Lincoln · MKS · 2013
7
Recalls
140
Complaints
5/5
Safety Rating
The 2013 Lincoln MKS has 7 recalls and 140 owner-reported complaints on file with NHTSA. Overall safety rating: 5 out of 5 stars. Most reported issue: steering (46 reports).
Source: NHTSA Public Records · Updated Apr 22, 2026
This page combines three types of NHTSA data: recall campaigns (official manufacturer or government actions), owner complaints (unverified consumer reports), and crash test ratings (where available). A vehicle with many complaints is not necessarily less reliable — complaint volume correlates with sales volume and vehicle age. Recalls indicate identified defects, not overall quality. To compare this model year with others, use the year navigation in the sidebar or return to the model overview page.
Overall Frontal Rating
Driver and Passenger Assessment
Driver Side
Passenger Side
Overall Side Rating
Side Barrier and Side Pole Tests
Driver Side
Passenger Side
Rollover Resistance
11.3% rollover risk in single-vehicle crash
Safety Features
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013 Explorer, Explorer Police Utility, Taurus, Taurus Police Interceptor, Flex, Lincoln MKS, and Lincoln MKT vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the fuel delivery module may crack, allowing fuel to leak.
Remedy Status
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel delivery module, free of charge. The recall began on December 21, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 13S04-S1.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Ford Fusion vehicles without a 3.5L engine and Lincoln MKZ hybrid electric vehicles, 2011 Mercury Milan vehicles, 2011-2012 Ford Taurus, Ford Flex, Lincoln MKS, and Lincoln MKT vehicles equipped with a 3.5L GTDI engine and 2013 Ford Taurus, Ford Flex, Lincoln MKS, and Lincoln MKT vehicles equipped with any available engine. The affected vehicles have electric power steering assist systems that may shut down as a result of a steering motor sensor fault.
Remedy Status
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will check the Power Steering Control Module (PSCM) for Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTC). If dealers find any loss of steering assist DTCs, the steering gear will be replaced, free of charge. If, no codes are found during the PSCM inspection, the PSCM software will be updated, free of charge. The recall began on July 21, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15S18.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2012-2014 Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX vehicles manufactured September 2, 2010, to November 30, 2013; 2013-2014 Ford Taurus and Lincoln MKS vehicles manufactured August 25, 2011, to November 30, 2013; and 2013-2014 Ford Flex and Lincoln MKT vehicles manufactured September 12, 2011, to November 30, 2013. In the affected vehicles, the halfshaft retention circlip may not have been properly installed, and as a result, the halfshaft may move outward and disengage from the linkshaft while driving and without prior warning.
Remedy Status
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicles to make sure that the halfshaft is properly retained. If it is not, dealers will replace the linkshaft and also replace the halfshaft if it shows evidence of spline damage, free of charge. The recall began on August 4, 2014. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-800-392-3673. Ford's number for this recall is 14S10.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Ford Taurus, Ford Flex, Lincoln MKS and Lincoln MKT vehicles equipped with 3.5L GTDI Ecoboost engines and 2013-2015 Ford Taurus Police Interceptor vehicles. A component within the fuel pump electric module (PEM) may overheat causing a loss of electrical power to the fuel pump.
Remedy Status
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the fuel PEM part number and replace the fuel PEM, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on December 1, 2016. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16S31.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2010-2013 Ford Taurus vehicles manufactured December 1, 2009, to July 31, 2010, and 2011-2013 Lincoln MKS vehicles manufactured June 1, 2011, to October 31, 2011. In the affected vehicles, the interior door handle return spring may unseat, resulting in interior door handle that does not return to the fully stowed position after actuation.
Remedy Status
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect all four of the interior door handles and either repair or replace them, free of charge. The recall began March 23, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15S02.
Ford is recalling certain model year 2013 Explorer, Taurus, Flex, Fusion, Police Interceptor Sedan and Police Interceptor Utility vehicles; and certain model year 2013 Lincoln MKS, MKT, and MKZ vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the fuel delivery module may develop a crack, allowing fuel to leak.
Remedy Status
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel delivery module, free of charge. The recall began on July 20, 2013. Owners may contact Ford Motor Company Customer Relationship Center at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's recall campaign number is 13S04.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013 Ford Explorer, Taurus, and Lincoln MKS vehicles manufactured November 29, 2012, through December 12, 2012. In the affected vehicles, with sufficient door openings and closings, the child safety locks may change from an activated position to a deactivated position without notice.
Remedy Status
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will test the safety locks. If necessary, the locks will be replaced free of charge. The recall began on August 2, 2013. Ford's recall number is 13S07. Owners may contact the Ford customer relationship center at 1-866-436-7332.
Lose the ability to control the steering of the vehicle
The Lincoln was parked. When I started the car, the steering wheel would not move at all to the right or left. Simultaneously, the warning appeared that said, Power steering fault. The car was towed to the dealership. They diagnosed the car and fixed the software and replaced the steering module. Apparently, there was a recall on Lincoln MKS vehicles in 2015. I did not own the car at that time. The dealership service person said there was no recall on the VIN for this car. The notice on this website said No Unrepaired Recalls. My concern is that if the car was in motion and the power steering turned off there could have been an accident and injuries as a result.
The contact owns a 2013 Lincoln MKS. The contact stated that while reversing, there was a huge blast of white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer for routine maintenance and was diagnosed and determined that the water pump was leaking, the turbo charger was losing power, the power transfer unit was overheating, and the water pump was overheating. The water pump was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 112,000.
Rear camera backup camera fails to show, says to contact dealership and does not display image although camera is properly intact.
REAR CAMERA ON 2013MY LINCOLN MKS has been replaced and the replacment continues to fail. The camera either does not work producing no image, the image is upside down, or the image is grainy. The original camera failed and I replaced it and the replacement is failing the same way. I have spent over $1000 replacing this rear camera. It seems the new camera installed is the same one getting recalled on new vehicles and I believe my rear camera should be part of this recall since it was a replacment part.
Ill be driving and my car will whip me right off the road
Power steering assist faulty. To regain power steering control turn the car off. Throughout the past six months, this happened several times.
The contact owns a 2013 Lincoln MKS. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled with several undisclosed messages displayed on the instrument panel. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to a dealer but was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle remained with the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 148,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Lincoln MKS. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V227000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE); 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 showed no open recall.
The climate control system malfunctions by raising the temperature for the heater without any input. When turned off, it turns on by itself and resumes raising the temperature until it maxes out. This occurs when first started and also while driving, causing a severe distraction as the beeping is distracting and the temperature will not stop rising even when the My Temperature buttons are pressed to decrease the temperature. Other MKS owners have complained online. The car is available for inspection upon request. Sustained distraction while trying to find the temperature adjustment buttons and the off button lasts too long, creating a serious driving danger and large potential for an accident, even a head on accident. I have only experienced this when using the heater. It has not happened to me in the summer yet. I have not taken it to a dealer, yet. I will soon to find out how much they want to charge me for their vehicle design failure. The vehicle has not been inspected by others. There were no warnings or messages or symptoms. They first appeared within the last six months and have gotten worse with time. Now the runaway climate control occurs more frequently while driving.
I was driving my 2013 limcoln mks and all of the sudden I could not turn the vehicle left or right. Then I had these 2 warnings: power assist fault and service advancetrac. This is very dangerous. It caused me to run my car into wall in front of me. It could have been a person. I called lincoln and was told there were no active recalls, yet no repairs ever on my steering. SO even though there was a recall for 2011-2013 limcoln mks power steering, it did not include my vin. I guess they just don't want to have to take responsibility. It boggles my mind how they can include or not include certain vins because my vehicle had the same thing happen as the recall for same year make and model, yet not my vin and it is allowed. Then when I get on the nhtsa website and see all of these same complaints, that it is perfectly ok because why? What is it, a sneaky way to continue with population control because covid didn't quite kill enough people for the government to reach their potential? This is ludicrous. It is ridiculous. It is unsafe. It is horrific that vehicles like mine are even allowed to drive on the road, with such a high risk on the road....seriously, why is my vin not included and what is the criteria when there is a recall for certain year make and model, why aren't every vehicle matching that year make and model included. To exclude them would mean that it had to be thoroughly investigated and investigating that thoroughly would mean to discover that indeed that vehicle should also be included. Maybe this recall is only for the elite and not for the meek. All created equal....not even close.
The contact owns a 2013 Lincoln MKS. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the power steering warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the steering wheel was difficult to turn. The contact stated that the steering wheel failed to turn to the right or the left. The vehicle was driven to the residence. The contact's brother checked the power steering fluid level; however, the fluid level was sufficient. The contact researched and discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact was informed that the repair would not be covered under the recall. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 103,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Lincoln MKS. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The power steering assist warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed with the power steering gear being inoperable. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and was informed about NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering). The contact was relating failure to that recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed the vehicle was not included in any recalls. The failure mileage was approximately 88,000.
Steering wheel became hard to turn suddenly, i then searched online saw the recall from ford that was reported years ago in 2016 and when i called the dealer to fixed he told me the recall is expired and they cannot service my car under the recall. Dealer suggested i should pay out of pocket. i just feel like it so unfair and such a safety hazard i didn't know anything of the recall when i bought the car in 2021 and because it's just happening now in 2024 the dealer won't cover the recall because the recall expired.
My power steering doesn't work at all it was sometimes not working and I shut it off and then turned it back on and then it worked for a few weeks and now it's completely gone and I can't steer the car
Steering system made a whining, humming noise while driving, and steering control was not completely possible as the vehicle wandered both left and right. Subsequent investigation by dealer showed the steering rack was compromised, and replacement effected.
The contact owns a 2013 Lincoln MKS. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the Electronic Power Steering Assist warning light illuminated, and the steering wheel was stiff with very limited maneuverability. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related it to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 188,700.
Electric steering rack went out, almost crashed due to the effort required once this happened. If anyone else was driving it would not have worked out luckily I was able to two hand gorilla the steering wheel around to prevent an accident. Very unsafe. Was a recall back in 2015 that the dealer says is expired ??? I think NHTSA needs to re-open an investigation into these steering rack failures now that the cars are older and getting more mileage on them
The electric power steering assist system shut down and the lane keep assist warning appeared and the steering wheel immediately became difficult to maneuver to turn left or right. It eventually locked while driving on the highway. I could have gotten in a serious car crash. I checked and there was a recall placed by the manufacturer 6/2/2015 (15S18). However, I was told by the manufacturer customer care representative that my VIN number was not part of the recall (although it met the criteria for the recall).
While driving down the road, my car’s power steering gave out when pulling into the gas station. The information center stated that my power steering system had a failure. It also stated that my lane departure system had a failure when doing research on this problem I found there was a recall for my year and model, but once I reached out to the dealership they told me that my Vin was not covered so I am reaching out to see if there can be another recall put in place for the vehicles that have not been serviced
Showing 1–20 of 25 complaints
The 2013 Lincoln MKS has 7 recalls recorded by NHTSA.
NHTSA has received 140 owner-reported complaints for the 2013 Lincoln MKS.
The 2013 Lincoln MKS received an overall safety rating of 5 out of 5 stars from NHTSA.
The most commonly reported complaint categories for the 2013 Lincoln MKS are steering (46 reports), engine (15 reports), electrical system (15 reports).
Yes. NHTSA has 7 recalls on record for the 2013 Lincoln MKS. Scroll up to review the published recall summaries, consequences, and remedies. To check for unrepaired recalls on your specific vehicle, use your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Look up recalls and complaints for any year, make, and model.
This page summarizes publicly available data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA by vehicle owners and do not by themselves prove defect severity or vehicle safety. Safety ratings may not be available for all vehicle-years. This site is not affiliated with NHTSA or any vehicle manufacturer. For official information, visit the official NHTSA page for this vehicle.