2011 Lincoln MKZ Engine Problems

As I was traveling home from work, I noticed the car jerk slightly and immediately decelerate. The engine temperature gauge light came on the dash and the temperature gauge immediately moved to the “H” position on the dash. Due to the fact that I was in rush hour traffic on the highway, I was worried I wouldn’t have enough speed to get to the median. I turned on my hazards and coasted safely to the side of the road but was nearly ran over by other vehicles not realizing the issue I was having. I was unable to accelerate out of the way and at the mercy of other drivers being courteous and give me space to move. I turned the car off and looked under the hood locating the coolant reservoir. It appeared empty. I was able to get a ride to the nearest auto parts store and buy coolant. When I returned to my car, I emptied coolant into the reservoir and cranked the vehicle. Within a minute the gauge returned to normal temp and carefully got back in flow of traffic but stayed close to the emergency lane. Within a couple hundred yards of driving again, the lights and gauges indicated another overheating issue. At the next stop, I pulled into a gas station. And parked the car to have it towed. My mechanic informed me that the coolant was leaking from the coolant pump into my oil pan. Now the engine is flooded with a mixture of oil and coolant and I will need a new engine. He said this issue has been reported before but wasn’t sure what Ford/Lincoln may be doing about it. I’m lucky I didn’t have an engine fire or some sort of collision while driving along a highway during rush hour traffic.

The contact owns a 2011 Lincoln MKZ. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a knocking sound coming from the front of the vehicle. The contact stated on another occasion while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine overheated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed; however, the cause of the failure was not yet determined. The contact was informed that it might have been an axle leak. The contact then took the vehicle to an independent mechanic who in turn advised her to take the vehicle to a dealer. The contact had the vehicle towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with water pump failure. The contact was informed that the water pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was being repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

The contact owns a 2011 Lincoln MKZ. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal knocking noise detected and the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that water had entered the engine and the water pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no additional assistance was provided. The approximate failure mileage was 115,000.

The contact owns a 2011 Lincoln MKZ. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed the water pump needed to be replaced. The contact was informed that water had leaked into the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no additional assistance was provided. The approximate failure mileage was 115,000. The VIN was not available.

WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY WITH NO WARNING MY ENGINE STARTED KNOCKING REAL BAD AND THEN I LOST ALL POWER DUE TO THE ENGINE STOPPING. HAD I BEEN ON AN INTERSTATE WITH LOTS OF TRAFFIC THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. AFTER A TOW AND TAKING THE CAR TO A FORD DEALERSHIP. I FOUND OUT THAT THE WATER PUMP FAILED AND ALLOWED COOLANT TO GO INTO THE OIL PAN, CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE BEARING ON THE PISTONS. AFTER RESEARCH I FOUND THIS IS A DESIGN FLAW WITH FORDS 3.5 ENGINE AND MILLIONS OF CARS ARE ON THE ROAD NOW THAT WILL EVENTUALLY EXPERIENCE THIS FAILURE. I HAVE RECENTLY HAD THE CAR INTO A FORD DEALERSHIP AND HAD THEY TOLD ME OF THIS PROBLEM AND THE FIX WAS TO REPLACE THE WATER PUMP BEFORE IT FAILED, I WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN SUBJECTED TO THIS DANGEROUS DRIVING CONDITION AND MY ENGINE WOULDN'T NOW BE A PAPERWEIGHT.

CAR IN QUESTION: 2011 LINCOLN MKZ HYBRID, 90,379 MILES DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY, WRENCH LIGHT COMES ON, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON, NO POWER FROM THE ENGINE WHEN APPLYING A THROTTLE. DUE TO A VEHICLE BEING A HYBRID, COAST ON BATTERY POWER TO A SHOULDER. THROTTLE BODY HAD TO BE REPLACED. THERE WAS A RECALL FOR A FORD FUSION AND A MERCURY MILAN FOR THE SAME PROBLEM, BUT NO RECALL FOR A LINCOLN MKZ AND NO RECALL FOR A HYBRID. ALTHOUGH THEY USE EXACTLY THE SAME PART NUMBER FOR A THROTTLE BODY.

P0016 CODE CAME UP.. LINCOLN ADVISES REPAIR WILL BE OVER $5000.00 TO FIX AND I SHOULD TRADE IN AND GET NEW CAR. JUST MADE LAST PAYMENT AND CAR ONLY HAS 66, 000 MILES ON IT. P0016 IS PART OF CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT. WATER PUMP IS LEAKING ON TIMING CHAIN WHICH WILL EVENTUALLY SEIZE ENGINE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 LINCOLN MKZ. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, A STRONG CHEMICAL ODOR EMITTED FROM THE EXHAUST INTO THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER (RICHMOND FORD LINCOLN LOCATED AT 4600 W BROAD ST, RICHMOND, VA 23230; (804) 358-5521), BUT THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DIAGNOSED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AT 800-521-4140 AND STATED THAT THEY WOULD GET BACK TO THE CONTACT; HOWEVER, HE NEVER HEARD FROM THEM SINCE DECEMBER. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 64,358.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 LINCOLN MKZ. THE CONTACT STATED THAT PROPANE FUMES WERE EMITTED INTO THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER MIGHT HAVE FAILED BUT WAS UNAWARE HOW TO REMEDY THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 20,000.