The 2012 Lincoln MKZ has a elevated safety risk profile with 6 recall campaigns and 146 NHTSA complaints. Before buying, verify that all recalls have been completed. It's free at any dealer.

Recalls

146

Complaints

Crashes

Fires

Recall Findings

15V3400002015-02-06

STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Ford Fusion vehicles without a 3.5L engine and Lincoln MKZ hybrid electric vehicles, 2011 Mercury Milan vehicles, 2011-2012 Ford Taurus, Ford Flex, Lincoln MKS, and Lincoln MKT vehicles equipped with a 3.5L GTDI engine and 2013 Ford Taurus, Ford Flex, Lincoln MKS, and Lincoln MKT vehicles equipped with any available engine. The affected vehicles have electric power steering assist systems that may shut down as a result of a steering motor sensor fault.

If the vehicle experiences a loss of power steering assist, extra steering effort will be required at lower speeds, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.

View at NHTSA

19V0010002019-07-01

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2014 Ford Mustang vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Additionally, Ford is recalling certain 2011 Ford Ranger and Mercury Milan vehicles, 2011-2012 Ford Fusion and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles and 2011-2014 Ford Mustang vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." Ford is also recalling certain 2010 Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX vehicles, 2010-2011 Ford Ranger and Mercury Milan vehicles, 2010-2012 Ford Fusion and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ vehicles, and 2010-2014 Ford Mustang vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of AK, CO, CT, ID, IA, ME, MA, MI, MN, MT, NH, NY, ND, OR, RI, SD, UT, VT, WA, WI, and WY or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, used as original equipment or replacement equipment (such as after a vehicle crash necessitating replacement of the original air bags), that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.

An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

View at NHTSA

17V0240002017-10-01

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2012 Ford Fusion and Mustang and Lincoln Zephyr and MKZ vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Ford is recalling certain 2009 Ford Ranger, Edge, Fusion and Mustang, Lincoln MKX, MKZ and Zephyr and Mercury Milan vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" or "Zone B" above, Ford is recalling certain 2007-2008 Ford Ranger, Edge and Lincoln MKX, 2006-2008 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan, Lincoln Zephyr and MKZ, 2005-2008 Ford Mustang and 2005-2006 Ford GT vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

View at NHTSA

View all 6 recalls

21V1580002021-10-03

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2007-2011 Ranger, 2006-2012 Fusion, Lincoln Zephyr, Lincoln MKZ, 2006-2011 Mercury Milan, 2007-2010 Ford Edge, and Lincoln MKX vehicles. The driver's side air bag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, high temperatures, and high temperature cycling.

An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.

View at NHTSA

21E0130002021-16-02

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain air bag inflator and/or module replacement service parts that may have been used as part of a collision repair. The parts include certain driver-side air bag inflators and/or modules, designed to fit 2005-2014 Ford Mustang and Mustang GT500. It also includes certain passenger-side air bag inflators and/or modules designed to fit 2005-2014 Ford Mustang, 2010-2012 Lincoln MKZ, 2010-2012 Ford Fusion, 2010-2011 Mercury Milan, 2007-2011 Ford Ranger, and 2007-2010 Lincoln MKX vehicles. Please see Ford's recall report for the specific part numbers. These parts may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.

In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the frontal air bag, an inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

View at NHTSA

18V7750002018-01-11

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2010 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and 2010-2012 Lincoln MKZ vehicles that previously received a replacement passenger air bag under recall 16V-384, 17V-024 or 18V-046. In the event of a crash requiring deployment of the passenger air bag, the bracket that secures the air bag inflator to the module housing may deform, allowing the gas that inflates the air bag to leak out.

If the air bag does not inflate as intended, there is an increased risk of injury in the event of a crash.

View at NHTSA

Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

Top Complaint Areas

Across 1 model years, 146 owners have filed complaints about the 2012 Lincoln MKZ. AIR BAGS issues top the list, so ask the seller about this area specifically during your inspection.

01Air Bags65

02Unknown Or Other15

03Steering14

04Service Brakes11

05Structure5

146 total across 1 model years (2012–2012)Full data at NHTSA.gov

Lincoln MKZ Fuel Economy

19–38mpg combined

17-41city

24-35hwy

$1,150-$2,300/yr

Across 3 configurations, the 2012 Lincoln MKZ returns 19–38 MPG combined. Choose the thriftier option if you're commuting; the sportier setup if you're not counting gallons.

By Trim

MKZ Hybrid FWD - Automatic (variable gear ratios)

38mpg

2.5L 4-cyl · Front-Wheel Drive

41 city35 hwy~$1,150/yr-1/10 Poor

MKZ FWD - Automatic (S6)

21mpg

3.5L 6-cyl · Front-Wheel Drive

18 city27 hwy~$2,100/yr-1/10 Poor

MKZ AWD - Automatic (S6)

19mpg

3.5L 6-cyl · All-Wheel Drive

17 city24 hwy~$2,300/yr-1/10 Poor

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Where to Find 2012 Lincoln MKZ

30States

28%in top 3

12% of the market sits in Florida, though listings span 30 states. Expand your search and you'll find more options at better prices.

FLFlorida

6312%

TXTexas

469%

DCWashington DC

397%

MIMichigan

316%

CACalifornia

306%

MDMaryland

295%

PAPennsylvania

285%

OHOhio

275%

ILIllinois

234%

INIndiana

173%

NCNorth Carolina

173%

GAGeorgia

163%

NJNew Jersey

153%

NYNew York

153%

DEDelaware

132%

MOMissouri

132%

WI12

NHNew Hampshire

102%

MNMinnesota

92%

WAWashington

82%

CO7

OK6

KY6

TN6

NE5

RI5

MA4

AZ4

OR3

KS3

Geographic distribution reflects all active listings for this model, not just 2012.

2012 Lincoln MKZ Buyer FAQ

What to know before you buy

Is the 2012 Lincoln MKZ a good car to buy?

Here's the short version on the 2012 Lincoln MKZ. There are 6 recalls to verify before purchase. Dig into the safety overview and pricing trends for recall-by-recall detail.

Are there recalls on the 2012 Lincoln MKZ?

NHTSA shows 6 recall campaigns for the 2012 Lincoln MKZ. Before buying, verify all recalls are complete. The dealer must fix them at no charge. See the safety section for the full list.

What's the gas mileage of the 2012 Lincoln MKZ?

You'll get between 19 and 38 MPG combined from the 2012 Lincoln MKZ, depending on engine and drivetrain. That's a meaningful difference over time. The fuel economy table shows exactly which configs get what.

What are common problems with the 2012 Lincoln MKZ?

AIR BAGS problems top the list with 146 total complaints filed. Not every car is affected, but it's worth asking about and inspecting. Full details in the known issues section.