What breaks most · 2015 to 2019 model years
Lincoln MKC problems by year
Owners have filed 583 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Lincoln MKC across model years 2015 to 2019. Three years stand out: 2017 for engine complaints, 2015 for engine complaints and 2019 for engine complaints.
- Years to check closely: 2017, 2015, 2019
- Complaints on file
- 5832015 to 2019, all trims
- Worst year
- 2017188 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 1912 fires · 9 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 58kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 27Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 130 | 7 | 12 | Engine (33) | |
| 79 | 1 | 5 | Engine (41) | |
| 188 | 7 | 3 | Engine (109) | |
| 71 | 3 | 4 | Engine (44) | |
| 115 | 1 | 3 | Engine (87) |
What fails on the 2017 Lincoln MKC
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 58% |
109 | 3 | Shop engine parts for the 2017 Lincoln MKC |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 11% |
21 | 0 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 2017 Lincoln MKC |
| Unknown or other | 11% |
21 | 0 | — |
| Backup camera and sensorsCameras and park sensors | 11% |
20 | 0 | Shop backup camera and sensors parts for the 2017 Lincoln MKC |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 10% |
19 | 2 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2017 Lincoln MKC |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 5% |
10 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 2% |
3 | 0 | Shop fuel system parts for the 2017 Lincoln MKC |
| Wipers and visibilityWiper motors and blades | 2% |
3 | 0 | Shop all wipers and visibility parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
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Check engine light on. Codes P0316, P0300, P0301, P0302. Technician confirmed via scope coolant intrusion on cylinder 1 and 2. Technician stated it is known issue with this engine and recommends a new engine for $16,169.92. This has been an ongoing issue for the past two years.
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Coolant is being blown out of the cars tailpipe.Opon cranking .There's a lot of white smoke.Lately every three days I have to add antifreeze to the coolant reservoir. Car was inside of my yard and parked.
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There is coolant intrusion into the cyl. It is a known concern and many complaints on line. Lincoln refuses to assist in the engine repair or replacement. Going down the road the engine misses and looses power causing difficulty controlling vehicle causing unsafe conditions for all traffic.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Lincoln MKC years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2017, 2015, 2019 carry the most filings on the Lincoln MKC. The 2017 alone has 188 complaints, led by engine.
What is the most common Lincoln MKC problem?
On the 2017 model year, the most-reported component is engine with 109 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Lincoln MKC problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Lincoln MKC complaints that include mileage is about 58,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.