Owners have filed 16 complaints
about the 2022 Lincoln Nautilus with NHTSA between 2025 and 2026.
The largest single group is the body & structure.
Across this model's run it ranks 4 of 7 worst.
The letter says how bad. This says what kind — whether this year drew
an unusual number of complaints, unusually dangerous
ones, or failures that arrived unusually early.
The dashed ring is 50 — the national norm. Further out is worse.
Complaint volume — 19
Against the median year of the Lincoln Nautilus. 50 means typical for this
model; 100 means roughly double.
Severity — 97
18.8% of these complaints
involved a crash, fire, injury or death, against a national rate of
9.7%.
Early failure — not reported
Too few complaints recorded a mileage to measure this.
How 2022 compares with every other Lincoln Nautilus
Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade:
A
B
C
D
F
ungraded
What breaks on a 2022 Lincoln Nautilus
Every complaint is filed against a part. Follow any row for the complaints about that part alone.
Body & Structure
531.3%
Driver Assist & Collision Avoidance
318.8%
Transmission & Drivetrain
318.8%
Median failure at 149,200 miles
Other & Unspecified
212.5%
1 crashes, 0 fires
Brakes
16.3%
1 crashes, 0 fires
Electrical System
16.3%
Engine & Cooling
16.3%
1 crashes, 0 fires
When owners complained
A spike years after the car went on sale usually means a part wearing
out on schedule across the whole fleet — the kind of pattern no single
owner can see from inside their own car.
Apr 2025peak 5Aug 2026
NHTSA investigations into the 2022 Lincoln Nautilus
An investigation is the step before a recall: the agency has seen enough
complaints to look into a pattern itself. An open one means it thinks
something may be wrong and nothing has been fixed yet.
EA23002Opened 29 Sep 2023Closed 31 Oct 2024ENGINE
Loss of Motive Power
On July 22, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) granted a Defect Petition (DP22001) and opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE22007) to investigate allegations of loss of motive power in model year (MY) 2021 Ford Bronco vehicles equipped with 2.7L EcoBoost engines. Complainants were reporting sudden engine failure while driving resulting in a loss of motive power, often without the ability to restart. During PE22007, the cause of engine failure and loss of motive power in the subject vehicles was determined to be intake valve fracture, and the full scope of vehicles affected by the su...
Recalls on the 2022 Lincoln Nautilus
A complaint is one owner's allegation. A recall is the point at which
the manufacturer or a regulator agreed the defect is real and dangerous
enough to fix for free — however old the car is.
Canada — Transport Canada
Canada runs its own recall programme, and its campaigns do not
always mirror the American ones.
Recall 2025260159,135 units in Canada
Visual System
Issue: On certain vehicles, a software problem could cause the rearview camera image not to display or to freeze when the transmission is shifted into reverse. Safety Risk: A rearview camera image that doesn't display correctly could reduce a driver's ability to see behind the vehicle while backing up. This could increase the risk of a crash. Corrective Actions: Ford will notify owners by mail and send a wireless over-the-air software update to eligible vehicles to update the SYNC software. Alternatively, you may schedule an appointment to have the update performed at a Ford dealership.
Reports where the owner recorded a crash, a fire, an injury or a death.
Apopka, FLCrash
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Unsure which individual or multiple system components failing. All occurred within 5 miles of home. Driving to destination noted that vehicle was acting or responding weird but did not show signs of any failure reported to daughter while speaking to her on the hands free system in vehicle but did not really pay much attention to what was happening because it did not affect the driving at that time. Approx. 1hr later left destination to head home and vehicle decided it had a mind of its own and would not respond to most physical commands ie, braking, slowing down, etc. and was actually increasing in speed. attempted to change the vehicle shifter to park, push the engine on / off button, depress brakes but no response to any of the commands. At this point so not to hurt anyone else drove into a fenced field and back out eventually hitting a tree head on. Prior to this occurring there was reporting to dealership of hard shifting but nothing else and dealership wrote off to the adaptive learning of the transmission. Vehicle was inspected by the Lincoln rep with assistance from the dealership / svc dept. and was deemed nothing was found to be wrong with car per the data box of vehicle, BUT the dealership noted in the finding in emails that the black box was only scanned for the day the Lincoln rep was at vehicle NOT the day the vehicle was in accident. as noted above the vehicle did appear o not be responding correctly driving the destination that day but it was minor not something that would have caused concern at that time BUT again on the way back home is when the incident occurred and was on phone at that time panicking on what to do hence ended up driving off road and ending up stopping due running into the tree.
NHTSA complaint #11757247 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Apopka, FLCrash
ENGINE
Unsure which individual or multiple system components failing. All occurred within 5 miles of home. Driving to destination noted that vehicle was acting or responding weird but did not show signs of any failure reported to daughter while speaking to her on the hands free system in vehicle but did not really pay much attention to what was happening because it did not affect the driving at that time. Approx. 1hr later left destination to head home and vehicle decided it had a mind of its own and would not respond to most physical commands ie, braking, slowing down, etc. and was actually increasing in speed. attempted to change the vehicle shifter to park, push the engine on / off button, depress brakes but no response to any of the commands. At this point so not to hurt anyone else drove into a fenced field and back out eventually hitting a tree head on. Prior to this occurring there was reporting to dealership of hard shifting but nothing else and dealership wrote off to the adaptive learning of the transmission. Vehicle was inspected by the Lincoln rep with assistance from the dealership / svc dept. and was deemed nothing was found to be wrong with car per the data box of vehicle, BUT the dealership noted in the finding in emails that the black box was only scanned for the day the Lincoln rep was at vehicle NOT the day the vehicle was in accident. as noted above the vehicle did appear o not be responding correctly driving the destination that day but it was minor not something that would have caused concern at that time BUT again on the way back home is when the incident occurred and was on phone at that time panicking on what to do hence ended up driving off road and ending up stopping due running into the tree.
NHTSA complaint #11757247 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Apopka, FLCrash
SERVICE BRAKES
Unsure which individual or multiple system components failing. All occurred within 5 miles of home. Driving to destination noted that vehicle was acting or responding weird but did not show signs of any failure reported to daughter while speaking to her on the hands free system in vehicle but did not really pay much attention to what was happening because it did not affect the driving at that time. Approx. 1hr later left destination to head home and vehicle decided it had a mind of its own and would not respond to most physical commands ie, braking, slowing down, etc. and was actually increasing in speed. attempted to change the vehicle shifter to park, push the engine on / off button, depress brakes but no response to any of the commands. At this point so not to hurt anyone else drove into a fenced field and back out eventually hitting a tree head on. Prior to this occurring there was reporting to dealership of hard shifting but nothing else and dealership wrote off to the adaptive learning of the transmission. Vehicle was inspected by the Lincoln rep with assistance from the dealership / svc dept. and was deemed nothing was found to be wrong with car per the data box of vehicle, BUT the dealership noted in the finding in emails that the black box was only scanned for the day the Lincoln rep was at vehicle NOT the day the vehicle was in accident. as noted above the vehicle did appear o not be responding correctly driving the destination that day but it was minor not something that would have caused concern at that time BUT again on the way back home is when the incident occurred and was on phone at that time panicking on what to do hence ended up driving off road and ending up stopping due running into the tree.
NHTSA complaint #11757247 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The most recent complaints
In the owners' own words, exactly as filed with NHTSA.
Apopka, FLCrash
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Unsure which individual or multiple system components failing. All occurred within 5 miles of home. Driving to destination noted that vehicle was acting or responding weird but did not show signs of any failure reported to daughter while speaking to her on the hands free system in vehicle but did not really pay much attention to what was happening because it did not affect the driving at that time. Approx. 1hr later left destination to head home and vehicle decided it had a mind of its own and would not respond to most physical commands ie, braking, slowing down, etc. and was actually increasing in speed. attempted to change the vehicle shifter to park, push the engine on / off button, depress brakes but no response to any of the commands. At this point so not to hurt anyone else drove into a fenced field and back out eventually hitting a tree head on. Prior to this occurring there was reporting to dealership of hard shifting but nothing else and dealership wrote off to the adaptive learning of the transmission. Vehicle was inspected by the Lincoln rep with assistance from the dealership / svc dept. and was deemed nothing was found to be wrong with car per the data box of vehicle, BUT the dealership noted in the finding in emails that the black box was only scanned for the day the Lincoln rep was at vehicle NOT the day the vehicle was in accident. as noted above the vehicle did appear o not be responding correctly driving the destination that day but it was minor not something that would have caused concern at that time BUT again on the way back home is when the incident occurred and was on phone at that time panicking on what to do hence ended up driving off road and ending up stopping due running into the tree.
NHTSA complaint #11757247 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Apopka, FLCrash
ENGINE
Unsure which individual or multiple system components failing. All occurred within 5 miles of home. Driving to destination noted that vehicle was acting or responding weird but did not show signs of any failure reported to daughter while speaking to her on the hands free system in vehicle but did not really pay much attention to what was happening because it did not affect the driving at that time. Approx. 1hr later left destination to head home and vehicle decided it had a mind of its own and would not respond to most physical commands ie, braking, slowing down, etc. and was actually increasing in speed. attempted to change the vehicle shifter to park, push the engine on / off button, depress brakes but no response to any of the commands. At this point so not to hurt anyone else drove into a fenced field and back out eventually hitting a tree head on. Prior to this occurring there was reporting to dealership of hard shifting but nothing else and dealership wrote off to the adaptive learning of the transmission. Vehicle was inspected by the Lincoln rep with assistance from the dealership / svc dept. and was deemed nothing was found to be wrong with car per the data box of vehicle, BUT the dealership noted in the finding in emails that the black box was only scanned for the day the Lincoln rep was at vehicle NOT the day the vehicle was in accident. as noted above the vehicle did appear o not be responding correctly driving the destination that day but it was minor not something that would have caused concern at that time BUT again on the way back home is when the incident occurred and was on phone at that time panicking on what to do hence ended up driving off road and ending up stopping due running into the tree.
NHTSA complaint #11757247 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Apopka, FLCrash
SERVICE BRAKES
Unsure which individual or multiple system components failing. All occurred within 5 miles of home. Driving to destination noted that vehicle was acting or responding weird but did not show signs of any failure reported to daughter while speaking to her on the hands free system in vehicle but did not really pay much attention to what was happening because it did not affect the driving at that time. Approx. 1hr later left destination to head home and vehicle decided it had a mind of its own and would not respond to most physical commands ie, braking, slowing down, etc. and was actually increasing in speed. attempted to change the vehicle shifter to park, push the engine on / off button, depress brakes but no response to any of the commands. At this point so not to hurt anyone else drove into a fenced field and back out eventually hitting a tree head on. Prior to this occurring there was reporting to dealership of hard shifting but nothing else and dealership wrote off to the adaptive learning of the transmission. Vehicle was inspected by the Lincoln rep with assistance from the dealership / svc dept. and was deemed nothing was found to be wrong with car per the data box of vehicle, BUT the dealership noted in the finding in emails that the black box was only scanned for the day the Lincoln rep was at vehicle NOT the day the vehicle was in accident. as noted above the vehicle did appear o not be responding correctly driving the destination that day but it was minor not something that would have caused concern at that time BUT again on the way back home is when the incident occurred and was on phone at that time panicking on what to do hence ended up driving off road and ending up stopping due running into the tree.
NHTSA complaint #11757247 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Turnersville, NJ
STRUCTURE:BODY
The driver’s side front door inner sheet metal housing has suffered a severe structural failure where the door check-arm brackets mount to the vehicle frame. Under completely normal vehicle operation, the thin-gauge metal has cracked, buckled, and completely torn away from the inner door assembly. This creates an immediate safety hazard as the door can no longer be safely controlled, dampening its swing. A certified independent collision center evaluated the damage and officially recommended a total door shell replacement, explicitly warning that localized spot-weld patching is structurally insufficient to restore safety due to metal fatigue. Lincoln Client Services was formally contacted regarding this defect but refused assistance or goodwill coverage, citing a minor calendar expiration of the factory warranty. If left unaddressed by the manufacturer, this stamping defect risks the door catching wind, overextending, or failing to latch and secure properly while the vehicle is in motion, presenting a direct risk to occupants and nearby traffic.
NHTSA complaint #11757108 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Attleboro, MA
STRUCTURE:BODY
Drivers side door hinge has completely broken away from interior side panel. This is a know manufacturing defect due to the weight of the door on this vehicle. We called dealership on 5/4/2026 after discovering issue, spoke with the service manager who advised us to bring vehicle to the dealership. On 5/5/2026 the vehicle was brought to Tasca Collision Center a service team member took extensive pictures of damage, stated how the repair would go forth which has since not happened. Tasca and Lincoln have refused to make repair stating that the vehicle was out of warranty effective 5/4/2026. This is also a safety issue in the advent of a side crash.
NHTSA complaint #11754440 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Manhattan, IL
STRUCTURE:BODY
Spot welds in both front doors are failing. How would these cars do in a side impact with failing spot welds? The drivers door has approximately a 4" tear/crack around the broken spot welds.
NHTSA complaint #11751759 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Thomasville, NC
STRUCTURE:BODY
Lincoln Nautilus door hinge and check strap area of the driver's door has a significant crack which could lead to door failure in the event of a crash. Manufacture has issued a CSP (Customer Satisfaction Program 23B56. Year models 2022-2024. Mine is a 2022 but the VIN does not fall in the range of known defects. Mfg. refused repair based on the VIN, but all other criteria have been met. Dealer acknowledges the defect.
NHTSA complaint #11746052 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Tolono, IL
STRUCTURE:BODY
The sheet metal around both front door hinges are cracking. Just as the Ford Escape did.
NHTSA complaint #11735966 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Middletown, CT
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Good afternoon, I am an owner of a 2002 Lincoln Nautilus. I wanted to report an electrical/battery issue with the vehicle that started a year and a half ago. In the past year and a half I have had 2 battery replacements with the most recent one being changed end of December of 2025 and in early March the battery went again so it's not even 3 months that it lasted. The battery completely dies and each time I have to jump start it in order to have a vehicle to work or take my kids places. As a single mom I do not want to put my safety or my kids safety at risk if I get stranded somewhere at night time with no means of getting it jump started. Upon reading some reviews online, I have noticed a lot of Lincoln owners especially the years of 2022-2023 have complained and reported the same issues with dealerships just changing out their batteries and not looking for the deep problem. I have dropped off the car at the dealership and they do not what's causing the issue. My car warranty has 300 miles left and they told me after my bumper to bumper expires there is not much they can do to cover it. I was wondering if this was ever reported or has there been previous recalls on it. Thank you very much for your time.
NHTSA complaint #11725508 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Middletown, CT
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Good afternoon, I am an owner of a 2002 Lincoln Nautilus. I wanted to report an electrical/battery issue with the vehicle that started a year and a half ago. In the past year and a half I have had 2 battery replacements with the most recent one being changed end of December of 2025 and in early March the battery went again so it's not even 3 months that it lasted. The battery completely dies and each time I have to jump start it in order to have a vehicle to work or take my kids places. As a single mom I do not want to put my safety or my kids safety at risk if I get stranded somewhere at night time with no means of getting it jump started. Upon reading some reviews online, I have noticed a lot of Lincoln owners especially the years of 2022-2023 have complained and reported the same issues with dealerships just changing out their batteries and not looking for the deep problem. I have dropped off the car at the dealership and they do not what's causing the issue. My car warranty has 300 miles left and they told me after my bumper to bumper expires there is not much they can do to cover it. I was wondering if this was ever reported or has there been previous recalls on it. Thank you very much for your time.
NHTSA complaint #11725508 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Snow Hill, NC
POWER TRAIN
The transmission jerks at low speeds between 10mph-60mph. Has been duplicated at Lincoln dealership. A torque converter was replaced , but did not correct problem. I know that there is a class action suit for this problem for 2019-2021 it needs to add the 2022 suv also. Lincoln paid for parts , I paid labor . Total repair was 2200$
NHTSA complaint #11722407 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 149,200 milesSpring, TX
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2022 Lincoln Nautilus. The contact stated that while another person was driving approximately 15-50 MPH, the vehicle sputtered and jerked. The vehicle was driven to the workplace, and the contact attempted to test-drive the vehicle. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle and shifting to drive, there was delay while responding, with a clunking sound coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to shift into gear the following day. The contact stated that upon shifting to reverse, the vehicle jerked forward, and upon shifting to park(P), there was a delay before the vehicle responded. There was a delay after shifting out of park(P). There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where several internal diagnostic trouble codes were found. The dealer determined that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided because the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 149,200.
NHTSA complaint #11715875 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Austin, TX
POWER TRAIN
There is a class action lawsuit for the 2019-2021 Nautilus with the 8F35 transmission, which is the same transmission that my 2022 Nautilus has. Ford has also issued multiple technical service bulletins (25-2154, 21-2389) regarding the 8F35 transmission. My transmission has had a catastrophic failure and began slipping out of gear while driving on the highway. The vehicle lost power several times while driving. The wrench light came on. I was able to make it to the dealership where they are quoting me for a total replacement of the transmission. One week prior, I brought the vehicle in to reprogram the PCM due to a recall alert I got from the Lincoln app. I was experiencing jerking and shuddering prior to the PCM reprogram, then within days of the reprogramming, the transmission completely failed.
NHTSA complaint #11708334 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Palos Hills, IL, 60465, US, IL
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
Submitted by: [XXX] Dealership: Joe Rizza Ford of Orland Park Vehicle: 2021 Lincoln Nautilus VIN: [XXX] Date: 04/04/25 Overview: Vehicle VIN [XXX] has shown persistent signs of remote system manipulation, unauthorized firmware behavior, and OTA event spoofing. These symptoms have manifested in repeated diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) across key modules, backdated OTA logging activity, and anomalous file sizes inconsistent with Ford’s documented OTA campaigns. Additionally, the vehicle owner has experienced personal harm attributed to the manipulation: numbness in the back, significant financial and mental distress, and deterioration in relationships with family members, which all correlate with the suspected interference and systemic issues. Key Findings: RFA (Remote Function Actuator) Module Behavior: Repeated DTCs across antennas #2, #3, #4, #6, #8, #11, and #12. Frequent B1B59:87 (BLE Low Energy Module fault) — indicates repeated Bluetooth stack failure or interference. U200F:00 Control Module Output Power C faults consistently recorded. GWM (Gateway Module A) and TCU (Telematics Control Unit) Logs: Software package inconsistencies including large firmware blocks (176 MB to 764 MB). Mismatched "Current Software" vs. "Available Software" versions. Cloud/server-pushed updates logged without dealership-initiated campaign. Confirmed campaign expired for firmware block logged on January 27, 2025, raising further questions on the legitimacy of update triggers. OTAM (Over-The-Air Manager) Log Red Flags: Entries showing timestamps such as January 3, 2000 and January 1, 2018. Consent flags spoofed: "sourceOfConsent='User(1)'" Trigger expiration hours preset to "336" (14-day OTA window, commonly used in timed malware execution) Absence of release notes or authorized campaign identifiers. Pattern Confirmation: Activity spikes on: [XXX], [XXX], and [XXX]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11652875 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Palos Hills, IL, 60465, US, IL
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
Submitted by: [XXX] Dealership: Joe Rizza Ford of Orland Park Vehicle: 2021 Lincoln Nautilus VIN: [XXX] Date: 04/04/25 Overview: Vehicle VIN [XXX] has shown persistent signs of remote system manipulation, unauthorized firmware behavior, and OTA event spoofing. These symptoms have manifested in repeated diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) across key modules, backdated OTA logging activity, and anomalous file sizes inconsistent with Ford’s documented OTA campaigns. Additionally, the vehicle owner has experienced personal harm attributed to the manipulation: numbness in the back, significant financial and mental distress, and deterioration in relationships with family members, which all correlate with the suspected interference and systemic issues. Key Findings: RFA (Remote Function Actuator) Module Behavior: Repeated DTCs across antennas #2, #3, #4, #6, #8, #11, and #12. Frequent B1B59:87 (BLE Low Energy Module fault) — indicates repeated Bluetooth stack failure or interference. U200F:00 Control Module Output Power C faults consistently recorded. GWM (Gateway Module A) and TCU (Telematics Control Unit) Logs: Software package inconsistencies including large firmware blocks (176 MB to 764 MB). Mismatched "Current Software" vs. "Available Software" versions. Cloud/server-pushed updates logged without dealership-initiated campaign. Confirmed campaign expired for firmware block logged on January 27, 2025, raising further questions on the legitimacy of update triggers. OTAM (Over-The-Air Manager) Log Red Flags: Entries showing timestamps such as January 3, 2000 and January 1, 2018. Consent flags spoofed: "sourceOfConsent='User(1)'" Trigger expiration hours preset to "336" (14-day OTA window, commonly used in timed malware execution) Absence of release notes or authorized campaign identifiers. Pattern Confirmation: Activity spikes on: [XXX], [XXX], and [XXX]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11652875 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Submitted by: [XXX] Dealership: Joe Rizza Ford of Orland Park Vehicle: 2021 Lincoln Nautilus VIN: [XXX] Date: 04/04/25 Overview: Vehicle VIN [XXX] has shown persistent signs of remote system manipulation, unauthorized firmware behavior, and OTA event spoofing. These symptoms have manifested in repeated diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) across key modules, backdated OTA logging activity, and anomalous file sizes inconsistent with Ford’s documented OTA campaigns. Additionally, the vehicle owner has experienced personal harm attributed to the manipulation: numbness in the back, significant financial and mental distress, and deterioration in relationships with family members, which all correlate with the suspected interference and systemic issues. Key Findings: RFA (Remote Function Actuator) Module Behavior: Repeated DTCs across antennas #2, #3, #4, #6, #8, #11, and #12. Frequent B1B59:87 (BLE Low Energy Module fault) — indicates repeated Bluetooth stack failure or interference. U200F:00 Control Module Output Power C faults consistently recorded. GWM (Gateway Module A) and TCU (Telematics Control Unit) Logs: Software package inconsistencies including large firmware blocks (176 MB to 764 MB). Mismatched "Current Software" vs. "Available Software" versions. Cloud/server-pushed updates logged without dealership-initiated campaign. Confirmed campaign expired for firmware block logged on January 27, 2025, raising further questions on the legitimacy of update triggers. OTAM (Over-The-Air Manager) Log Red Flags: Entries showing timestamps such as January 3, 2000 and January 1, 2018. Consent flags spoofed: "sourceOfConsent='User(1)'" Trigger expiration hours preset to "336" (14-day OTA window, commonly used in timed malware execution) Absence of release notes or authorized campaign identifiers. Pattern Confirmation: Activity spikes on: [XXX], [XXX], and [XXX]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11652875 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.