Reliable Auto DB

2025 Lincoln Aviator reliability

Is it reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2025 Lincoln Aviator holds 16 complaints after 2 years, a rate of 8 per year. It is too early to rank against other Aviator years: a year is compared here only after 3 years on the road. NHTSA has 15 recalls on file, including Power adjuster, Middle or rear assembly, and Back-over prevention, software.

2020 Lincoln Aviator
Photo by MercurySable99, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0
Complaints

16

Per year

8

Recalls

15

Years on the road

2

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (5 of 16), then Forward collision avoidance (3) and Seats (3).

Next to 2024 and 2026

The 2024 Aviator has 7 complaints, 2 per year, and the 2026 has 0 complaints, 0 per year.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2025 Lincoln Aviator. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (15)

Recall seats, front assembly, power adjuster 2026-07-21 · NHTSA campaign 26V470000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025-2027 Explorer and Lincoln Aviator vehicles. An unoccupied driver's seat may recline unintentionally during certain scenarios, such as remote unlock or remote start.
Remedy Dealers will disable the driver seat module (DSM) feature until parts are available. Once available, the motor will be replaced. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 3, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S53.
Recall seats, middle or rear assembly 2026-07-14 · NHTSA campaign 26V451000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2027 Aviator and 2020-2026 Explorer vehicles. The switch for the easy-entry second-row outer seats may bind or stick, resulting in the seats unlatching, tipping, or sliding unexpectedly.
Remedy Dealers will inspect and replace the bezel around the switch as necessary, free of charge. This will be a phased campaign, with the remedy becoming available in different phases based on model and model years. Interim letters explaining the safety risk were mailed August 19, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the remedy is available, anticipated in January 2027. Lincoln Aviator owner notification letters were mailed August 21, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S52. This recall expands Recall 25V393. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on July 16, 2026.
Recall back-over prevention, software 2026-03-19 · NHTSA campaign 26V165000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2022-2025 Lincoln Navigator, 2024-2025 Lincoln Nautilus, 2025 Lincoln Aviator and Explorer vehicles. The Image Processing Module A (IPMA) may experience multiple unexpected resets, resulting in loss of the rearview camera image and advanced driver assistance (ADAS) features, including pre-collision assist, lane-keeping assist, and blind-spot monitoring.
Remedy The Image Processing Module A software will be updated by a dealer, or through an over-the-air (OTA) update, free of charge. This is a Phased campaign. Phase 1 will include 2025 Aviator, 2025 Explorer, 2025 Nautilus notified owners on 4/13/2026. Phase 2 will include 2025 Navigator will notify owners on or about 4/20/2026. Phase 3 will include 2022-2024 Navigator will notify owners on or about 6/8/2026. Phase 4 will include 2024 Nautilus will notify owners on or about 6/22/2026. Owner notification letters were mailed April 13, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S21. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning March 25, 2026.
Recall Seat belts 2026-03-17 · NHTSA campaign 26V159000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2026 Explorer and Lincoln Aviator vehicles. The seat belt anchor bolts at the second-row outer seating positions may be improperly secured.
Remedy Dealers will inspect the second-row outer seat belt lower anchor bolts and replace or repair them as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 30, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26C18. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on March 19, 2026.
Recall visibility, windshield 2025-10-24 · NHTSA campaign 25V730000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Lincoln Corsair, Lincoln Aviator, and Explorer vehicles. The windshield glass may have visible air bubbles, which can obscure the driver's visibility. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 205, "Glazing Materials."
Remedy Dealers will inspect and replace the windshield as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 6, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25C60. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall become searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning October 27, 2025.
Recall trailer hitch 2025-10-10 · NHTSA campaign 25V687000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2024-2026 Explorer and 2024-2026 Lincoln Aviator vehicles. The trailer hitch assembly bolts may be loose.
Remedy Dealers will inspect and tighten the trailer hitch bolts, or replace them as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 29, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25SA3. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on October 15, 2025.
Recall exterior lighting, tail lights 2025-08-22 · NHTSA campaign 25V543000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025 Explorer and Aviator vehicles. When towing a trailer, the tail lights on the trailer may fail to illuminate due to an improperly manufactured body control module. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108, " Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
Remedy Dealers will replace the body control module C on vehicles with less than 9,000 miles. For vehicles over 9,000 miles, dealers will perform a functional check on the body control module C and replace it as necessary. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Aviator 2025 owner notification letters were mailed October 13, 2025. Explorer 2025 owner letters were mailed November 25, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25C42.
Recall visibility, power windows 2025-07-25 · NHTSA campaign 25V484000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025 Lincoln Aviator vehicles. When closing the windows with the global closing feature, the side rear windows may exert excessive force when encountering an object, before they automatically reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 118, "Power-Operated Window Systems."
Remedy Dealers will update the Body Control Module (BCM) software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 7, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25C33.
Recall structure, body 2025-06-13 · NHTSA campaign 25V407000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2025 Aviator vehicles. The rear door window bars and C-pillar trim may have insufficient adhesive bonding, which can allow the trim to detach from the vehicle.
Remedy Dealers will repair or replace C-pillar appliques and window division bars, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 29, 2025. Owners may contact Ford Customer Service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S66.
Recall seats, middle or rear assembly 2025-06-13 · NHTSA campaign 25V393000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2025 Aviator, and Explorer vehicles. The switch for the easy-entry second-row outer seats may bind or stick, resulting in the seats unlatching, folding, or sliding unexpectedly while driving.
Remedy Dealers will inspect the second-row seat switch, and replace the bezel around the switch as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 7, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S67.
Recall structure, frame 2025-05-09 · NHTSA campaign 25V316000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025 Explorer and Aviator vehicles. A mounting bolt for the front subframe may have been tightened improperly.
Remedy Dealers will inspect and tighten the subframe bolts as necessary, free of charge. Owners may contact Ford Customer Service at 1-866-436-7332. Owner notification letters were mailed May 21, 2025. Ford's number for this recall is 25S43.
Recall powertrain, automatic transmission, fluid, valve body 2025-03-14 · NHTSA campaign 25V164000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2024-2025 F-150, Bronco, 2024 Ranger, 2025 Mustang, Explorer, and Aviator vehicles. The transmission valve body may have been machined incorrectly, which can cause reverse gear failure, or unexpected forward movement in reverse or neutral gear.
Remedy Dealers will replace the transmission main control valve body, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 11, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S19.
Recall powertrain, automatic transmission 2025-01-17 · NHTSA campaign 25V020000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025 Ford Explorer and Lincoln Aviator vehicles. The transmission may be improperly secured due to loose cross member bolts.
Remedy Dealers will inspect and replace the transmission cross member bolts as necessary, free of charge. If the cross member bolts are missing, dealers will replace the cross member and install new bolts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 29, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S03.
Recall Labels 2024-11-08 · NHTSA campaign 24V852000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2025 Explorer, Lincoln Aviator, 2020-2024 Escape, Lincoln Corsair, 2018-2024 F-150, Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles. The air bag warning label may be missing from the dashboard. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirement Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Remedy Ford will mail owners the warning labels, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 19, 2024. Owners may call Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 24C39.
Recall back-over prevention, software 2024-10-25 · NHTSA campaign 24V801000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025 Explorer and Lincoln Aviator vehicles. The rearview camera image may fail when the vehicle speed reaches 10 MPH or greater. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Remedy The accessory protocol interface module (APIM) software will be updated through an over-the-air (OTA) update or by a dealer, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on March 28, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 24C34.

Complaints by component (16 total)

Electrical system
5
Forward collision avoidance
3
Seats
3
Service brakes
3
Engine
2
Visibility
2
Exterior lighting
1
Fuel and propulsion system
1
Hydraulic brakes
1
Lane departure
1
Powertrain
1
Speed control
1
Steering
1
Visibility and wipers
1
Show 6 more Show less
Crash-flagged

0

Fire-flagged

0

Injury reports

0

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

8202582026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "This has now occurred on 2021 Lincoln Aviator and then Mark McLarty Ford Lincoln tricked me into buying a second Lincoln 2025 Aviator claiming the problem was a one-off incident. Our 2021 was traded for new 2025 Aviator…"
    Electrical system, Unknown or other, Visibility and wipers · filed 2026-09-15
  • "Multiple loss of power, misfires, rough running and abnormal shifting. These events have put my family and I at risk as well as posing a significant risk to other drivers sharing the road due to the sudden loss of power…"
    Electrical system, Engine, Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2026-09-15
  • "The contact owns a 2025 Lincoln Aviator. The contact stated that the front passenger's side window failed to roll up or down as needed. The contact stated that the front driver's side window motor was previously…"
    Visibility · filed 2026-08-18
  • "The contact owns a 2025 Lincoln Aviator. The contact stated that while driving at 70 MPH, the sunroof glass exploded. The contact stated it sounded like a shotgun when the sunroof glass exploded. There was no warning…"
    Visibility · filed 2026-07-02
  • "Everytime I start my vehicle the parking brake fault service now light comes on."
    Service brakes · filed 2026-06-07

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2025 Lincoln Aviator SUV 4WD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2025 Lincoln Aviator SUV RWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
Aviator all-wheel drive 3L, 6-cyl Automatic (10-speed) Part-time four-wheel drive 17 25 20 MPG $3250
Aviator rear-wheel drive 3L, 6-cyl Automatic (10-speed) Rear-wheel drive 18 25 21 MPG $3100

Specs and fitment

U611 generation, 2020–present
Body styles SUV
Oil 0W-20 full synthetic (3.0L twin-turbo V6) , 6 qt capacity
Tire size 255/55R20

Known issues for this generation

Recall 24V368000 covers certain 2020-2024 Lincoln Aviator vehicles where the accessory protocol image module (APIM) can be affected by electromagnetic interference from a cell phone, causing the rearview camera image to flicker or distort; dealers install shielding on the APIM. Recall 26V159000 covers certain 2020-2026 Explorer and Aviator vehicles whose second-row outer seat belt anchor bolts may be improperly secured; dealers inspect and repair or replace the bolts as needed. Recall 25V393000 covers certain 2020-2025 Aviator and Explorer vehicles whose easy-entry second-row outer seat switch may bind or stick so the seats can unlatch, fold, or slide while driving; dealers inspect the switch and replace the bezel as needed. Recall 23V022000 and 23V342000 cover certain 2020-2023 Aviator vehicles (with Explorer and Corsair) equipped with a 360-degree camera whose video output may fail so the rearview image does not display; remedies are an IPMB software update (23V022) and camera replacement (23V342).

Compare

Previous year 2024 Lincoln Aviator See every Lincoln Aviator model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2025 Lincoln Aviator reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2025 Lincoln Aviator holds 16 complaints after 2 years, a rate of 8 per year. It is too early to rank against other Aviator years: a year is compared here only after 3 years on the road. NHTSA has 15 recalls on file, including Power adjuster, Middle or rear assembly, and Back-over prevention, software.

What are common problems with a 2025 Lincoln Aviator?

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (5 of 16), then Forward collision avoidance (3) and Seats (3).

Is the 2025 Lincoln Aviator more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2024 Aviator has 7 complaints, 2 per year, and the 2026 has 0 complaints, 0 per year.

Has the 2025 Lincoln Aviator been recalled?

The 2025 Lincoln Aviator has 15 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2025 Lincoln Aviator?

Owners have filed 16 complaints about the 2025 Lincoln Aviator with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2025 Lincoln Aviator get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2025 Lincoln Aviator is 20.5 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What oil does a Lincoln Aviator take?

0W-20 full synthetic for the 3.0L twin-turbo V6; capacity about 6 qt—confirm in the owner’s manual.

Why might the Aviator rearview camera flicker?

Recall 24V368000 covers certain 2020-2024 Aviators where cell-phone EMI can distort the APIM rearview image; dealers install shielding.