2020 Lincoln Aviator Powertrain & Transmission Problems

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.

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

Transmission slipped and lost all power

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

My warning light stating a AWD malfunction has occurred has gone off 4 times, along with warnings for malfunctions in precollision assist and hill climb assist and the light has come on 4 times for each of these. When driving these lights come on and when the AWD malfunction light comes on the car drives very loose and I do not seem to have firm control over the steering and i feel like the car wants to swerve and I do not feel safe driving .

Vehicle shifted into neutral while driving. Had to stop the vehicle in the median to put it back in drive.

MY VEHICLE HAS 4960 MILES AND THE TRANSMISSION STARTED TO SLOW DOWN AS IF I WAS DRIVING A STICK SHIFT CAR, THEN 2 OR 3 DAYS LATER BEGAN TO KICK AND LOSE POWER WHEN INCREASING SPEED AFTER A STOP SIGN. DEALER DIAGNOSED AN INTERNAL FAILURE ON THE TRANSMISSION AND IT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. A COUPLE OF TIMES IN THE MORNING AFTER STARTING THE VEHICLE, WHEN PUTTING THE REVERSE GEAR I HAD MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE BUT THE CAR STILL MOVED AND THE BRAKES WERE VERY STIFF, I HAD TO RELEASE THE BRAKE AND APPLY IT AGAIN IN ORDER TO STOP THE CAR FROM MOVING. THE SENSORS ON THE REAR BRAKE SUPPORT ARE EXTREMELY SENSITIVE. THE CAR DETECTS A SMALL CRACK ON MY DRIVEWAY AND STOPS ABRUPTLY CAUSING MY HEAD TO BUMP TWICE ON THE HEADREST, THE DEALER SAID IT WAS NORMAL, NO DEFECT FOUND. THE WINDSHIELD FLUID I THOUGHT IT WAS NORMAL IN THIS CAR TO THROW A VERY SMALL AMOUNT OF LIQUID COMPARED TO MY OTHER LINCOLN MKZ, BUT READING THE COMPLAINTS FROM OTHER CUSTOMERS I REALIZED THAT IT'S NOT NORMAL.