTEM AT THE TIME AND WAS FORCED TO STOP, RE-ENTER THE DETAILS OF THE LOCATION I WAS INTENDING TO VISIT. THE SYNC SYSTEM SHOULD NEVER JUST
• VEHICLE STOPPED RECEIVING TRAFFIC INFO ON NAVIGATION SCREEN. ALL OTHER DATA RECEIVED VIA "SYNC" SYSTEM FROM SIRIUS OPERATING CORRECTLY. DEALER REPLACED COMPUTER MODULE THEY IDENTIFIED AS CONTROLLING THIS FUNCTION. NO CHANGE IN CONDITION. PROBLEM ESCALATED TO FORD TECH PEOPLE. A MONTH AGO, THE RADIO

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 1 fire reports

“WHILE DRIVING THE HIGHWAY TO MY HOME, THE BLIND SPOT AND CROSS TRAFFIC SENSORS FAULTED. THE WARNING MESSAGES CAME ON AND I TOOK THE CAR IN FOR SERVICE TO THE DEALERSHIP. THEY INFORMED ME IT WAS A FAULTY BLIB MODULE AND WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. FOR A TWO MONTH OLD CAR, THERE SEEM TO BE AN ABNORM”

— NHTSA complaint filing

OTHER

22 complaints

11%

• EXHAUST LEAK IN CABIN. I PURCHASED THE 2013 MKX IN APRIL 2017, SOON AFTER I BEGAN NOTICING AN EXHAUST SMELL IN THE CAR SHORTLY AFTER FAST ACCELERATION. I BROUGHT THE VEHICLE INTO THE FORD DEALERSHIP WHERE I PURCHASED IT IN JUNE AND JULY, WHO SEALED AND RESEALED THE BUMPER WHICH HAD NO IMPROVEMEN
• WIFE WAS DRIVING TO WORK ON MARCH 15, 2018, AROUND 2 PM EST, ON A DIVIDED ROAD AROUND 35 MPH. CLEAR SUNNY DAY WITH NO TRAFFIC AROUND HER. SHE HEARD A VERY LOUD NOISE AND PULLED INTO THE NEAREST PARKING LOT TO SEE WHAT HAPPENED. SHE LOOKED AT THE BODY OF CAR AND TIRES AND DID NOT SEE ANYTHING. SHE C
• I PURCHASED THIS 2013 LINCOLN MKX IN OCTOBER OF 2017. IT WAS A USED VEHICLE BUT APPEARED TO BE IN EXCELLENT CONDITION. IN APRIL, THE SUNROOF FLIPPED BACK AND CHIPPED THE BACK GLASS OF THE PANORAMIC ROOF. CONSIDERING THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM REGARDING FORD AND THEIR SUNROOFS, MY INSURANCE REFUSES TO

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 3 crashes

“EXHAUST LEAK IN CABIN. I PURCHASED THE 2013 MKX IN APRIL 2017, SOON AFTER I BEGAN NOTICING AN EXHAUST SMELL IN THE CAR SHORTLY AFTER FAST ACCELERATION. I BROUGHT THE VEHICLE INTO THE FORD DEALERSHIP WHERE I PURCHASED IT IN JUNE AND JULY, WHO SEALED AND RESEALED THE BUMPER WHICH HAD NO IMPROVEMEN”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ENGINE

17 complaints

• NEAR THE END OF MY DAILY HOUR LONG COMMUTE HOME I WAS COMING UP TO A STOP SIGN, AS I WAS DECELERATING UP TO THE STOP SIGN, THE LOW OIL PRESSURE LIGHT CAME ON, THE STEERING SEIZE UP, THE ACCELERATOR FAILED TO FUNCTION, AND THE BRAKING WAS SLUGGISH. I WAS LUCKILY ABLE TO STEER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD
• TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 LINCOLN MKX. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE ATTEMPTING TO DECELERATE FOR A TRAFFIC LIGHT, THE ENGINE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. AFTER RESTARTING, THE VEHICLE RESUMED NORMALLY. IN ADDITION, THE BACK UP CAMERA BECAME INOPERABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER, WHO WA
• TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 LINCOLN MKX. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, EXHAUST FUMES ENTERED THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER SEVEN TIMES FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING, BUT THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE'S UNDERCARRIAGE WAS COATED WITH

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“NEAR THE END OF MY DAILY HOUR LONG COMMUTE HOME I WAS COMING UP TO A STOP SIGN, AS I WAS DECELERATING UP TO THE STOP SIGN, THE LOW OIL PRESSURE LIGHT CAME ON, THE STEERING SEIZE UP, THE ACCELERATOR FAILED TO FUNCTION, AND THE BRAKING WAS SLUGGISH. I WAS LUCKILY ABLE TO STEER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD”

— NHTSA complaint filing

TRANSMISSION

16 complaints

• WHEN YOU PUT THE GEAR SHIFT IN PARK AND TURN THE SUV OFF, THE WARNING LIGHT WILL COME ON THE DASHBOARD STATING THAT THE VEHICLE IS NOT IN PARK. YOU HAVE TO EITHER RESTART THE SUV AND TAKE IT OUT OF PARK A FEW TIMES OR DO NOT RESTART AND HIT THE BUTTON ON THE SHIFTER A FEW TIMES TO GET THE LIGHT TO
• TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 LINCOLN MKX. ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, WHILE DRIVING 75 MPH, THE ENGINE STALLED AND LOST POWER. ALSO, THE POWER TRAIN FAULTY INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER (BILL HOOF FORD LINCOLN, LOCATED AT 1500 N MORRISON BLVD, HAMMOND, LA 70401, (985) 345-1590)
• 2013 MKX DOES NOT RECOGNIZE WHEN GEAR SHIFTER HAS BEEN MOVED TO "PARK". ERROR MESSAGE LIGHT "SHIFT TO PARK" COMES ON. P LIGHT IS NOT ILLUMINATED. DRIVER HAS TO REPEATEDLY SHIFT FROM PARK TO ANOTHER GEAR (NEUTRAL, DRIVE, PARK, REVERSE) AND BACK TO PARK UNTIL P IS ILLUMINATED AND RECOGNIZED TO BE I

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 1 fire reports

“WHEN YOU PUT THE GEAR SHIFT IN PARK AND TURN THE SUV OFF, THE WARNING LIGHT WILL COME ON THE DASHBOARD STATING THAT THE VEHICLE IS NOT IN PARK. YOU HAVE TO EITHER RESTART THE SUV AND TAKE IT OUT OF PARK A FEW TIMES OR DO NOT RESTART AND HIT THE BUTTON ON THE SHIFTER A FEW TIMES TO GET THE LIGHT TO ”

— NHTSA complaint filing

Estimated Repair Costs

BRAKES(~50K mi)

$500

ELECTRICAL(~50K mi)

$500

OTHER(~50K mi)

$500

ENGINE(~50K mi)

$500

TRANSMISSION(~50K mi)

$500

Estimates based on average reported repair costs. Actual costs vary by location, shop, and severity.

🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

Based on 203 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:

☐
BRAKES: STARTED CAR IN DRIVEWAY. CAR STALLED AND LOST ALL POWER. TRIED TO RESTART AND CAR STARTED AGAIN. 1 WEEK LATER, WHILE DRIVING DASHBOARD CONTROL PANEL (PHONE, NAVIGATION, CLIMATE,SIRIUS BLACKED OUT. CAR STALLED IN MIDDLE OF HIGHWAY. NO POWER. LATER THE SAME DAY, THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT DIRECTLY
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ELECTRICAL: WHILE DRIVING THE HIGHWAY TO MY HOME, THE BLIND SPOT AND CROSS TRAFFIC SENSORS FAULTED. THE WARNING MESSAGES CAME ON AND I TOOK THE CAR IN FOR SERVICE TO THE DEALERSHIP. THEY INFORMED ME IT WAS A FAULTY BLIB MODULE AND WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. FOR A TWO MONTH OLD CAR, THERE SEEM TO BE AN ABNORM
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
OTHER: EXHAUST LEAK IN CABIN. I PURCHASED THE 2013 MKX IN APRIL 2017, SOON AFTER I BEGAN NOTICING AN EXHAUST SMELL IN THE CAR SHORTLY AFTER FAST ACCELERATION. I BROUGHT THE VEHICLE INTO THE FORD DEALERSHIP WHERE I PURCHASED IT IN JUNE AND JULY, WHO SEALED AND RESEALED THE BUMPER WHICH HAD NO IMPROVEMEN
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ENGINE: NEAR THE END OF MY DAILY HOUR LONG COMMUTE HOME I WAS COMING UP TO A STOP SIGN, AS I WAS DECELERATING UP TO THE STOP SIGN, THE LOW OIL PRESSURE LIGHT CAME ON, THE STEERING SEIZE UP, THE ACCELERATOR FAILED TO FUNCTION, AND THE BRAKING WAS SLUGGISH. I WAS LUCKILY ABLE TO STEER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)