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2020 Lincoln Navigator

The Most Complained About Lincoln SUVs

Lincoln has been around for over 100 years and has served as the luxury to Ford for almost just as long. Known for upscale American cars and SUVs like the MKX, the Navigator, and the Aviator, Lincoln has soldiered on through years maintaining its popularity and producing new models. However, some of those models are …

Lincoln has been around for over 100 years and has served as the luxury to Ford for almost just as long. Known for upscale American cars and SUVs like the MKX, the Navigator, and the Aviator, Lincoln has soldiered on through years maintaining its popularity and producing new models. However, some of those models are not without their faults as owners have reported their respective issues for certain models on Carcomplaints.com. Here are the Lincoln SUVs with the most complaints.

Lincoln MKX

The Lincoln MKX is the brand’s five-seat crossover that’s been in the lineup since 2007. It’s spanned two generations, up until 2018, when it was restyled for the 2019 model year and even received the Nautilus nameplate. During its time in the Lincoln lineup, the MKX was one of the most popular platforms and it’s evident on Car Complaints since it currently has 200 complaints filed for it.

The 2016 model year is listed as the worst one, citing “engine problems” as the biggest issue. Taking a closer look, it looks like owners have reported throttle bodies sticking and engines stalling, but their issues were resolved.

2011 Lincoln MKX
2011 Lincoln MKX | Lincoln

Lincoln Aviator

The Aviator is Lincoln’s mid-size luxury SUV offering that slots below the Navigator. It was around from 2003 to 2005 and went on a hiatus until just recently when it was re-released for the 2020 model year. The earlier, short production run is evident on CarComplaints.com as there are mainly complaints filed for the 2003 to 2005 model years, with the 2003 model year being listed as the worst.

That not too much of a surprise considering 2003 was the year it debuted so there are more likely to be issues. However, the most common issue is a crack in the rear panel below the rear window. Owners have complained about water seeping into the crack and even having the rear hatch open while driving.  

2020 Lincoln Aviator
2020 Lincoln Aviator | Lincoln

Lincoln Navigator

The Lincoln Navigator is the brand’s full-size SUV and arguably its most popular model as it’s been in the lineup since 1998. And while it has gone through its share of changes and revisions, there have been some hiccups along the way. This isn’t too surprising considering the Navigator does have a lot of tech-savvy features that can have issues at some point.

According to Car Complaints, 2004 is the worst year for the Navigator, but the 2006 model year has the most complaints. Owners have cited bad spark plugs as the main complaint, although more serious issues like engine seizing and engine knocking have been noted as well.  

A white Lincoln Navigator on display at an auto show
A 2018 Lincoln Navigator | Raymond Boyd/Getty Images

Lincoln MKC

The MKC is Lincoln’s compact crossover that was in production from 2015 to 2019 and was based on the Ford Escape. There are currently 60 filed complaints about the car, with 2015 being the worst model year. It is again no surprise considering 2015 was the first model year and was bound to have issues, mainly due to faulty batteries that wouldn’t hold a charge. There are other complaints, too, concerning steering issues and interior accessories.

The new 2019 Lincoln MKC is poised to attract even more luxury SUV buyers, thanks to its commanding new design, driver-focused technologies like automatic emergency braking and pedestrian collision avoidance, and an effortless ownership experience that builds on Lincoln’s exclusive Pickup and Delivery service.

Lincoln SUV complaints

The Lincoln SUV models listed here are the ones with the most complaints, however, they are also the most popular which is likely why they have garnered such attention. Of course, that’s not to say that there is anything wrong with purchasing the aforementioned models as cars are products like any other and there are bound to be issues along the way.

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