2021 Lincoln Aviator Powertrain & Transmission Problems

My 2021 Lincoln Aviator grand touring PHEV has on 3 separate occasions randomly gone into “brick” mode where power is to some components like the Sync screen, and some lights, but main dash won’t boot, the lock/unlock doesn’t work but lock icon flashes on door panel, the vehicle won’t start. This is after short trips out with my family for the evening. Not a fob issue. All 3 times the same. First occurrence at just over 11,000 miles, again in Sept 2023, and happening again June 2025. Roadside assistance dispatches tow trucks, the vehicle can never be jump started. Electric parking brake is engaged and will not disengage even when manually put in neutral. Always takes dispatching several different tow trucks to get one equipped with skates to drag the vehicle on to a flatbed tow truck, or old school wheel lift truck to be able to tow the vehicle since the electric parking brake will not disengage in this situation. Last time this happened it took 6 separate trucks to come out over 3 days to find one that could tow it in metro Detroit, the heart of the auto industry. This is a defect in the system of my vehicle that poses a safety issue because it prevents a regular tow truck from being able to tow this vehicle. I have had the dealership look at it many times, there is no fix, tech says it is a defect. Each time I have reported it to the Lincoln Customer Experience Center, they don’t care enough to do anything. Not sure how to get help but I’m probably not the only one with this safety defect. There are other safety issues. The safety stop for the lift gate doesn’t always work and will hit you hard without stopping for an obstruction. I also have acceleration hesitation when stopped and turning in traffic, risk for accident. The electrical problems with my Aviator are endless but leaving me stranded with my children and unable to easily get help is a serious problem and unacceptable. Please let me know how you can help. Sincerely a concerned mother of 2 little boys.

For the first 39 months of my ownership my 2021 Lincoln Aviator Grand Touring plug-in electric hybrid would not charge properly and resulted in thousands of charge station fault alerts. The dealership was dismissive of the issue for years because it seemed to work for the few minutes when they charged it on their high voltage charger even though I voiced concerns about the charger port being bad on the vehicle and it not working properly at home. My Aviator would not charge unless the plug was in the exact perfect spot and rarely would make it to a full charge before faulting out. Eventually the port started making SPARKING NOISES, ELECTRIC FIRE SMELLS, and SMOKES when plugged in. I was afraid my Aviator was going to start a fire and burn my house down, so I stopped charging it for at least 6 months until a new service manager finally took the time to investigate the issue. It was found in May 2024 that not only was the charger cable that came with my Aviator when I bought it defective but so was the charger port on my vehicle. The use, value, and safety of my vehicle impaired significantly for several years by this issue. I am reporting this so that there is awareness that the Aviator plug-in hybrid charger port and charger cable can be defective which results in loss of charging capability and could result in a fire.

Powertrain malfunctioning. The vehicle has had multiple neutral out (not reacting) when the accelerator is applied. Occurring in the middle of an intersection 3 times. Stuck in the middle of the intersection has resulted in two (2) cases of almost being hit by an oncoming vehicle. Pulling into traffic from a stop sign and losing the accelerator another time resulting in traffic breaking hard to avoid an accident. Recently while in cruise control on the highway driving 79 MPH, the vehicle suddenly shifted into what had to be the lowest gear lunging passengers forward and slowing to an unacceptable speed for the highway. Almost initiating being hit from the rear by a tractor trailer and just making it off of the shoulder to safety. This may be the result of service bulletins 22-2145 or SSM 50529. The dealer has stated they cannot reproduce the problems but are aware of the issues and Service Bulletins have been released. No warning lamps have come on when these issues have occurred. Vehicle has been into dealership multiple times. Service Managers had said they are working with Lincoln Engineers to remedy the problem. So far a separator plate and a valve has been replaced, which has not resolved the problem This happens intermittently, but when it does it causes what could be a severe safety issue. Currently the vehicle is in the dealership with no remedy, and has went in if for this issue multiple times. This has been going on for the past six (6) months.