There are 4 owner-reported engine complaints for the 2011 Lincoln MKSin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
Engine/Coolant Reservoir, Yes you can inspect it. When driving, or stop at a traffic light or just parked, the car will just start smoking and getting hot, the temperature gauge would not show it was getting hot until after it started smoking. The car would stop in the middle of the street or on the freeway. All the Antifreeze would leak out of the Reservoir and be all over the Engine and the ground, when you put Antifreeze in the reservoir the next day, you can drive for a little distant, but it will start doing the same thing all over again. The Cooling Fan would come on and never goes off, it gets louder and louder, it has never done this before. I have taken my car to the Dealer 3 times and they charged me over $4.000 and still couldn't fix it. They told me that they do not know what's wrong with it. The Engine Cooling System / Reservoir should be Recalled.
The contact owns a 2011 Lincoln MKS. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the temperature gauge would rise from cool(C) to hot(H) and the vehicle started losing motive power. The contact stated that once she turned off the cooling fans, the vehicle would cool off while idle; however, the temperature would rise once she resumed normal driving. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where she was informed that the failure could not be duplicated. The contact then took the vehicle to an independent mechanic who informed her that there was a service bulletin on the vehicle and referred her back to the dealer. The dealer was again notified about the failure and referred her to the manufacturer for assistance. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred her to the NHTSA Hotline. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.
HTTPS://YOUTU.BE/CU8J1MSZ8OE CAM PHASER WITH DOCUMENTATION
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 LINCOLN MKS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 15 MPH AND MAKING A RIGHT TURN, THE VEHICLE STALLED INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO RESTART AFTER THREE ATTEMPTS. THE FAILURE RECURRED ON ONE OTHER OCCASION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED OR DIAGNOSED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 43,000.
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