There are 31 owner-reported engine complaints for the 2016 Lincoln MKCin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
I have a coolant leak and the dealership states that it's located in the engine.
While driving a short distance to work, my 2016 MKC check engine light came on. The previous week I noticed that the engine hesitated slightly when it first started, but it drove normally. However, when the light came on, my husband took the vehicle to the dealership where we bought it in Dec 2019. We were shocked when we were told this was a very common problem with this type of engine, a 2.0 eco boost, and that the engine would have to be replaced due to coolant intrusion, at the cost of $9300! The vehicle only has 57,000 miles on it and has always been maintained at Prater Ford Lincoln in Calhoun GA. After some research I've found this to be a very well documented problem/engine design failure. Ford and Lincoln have refused any assistance in this matter. The local dealership where we purchased it has told us they won't provide any assistance either. The vehicle is currently in the shop, and the engine is being replaced. It was supposed to be completed 5 days ago. Why hasn't there been a recall? Even though there were no deaths or injuries in my case as well as the others on this site, the financial burden is immense! Since this is such a well-documented problem, there should be a recall on the affected engines, or at the very least some assistance should be provided by Ford and/or Lincoln to the unfortunate owners of these vehicles. Thank you.
The contact owns a 2016 Lincoln MKC. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the vehicle was shaking, and the check engine warning light was intermittently illuminated. The contact stated that her brother had replaced the spark plugs and ignition coils. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that there was coolant intrusion into the engine. The contact was informed that the spark plugs and coils needed to be replaced with OEM parts, and the turbocharger, purge valve, vacuum line, long block, and fuel pressure sensor needed to be replaced. The contact stated that her nephew replaced the spark plugs and ignition coils with OEM parts, and AAMCO replaced the fuel pressure sensor; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to report the failure to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 158,000.
Engin light came on, was diagenosed as coolent leaking in spark plug , or Bad head gasket.
I purchased a 2016 Lincoln MKC 2.0 with 96k miles on it 2 months ago, and we just discovered a coolant leak into the first cylinder, causing a cracked head gasket. The engine needs to be replaced, and will cost $15k. Many other drivers have experienced this problem and reported it, and Ford has done nothing to correct the main issue. This problem is causing overheating of the engine, and could potentially cause injury if not fixed.
We purchased the vehicle about a year and a half ago and about three months after we purchased it. The check engine light went on. We’ve had the vehicle into the dealership several times we’ve had the problem fixed supposedly twice we put in over $1000 in fixing it and now the check engine light came on again And the car stopped running saying it’s overheating. Took it to the dealership and now they say the car needs a whole new engine because they antifreeze is leaking leaked into the engine so they’re quoting us a $12,000 repair. This is a common problem in later models but obviously in the 2016 it’s also a problem.
The contact owns a 2016 Lincoln MKC. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. Upon inspection, the contact discovered a low coolant level. The vehicle was taken to an unknown dealer, who determined that there was coolant intrusion into cylinders #2 and #3. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Lincoln MKC. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, there was heavy white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. While driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated upon depression of the accelerator pedal, with the check engine warning light illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that the engine was consuming an excessive amount of coolant, and there were no signs of a coolant leak. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the turbos, spark plugs, and fuel injectors were replaced; however, the failure persisted after the repair. The contact then scheduled an appointment with a local dealer for a diagnostic test. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 162,000.
Purchased 2016 Lincoln MKC from a Ford dealer in October with approximately 133k miles. Was a trade-in from August. The beginning of January on a very cold day while warming the MKC, the air stayed cold. Drove to work and back. That night added antifreeze as it was low. Next day on the way to work, shortly after leaving home the MKC started losing power and shaking. Couldn't pinpoint where the shake was coming from. A friend's husband is a master tech at the Ford dealership where I purchased it. I described the issues to him. He looked under hood. The antifreeze that was filled up the day before was completely empty. He could tell what the issue was. I called the dealership. Was initially told it would cost $10k-$12k to replace engine. Talked to several managers at the dealership. Called Lincoln Concierge. There was no recall for my vin. The design of my long block with the 2.0 Ecoboost was the same design as the vehicles recalled in 2017-2019. After a second call to Lincoln concierge, was told the vin specifics are based on the plants where the vehicles are made. I did get the MKC to the Ford dealership to do an official diagnosis and it was confirmed that there was coolant intrusion. This has been very disheartening. I'm not understanding why, if the engine is the same design flaw, there is no recall or assistance.
The contact owns a 2016 Lincoln MKC. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V378000 (Engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had 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.
The contact owns a 2016 Lincoln MKC. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V378000 (Engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer and a secondary dealer, Planet Lincoln Dallas Love Field (7767 Lemmon Ave, Dallas, TX 75209) were contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
The contact owns a 2016 Lincoln MKC. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V378000 (Engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had 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.
The contact owns a 2016 Lincoln MKC. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V378000 (Engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted, and the contact was informed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
The contact owns a 2016 Lincoln MKC. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V378000 (Engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had 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. The VIN was unavailable.
The contact owns a 2016 Lincoln MKC. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V378000 (Engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had 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.
The contact owns a 2016 Lincoln MKC. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V378000 (Engine) 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 contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, a burning odor was detected. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by the dealer or an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 155,000. Parts distribution disconnect.
The contact owns a 2016 Lincoln MKC. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V378000 (Engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
The contact owns a 2016 Lincoln MKC. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V378000 (Engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had 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.
The contact owns a 2016 Lincoln MKC. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V378000 (Engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
The contact owns a 2016 Lincoln MKC. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V378000 (Engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had 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. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Showing 1–20 of 31 complaints
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026