OBD diagnostics · purchase protection

2016 Lincoln Mkz
Common Problems & Inspection Guide

Verify baseline vehicle system stability data. Learn what to check on the physical vehicle computer before signing a bill of sale.

Connect Adapter & Check for Code Wipes

Platform Heritage

The Lincoln MKZ is a mid-size, four-door, five-passenger, front- or all-wheel drive luxury sedan manufactured by Ford and marketed by its Lincoln brand across two generations in North America and China (2015-2020). Co-developed with the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan, the MKZ was available with either gasoline or gasoline-electric hybrid powertrains. The first generation (2006-2012) was styled under Chief Designer Darrell Behmer and marketed for model year (MY) 2006 as the Zephyr — and from model year 2007 on as the MKZ — with a mid-cycle refresh for MY 2010. The MKZ Hybrid, Lincoln's first, was introduced for MY 2011. The second generation MKZ was marketed for MY 2013 to 2020 in gasoline and hybrid configurations, with a mid-cycle refresh for MY 2017. The MKZ was manufactured exclusively at Ford's Mexican Hermosillo Stamping & Assembly plant, with production commencing in August 2005 and ending with MY 2020. Ford had previously used the Zephyr nameplate (after Zephyrus, the Greek personification of the west wind) both in the late 1930s for a line of mid-size vehicles, as well as in the late 1970s and early 1980s for the Mercury Zephyr.

Source: Wikipedia intro extract · as of Jun 19, 2026

Key facts for this model year

61NHTSA owner complaints
7Safety recalls on file
8Top issue reports · Steering
$0Typical OEM recall remedy cost to you

~835 average monthly buyer searches in the US (google ads data · as of Jun 19, 2026). Run a MotoMetrics scan for your VIN to see live repair exposure.

Verify the data — open primary sources · as of Jun 19, 2026

System Defect Summaries & Field Data

Active safety recalls on file: 7 (source: NHTSA Recalls API · as of Jun 19, 2026)

Top NHTSA complaint categories

Recent recall summaries

Campaign 19V632000 · STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM · API record

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2016 Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ, 2015-2016 Ford Edge, and 2016 Lincoln MKX vehicles originally sold, or currently registered in Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. Road salt or other contaminants may corrode the electric power steering gear motor attachment bolts.

Campaign 18V167000 · STEERING: STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR · API record

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2014-2018 Lincoln MKZ and Ford Fusion vehicles. The steering wheel retaining bolt may loosen allowing the steering wheel to detach while driving.

Campaign 15V618000 · FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE · API record

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2016 Ford Fusion vehicles manufactured September 3, 2015, to September 13, 2015, and 2016 Lincoln MKZ vehicles manufactured September 3, 2015, to September 12, 2015. The affected vehicles have a fuel tank that may have insufficent wall thickness. As a result, the fuel tanks may crack in the event of a crash and thus the vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 301, "Fuel System Integrity."

Campaign 20V177000 · LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH · API record

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2014-2015 Fiesta, 2014-2016 Fusion and Lincoln MKZ vehicles sold, or ever registered in Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Washington, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands. A component within the door latches may break making the doors difficult to latch and/or leading the driver or a passenger to believe a door is securely closed when, in fact, it is not.

Campaign 20E025000 · EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS · API record

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain Replacement Headlamps, part number DP5Z-13008-T and DP5Z-13008-V, sold for use with 2013-2016 Lincoln MKZ vehicles. The headlamps may have an improper beam pattern and incorrect horizontal adjustment, the side markers may not illuminate and DOT markings may be missing. As such, these headlamps fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."

YouTube voice themes below are research hints only — verify against NHTSA data before citing.

Search demand cross-check: ~835 avg monthly intent searches (source: google ads data · as of Jun 19, 2026)

On-Site Lincoln Mkz Pre-Purchase Checklist

  1. Verify OBD-II readiness monitors are complete (not recently cleared) using a full protocol scan.
  2. Compare dashboard mileage to ECU-stored odometer modules where accessible.
  3. Pull permanent and pending DTCs — not only stored codes visible on the dash.
  4. Inspect systems related to STEERING (NHTSA complaint cluster — verify during test drive and PPI).
  5. Inspect systems related to SERVICE BRAKES (NHTSA complaint cluster — verify during test drive and PPI).
  6. Inspect systems related to AIR BAGS (NHTSA complaint cluster — verify during test drive and PPI).
  7. Inspect systems related to ELECTRICAL SYSTEM (NHTSA complaint cluster — verify during test drive and PPI).
  8. Inspect systems related to UNKNOWN OR OTHER (NHTSA complaint cluster — verify during test drive and PPI).
  9. Confirm recall remedy completed for STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM (campaign 19V632000).
  10. Confirm recall remedy completed for STEERING: STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR (campaign 18V167000).
  11. Confirm recall remedy completed for FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE (campaign 15V618000).
  12. Run a MotoMetrics on-site scan for Lincoln Mkz before signing the bill of sale.

Alternative Inferences & Cross-Shopping Matrix

Adjacent model years for this nameplate and equivalent footprints shoppers compare across brands.

Generational cohorts

No other model years indexed for this nameplate yet.

Class competitors

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Vehicle health varies wildly by individual history. Aggregate recall and complaint data cannot tell you whether the specific car on the lot had its monitors cleared or its odometer rolled back. Verify the physical or digital scan before you sign a bill of sale.

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