FaultScore

2013 Lincoln MKS steering problems

61 of the 182 complaints about the 2013 Lincoln MKS are about the steering — 34% of everything reported for this model year. Half of the failures with a mileage on record happened before 93,000 miles.

F

61

Complaints

2

Crashes

1

Fires

2

Injuries

Exactly what failed

Steering 57 93.4%
Electric Power Assist System 4 6.6%

Steering across every Lincoln MKS year

2010 15 13.8%
2011 21 19.3%
2013 61 56.0%
2014 12 11.0%

What owners said

Filed with NHTSA, in their own words.

Queens Village, NY

STEERING

While driving home in the center lane on the XXX[XXX] Parkway, my steering wheel locked suddenly, preventing me from turning left or right. As I used my full strength to turn right against the tightness of the steering wheel, trying to get off at the next possible exit, the power to the steering wheel abruptly returned, causing me to swerve out of control, past the right lane, onto the shoulder and into the grassy roadside area. The vehicle didn't suffer any bodily damages. I struggled mightily with the steering but was able to drive home safely and park it. The next morning, I took the car to a mechanic, who after checking the power steering, informed me that the E.P.A.S. motor sensor at fault and that there's an active service recall on vehicles fitting the year, make, and model of my car. I called Lincoln of Queens Center, and was told that my vehicle was not on the list for recalls. This was after I provided them with my VIN number. The customer service representative couldn't give a valid or specific reason why my VIN number was excluded from the list, except to say, "that's the way it's always been, I don't make the policies." In search for a better explanation, I was transferred to Ford Recall department, then Client Relation Center, where representative [XXX] submitted an A.S.O form and referred me to (N.H.T.S.C), where I spoke with Ms [XXX] who stated that they are not responsible for omitting certain VIN#'s from the recall list. I don't want to believe that a powerful and reputable automobile manufacturing company like Ford and Lincoln would exclude certain VIN numbers from their service recall list, knowing at any time, a faulty motor sensor, needed for safe navigational steering, can go bad, resulting in multiple automobile accidents, that can cause serious injuries, or death to innocent unsuspecting motorists. If possible, I would highly appreciate if Ford/Lincoln could add my VIN number to their recall list Truly, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA),

NHTSA complaint #11756815 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Chandler, AZ

STEERING

Lose the ability to control the steering of the vehicle

NHTSA complaint #11728676 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Front Royal, VA

STEERING

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.

NHTSA complaint #11679333 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Florence, CO

STEERING

Ill be driving and my car will whip me right off the road

NHTSA complaint #11639070 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Castle Hayne, NC

STEERING

Power steering assist faulty. To regain power steering control turn the car off. Throughout the past six months, this happened several times.

NHTSA complaint #11636122 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Ocala, FL

STEERING

I own since May 2015 a 2013 Lincoln MKS . On [XXX] after pulling out from the curb and driving straight about 20 feet a prompt was displayed showing :power steering assist not available I was unable to steer the car. I turned the car off after a minute i started the car again and was OK. I took the vehicle to Hinton repair shop in Ocala Florida and a scan showed a defective module. The mechanic ordered the module and rack and pinion. I called Lincoln and was told there is nothing they can do since there is no recall .There is a NHTSA campaign number 15v340000 which should apply to my vehicle. I believe my car was affected by this campaign defect. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint #11620975 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 73,698 miles Middleburg, FL

STEERING

The contact owns a 2013 Lincoln MKS. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The contact drove the vehicle to the shoulder of the road. The contact stated that the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was restarted and driven without further failure. Additionally, the contact stated that recently after the vehicle was started, the power steering assists failure warning light illuminated. The contact checked the power steering fluid level, and the level was sufficient. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The contact researched and discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V621000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) and 15V34000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact was informed that the repair was not included in the recalls. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 73,698.

NHTSA complaint #11607291 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Arlington, TX Crash 1 injured

STEERING

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.

NHTSA complaint #11601522 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 103,000 miles Baltimore, MD

STEERING

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.

NHTSA complaint #11597274 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 88,000 miles Ortonville, MN

STEERING

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.

NHTSA complaint #11592482 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Haverhill, MA

STEERING

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

NHTSA complaint #11585547 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Wyandotte, MI

STEERING

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.

NHTSA complaint #11583727 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Howell, MI

STEERING

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.

NHTSA complaint #11559129 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 188,700 miles Columbia, SC

STEERING

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.

NHTSA complaint #11545444 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Farmington Hills, MI

STEERING

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

NHTSA complaint #11541380 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Aberdeen, MD

STEERING

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).

NHTSA complaint #11540657 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Suwanee, GA

STEERING

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

NHTSA complaint #11527679 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Powell, OH

STEERING

while driving the power steering would lock , I check and found out that 2913 lincoln mks was recall but my vehicle ID did not match . I call lincoln company and was told nothing could be done for my car,

NHTSA complaint #11512524 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Sherman Oaks, CA

STEERING

Power steering unavailable total fault at 140,000 miles. Warning came on that power steering assist was not available. Starting at 64000 miles this error would happen and it would clear by restarting the car, or disconnecting the battery for 15 minutes and restarting the car. This time it did not clear, and manual steering without power assist is unsafe and difficult. NHTSA recall 15V340 000 document states ALL 2013 Lincoln MKS but my vin is not coming up in OASIS for Ford/Lincoln recall #15S18. Marina Ford in CA diagnosed this is the steering gear sensor fault same as other vehicles with this recall but my VIN does not qualify. VINS in this range are not sequential and documentation says ALL 2013 Lincoln MKS are affected but my repair is denied due to VIN not being included. Requesting adding my vin to the recall as this is a $3700 repair not covered according to OASIS. Sadly, the gear sensor does is not able to be replaced by itself and the entire gear/steering rack has to be replaced to fix the sensor fault according to Marina Ford (Los Angeles) Service advisor/Manager. Without power steering on this vehicle, some safety features are disabled and car cannot make evasive turns. When the last fault occured I nearly caused an accident as I crossed a double yellow line into oncoming traffic before I could manually correct the position.

NHTSA complaint #11510621 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 94,000 miles Hyattsville, MD

STEERING

The contact owns a 2013 Lincoln MKS. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the steering wheel became difficult to turn while attempting to reverse the vehicle. The contact stated that the power steering assist warning light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 94,000.

NHTSA complaint #11502205 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Godwin, NC

STEERING

The contact owns a 2013 Lincoln MKS. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the power steering intermittently failed to operate as needed, without warning. The contact called the local dealer and was informed that there were no recalls associated with the VIN. The contact was provided an estimate for a diagnostic test. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering) which he linked to the failure; however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA complaint #11489514 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 30,000 miles El Paso, TX

STEERING

The contact owns a 2013 Lincoln MKS. The contact stated while driving approximately at 55 MPH, the contact lost power steering. The contact stated that the "loss of power steering" warning light was illuminated. The contact managed to steer the vehicle off the side of the road, however, the vehicle steering remained locked. The contact had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the failure as related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering). The vehicle had not been repaired. The contact stated that he had experienced a loss of power steering before, but had managed to return the functionality by turning the vehicle off and on. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.

NHTSA complaint #11480840 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 115,000 miles Branson, MO

STEERING

The contact owns a 2013 Lincoln MKS. The contact stated while his wife was driving at 40 MPH, the steering wheel locked up, almost causing her to lose control of the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact's wife slammed on the brakes and veered to the side of the road. The contact's wife wiggled the steering wheel and was able to continue driving. However, the failure reoccurred while driving at 65 MPH. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was it was diagnosed that the steering gear needed to be replaced. The independent mechanic informed the contact that the failure was associated with a recall and referred the contact to the dealer. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 115,000.

NHTSA complaint #11478693 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 150,000 miles Detroit, MI

STEERING

The contact owns a 2013 Lincoln MKS. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the power steering assist failed without warning. The contact pulled over and restarted that vehicle but the failure persisted. The contact used excessive force to steer the vehicle home. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred him to a dealer. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed with power steering assist failure. The contact was also informed that his vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering). The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

NHTSA complaint #11477514 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 140,000 miles Katy, TX

STEERING

The contact owns a 2013 Lincoln MKS. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the power steering assist fault warning message was displayed and the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist. The contact restarted the vehicle while attempting to correct the failure however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.

NHTSA complaint #11460057 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Middlburg Heights, OH

STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM

while driving on highway power steering assist failure light went on after power steering stopped working. Vehicle has only 60000 miles and both dealer and ford were notified and both said vehicle was not covered by recall after vin was supplied to them.Analysis coeds U 0416 , U 0415 and u 3000 were found and dealer offered to replace steering gear at cost of $4000.00

NHTSA complaint #11436636 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 87,000 miles Hammond, IN

STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM

The contact owns a 2013 Lincoln MKS. The contact stated that while driving at low speeds, the "electric power steering assist system, service required" warning message appeared on the instrument panel. The contact stated that excessive force was needed to steer the vehicle while driving at various speeds. The contact had then taken his vehicle to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed with a loss of electrical power steering assist and linked the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering). The contact then called a dealer and was informed that the vehicle was not included in the recall. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 87,000.

NHTSA complaint #11433959 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 92,000 miles Dyer, IN

STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM

The contact owns a 2013 Lincoln MKS. The contact stated that while driving, the steering wheel was difficult to turn and had switched to manual mode, and was inoperable. The power steering warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the power steering sensor needed to be reprogrammed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA. The contact stated that the failure was like NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering). The failure mileage was approximately 92,000.

NHTSA complaint #11431161 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Somers Point, NJ

STEERING

Issue: Power Steering INOP U3000-49 Control Module Failure Pro Date 5/2012. Steering wheel locked making it difficult to turn wheel and drive car safely. Problem was confirmed by 2 Mechanics, one being the Dealership- Chapman Ford Lincoln. A Warning lamp came on: Power Steering Assist Fault.

NHTSA complaint #11426603 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Overland Park, KS

STEERING

My power steering suddenly went out with message “power steering assist fault” and “service AdvanceTrac.”

NHTSA complaint #11426045 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Other 2013 Lincoln MKS problems

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