2020 Lincoln NAVIGATOR

Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report

Above Average

Quick Summary

The 2020 Lincoln NAVIGATOR has 33 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 0.4x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is transmission problems (52% of all complaints), specifically: vehicle set on adaptive cruise control, car accelerated to get back up to set speed and had a hard "clunk" sound. driver turned off cruise control and attempted to accelerate vehicle. vehicle tachometer revved up, transmission didn't shift properly, still shifting hard or not shifting at all. once s. ⚠️ 2 fire reports filed.

2 fire reports 2 crash reports

Total Complaints

Recalls Issued

—/5

Safety Stars

0.4x

vs Segment Avg

Known Problems

TRANSMISSION

17 complaints

52%

• Vehicle set on adaptive cruise control, car accelerated to get back up to set speed and had a hard "clunk" sound. Driver turned off cruise control and attempted to accelerate vehicle. Vehicle tachometer revved up, transmission didn't shift properly, still shifting hard or not shifting at all. Once s
• Driving vehicle for an approximately 70 miles highway trip, the vehicle was experiencing some hard shifts/poor shift quality prior to overheating. Temperature in vehicle for the transmission was reading 237 degree Fahrenheit when we stopped at a light after exiting the highway. We noted smoke and sa
• Frequently while traveling at 35 mph to highway speeds, while needing to accelerate slightly to avoid traffic, change lanes, pass, etc. the Navigator needs to downshift. It drops out of gear and seems to fail to find a lower gear resulting in a neutral like gear, loss of power, engine revving someti

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

“Vehicle set on adaptive cruise control, car accelerated to get back up to set speed and had a hard "clunk" sound. Driver turned off cruise control and attempted to accelerate vehicle. Vehicle tachometer revved up, transmission didn't shift properly, still shifting hard or not shifting at all. Once s”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ELECTRICAL

4 complaints

12%

• WE'VE HAD THIS VEHICLE FOR A LITTLE LESS THAN TWO MONTHS. THE APP STARTED SENDING NOTIFICATIONS ABOUT THE CAR GOING INTO DEEP SLEEP AND NEEDING TO CONSERVE BATTERY WITHIN A WEEK AFTER PURCHASE. WE WERE UNABLE TO USE REMOTE UNLOCK OR START. JAN 10, IT WAS DEAD AFTER SITTING OVERNIGHT AND NEEDED TO BE
• The contact owns a 2020 Lincoln Navigator. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the passenger’s side seat would move forward and backward without warning. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer but was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and suggested that the
• My car has an unknown electrical issue that causes the car battery to completely drain and the car unable to turn on. It first started in August 2023 and after months of time at the dealership, Lincoln has never determined the cause or been able to fix it and it continues to happen. This is unsafe b

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

“WE'VE HAD THIS VEHICLE FOR A LITTLE LESS THAN TWO MONTHS. THE APP STARTED SENDING NOTIFICATIONS ABOUT THE CAR GOING INTO DEEP SLEEP AND NEEDING TO CONSERVE BATTERY WITHIN A WEEK AFTER PURCHASE. WE WERE UNABLE TO USE REMOTE UNLOCK OR START. JAN 10, IT WAS DEAD AFTER SITTING OVERNIGHT AND NEEDED TO BE”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ENGINE

3 complaints

• Vehicle will abruptly lose power when accelerating to pass. Typically when travelling between 40 and 60 miles an hour and while accelerating to merge or pass. Vehicle basically stalls. Creates extremely dangerous situation.
• Catastrophic engine failure on 2020 Lincoln Navigator at 93,000 miles. Oil contamination in cylinder 6 caused complete compression loss due to piston ring failure. The engine suffers from failed cam phases and excessive carbon build up which are known failure points of this engine. Ford Technical Se
• Regularly maintained 2020 Lincoln Navigator at 78,000 miles experienced engine failure with no warning. No check engine light until we experienced power issues and engine shuttering. We took the vehicle directly to the mechanic within an hour of check engine light. They changed the oil and said to

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

“Vehicle will abruptly lose power when accelerating to pass. Typically when travelling between 40 and 60 miles an hour and while accelerating to merge or pass. Vehicle basically stalls. Creates extremely dangerous situation.”

— NHTSA complaint filing

SEATS/RESTRAINTS

2 complaints

• The contact owns a 2020 Lincoln Navigator. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the passenger’s side seat would move forward and backward without warning. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer but was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and suggested that the
• The contact owns a 2020 Lincoln Navigator. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V197000 (Seat Belts); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The

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

“The contact owns a 2020 Lincoln Navigator. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the passenger’s side seat would move forward and backward without warning. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer but was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and suggested that the”

— NHTSA complaint filing

DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS

2 complaints

• The collision warning doesn't warn sometimes. Nothing goes off when Im approaching and or have slammed on my breaks to avoid a collision. Sometimes it goes off at a great distance when it doesn't make sense to go off. I just bought the car used and have noticed this a lot. Also sometimes lane depar
• The collision warning doesn't warn sometimes. Nothing goes off when Im approaching and or have slammed on my breaks to avoid a collision. Sometimes it goes off at a great distance when it doesn't make sense to go off. I just bought the car used and have noticed this a lot. Also sometimes lane depar

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

“The collision warning doesn't warn sometimes. Nothing goes off when Im approaching and or have slammed on my breaks to avoid a collision. Sometimes it goes off at a great distance when it doesn't make sense to go off. I just bought the car used and have noticed this a lot. Also sometimes lane depar”

— NHTSA complaint filing

Estimated Repair Costs

TRANSMISSION(~50K mi)

$500

ELECTRICAL(~50K mi)

$500

ENGINE(~50K mi)

$500

SEATS/RESTRAINTS(~50K mi)

$500

DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS(~50K mi)

$500

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

🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

Based on 33 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:

☐
TRANSMISSION: Vehicle set on adaptive cruise control, car accelerated to get back up to set speed and had a hard "clunk" sound. Driver turned off cruise control and attempted to accelerate vehicle. Vehicle tachometer revved up, transmission didn't shift properly, still shifting hard or not shifting at all. Once s
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ELECTRICAL: WE'VE HAD THIS VEHICLE FOR A LITTLE LESS THAN TWO MONTHS. THE APP STARTED SENDING NOTIFICATIONS ABOUT THE CAR GOING INTO DEEP SLEEP AND NEEDING TO CONSERVE BATTERY WITHIN A WEEK AFTER PURCHASE. WE WERE UNABLE TO USE REMOTE UNLOCK OR START. JAN 10, IT WAS DEAD AFTER SITTING OVERNIGHT AND NEEDED TO BE
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ENGINE: Vehicle will abruptly lose power when accelerating to pass. Typically when travelling between 40 and 60 miles an hour and while accelerating to merge or pass. Vehicle basically stalls. Creates extremely dangerous situation.
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
SEATS/RESTRAINTS: The contact owns a 2020 Lincoln Navigator. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the passenger’s side seat would move forward and backward without warning. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer but was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and suggested that the
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)