What 43 owners told NHTSA about the 2011 Lincoln Mks

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Power Steering While driving yesterday, doing shopping and online order deliveries, the steering wheel started having slight resistance during turns. It became worse shortly after. As I attempted to leave a grocery store, less than 5 minutes away from home, the steering wheel was extremely difficult to turn. I didn't see any leaks under the hood nor on the ground underneath my car. Nor was there any smells nor odors. On 5/1/2026, I did hear a slight noise when I turned the steering wheel to back into the driveway at home. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Steering wheel became difficult to turn right or left. I barely made it home to park it, as the longer I drove to get home, the more difficult it became to make turns. I parked it immediately as I didn't want to make too wide of a turn on a road, risking any accidents. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Not yet. I will need the car towed to a local Ford/Lincoln dealership for assessment. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Not yet, in the process of contacting my auto insurance about it. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? The message on the dashboard was "Service Power Steering" and it appeared on 5/2/2026 for the very first time. Also, the power steering icon showed in a stable amber color. This message did not appear before.

NHTSA ODI 11735344

The contact owns a 2011 Lincoln MKS. The contact stated that while reversing into a parking space, the power steering warning light illuminated. The vehicle was later restarted, and the traction control and power steering warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle then experienced a loss of power steering assist. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that the steering gear had failed and that the steering rack needed to be replaced; however, the steering rack was no longer manufactured so the vehicle required an aftermarket steering rack. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 212,000.

NHTSA ODI 11704251

I was driving and I hear a beeping sound,and my steering just stopped working and made it difficult to control the vehicle in a curve.. Recall Details: 2011–2013 Power Steering Electric Assist Loss •In June 2015, Ford issued Recall #15S18 (NHTSA Campaign 15V340000) for a range of vehicles—including the 2011 Lincoln MKS—due to a potential intermittent electrical connection in the steering gear. This defect could cause loss of electronic power steering assist, increasing steering effort and potential crash risk , I never received notification of this potential risk and it was lucky that my grandchildren was not in the car because I usually pick them up from school about the time this occurred. Just want to know what action can I take and how can you assist me?

NHTSA ODI 11686253

the steering system locks up and loses power assist,and the brakes and traction control sys also malfunction, and several failure lights all come on ,as I was making a left turn in front of a police car the steering locked up and I almost hit the police car,the vehicle isn't driveable,the policeman advised me not to drive the car,he verified the steering didn't work,when the problem occurs the steering gets extremely hard and at the same time lights and bells start ringing in the car and it's very scary because between the steering and brakes not working the bells and lights are very distracting

NHTSA ODI 11584452

In 2015 a recall was done to repair the power steering failure issue. In October of 2021, while driving the vehicle down the highway, the power steering went out making the vehicle almost impossible to steer. Had the vehicle towed to the dealership where they verified the issue and pulled code U3000 for steering gear failure. With 68827 miles, I was charged for the entire repair with not one mention about the extension to the power steering recall. The parts and labor that were charged were those mentioned in the recall. Fast forward to November 2022, had the vehicle towed to the same dealership for the same issue. Lights on the dash were present, and concern verified that the power steering was completely inoperative. No communication with the unit told me that the power steering control needed to be replaced. Again there was no mention or advocating involving the power steering recall that involved this exact issue. This time was told that they installed a part that was used in the previous repair so again I had to pay the entire cost. Currently, there are no issues with the vehicle but I have been looking to sell it because I have not driven it much due to the cost of these repairs. It was during my research to sell that I came across all the recall information on my vehicle and do not understand why all of these costs were not covered and why the dealership did nothing to advocate for me.

NHTSA ODI 11573415

Woke up to leave house and steering wheel was very stiff and hard to control

NHTSA ODI 11571167

ELECTRIC POWER STEERING FAILED WHILE DRIVING. Had a difficult time pulling vehicle over after failure. Notice I missed recall by 90 days.

NHTSA ODI 11563746

The contact owns a 2011 Lincoln MKS. The contact stated while her daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, she became aware that the electronic power steering was not functioning properly. The contact's daughter was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, and after restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the power steering control module and gear. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 94,000.

NHTSA ODI 11556262

Was driving my 2011 Lincoln MKS (build date 06/07/2010) when the steering froze up and then a message appeared in the center stack indicating a possible steering gear failure. Luckily, I was able to get home and pull it on my driveway with great difficulty. Recall 15S18 starts with build dates of 09/2010. This recall should be extended. Repair quote: $1900 part 6.2 hours labor + Alignment ($120) from Local Ford dealer.

NHTSA ODI 11552929

The contact owns a 2011 Lincoln MKS. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the steering wheel became firm. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over on the side of the road and had the vehicle towed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the contact was informed that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering). The contact was informed that the recall repair was previously performed on the vehicle. The contact was advised to contact the manufacturer for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the vehicle was already repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering) and provided no additional assistance. The failure mileage was 110,000.

NHTSA ODI 11537862

The contact owns a 2011 Lincoln MKS. The contact stated while making a left turn, the steering wheel seized, and the vehicle stalled. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact restarted the vehicle and continued driving to her destination. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was approximately 101,000.

NHTSA ODI 11535415

WHILE DRIVING MY CAR IT INSTANTLY LOST STEERING NO FOREWARNING LIGHTS. IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO TURN OR CONTROL THE CAR. I TOOK IT TO LINCOLN AND THEY SAID THEY CAN'T COVER THIS EXACT THING THESE CARS HAVE A RECALL ON BECAUSE MY CAR WAS PAST THE WARRANTY. THEY EVEN CHARGED ME TO LOOK AT IT BECAUSE ITS PAST WARRANTY. MY CAR IS 4,000 MILES PAST COVERAGE SOO THEY'RE CHARGING ME $2800 FOR A MALFUNCTION THAT IS NOTED A FLAW FOR THIS SAME CAR.

NHTSA ODI 11362454

THE RUDDER OF MY VEHICLE GETS VERY HARD, AND WHEN I DRIVE IT SEEMS THAT THE WHEELS OF STEERING DO NOT HAVE STABILITY, IT SEEMS A PROBLEM OF THE POWER STEERING.

NHTSA ODI 11080615

STEERING IS HARD TO CONTROL. TOOK IT TO AUTO REPAIR, GAVE ME CODES THAT MATCH RECALL CODES. TECHNITION SAID THE WHOLE POWER STEERING SYSTEM MUST BE REPLACED

NHTSA ODI 11025218

I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE INTERSTATE AT 70MPH AND THE POWER STEERING WENT COMPLETELY OUT. A MESSAGE POPPED UP ON THE DASH STATING "SERVICE POWER STEERING NOW". I WAS UNABLE TO MOVE THE VEHICLE OFF OF THE INTERSTATE. I SAW A RECALL FOR THIS ISSUE FOR THE YEAR MAKE AND MODEL OF THIS VEHICLE BUT AM ENRAGED THAT WHEN I CHECK THE VIN IT COMES UP WITH NO RECALL. OBVIOUSLY THERE IS AN ISSUE WITH THE PRODUCT AND WILL NOT BE COVERED ON THE CURRENT RECALL. THIS REPAIR ROUGHLY WILL COST 2200.00 DOLLARS PER THE LOCAL DEALER.

NHTSA ODI 10956498

RECENTLY, THIS CAR STARTED INTERMITTENTLY DISPLAYING THE "POWER STEERING ASSIST FAULT" CODE AND AT THE SAME TIME THE STEERING WOULD SEIZE UP WHEN IN MOTION. THIS HAS NOW HAPPENED TWICE WITHIN THE LAST 2 WEEKS. ON INVESTIGATION, 2011 LINCOLN MKS VEHICLES WITH THE 3.5L GTDI ENGINE (MY VEHICLE) WERE SUPPOSED TO BE COVERED BY RECALL 15S18 WHICH ADDRESSES THIS EXACT SAFETY SITUATION. WHEN I CALLED BOTH THE FORD DEALER AND THE FORD CUSTOMER SERVICE LINE, THEY INDICATED THIS VIN IS NOT COVERED AND THAT THEY COULD DO A DIAGNOSTIC CHECK AT THE DEALERSHIP BUT UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WOULD IT BE COVERED (TRANSLATION--I GET TO PAY FOR ANY REPAIR). IT IS CLEARLY NOT SAFE TO DRIVE. HOW CAN FORD JUSTIFY NOT COVERING THIS CAR WHEN THE RECALL WAS QUITE LARGE IN SCOPE AND CARS OF THE SAME YEAR, SAME MODEL, SAME ENGINE WERE SPECIFIED IN THE RECALL? THANKS! *TR

NHTSA ODI 10917850

POWER STEERING RANDOMLY LOCKS AND UNLOCKS ITS SELF, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO PULL TO THE LEFT AND DISPLAYING DIFFICULTY TO STEER WHEEL TO THE RIGHT OR STRAIGHT AHEAD. BRAKES SEEM TO LOCK OR SLIP IN CERTAIN ENVIROMENTS AT MODERATE SPEEDS.

NHTSA ODI 10721926

2011 LINCOLN MKS. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO POWER STEERING LOCKING UP PERIODICALLY. *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED THE POWER STEERING ISSUE, OCCURRED AT START UP. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO FIND A PROBLEM. *JB

NHTSA ODI 10658476

POWER STEERING WENT OUT AND HAD POWER STEERING ASSIST FAULT ERROR. INCIDENT OCCURRED AFTER BACKING OUT OF DRIVEWAY AND PUTTING THE CAR INTO DRIVE. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10627690

WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD ABOUT TO MERGE ONTO THE FREEWAY WHEN I NOTICED THE "POWER STEERING ASSIST FAULT" MESSAGE IN THE DISPLAY CENTER AND MY ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING HAD SHUT OFF. IT WAS A 20 MILE DRIVE HOME WITH NO POWER STEERING IN BELOW FREEZING TEMPERATURES. HAD I BEEN DRIVING AT A MORE BUSY TIME, I MIGHT HAVE HAD A COLLISION WITH ANOTHER VEHICLE. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10563543

THE 2011 LINCOLN MKZ HYBRID DRIFTS TO THE LEFT WHILE DRIVING. LINCOLN SAYS IT IS NOT A PROBLEM. I HAVE OWNED OVER 75 CARS AND WAS A FLEET MANAGER FOR THE GSA FLEET. I NEVER HAD A VEHICLE THAT HAD A DRIFT THAT DID NOT HAVE A PROBLEM. THIS IS 2011 AND VEHICLES SHOULD NOT DRIFT UNDER ANY CONDITIONS. IT CAN OCCUR WHEN BOTH HANDS ARE ON THE WHELL. HOW IS THIS NOT DANGEROUS? *TR

NHTSA ODI 10392532