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What 16 owners told NHTSA about the 2012 Lincoln Mks

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (16)Crash / fire / injury (1)Steering (8)Electrical system (4)Body & structure (2)Transmission & drivetrain (2)Brakes (1)Engine (1)Fuel system (1)Lights (1)Visibility & wipers (1)

2 of 16 complaints match · Transmission & drivetrain · clear filters

Jul 25, 2019Transmission & drivetrain

DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND OUT OF NOWHERE THE TEMP GAUGE SPIKES TO HOT. I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER OFF THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND THE CAR SMELLED VERY STRONGLY OF COOLANT. AFTER GETTING THE CAR HOME AND UPON FURTHER INSPECTION I DETERMINED THAT THE INTERNAL WATER PUMP FAILED. THIS IS A RECURRING PROBLEM WITH THE DURETEC ENGINES. NO WARNING FROM THE MANUFACTURER OR THE DEALER WHO SOLD ME THE CAR. THERE IS CURRENTLY A CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT ADDRESSING THIS ISSUE. A RECALL ON THIS PART NEEDS TO HAPPEN.

NHTSA ODI 11234866

Feb 10, 2018Transmission & drivetrainEngineVisibility & wipers

THE CAR STUTTERS ON SOFT ACCELERATION WHILE PULLING OUT OR INCREASE IN VELOCITY WHEN GOING UP HILL OR ON UPGRADES. PREMATURE VALVE COVER LEAKING INTO SPARK PLUGS AND SOAKING IGNITION PACKS OVERHEATING PREMATURELY WHILE IN SLOW MOVING TO MODERATE TRAFFIC INTERMITTEN WIPERS DEFECTIVE WHEN I ACQUIRED IT

NHTSA ODI 11072103

Working with the data? Download all 16 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 27, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2012 Lincoln Mks verdict →