2019 Lincoln Nautilus Powertrain & Transmission Problems

Transmission is jerking at speeds around 25mph.

Constant shattering/jerking when accelerating and trouble light on indicator on car dash indicating torque converter issues after I diagnostic it with a OBD reader. This is a known issue and should’ve been recalled a long time ago.

Car starts to buck when changing gears

transmission problems including harsh shifting, shuttering, lurching, hesitating, or slowing down when shifting gears. No warning lights illuminated but after dealer inspection, have been told that both the transmission (harsh shift in all gears) and rear axle (popping and grinding while turning) need to be replaced. The vehicle is not safe to drive. Cost of repairs is quoted at more than $14,000. This issue/defect appears to have a class action associated with it; why has there been no manufacturer recall?

The Nautilus began shuddering while accelerating from about 15 to 45 mph. I took it to a Lincoln dealer and was told the transmission needed to be repaired or replaced for $7,000 plus. It has 88,000 miles on it

I brought my Lincoln Nautilus to an authorized Lincoln dealership due to a serious transmission issue. The dealer kept the vehicle for four days, diagnosed a potential transmission failure, and told me that the transmission could “blow.” However, they returned the car to me unrepaired and admitted they could not fix it anytime soon. The reason: the dealership has only one transmission technician, and that person is currently working through a backlog of transmission jobs from March. My vehicle — with a known safety risk — was effectively placed at the back of a months-long line, with no estimated repair date. I contacted Lincoln Concierge, who opened a case but informed me there was “nothing they could do.” I now have a car that is unsafe to drive due to a transmission issue that the manufacturer and dealership both acknowledge but are unable to address in a timely or safe manner. This presents a serious safety risk. A transmission failure while driving could result in loss of control, sudden deceleration, or breakdown in active traffic. I am requesting that NHTSA investigate this issue as a systemic safety failure — both in terms of the defect itself and Lincoln’s inability to service it promptly.

I know there is a bulletin out from Ford about the PCM , where it says recall on the bottom, yet unannounce. This mimics the issues with the torque converter, the ones that I have in my 2019 lincoln nautilus. About two months ago, I felt a kick. where It thought I had been hit by another car, it was so hard. From that point on, the smoothness of the transmission below 35 miles/hr, was jerky and hesitant, kicking and not accelerating properly. The dealer said that it was the torque converter and that it was very bad. The car is too new to have these types of catastrophic issues. It was $9000 to resolve the issue according to the dealer. I had to go somewhere else. Also the screen has problems where it turns blue, and stops working, where the music playing will also stop and you cannot skip to another song. A hard reboot is the solution, but on a daily basis? I know that other models, the Aviator and Corsair, have the same issues. I have the same problem. When contacting Lincoln dealer for the same issue, they state there is no recall. I really like the Lincoln but there seem to be quite a few problems. Will these be placed in a recall list? The fixes so far have been really expensive.

The acceleration of the car became difficult and was followed by noise and switch to high gears. Was about to enter an expressway. Did a U-turn last moment. Turned back home and was barely able to park it on the driveway. Was driving with the [XXX] toddler in my car during a thunderstorm. Was lucky the car didn’t stop on expressway. Noticed that the driveway is covered in fluid with rainbow coloring. That trip was about 10 minutes long, that it took me to drive and come back. The shifting of the gears are now impossible. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

On Sunday, March 3rd, 2024, I was backing out of garage to head to grocery store and my car was in reverse but would not move when I turned it. I thought I had hit it in neutral by mistake. So I put it in forward and then reversed it again. It seem fine so I went to grocery store and when I turned to go into a parking space it would not move as almost it was in neutral. Then my AWD Malfunction light came on so I called my husband and we were 5 minutes from dealer ship so we took it there and dropped it off. Monday, I called dealer ship to have them look at it and they told me that my rear differential motor had to be replaced at a cost of $1800 and it was not covered under power train warranty because the part did pop up when it was entered. Car only has 44K miles on it...Waiting on someone from Ford to call back to see why it is not covered.

Purchased car from a dealer in 2024 with 40k plus miles. Did not notice upon purchasing, but since to 64,750 miles the transmission regularly shifts with harsh,shuddering , or jerking instances. We have not reported this but it is concerning, that it may cause a permanent failure to the transmission. Hoped it had a recall, but no, not for that! Have seen plenty of complaints about this problem, and wish Lincoln would FIX IT!

Component: Power Train / Transmission Vehicle: 2019 Lincoln Nautilus – 8F35 transmission Mileage first noticed: At Test drive and purchase (~61,405 miles) Status: Ongoing defect My 2019 Lincoln Nautilus has exhibited persistent hesitation, jerking, and harsh engagement during acceleration from a stopped position since the time of purchase at approximately 61,000 miles. The condition occurs repeatedly during normal driving and was reported to a Lincoln dealership service department, which stated the concern could not be duplicated and later described the behavior as “normal for that model.” The drivability problem has never been repaired and continues to occur. Ford has issued multiple Technical Service Bulletins relating to harsh shifting, shudder, and drivability concerns in vehicles equipped with the 8F35 transmission, indicating manufacturer awareness of the condition. The hesitation and jerking create a potential safety concern when entering traffic or accelerating from intersections because vehicle response is delayed and unpredictable. I am submitting this complaint to document an ongoing transmission defect affecting safe vehicle operation.

Transmission causes the car to jerk and shudder at speeds below 50 MPH. Lincoln dealer says it is the Torque Converter that is causing the issue. Issue could cause the car to stall or not start. There are no check engine lights lit at this time. This is a known issue by Ford/Lincoln with Technical Service Bulletins describing this issue. The initial incident happened in 2023 with the dealer telling me this was normal for the vehicle. It has become worse with increasing jerking and shuddering at higher speeds. My last trip to the dealer on 8/19/25 resulted in them telling me I need a new torque converter and now the car is out of warranty.

The contact owns a 2019 Lincoln Nautilus. While the contact's father was driving approximately 25-40 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. Additionally, the contact stated that the transmission shifted hard, and the vehicle shuddered and jerked abnormally while driving. The contact stated the failure had occurred while her father was driving at a slow speed. The contact referenced an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not associated with the recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

12/30/20 STOPPED AT RED TRAFFIC LIGHT WITH FOOT BRAKE. ENGINE AND ELECTRICAL SHUT DOWN. VEHICLE WENT TO PARK AND WOULD NOT START AGAIN OR SHIFT OUT OF PARK. NOTHING WORKED! HAD TO BE TOWED TO LINCOLN DEALER. THE MILEAGE WAS 6,000! JULY 2020 I HAD COMPLAINED OF TRANSMISSION BANGING SHIFTING TO DRIVE OR REVERSE. DEALER SAID ALL WAS FINE. IT HAS BEEN 34 DAYS, DEALER REPLACE A MODULE WITCH DID NOT FIX PROBLEM. THEY ARE NOW REPLACING THE TRANSMISSION. THE INCIDENT OCCURRED AT A SHOPPING CENTER LIGHT TO ENTER HIGHWAY 525. APPROACHING THE SIGNAL VEHICLE WAS ONLY TRAVELING 2-3 MPH.

THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL INSTANCES WHEN SHIFTING FROM REVERSE TO DRIVE AND SHIFTING FROM DRIVE TO REVERSE, THERE IS A LOUD METAL ON METAL NOISE AND THE ENGINE SEEMS TO RACE HIGHER. THIS HAS HAPPENED WHEN I'M BACKING OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY OR A PARKING SPOT. I DO COME TO A COMPLETE STOP BEFORE SHIFTING.

TRANSMISSION SHIFT RUFF. SOMETIMES THE TRANSMISSION ACT AS IF WANT CHANGE GEARS BUT DOESN'T. TRANSMISSION IS SLOW TO ENGAGE FROM REVERSE TO DRIVE. THE VEHICLE HAS A ROTTEN EGG SMELL AFTER IT GETS HOT.

MY CAR HAD BEEN IN TWICE FOR REPAIR AND COMPUTER SOFTWARE UPDATE. I WAS ROUNDING A CORNER AND THE ENGINE SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL, STOPPING THE CAR. THE PRECOLLISION AID WAS DISABLED. LUCKILY NO ONE WAS BEHIND ME OR THEY WOULD HAVE PLOWED INTO MY CAR.

WHILE STOPPED AT A DRIVE THRU TODAY THE CAR STARTED GIVING OFF MULTIPLE WARNINGS OF SAFETY FAILURES--BLIND SPOT MONITORING, CAMERA, LANE KEEP, HILL ASSIST, AND AUTO HOLD. THE FINAL WARNING WAS A POWERTRAIN MALFUNCTION. I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE A QUICK TWO MINUTE TRIP HOME AND HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2019 LINCOLN NAUTILUS. WHILE AT A RED LIGHT, THE VEHICLE STALLED AND SHUT OFF COMPLETELY WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE WITHOUT INCIDENT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE RECURRED ON THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO AL PACKER FORD WEST PALM BEACH (1530 N MILITARY TRL, WEST PALM BEACH, FL 33409, (561) 689-6550) WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE DEALER WAS WAITING FOR A PART TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN IN THE DEALER'S POSSESSION FOR CLOSE TO A MONTH. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT A MANAGER WOULD CALL BACK. THE CONTACT HAD NOT HEARD BACK FROM A MANAGER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 2,000.

MY '19 NAUTILUS IS EQUIPPED WITH THE 2.7 LITER ENGINE. WHEN ACCELERATING HARD TO MERGE ONTO THE FREEWAY OR PASSING ANOTHER MOTOR VEHICLE. THERE'S A STRONG ODOR OF VEHICLE EXHAUST. THE ROTTEN EGG SMELL TAKES OVER THE INTERIOR OF THE VEHICLE FORCING YOU TO PUT DOWN ALL THE WINDOWS TO REMOVE IT.