2020 Lincoln Aviator Complaint Log

while moving in reverse, the vehicle automatic breaking system engages on and off giving a jerking movement of the car and makes you feel like you hit something. Once the vehicle is placed into Drive mode the same thing happens with the breaking system. because of this the check vehicle lights come on and gives a "Hill start assist warning" also "Pre-collision Assist Not Available". Also all wheel drive mode is not available and the drive mode selection no longer works. Took the car to the Lincoln dealership and they said it is a known problem and that there is a TSB out on this issue. The vehicle has only 66,000 miles on it and it is out of warranty. How can there not be a recall on this issue? They said they need to replace two shafts in the front end costing $5,000.

Backup camera is not working properly and the lane departure system doesn’t work

On January 29, 2026, at approximately 4:00 PM, the vehicle experienced unintended movement while in PARK and powered off. The vehicle had been placed in Park, the engine was turned off, and the driver exited. Shortly afterward, the vehicle rolled unexpectedly while unattended. The vehicle remained parked and was not driven due to safety concerns. Wheel blocks were placed behind the tires until the scheduled dealer appointment on February 4, 2026. The dealer inspected the vehicle and was able to replicate the condition. The failure was diagnosed as a malfunctioning parking pawl solenoid within the transmission system. The dealer confirmed the vehicle could be physically rolled after being placed in Park and powered off. This condition presents a serious safety risk, including risk of injury or death if a person, child, or object were behind the vehicle. There were no prior warning messages or alerts before the incident. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request.

replaced 2 valve bodies, and now the CDF has an open statement bulletin on it, and I have to do an entire transmission replacement

We purchase car on [XXX]. On [XXX] there is a significant leak in the panoramic sunroof that completely floods the trunk (unsure if this is related to the next problem). Our car is at the dealer for repairs 12/12/25 - 1/8/26 and is "fixed" as per the dealer. On [XXX] it starts running independently in the driveway when we are not home and both keys are untouched inside our locked home. We return a call from a concerned neighbor to enter our home, get the key, and turn off the car. After this incident the car is nearly undriveable because so many error messages begin to populate the screen. With the unpredictable nature of the car starting it is extremely frightening to depend on this car and know if it is going to suddenly start running (or driving!) unsupervised which could lead to all different kinds of compromised safety situations, especially since our driveway has easy access to the main street where kids often play. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Transmission slipped and lost all power

Driver side and passenger seats will not recline. The back will move forward and all other parts will adjust properly, but it always stops at a certain point that is clearly not as far as it will recline. I had this issue fixed at the dealership under warranty in December and less than a month later, the drivers side it doing the same thing. I see that the car's system automatically updated on 12/29 and I'm wondering if the system updates are causing this. This could be a safety issue if someone was stuck in a position where the seat is leaned too far forward.

Suddenly car is excessively loud when first started for roughly 30 seconds and then quiets to normal. However when placed in Drive there is a loud "clunk" that takes place to allow the car to shift into gear. While driving the car shakes vigorously. These issues all point to the enigine mount recall that did not include my vehicle, but should have. NHTSA Recall Number 20V788000 should be expanded to include my vehicle.

Upon starting the vehicle around 7p on Friday, 10/31/25, the following errors flooded the screen: Hill start assist not available Service advancetrac 4WD Malfunction service required Pre-collision assist not available Rear sense breaking not available Additionally, cruise control could not be turned on and utilized. There was no incident to trigger these. The car had been sitting parked and off for ~2 hours prior to being turned on. No issues or errors prior to this date and time of turning on the vehicle. The warnings detailed describe how our safety was put at risk. All of these safety and basic features no longer functioned and our children’s safety was put at risk due to this electronic issue causing major functionality breaks/discontinuation of functions. Reproduced and confirmed by Capital Mazda of Cary (NC). Quoted to repair at our expense and “remove and throw out the electronic and replace with a manual.” Furthermore we’ve been informed verbally by our service associate that Ford (parent company) is aware of this safety issue. A TSB was located with a summer 2023 date. Lincoln customer service has stated this would’ve been covered under warranted “if it had come up while under warranty.” This dealership is the only place that has reviewed the vehicle and conditions and provided the explanation and information.

Driving on interstate, a flex pipe (part of the exhaust) fell off at the forward end, Dragging the ground and damaging the catalytic converter and rear exhaust pipe. This was repaired by the dealership, but the flex pipe was not covered under the extended Warranty program. The vehicle had just over 50,000 miles on the odometer.

My engine lost power and would not start. It was determined that it needed a new fuel pump. The fuel pump was replaced and the car is starting to lose power again while driving.

Glass portion of passenger side rear view mirror fell off as vehicle was exiting driveway possibly due to defective adhesive much like the safety recall on the door pillar trim. Incident was captured on home surveillance camera.

I don't know the component or system that failed but sometimes when I am parked and put my car into reverse, the brakes lock up but my car will roll backwards. I have to either jam both feet on the brake pedal or quickly shift the car back into park and turn the car off and restart it. This usually will correct the problem. It feels like the brakes are locked and they are really hard to press. I drop kids off at school and this has happened in the parking lot several times with children walking behind me as I am getting ready to leave. I no longer am able to pull in forward to spots and have to back in to avoid reversing with people/cars behind me. I would rather hit a curb then potentially roll into a person or another car. I've taken it to the Lincoln dealership and they were not able to reproduce it or diagnose anything with it. Nothing shows up on their system as an error. It happens infrequently but I've owned the car since Nov 2024 and it's happened at least 10 times. My husband thinks its an electronic issue because it corrects itself when the car is restarted. It also randomly allows me to turn the wheel but the wheel does not turn back to 12. It stays at 3 but drives straight. This also is corrected by turning off the car and restarting. It has also been looked at by the dealership without any fixes.

The vehicle doors lock on their own. Also the keyless entry keypad on the drivers door does not respond so entry cannot be made using that method. This is very dangerous and possibly fatal if one of us were to exit the car let's say to pump gas and all the doors locked with a grandchild still in the car. I have spoken to the Lincoln service department but their response is that they do not know of any such issues. I believe this first happened once or twice last year but it now seems to happen monthly. We have changed the battery in the key fob with no improvment.

See attached document for complaint.

The C-pillar trim applique/window division bar has detached on passenger rear side door. The C-pillar trim applique/window division bar is separating from the vehicle on driver rear side door. There is an open recall for this exact problem for 2020-2025 Lincoln Aviators. Despite having the issue on one side and the indication of warning on the other side, I am being told my VIN (for 2020 Lincoln Aviator) is not included in the recall. The separating trim on drives side poses a risk for other drivers if it falls off of the vehicle while driving.

Axle shaft Seal no warning besides loud grinding noise. Electrical issues- causing speakers to not work and the lights coming on and going off. Then it causing the crash detection to not have sound.

The inside electric push-button switch that opens the door behind the driver was intermittent and is now completely inoperative. The inoperative switch means that anyone in the seat behind the driver must either roll down the window, reach out, and push the outside door button to open the door, or must slide across the rear seat and open the rear door on the right-hand side of the vehicle. The inoperative switch could be extremely dangerous when people must exit the car quickly.

The contact owns a 2020 Lincoln Aviator. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V093000 (Seat Belts); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

On 4/17/25 at approximately 450pm eastern standard time the information hub on the dash indicated a door fault alarm and as i was turning left the doors unlocked and the passenger side door opened causing the passenger to almost fall out of the vehicle. If the passenger would have not had his seat belt on he would have fell out of the vehicle and potentailly been run over. I am worried about driving tbe vehicle as this sitiation could cause serious injury and cause a vehicle accident and loss of life.

I came to a stop a light in a busy intersection. The auto start/stop feature turned off the engine. When the light turned green, the car would not start and put us in danger from traffic approaching from the rear. When trying to start the car with the push button, it made one click and nothing more. The lights and other electrical systems seemed to behave and appear as normal. No warning lights or messages about errors or failures. I turned the car completely off, opened and closed the door to "reset" the car and still would not start. I tried this four times. I then opened the hood, got out of the car (all while at this busy intersection of multiple lanes of traffic, now working their way around me) and checked the battery connection just to be sure. Both positive and negative leads checked solidly connected. I then got back in the car and was able to start the car and move out of the way of traffic. I have not yet had it repeat and have not taken it to a service center yet. Very concerning to be stuck at that busy light with what appears to be a fully functioning car that would not restart after the auto start/stop feature activated.

No one was in the back seat when this happened. The back passenger door flung open while driving down the road. Immediately pulled off the road and it would not latch! Drove immediately to the dealership and got a loaner. Dealership stated it was the latch and repaired in a day or two.

I got an alert on the dash that said tire pressure sensor fault. It is for the passenger side rear tire. I had a dealership look at it and they said the sensor was fine and the battery was fine. They could not find anything wrong with it but it is still alerting. Now my husbands Lincoln MKZ 2017 is doing it as well for the same tire, passenger rear.

FIRST THE ENGINE BROKE (CRITICAL DAMAGE) WAS REPLACED SECOND THE TURBOS WERE JAMMED, WEREREPLACED THIRD THE THROTTLE WAS INOPERATIVE STIL UNATTENDED FOURTH THE TRANSMISSION AILED STIL UNATTENDED

The contact owns a 2020 Lincoln Aviator. The contact stated while pulling out of a driveway at 5 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality, the tires locked up, and the vehicle veered to the right into rocks and bushes, causing damages to the front passenger's side axle. The message "Steering Assist Fault" was displayed. The contact stated that the Forward Collision Avoidance and other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence, where a mobile independent mechanic replaced the front passenger's side axle. Additionally, the mechanic informed the contact that the battery had experienced an electrical shortage, and the battery was replaced. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the steering harness and knuckle had failed. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for the VIN to be added in Ford Campaign Number: 20S69. The failure mileage was approximately 96,000.

Most current recall has not been fixed. Vehicles displayed screen goes black with no warning, leaving no access to front or rear parking cameras, also leaving no access to GPS while in use. I have several videos of this incident occurring and have sent to dealer, brought to dealer while occurring and they deny any problems even though their employees, and the owner have seen this occur after they claim the recall was repaired. Lincoln corporate will not get involved. Dealer claims it is my cell phone, even though it occurs with any cell phone connected.

The contact owns a 2020 Lincoln Aviator. The contact stated that while reversing, the vehicle independently engaged the automatic braking feature and the vehicle stopped. The contact stated that there were no objects behind the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent and there was no warning light illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle was locking all the doors independently with the key fob still inside the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. The contact stated that during one of the failures, her infant child was locked inside the vehicle and she and her other children were forcibly pulling on the door handles on all four doors. The contact stated that the vehicle side view mirrors at one point folded inward and the passenger front door unlocked, the other doors remained locked. The contact also stated that while cold starting the vehicle, the vehicle was making an abnormal rattling sound coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the rear-view camera needed to be replaced, that the rattling sound was due to a failure of the catalytic converter and that exhaust fumes were entering the cabin of the vehicle. The contact had not noticed the odor, but her children had complained of a gasoline odor in the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was repaired; however, the contact stated that the vehicle had another electrical and mechanical failure. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 79,000.

Driving car on side street - going about 30 mph and car lost ALL power. Stopped completely in middle of road. No power - would not restart. NO FLASHERS. Since Aviator has "piano keys", the car would not go into Neutral and once we figured how to manually put car in neutral, we could not get the driver's door to close and latch. Car was placed on flatbed wrecker and driver had to tape the door shut for transportation. Luckily this happened during daylight hours and Sherriff's office sent a car to park behind us. Had this happened on my commute to office (at 0500) when it was DARK outside, it could have horrible - NO FLASHERS

The contact owns a 2020 Lincoln Aviator. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V368000 (Back Over Prevention) however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

While turning a corner or going up a slight incline I lose power and the pedal becomes unresponsive for a few seconds. Then the car jutts forward and clunks.

The vehicle began making a low tapping noise in the front passenger side approximately 2 months ago, which has gradually become louder. It is much more apparent when driving at slower speeds. More recently the tapping noise has been accompanied by a squeaking noise when the wheel is turned, when driving over bumps, when removing the foot from the brake at a red light, when putting the vehicle into drive after being parked all day, as well as when anyone enters/exits the parked vehicle (leading me to believe it has something to do with the suspension). The front brakes were recently replaced and everything appeared normal when the wheel was removed by mechanic. Shields underneath the vehicle were also checked and are all appropriately tight, not loose anywhere. Exact problem remains unknown at this time, vehicle is scheduled for diagnostics at the dealership in just over a month from now.

Re: Safety Recall Notice 24S35 / NHTSA Recall 24V368, dealer claims to have repaired this recall. Problem persists. Lincoln/Ford Motors customer relations refuses to assist.

The contact owns a 2020 Lincoln Aviator. The contact stated that after pulling into a parking space on a hill, the parking brake was engaged. and the vehicle was turned off. However, after exiting, the vehicle rolled back and crashed into two vehicles: an Audi A4 and a Kia Borrego. There were no warning lights illuminated. There were no reported injuries, fire, police report, or air bag deployment. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the brakes and transmission failed, which caused the vehicle to roll backward. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 47,375. The Lincoln app informed the contact via a notification that the power train malfunctioned and reduced power.

Driving down the road and all of a sudden multiple warnings come on the dash. They include : Service AvanceTrac, pre collision assist not available, 4WD fault service required, and Hill start assist not available. These warning all clear upon restart but will come back at random times. I joined a forum for this vehicle and a lot of owners are reporting this issue.

Pre collision assist warning, service advance track, 4 wheel drive fault all these codes showed up at the same time. Also the cheap fabric liners in the wheel wells are tearing under normal driving conditions

The exit switches on both rear doors on my wife's 2020 Lincoln Aviator all of the sudden stopped working today. For whatever reason, Lincoln decided to make the exit handles electronic instead of a traditional pull-style exit handle. This is a HUGE safety concern as the passengers in the rear of the vehicle are now trapped inside. I am a professional fire fighter and I take this problem very seriously. After doing some research for the last two hours online, I've found that dozens of people have experienced the exact same malfunction on their 2020 Lincoln Aviators. I've checked the recalls for the 2020 Aviator on your website and to my disbelief, this is not a recall! Prior to both door exit switches failing, there were no warning lamps, messages, or any other notification. They simply just failed without notice.

The contact owns a 2020 Lincoln Aviator. The contact stated while attempting to accelerate, the vehicle experienced unintended acceleration and lurched forward. The service vehicle wrench icon was displayed. The vehicle then started to experience reduced engine power. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the front axle actuator and intermediate shaft was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 82,000.

I have taken my car into the dealer at least five times due to the blue backup camera issue, I have been told by the techs that the camera has been replaced however I am still having the issue on occasion. On the early morning of Feb 16, 2024 around 5:30am, As I was backing out of my driveway I actually backed into my husband and knocked him down, he was walking behind my car, Due to the blue backup camera I was unable to see him and none of the warning lamps or messages alerted me prior to impact.

This has happened twice in the past 2 days. vehicle is started and put into Drive and even though I am pressing the brake, the vehicle moves forward. I then pump the brake and it will stop. This is a HUGE safety concern.

I purchased the truck Oct 2 2023/only 34 thous/miles by Jan 13 2024 I had to get serviced because it rained inside my car from under my rearview mirror when i would get in my car after it rained water would poor out from the interior light vents /got it serviced was told that lincoln agents came in and fixed it/March 2024 had to repeat the call this time water went further across my windshield to the passenger side interior my daughter got wet not happy took it back again had a recall in july for camera/received october appt for maintenance windshield checked again had hard rain Nov 21,2024 once again it rained from under my interior light this time it was leaking as i was driving the other incidents I would not know until I moved my car from sitting still/when the rain stops and I drive I can hear water in the top of the car I was always told that the drains are working but something is very wrong also I have exterior strip pieces coming apart from my passenger windows I was told that it could not be fixed unless I replaced the whole window because it is one piece so I could try a auto parts shop to find some epoxy to glue them back/The truck rattles under the driver right side wheel when I crank it up/the speedometer changes when im driving as if its changing its on drive mode/I need some answers we are a military family and my husband is a medically disabled veteran I waited 3 years for this truck because I think alot about Lincoln I have only had this truck 1 year and a little over a month to be having all these issues we paid $45,000.00 out the door so I feel that we deserve a remedy and some answers i'm tired of hearing about warranty's because this should not be happening to such a young vehicle at the price we paid and not to have it a year this is my transportation to transport my husband comfortably back and forth to VA appointments which are 2 hour drives from our living quarters please help us find answers this can also affect electrical thank you

The contact owns a 2020 Lincoln Aviator. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to respond. The contact stated that while depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle hesitated while responding however, the transmission failed to shift out of first gear. The contact stated that the failure had occurred three times within the past two months. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 36,500.

Rear camera blue screen. Screen intermittently blacks out.

The contact owns a 2020 Lincoln Aviator. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a humming sound coming from the sunroof. Additionally, the contact noticed a fluttering sound coming from underneath the vehicle and the vehicle was shaking abnormally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that the sunroof assembly needed to be adjusted. In addition, the contact was informed that the undershields on the front under-carriage of the vehicle were warped due to fractured bolts. The contact was informed that the bolts needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 59,928.

The passenger door switch for the door release is inoperable which prevents the door from being opened from the inside. I’m scheduling a visit to the dealership for replacement. Loss of switch operation prevents easy exit during an emergency due to not having a mechanical backup release mechanism as on the driver side door. The vehicle did not notify that the door switch was inoperable.

The contact owns a 2020 Lincoln Aviator. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V735000 (Back Over Prevention), 22V953000 (Seat Belts) and 23V342000 (Back Over Prevention) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

While traveling on the freeway the transmission slipped out of gear. I appreciate it. I proceeded to pump the fuel, It caught after about five seconds and took off. I was barely able to hit the brakes before hitting the car in front of me. We were on our way to a family vacation to Southern California. We live in Fresno, California. This is the second time this happened, Both times were on longer trips after about 2 to 3 hours of driving. My wife and kids were with me this time as we barely avoided a collision. This happened one time before when I was driving to San Francisco. After that incident. I immediately took it into the dealership (Lithia Ford) where I had them documented the issue and try to repair it. At that time, they were unable to recreate the issue.

Without notice the transmission would downshift and lunge forward. So hard that it felt like we were hit from behind. When trying to accelerate it would stay in gear longer than normal and clunk forward again. Smelled burning through the vents. Also when accelerating it would slip out of gear and the rpms would increase without me being able to move and then shift hard into gear again. We were on the highway at highway speed in traffic and without warning the vehicle wouldn't accelerate and were inches from being rear ended by the tractor trailer behind me. I was fearful for my life and the life of my family in the vehicle. Due to all of the issues with the vehicle it is now causing me financial hardship and undue stress and I am unable to perform my normal job duties due to this issue. The vehicle has been inspected by the dealer and confirmed that this component is bad and needs to be replaced. The were no warning lights when this happened.

When I am inside the car, the button to open the door from the inside (drivers side) is not working. As of right now there is no way to exit the vehicle from the drivers side. When we called Galpin Lincoln to make an urgent appointment since this is a safety issue - they said there was nothing they could do and we go online and make an appointment for a month++ out. My safety is currently at risk as there is no way for me to safely get out of my car since the door does not open from the inside.

I would like to express my concerns about the Lincoln Aviator (2020) I used to own and to why I traded it in. I spoke with Ford and even took my case to BBB and lost. I was asking for my money back to buy my Ford Explorer. The case was about all my electrical problems I was having and due to the fact, I did not take mv car into the dealer enough I lost. The dealership had advised me to make a list of problems instead of taking the car in each time because of travel distance that was a big mistake on my part as I felt they knew the car had problems and they were putting the problem back on me. They also had mentioned I did not drive very much and I tried explaining I was driving it more. One example was I drove it 50 miles one way and when I got to my destination I could not open back lift gate until I used button inside even though it was fine when I used it to load up the car before I left the house. Another time I came back from going to the coast, a good 3-hour drive, and I couldn't get in until I used key fob. You never knew how the car was going to act electrical. One morning I got up to go to store and the car was completely dead. Tow truck came and driver jumped the car and I backed it out of garage and put the car in park and it shut the car down. I remembered the little latch and was able to get out and the tow truck driver jumped it again and left the charger on the car to load the car up on the tow truck. I see now there is a recall for audible seat belt warning that has not been fixed yet. The biggest issue I addressed with Ford was since there is only one way out how were the passengers suppose to get out and they told me they had to climb over everything to go out the driver's door. Then I asked what if the person is large and has disabilities they are stuck, also what if there is an accident and they hit the driver door then there is no way out. I also said what if the car is going to catch fire, then what? You can't get out. I mentioned we have a 2006 corvette and we have 3 ways to get out of that car if the battery goes dead. I feel this car is very unsafe and I traded it off and will never buy anther car without door handles inside and outside. I hope you address this problem as it could become a hazard. If you do find this is a problem, could I as least get my down payment back as I paid too much for the Explorer due to covid. Thank you for listening

Air suspension component started leaking and lost pressure - unable to safely drive without repair. The entire front end of vehicle dropped lower than the rear and was not level. Incident appeared to happen after changing "driving modes" to a rain setting. Vehicle messaging stated a warning to seek servicing. Suspension started making a loud pressurized hissing sound and seems potentially hazardous. Invoice received - Repairs pending. No accident.