37 of the
307 complaints filed about the Lincoln Nautilus
are about the other systems —
12% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2019.
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.
Left side climate control not working. Dashboard had to be removed in order to find the problem. Problem is a small plastic rod that operates the doors that direct the cold air. It is broken. My mechanic (Walkerton Auto Service) tried to order this part from the Ford dealer but was told that the entire box would have to be replaced. The cost of this part is just under $1600. This seems unreasonable. The plastic part seems in my opinion to be a design flaw. My vehicle has less than 100,000 miles on it. The part plus labor cost will be very expensive and just doesn't seem like a cost that I should be responsible for. I wonder if anyone else has had a similar problem. My vehicle is a 2019 Lincoln nautilus
NHTSA complaint #11756920 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
On August 4 2026, I drove my 2024 Lincoln Nautilus home for lunch. Upon leaving my house to head back to my office, and without realizing it, I left the vehicle's key fob inside my house, approximately 30 feet from where the vehicle was parked. I was able to gain entrance to my locked vehicle and I was able to start my vehicle and drive all the way back to my office. It was not until I turned my car off, closed the door and searched my pocket for my key fob to lock the vehicle that I realized I had left the key fob at my house (approximately 3 miles from my office). I was still able to re-start my vehicle and drove back home to retrieve my key. Despite the key fob being absent from the vehicle's vicinity, the vehicle was able to be accessed (while locked), was able to be started, and the vehicle ran normally, with no warning indicating the key fob was not detected. I am concerned this defect could allow unauthorized vehicle operation, theft, or an inability for the vehicle to properly disable itself when the intended operator's key is not present.
NHTSA complaint #11754787 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
This was the first long trip for the new Nautilus. I was using cruise control, along with adaptive cruise control, and hands free driving. A prompt came up to resume control. The road was not twisty, so it was somewhat unusual for this to happen from my experience. I put my hands on the steering wheel to resume control. The engine began stuttering and the flashers came on. The car then began decreasing speed. Please, something is clearly not right with this car. This was a dangerous situation on a highway at 65 mph. The car was rapidly decreasing speed and the highway was busy with holiday traffic, campers, etc. going to Mt. Hood. Yes, this car is available for inspection upon request. This was a dangerous situation on a busy highway when the vehicle suddenly began decreasing speed requiring me to take immediate action while traveling at 65 mph. No, the problem has not been reproduced. No, the dealer has not looked at it despite repeated phone calls. I do not have another car and cannot afford a rental. They have had me on a LONG wait list for a loaner. No, there were no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure.
NHTSA complaint #11749708 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
This is the third Lincoln Nautilus that the facial recognition sensor does not operate as it should and creates a significant distraction while driving. The system constantly will go into the "Watch the Road" warning and then proceed to the "Resume Control" which also activates the four way flashers and pulses the brakes despite taking action such as moving the steering wheel or pressing the "OK" on the steering wheel touch pad to acknowledge the warning which does not clear out. If the vehicle is being tailgated which happens frequently this could lead to a collision either from the tailgater that hits you or the tailgater making a sudden move to avoid a collision and cause a different impact or loss of control. I have video of this occurring frequently while driving, however it is too large of a file to upload. The design and placement of the sensor on the top of the steering column is also a contributing factor due to glare that frequently occurs and will increase the instances of this warning as well. I also tested it while wearing sunglasses and that too increases the frequency of the warning indications which makes this a very flawed design overall because of the fact that milions of drivers wear sunglasses daily (especially here in Florida) yet the designers and developers obviously did not take that (sunglasses) into account along with the failure of the system when glare is produced - another frequent item that happens on sunny days. As stated, this is the third new Lincoln Nautilus that I have experienced this on, the first two were 2025 models, this vehicle is a service loaner from the dealer while mine is in the shop for this and other problems.
NHTSA complaint #11747124 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The panoramic display on the car went black from just left of center to almost the end of the display on the drivers side . Alll information was blacked out speed mileage Etc. I restarted the car no change went back the next day it was working. If this happens while driving it could cause a serious problem
NHTSA complaint #11742586 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
When I went to change lanes on the highway, I went to look in the passenger side mirror to check for traffic. What I saw was my shirt. The mirrors have auto open and close. They malfunctioned and did not open,. This was a safety risk. I have an appointment with the service center at the dealership.
NHTSA complaint #11739719 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I purchased a new 2026 Lincoln Nautilus only 3 days ago. While driving on a public road, both side mirrors suddenly auto-folded on their own without any driver input. This created a serious safety hazard because I immediately lost side visibility while operating the vehicle. I had to pull over in the middle of traffic and manually restore the mirrors before continuing to drive. This malfunction is extremely dangerous and unacceptable in a brand-new vehicle. Side mirrors are critical safety equipment, and unexpected folding while driving could easily lead to an accident. I request that this issue be investigated as a potential safety defect affecting the Lincoln Nautilus.
NHTSA complaint #11735595 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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.
The rearview camera appears foggy with poor visibility even in clear weather. The problem was reported to the dealer during the December - February snowy weather; their suggestion was to keep the camera clean. At [XXX], getting out to clean a camera presents additional health and safety risks. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11722811 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Owner's manual was not provided and when asked the delear mentioned that the Owner's manual is online. This is a safety risk as access to important information is only available when connected to the internet.
NHTSA complaint #11721288 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I am reporting a truly alarming issue with the Ford Blue Cruise Hands-Free Driving Assistance Feature where safety alert sounds have simply turned themselves off with no warning. I was previously using the BlueCruise feature on highways without incident. A few weeks ago, having changed NO settings on my vehicle, the audible alarms / safety alerts suddenly disappeared, including the audible alarms for "resume control" and "watch the road". I repeatedly carefully watched the system for several weeks wondering if it was a glitch, and I also triple checked that ALL my alert settings were set to highest sound volume. Still - NO audible alarms are sounding. The alerts "RESUME CONTROL" and "watch the road" show up on the dashboard, but no sound is made. Previously there was a very loud alert which was a critical safety warning for me to resume control. Having already gotten comfortable with using the system, that they simply disappeared one day is truly alarming. Now I know not to expect audible alerts. I am very worried this is happening on other vehicles and someone may fall asleep on blue cruise, and then suddenly not be alerted to resume control. I think the audible alarms MUSt stay on. Now, i cannot make them alarm no matter what setting I change.
NHTSA complaint #11720917 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I am reporting a serious vehicle safety concern involving my company-leased 2024 Lincoln Nautilus Black Label. The vehicle was damaged while in the custody of the dealership (Tasca Lincoln). The damage was not minor cosmetic damage and involved replacement of a door assembly. The dealership returned the vehicle to me after repair in approximately two (2) days, but I was provided no safety documentation at all, including no written proof of what parts were installed, no proof whether the replacement door was new or used, and no documentation confirming that the vehicle was restored to factory safety standards. This vehicle contains advanced safety systems integrated into the doors and surrounding structure, including side airbags, crash sensors, wiring harnesses, blind spot monitoring, and other electronic safety systems. I requested documentation confirming that these safety systems were properly inspected, calibrated, and functioning correctly after the repair, but I was provided nothing. Because the repair involved a major door replacement and the vehicle was returned in only two days with no verification of airbag, sensor, or safety system calibration, I do not believe the vehicle is safe to operate. I have not been driving the vehicle due to fear that the airbags or crash detection systems may not function properly in an accident. I contacted both the dealership and Ford/Lincoln corporate customer service seeking assistance and safety verification, but neither provided help or documentation, and I have been unable to obtain any proof that the vehicle’s safety systems were properly inspected or calibrated after the repair. Ford Lincoln Corporate had no knowledge of this, until I spoke to them. They denied my claim. This is a company lease vehicle, which creates additional safety and liability concerns. I am requesting NHTSA investigate the repair and the dealership’s failure to provide documentation confirming the vehicle is safe after structural repair.
NHTSA complaint #11718455 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Our 2020 Lincoln Nautilus with 60,000 miles will require replacement of the driver's door due to a crack in the door hinge area. This failure is similar to failures found in the Ford Edge and Lincoln Corsair of the same vintage. Online research proves this is a frequent failure due to inadequate door structural design in similar vehicles with as little as 30,000 miles usage. A 5 year old vehicle should not require door replacements due to a structural design especially when the design has proven to be faulty in other vehicles manufactured by Ford. Structural failure in this area can result in improper door closure and subsequent improper door opening resulting in possible occupant injuries.
NHTSA complaint #11709078 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
When using Apple Car Play and Sirius radio through Apple Car Play, the radio station controls on the steering wheel do not function properly and actually function differently than when using the native Nautilus radio. When using Apple Car Play, in order to change radio stations, you must use the display screen to change stations. This forces the driver, if driving alone, to take their eyes off the road, locate the proper screen, and then change the station. When using the native radio and listening to Sirius, using the radio controls on the steering wheel function as expected. I reported this to Ford through my local dealer, and the response was that "it is functioning as anticipated". To me this means Ford is aware they require one to take their eyes off the road to change radio stations in the manner outlined above.
NHTSA complaint #11700952 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Exhaust heat shield comes loose. This could cause a grass fire or damage to the car itself posing a potential for injury. This obviously is an engineering flaw that should be looked at and repaired. I looked on line and there are several people that has this problem. My car will be in shop again for this tomorrow.
NHTSA complaint #11683732 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Since 2023 there has been an ongoing issue with my vehicle. When Im in public parking lots and I am accessing the trunk. I’ve witnessed my trunk literally shutting down or closing as Im accessing the trunk. Ive recorded this safety concern and Ive reported it to the dealership and manufacturer. The last time this serious issue occurred was last Friday, May 9, 2025. I was loading the trunk with my purchases as the trunk began closing. Whatever is causing this to occur. Ive noticed that the safety feature that signals the trunk to stop closing when it detects an object in the way becomes disabled. The trunk does not stop closing when Im underneath it. Ive witnessed my trunk sporadically closing at least four to five times on Friday. I was able to record one time that it closed as I said it kept happening sporadically. On the same day, I called the dealership and left a message with one of the contact people. As of today, May 13, 2025. I haven’t not gotten a response. This is a safety and security issue that needs to not only be addressed but resolved. And I am not getting help with either of the two.
NHTSA complaint #11660662 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While driving bad smell of rotten eggs probably coming from the catalytic converter Catalytic converter not big enough to handle all the fumes while driving at 65 mph rotten egg smell can kill you.
NHTSA complaint #11660201 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I purchased my vehicle in October 2024, and on Jan 2025 I begin experiencing jerking, misfiring, car not accelerating and unable to reverse. I reached out to multiple car dealers and they were unable to diagnose the problem. Today, January 21st I took my vehicle of less than a year to Ourisman Lincoln and was informed I needed to replace my 2019 Lincoln Transmission. This is devastating, as I’m unable to afford 9K dollar repair on a vehicle with only 59K miles.
NHTSA complaint #11655934 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.