2018 Lincoln MKX reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 31 complaints with NHTSA about the 2018 Lincoln MKX over 9 years — 2 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most MKX years here — under the median of the other years, which is 3. NHTSA has 5 recalls on file, including Hoses and fittings, Service brakes, and Power adjuster.

2012 Lincoln MKX — Photo by Navigator84, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 3.0

Complaints

Per year

Recalls

Years on the road

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (5 of 31), then Hydraulic brakes (4) and Service brakes (4). Those filings include 2 that report a crash and 1 that reports an injury.

Next to 2017

The 2017 MKX has 52 complaints, 3 per year. The 2018 has fewer complaints per year than the 2017.

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 2018 Lincoln MKX. How we count. Data as of 2026-10-16.

Recalls (5)

Recall hydraulic brakes, foundation components, hoses and fittings 2025-08-22 · NHTSA campaign 25V544000

Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Lincoln MKX and 2015-2018 Edge vehicles. The rear brake jounce hose may rupture and leak brake fluid.

Remedy Dealers will inspect and replace the brake jounce hoses and adjust brake jounce hoses with no damage present, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 17, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S87.

Recall Service brakes 2020-08-10 · NHTSA campaign 20V469000

Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Ford Edge and 2016-2018 Lincoln MKX vehicles. The front brake hoses may rupture prematurely.

Remedy Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front brake hoses with the new hoses that have a revised braid material, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on May 13, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S42.

Recall seats, front assembly, power adjuster 2020-07-17 · NHTSA campaign 20V414000

Summary Ford Motor Company, Inc. (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Lincoln MKX and 2019-2020 Nautilus vehicles equipped with 16-way electric tilt seats. The seat cushion frame edge may contact the wire harness when the seat occupant uses the tilt function of the seat, potentially damaging one or more wires within the harness, which can result in either inadvertent deployment of the air bag or nondeployment of the air bag in the event of a crash.

Remedy Ford will notify owners, and dealers will install protective flocking tape onto the exposed edge of the 16-way seat cushion frames, and inspect the wire harness for damage, and repair or replace it as needed, free of charge. This recall began August 12, 2020. Owners may contact Ford/Lincoln customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S37.

Recall latches, locks, and linkages, doors, latch 2018-09-11 · NHTSA campaign 18V612000

Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018 Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX vehicles. These vehicles may have door striker bolts that are shorter than intended. Vehicles with shorter door striker bolts fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 206, "Door Locks and Door Retention Components" potentially resulting in the doors opening in the event of a crash.

Remedy Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the door striker bolts, free of charge. The recall began October 18, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18C06.

Recall electrical system, alternator 2018-08-20 · NHTSA campaign 18V548000

Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018 Ford Edge, Lincoln MKX, 2019 Ford Flex, and Lincoln MKT vehicles. The power supply cables at the starter and the alternator may not have been properly secured, possibly resulting in an electrical arc.

Remedy Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the alternator and starter motor power supply cables to verify that they are properly secured, correcting them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began September 26, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S25.

Complaints by component (31 total)

Electrical system

Hydraulic brakes

Service brakes

Engine

Exterior lighting

Air bags

Engine and engine cooling

Steering

Wheels

Back-over prevention

Electronic stability control (ESC)

Forward collision avoidance

Powertrain

Seats

Structure

Visibility

Show 8 more Show less

Crash-flagged

Fire-flagged

Injury reports

Death reports

Complaints filed per year

Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings

"My vehicle had an electrical recall; I took it in and it gotten worse. The vehicle is making noise, and saying 911 operator is unavailable. The turning signals turn on and off, if I turn one going left, it stays on a…"
Steering, Electrical system, Exterior lighting · filed 2026-09-16
"I have experienced this issue and it's been 9 months since the first issuance from Ford on this recall. I paid $523 to repair and this is insane since mechanic told me its an OME part so still going to possibly have…"
Service brakes · filed 2026-08-20
"The contact owns a 2018 Lincoln MKX. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V544000(SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC) However, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that…"
Hydraulic brakes · filed 2026-06-01
"Faulty catalytic converters. Ford has a CSP for the 2018 Lincoln mkx 3.7L engine and only included police driven Mkx's which is totally unfair when they're well aware that Faulty/failing emissions catalytic converters…"
Engine · filed 2026-04-14
"My vehicle has had emissions vehicle since before I owned it up to now. The catalytic converter has been replaced 4 times which is unheard of. Its presently giving the same codes/issues. The last catalytic converter…"
Engine · filed 2026-04-04

NHTSA crash ratings

Version	Overall	Front	Side	Rollover
2018 Lincoln MKX SUV AWD	5 stars	5 stars	5 stars	4 stars
2018 Lincoln MKX SUV FWD	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
MKX all-wheel drive	2.7L, 6-cyl	Automatic (6-speed)	All-wheel drive	17	24	19 MPG	$3400
MKX all-wheel drive	3.7L, 6-cyl	Automatic (6-speed)	All-wheel drive	16	23	19 MPG	$3400
MKX front-wheel drive	3.7L, 6-cyl	Automatic (6-speed)	Front-wheel drive	17	25	20 MPG	$3250
MKX front-wheel drive	2.7L, 6-cyl	Automatic (6-speed)	Front-wheel drive	18	25	20 MPG	$3250

Specs and fitment

Second generation (facelift / late), 2016–2018

Body styles SUV

Oil 5W-30 (2.7L turbo); 5W-20 (3.7L) , 6 qt capacity

Tire size 245/60R18, 245/50R20 (trim dependent)

Known issues for this generation

Late second-generation MKX years keep the AWD PTU heat story: Ford SSM 47230 notes that certain 2007–2016 Edge/MKX and related AWD vehicles built on or before 30-Jun-2016 may show a propane/natural-gas odor at idle or low speed from PTU fluid broken down by heat, with an idler-bearing repair kit when the odor traces to the PTU. Confirm that messaging and any open campaigns on the VIN; continue scheduled PTU fluid attention even when the owner’s manual calls the fill lifetime.

Compare

Previous year 2017 Lincoln MKX See every Lincoln MKX model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2018 Lincoln MKX reliable?

What are common problems with a 2018 Lincoln MKX?

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (5 of 31), then Hydraulic brakes (4) and Service brakes (4). Those filings include 2 that report a crash and 1 that reports an injury.

Is the 2018 Lincoln MKX more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2017 MKX has 52 complaints, 3 per year. The 2018 has fewer complaints per year than the 2017.

Has the 2018 Lincoln MKX been recalled?

The 2018 Lincoln MKX has 5 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 2018 Lincoln MKX?

Owners have filed 31 complaints about the 2018 Lincoln MKX with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2018 Lincoln MKX get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2018 Lincoln MKX is 19.5 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What oil does a Lincoln MKX take?

2012-2015: 5W-20 for the 3.7L. 2016-2018: 5W-30 for the 2.7L turbo and 5W-20 for the 3.7L. Confirm the filler-cap grade.

What tire sizes does the MKX use?

245/60R18, 245/50R20, and on earlier years 265/40R22 depending on trim.

What PTU odor issue is noted on late second-gen MKX?

Ford SSM 47230 notes that certain 2007–2016 Edge/MKX and related AWD vehicles built on or before 30-Jun-2016 may show a propane/natural-gas odor at idle or low speed from PTU fluid broken down by heat.